Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope everyone is keeping well in the fantastic weather we have been having recently. Eid Mubarak to all our families and staff who celebrated this special day last Friday and over the weekend. I hope you all had an amazing day!

Just like the morning sun, the young people at Wigmore are shining in school and have been busy enjoying a wide range of activities in and out of the classroom.

Sports Day for all children across the school has taken place this week. Mr Marshall, Mr Whadcoat and the Year 6 helpers always organise and implement this so well. It runs smoothly and effectively, engages children well and everyone enjoys the benefit of physical activity. This week we have also seen a group of pupils represent Wigmore at the Zone Athletics, due to their preparation they were able to perform very well on the day and had an enjoyable time.  PE is always high quality at Wigmore and we can only say thanks for everything they do for all children at Wigmore.

Last week most of our Year 4 children were involved in the annual Camp Out, outdoor and adventurous activities on the school field. The children were amazing and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A huge thanks to the staff who supported the children throughout the evening and overnight. Once again Mr Marshall and Mr Whadcoat have worked closely with Adventures Into to make this annual event an amazing experience for the children.

In the classrooms Year 1 have been very busy preparing for the phonics screening. I know that the staff and parents have been working hard with them in school and at home to ensure they learn the important skills of word reading. Thank you to Mr Clarke and all involved in administering the screening. The children have all been doing their very best and are determined to succeed.

In Maths some of of our Year 3 children have been involved in a Maths Challenge organised by Herts for Learning. The children thoroughly enjoyed this experience and performed very well in their first attempt at taking part in this event. Our Year 4 pupils have also been working hard on their times tables and have taken part in the Multiplication Tables Check. I know that parents and carers have been supporting the children for this as well. Thank you to the Year 4 team and well done to all of our Wigmore mathematicians.

This week our Year 2 children have taken part in a focused day of activities linked to their learning about Kenya. Thanks to the adults for organising this and well done to the children for taking part in this fun day of amazing activities.

Our SEND team have been busy visiting classrooms and monitoring the progress of children who have additional needs in our school. On Thursday the team met with teachers to review individual learning plans and these reviews will be followed up with parents and carers soon. An important part of school improvement and development is on-going monitoring of what is taking place in every classroom and the highlight of my week is always popping into classrooms and looking through the books of children.

This week our Year 3 children were involved in an amazing trip into London Excel to visit the Tutankhamun Immersive Experience. The children and adults had an amazing time on the trip. The children represented the school so well on the day. Thank you to all involved.

As part of our work with Two Mile Ash, an Initial Teacher Training Provider based in Milton Keynes, we had a short visit from Ofsted this week to talk about and observe the work we do helping to shape future teachers. Miss Warrender (Trainee Teacher) and Miss Pirks (Year 1 Alder Class Teacher and Mentor) did an amazing job discussing our involvement in the programme and their teacher training programme. There is a national shortage of high quality teachers, if you are interested in joining the amazing teaching profession please have a look at the Two Mile Ash website.

The Gold Book

Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book last week.  

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a very busy two weeks in school and I am sure everyone is looking forward to a well earned rest and recharge over half term. Nature is really turning on a show at the moment. Our school allotments are thriving with nutritious goods, the local parks are full of amazing colours. Let’s hope the good weather continues at half term.

Well done to our Year 6 pupils who managed the challenges of end of Key Stage assessments positively and thank you to the staff who prepared and supported them throughout the week.

The children had their class photos last week in school, all the details about purchasing these have been sent to parents and carers. Thank you to our office staff for organising the logistics of school photo day.

Year 1 and Year 3 have had trips to Whipsnade Zoo. The children and staff were treated to amazing weather and the animals were all enjoying the sunshine as well. Thank you to the staff for organising these opportunities.

Our Year 5 and 6 pupils took part in the Quad Kids Athletics event at Stockwood Park and their performances were exceptional. Well done to all involved and thank you to our organisers.

Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join the consultation meeting for the proposed SEMH Provision at Wigmore. Your feedback is important so please respond to the consultation.

The Gold Book

Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book last week. 

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the fantastic weather that has been on offer recently.

It has been a very busy start to the term with a number of year groups taking part in a range of trips to destinations near and far. Thank you to the adults for organising the Year 4 trip to Cadbury World, our PE staff for a wonderful day out on the pitch at Kenilworth Road and our 13 enthusiastic Geographers linking their learning to History at the Natural History Museum. Thank you to the parents and carers who have supported these opportunities for the children.

