As I write this, the children have finished school for the day, about to start their October half term break. Although the number of weeks is similar to the first half term of every school year, it has felt long and everybody is definitely ready for the break! Children and staff have struggled with coughs and colds; however whilst Covid numbers have increased locally in the last few weeks I’m pleased to say Covid hasn’t impact Millfield as much as it has other schools.
In so many ways, we are back to ‘normal’ in school and so in this edition I am delighted to be able to talk about activities the children have taken part in that we weren’t able to do in quite the same way last year.
Residential visits are such an important part of school life. Staff enjoy residential visits as much as the children…if not more so! Our Year 4 children had the opportunity to go to Whitwell in Norfolk, where they spent 3 days camping. I had the pleasure of joining them and it certainly was an experience cooking everything over an open fire….as well as using it to heat up the washing up water! The weather was kind to us and the children had a wonderful time den building, river dipping, going on a bat walk at night, building a tripod for cooking over a fire, building a Da Vinci bridge as a team and many other things! It was a really enjoyable trip and a good time was had by all!
Year 6 spent 3 days at PGL in Lincolnshire which was also a huge success, as ever! Whilst the children didn’t sleep under canvas or cook their own food over a fire, they still embarked on lots of new activities such as raft building, climbing, archery, orienteering, giant swing and a zip wire.
Reception children had a number of visitors into school linked to their learning around Pets- from dogs to rabbits to snakes….but not all at the same time I hasten ton add!
Year 5 took part in a Careers Event at Ely Cathedral. This has been a fairly long standing event, but not for the last couple of years of course. It was good to give the children the opportunity to meet people from all sorts of different occupations and professions, to open their eyes to the opportunities that are out there for them.
We usually have a sporting event to report on and this term a group of children participated in a ‘festival’ with children from other schools. Participation in different sporting activities was the key to this, rather than winning and it was so heart-warming to see children’s confidence grow and their pride and delight when they all received a medal for taking part.
Millfield’s New Community Council
Within the Elliot Foundation a Community Council is a group of volunteers appointed by the Trust to offer challenging but positive and proactive support to the Principal and Senior Leadership on behalf of the children and community that the school serves.
They do this by knowing and celebrating the strengths of the community that the school serves alongside holding the highest aspirations and expectations for all children.
Community Councils are, whilst a full and formal part of the governance structure in line with the Trust’s Articles of Association, wholly advisory bodies focused on;
• The ethos and values of the school
• The ambition, appropriateness and effectiveness of the school’s curriculum for its children
• The wellbeing of pupils, families and staff.
Community Councils support the Trust to work as one entity, in the interests of all its schools equally. They also provide a mechanism for meaningful Trust Board engagement with a school, its parents and local community enabling trustees to understand stakeholder views, needs and listen to their feedback. Millfield Primary is hoping to appoint some council members who are not parents/carers already at our school, but people who could provide links to our local community.
Meetings are held 4 times a year, 2 of which will involve visiting the school and meeting with the School Council, our Young Carers group and seeing some of the projects that the children are undertaking. If you think this is something you would be interested in please get in touch with our Community Council Clerk Mrs Bidecant for more information, please email: abidecant@millfieldprimary.org.
Deborah Hannaford
Headteacher
Millfield School Update
