Welcome Back!

We are pleased to welcome you back to an action packed, exciting and innovative new school year. It was wonderful to see the pupils return this week: on time, in full uniform and ready for learning. It has been great to watch them settle in to new classes and start new relationships with their new adults and all children have settled really well. At Gainsborough children are taught in ability groups for reading, writing and maths so that everyone experiences the right pitch, support mechanisms and challenge. If you have any questions about this please speak to your child’s class teacher. Class teachers are preparing class newsletters with all of the information you need to know for this half term and the best way to keep up to date is to read the weekly newsletter and keep an eye on the school Instagram account.

You will have received communication about the school’s successful recruitment campaign and appointment of a new headteacher, Mrs Sandra Brierley. I am looking forward to working with Sandra over the coming term to hand over the operational aspects of the school. I will work closely with Sandra throughout the Spring and Summer term to ensure a good handover.

We are excited to undertake some more building and grounds improvement works over the year with new toilet blocks, new reception and Nest outside play spaces and some new IT which will all improve the learning experiences of our children. We are looking for new members of our school PTA, the FRoG’s (Friends of Gainsborough) to support with ongoing fundraising and events, please let Ms Charlotte Harris know if you would like to be part of the group.

Welcome to our New Staff

Please make our new staff feel welcome and introduce yourself to them over the coming term:

Mr Harry Lawrence, 2 YO Ducklings Room Lead

Mr Oliver Cowen, Year 5

Mrs Gulsah Alver, Year 4

Mr Bassie Turay, Year 3

Ms Amara Fagan-Cooper, School Cook

Ms Siobhan Wall, School Gardener

Punctuality Reminder

As we begin a new term, we would like to remind everyone about the importance of arriving at school on time every day.

Punctuality is about much more than simply being at school when the bell rings. For primary-aged children, arriving on time helps them to feel happy, calm and settled. Children have time to greet their friends and teachers, organise themselves and begin the day alongside everyone else. Arriving late can mean entering a classroom where learning has already begun, which can sometimes leave children feeling rushed, unsettled or worried. Our important reading and phonics lessons begin at 9:00am. These lessons build children’s reading skills day by day, so even regularly missing the first 10 or 15 minutes can add up to a significant amount of lost learning over a term. We want every child to have the very best start to their day. A happy and settled start helps to create a happy and settled day, supporting children’s wellbeing, friendships, behaviour and readiness to learn. Please help us by making morning routines and punctuality a priority this term. Arriving at school on time means your child can walk into class with their friends, feel ready to learn and make the most of every part of their school day. Thank you, as always, for working in partnership with us and for helping us give every child the best possible start each morning.

Every day matters. Every minute matters.