We have also had a number of visitors in school supporting the children with different aspects of learning. Children in Early Years and Year 1 have been learning about the importance of healthy eating with the Food Showdown show taking place in school. All classes from across the school have been involved in drama workshops linked to developing their understanding of diversity and identity. These performances have been well received by the children and staff. Thank you to those who organised these.

Congratulations to the Year 4 children who recently took part in a Maths challenge against schools across the country. They scored an amazing 146 points out of 199, performing well above the average (125 points), but narrowly missing out on reaching the finals, the cut off score for the finals was 150 points. This is the first time Wigmore have taken part and the children did so well, working together to come up with the answers to some very challenging questions.

Congratulations to our Year 4 athletes as well. They won the Quad Kids Athletics Festival this week. Amazing athletes and mathematicians in Year 4! Thanks to our PE team for preparing the children so well and to all our amazing parents who are always there to support the children at sporting events.

Last week Wigmore had a productive week reviewing the progress of pupils with SEND. Malcolm Reeve, SEND advisor, was in school and commented positively on the progress the school has made in supporting our SEND pupils making progress towards achieving their individual learning plan targets and communicating with parents and carers on a fortnightly basis. Wigmore also hosted SENDCos from across the east for training. Thank you to Mrs Clark, Mrs Eversden, Miss Jackson and all our amazing teachers and teaching assistants for supporting children with SEND so well.

We have also reviewed the closing time of the back gate and this gate will now close at 3:40 pm. This week we also completed a successful run through of our recently reviewed lockdown procedure. The children managed this brilliantly and were excellent.

Thank you to the Year 6 parents who were able to attend the SATS meeting at the beginning of the term and to all the adults who have been preparing the children so well for these assessments next week. Good luck to all our Year 6 children.

The Gold Book

Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book over the last two weeks.   

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

Eid Mubarak to all our families who celebrated this important religious festival earlier this week. Also best wishes to our families who will be celebrating Easter in approximately two weeks.

It was great to see so many parents in school over the last week receiving important updates on the progress their child/children are making in school. We hope that you found this time with your child’s class teacher helpful.

Over the last two weeks we have been treated to some amazing musical performances by the children in Year 3 and those involved in Rock Steady classes. The children in Foundation Pine Class and Year 6 Holly also shared their learning to a wider audience. Both classes have been working incredibly hard! Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join us in school for this.

Last week we celebrated the amazing world of Maths at Wigmore. It was great to see some amazing learning opportunities in maths in action across the school. Thank you to those who organised the day and for the teachers for planning some amazing lessons. It was great to see so many children dressed up.

Last week the children in Year 6 were involved in workshops led by young local Doctors on asthma. It is important that the children learn about the challenges people living with asthma have and what they should do if someone with asthma is experiencing difficulties.

This week it has been great to hear about the success of our school swimming team, Year 3 and 4 girls football team and Year 6 football team. Well done to all involved and thanks to our amazing organisers – Mr Marshall and Mr Whadcoat.

In assembly this morning we presented our school values awards for curiosity. The future belongs to the curious, it is great to know that we have so many positive role models in our school for the children to follow. Well done to our award winners.

This morning we also said farewell to Miss Haque who is relocating to another part of the UK. Thanks for all your hard work Miss Haque – we wish you the very best for future success!

The Gold Book

Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book last  week.   

Values award 

Well done to our curiosity award winners.

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

We look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Wednesday 23rd April.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the fantastic weather that has been on offer in recent days. It has been a great two weeks in school with some amazing positive highlights which I have outlined below. Have a look at our social media feed to get a flavour.

Community Iftar

Last night Wigmore hosted our first Community Iftar – a night designed to bring all members of our school community together to celebrate and help develop tolerance and understanding of the Islamic faith. The event was very well attended with all tickets going very quickly. I felt incredibly proud of all who attended, there was a real sense of unity and community in the school and the organisation and planning for the event was meticulous. Members of our Race and Conscious Equality staff working group and other staff worked incredibly hard to make the event a memorable one. Thank you to all who attended and to all involved in its organisation.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Over the last two weeks members of our SEND and senior team have been busy dropping in to lessons to look closely at curriculum adaptations for children with a range of needs. It has been a busy fortnight and it has been pleasing to see so many members of staff going the “extra mile” to cater for all pupils in our school. Inclusion and nurturing excellence of all pupils is at the heart of everything we do and I have been pleased with what I have observing.

This week we also took part in an inclusive sports festival for pupils with SEND. It was great to speak to the children on their return to school, proudly wearing their medals for the efforts they have been putting in. Mr Marshall and Mr Whadcoat always work incredibly hard, this year we have had other schools visit Wigmore to see our sensory circuits programme in action. It is clear that these regular sessions are having a positive impact on pupil’s enjoyment and participation in physical activity.

