Overthorpe C of E Academy

BELIEVE, ENJOY, ACHIEVE

'Overthorpe is more than a school-

We are the heart of the community.

In our family, we nurture the courage,

And skills to fly higher than the flock,

Whilst always providing a nest,

To come home to.'

TRUST, FRIENDSHIP, ENDURANCE, FORGIVENESS, HOPE

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Headteacher - Mr J Mitchell

Senior Leadership Team - Ms L McCarthy (Deputy Head), Ms L Stott (Assistant Head), Mrs S Wood (SENDCo)

Designated Safeguarding lead - Mrs S Wood

Deputy DSLs - Mr J Mitchell, Ms L Stott, Ms L McCarthy, Mrs A Godfrey

Cross Country success!

This week has been another incredibly busy and purposeful one in school, with pupils and staff involved in a wide range of learning and events across all year groups.

Highlights have included road safety sessions for Year 4 and additional maths and reading booster work for our older pupils, as staff continue to support children in the run-up to key assessments.

Leaders have been out and about as well, attending hub meetings, curriculum sessions and NPQ training to ensure that the latest thinking in teaching, SEND and safeguarding continues to shape practice back at Overthorpe.

Earlier this week, staff met with parents for our new reception intake. It was a delight to welcome potentially new children and parents to our Overthorpe family.

Thank you to all staff, children and families for the continued hard work and support that make such a full and productive week possible.

Have a restful weekend

Mr Mitchell

Due to a phenomenal amount of interest, Overthorpe had to have an intra Cross Country Competition to select the top runners to represent the school at the North Kirklees Cross Country Finals. Over 75 children participated!

This resulted in us taking 45 children to the competition in early October. The school had its best ever performance. Year 3 girls and Year 5 boys all qualified to the next round. We also had four excellent individual runners qualify too.

At the second round (Kirklees Finals) we have secured further excellent results and are waiting in anticipation to find out who will reach the next round – The West Yorkshire Finals at Temple Newsam.

Due to the all the hard work the children have put into their running and the overwhelming participation and excellent results, the school received some exciting news: The School Games organisers arranged a surprise visit to the school in Achievement Assembly and awarded Overthorpe The Cross Country Participation Award.

We are so proud of the children who competed. They were focused, mature, competitive, alert and confident. They also showed great determination and sportsmanship.

The Forgiveness Garden

This week in worship, our children explored The Forgiveness Garden by Lauren Thompson — a moving story inspired by real events. The book tells of two neighbouring communities who have been hurt by one another for many years. When a young boy throws a stone and injures a girl from the other village, both sides expect anger to be returned with anger. Instead, the girl makes a brave choice: she chooses forgiveness over revenge. Her decision begins to heal the divide between the two communities, showing that even the smallest act of kindness can break a long cycle of hurt.

During worship, we reflected on the themes of revenge, resentment, love and, most importantly, the life-changing power of forgiveness. Children explored the idea that forgiveness does not mean we forget what happened, but that it allows us to release the weight of anger and move forward with peace and hope. We talked about how choosing forgiveness takes courage, and how it opens the door to healing — for ourselves and for others.

These messages support our wider vision of helping children grow into compassionate, thoughtful and resilient human beings. By learning about forgiveness, our pupils are developing the emotional strength and empathy needed to face challenges calmly and peacefully. Through stories like The Forgiveness Garden, our children gain the wisdom to pause, reflect and respond with kindness rather than reacting in haste.

We hope that this week’s worship has encouraged our pupils to understand that forgiveness is a powerful gift — one that helps us build stronger friendships, healthier relationships and a more harmonious school community.