Thank you to everyone involved and well done to the children.

Sports

This week a group of pupils represented the school brilliantly in the Cross County Relays at Stockwood Park. There were bronze, silver and gold medals earned and the 1500 metre course and tough competition were no match to the effort and determination shown by our Year 4, 5 and 6 team. Well done to all involved!

This week some of our Year 3 pupils are involved in their Level 1 Bikeability course, the amazing sporting opportunities never stop at Wigmore.

Class assemblies 

Thank you to the parents and carers from Year 4 Willow and Foundation Conkers for joining us in school over the last two weeks for sharing assemblies. We hope you enjoyed the opportunity listening to the children sharing their learning with you. Well done to all involved.

History in Year 3 

Yesterday the children in Year 3 were involved in a focused curriculum day on Ancient Egypt. The children and staff had a thoroughly enjoyable day, reinforcing and learning new things about this amazing period in history. Thank you to the parents for supporting this event and to the staff who organised this.

The Gold Book – Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book this week.   

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope everyone is keeping well and have enjoyed the sunny start to the beginning of the second half of the Spring term.

Ramadan and Lent

To all our families who are observing the religious events of Ramadan and Lent I wish you all the very best for a positive month of reflection and growth.

Race and Conscious Equality

Last Friday we celebrated Mother Languages Day in school. The children had an excellent day in school learning about languages from all over the world from our expert teachers, parents and students from Putteridge High. The day culminated in two brilliant assemblies where children shared their learning with one another. Learning about languages is a great way of promoting our school values and develops a sense of belonging across the school. The children in Key Stage 2 were also treated to a performance about belonging yesterday. Thank you to Tangled Feet for providing this and to our staff working party for Race and Conscious Equality for all their efforts.

Did you know that Romanian is the second most spoken language at Wigmore? Following the amazing lessons taught by parents, teachers and children I have learnt the following interesting 5 facts about Romania:

1. Romania houses 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

2. Romania is one of the countries with the fastest internet speed

3. Romania has Europe’s largest rock sculpture

4. Romania has the first city, Timisoara, to use electric street lamps in Europe

5. Romania is the largest country on the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe.

Mastering Maths

We also had a huge number of parents and carers in school learning about our mastering number sessions that we are running in Key Stage 1. Thank you to all who organised this and to all the parents who were able to attend.

SEND Team update 

For our parents and carers who have children with special educational needs we have had two information sessions.

Elisabeth from EPIC (Empowering Parents Influencing Change) joined us for our Parents Information Session for SEND on 30th January, she shared about the work of EPIC and how they are able to support parents and children/young people with SEND needs in Luton. EPIC is the official Parent Carer Forum (PCF) for the Luton Borough and they are a non-profit, independent registered community interest company made up of parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. Their mission is to bridge the gap between local services and families by ensuring that parents’ voices are heard, valued, and acted upon to improve services that meet the needs of our community. They represent all members across all disabilities, working collectively to influence positive change for families living in or accessing services within the Luton Borough. Further information can be found on their website: https://epiclutonpcf.org/

Today Natalie Hodges from Luton Borough Council joined us for our SEN Parent Coffee Morning. Natalie spoke to us about her role as SEN Parent Engagement Officer. She explained that her role is to work across Luton to develop and embed processes, that enable the participation of children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities, their parents and carers in decision-making and service planning, delivery, and evaluation. She also aims to drive the participation of children and young people with SEND in decision making and service planning, delivery, and evaluation across education, health and social care in Luton. As well as this, she hopes to empower SEND children and young people (CYP) to make a difference, helping them to develop their skills and abilities and make positive contributions to the outcomes of other children and young people. During the session Natalie offered parents the opportunity to share their experiences of SEN and asked them to express their ideas on how services in Luton for SEN can be improved.

Follow Luton Local Offer on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/LutonL0?locale=en_GB

Or you can join their SEND Newsletter mailing list to hear about engagement opportunities

https://luton.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1f2ee8824f010bdb0531edad4&id=573b9f6d40

Any parents and carers of pupils with SEND needs are always welcome to join us for these friendly and inclusive sessions which take place once a term – details of every session are sent by the school admin team.

Last week, Mrs Jones, our library assistant and former school governor had her last day in school with us. She has worked and volunteered at Wigmore since 2010. Her final message to the children was shared in celebration assembly today, encouraging all children to keep reading. All the best for an amazing retirement.

The Gold Book – Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book this week.   

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day!

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

The first half of the Spring term has flown by and I hope all our children and their families are looking forward to a rest and recharge over the half term.

It has been great to see and talk to so many children over the last few weeks about their progress in writing. This year, under the guidance of our writing lead Mrs Parkar, every class has introduced an author’s chair to give the children a sense of purpose and audience for when they write. I know the children have responded positively to this and have enjoyed sharing their writing with their peers, it is hoped that this will continue to motivate the children to write more quality texts. Writing is like thinking through our fingers!

Well done to both Juniper and Ash class for fantastic sharing assemblies over the last 2 weeks. Thank you to the teachers for preparing the children so well and for all the parents and carers who were able to attend.

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of classes taking in part in a range of trips to support their learning in different areas of the curriculum. Year 6 have been on a local walk and a trip to Whipsnade Zoo, Year 4 have also been to Whipsnade. It is always to hear the positive reports about the behaviour and positive attitude of Wigmore children on trips. Thank you to the staff for organising these opportunities for the children.

Our 60 strong school choir took part in the Young Voices evening at Wembley Arena earlier this week. It has been amazing to hear of the excellent behaviour and high quality performance put on by all Luton schools but especially our huge choir. Thank you and well done to everyone involved.

We are looking for parent volunteers to support Mother Languages Day on Friday 28th February. Miss Islam and Mrs Ely have been working incredibly hard to organise an amazing day of language learning for the children and we are looking forward to having students from Putteridge High lead language sessions for the children. If you are able to come in to share the amazing languages you speak at home please speak to a member of staff. Wigmore is an amazing, diverse school community and this day will be an excellent way to celebrate this.

This week all classes have been braving the cold weather to take part in activities linked to the Big Schools Birdwatch. Thanks to Mrs Zhouri for organising the activities the children have been completing throughout the week.

On Thursday our Year 4 and 5 footballers took part in a local football tournament and represented the school very well. Thank you to Mr Marshall and Mr Whadcoat for organising these wonderful sporting opportunities for the children.

The Gold Book – Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book last week.   

Empathy Awards for this half term 

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are flying towards February in the hope that we have some more settled and warmer weather.

It has been a busy time in school. Last week senior leaders and governors visited classrooms on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to see the wider curriculum in action. It was great to see excellent behaviour for learning in all classrooms with children accessing a wide range of interesting and engaging activites.

Tangled Feet have been delivering their exceptional Mindfulness Programme to some of our children in Key Stage 1. I visited the music room last Tuesday and am looking forward to visiting the session again just before half term. They are incredibly adaptive to the needs of our children since starting with us. They have worked hard to ensure the children feel supported, understood, and empowered to manage their emotions well.

Over the last fortnight we have had children participate and enjoy their involvement in the Year 5/6 multi sports festival, County Football Finals and a PE Reward trip to an indoor rock climbing centre. Thanks to Mr Marshall, Mr Whadcoat and all the children involved in representing our school so well at these events.

Well done to Year 5 Hawthorn class for sharing their learning with their peers and parents in their recent sharing assembly.

Last week we had individual school photos, the proofs will be going home today with your children, please ensure you place your orders by Friday 7th February. Thank you to the office staff for organising this.

This week children in Foundation commenced their class trips to Pizza Express. The children and staff had a great time. Thank you to the staff for organising this opportunity for the children.

On Thursday we had visitors in school from EPIC to share information with parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities. EPIC provide a wide range of services to parents and carers of young people with SEND – a listening ear, signposting to services, parental courses. The session was very positive and well received by all in attendance. Thank you to our SEND team for organising this opportunity for parents and carers and thank you to those who were able to attend.

This year we have continued to make progress towards achieving a Race and Conscious Equality charter mark. We have a working party of staff who have been very busy organising different cultural events that are going to be taking place in school. Communication will be sent out to families regarding the events we have planned. It would be great to see parents and carers get involved in what is being offered to help promote race equality. We all have a responsibility to ensure racism and inequality does not exist in society.

The Gold Book

Well done to the following children who were in the Gold Book over the last two weeks. 

ATTEND TO ACHIEVE! 

At Wigmore we have to aim to be here every day! Excellent attendance is 97% or above. There are strong links between good attendance and good progress in school, both academically and socially.  We want to be the best we can possibly be and reach our school target of 97%. We have to make a concerted effort in order to improve attendance and punctuality. 

Every minute of every lesson counts!

Be in to win!

Be on time and in school every day! 

Lateness = lost learning!

Days off school = lost learning! 

With thanks for your continued support,

Mr Johnston