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

Wrens investigating heart rate in Science

What a week!

It has been another busy week of learning here at school. We have seen science investigations, rugby lessons, treasure hunts in geography as well as lots of other exciting learning opportunities.

We had a surprise visitor in our weekly Learning Champions this week. Mr John Holroyd, from the School Games Team, has awarded Overthorpe with a trophy for the overwhelming number of children participating and the number of inter school competitions we are participating in. He was astounded at the commitment, resilience and endurance shown by all the children who participate and take the time to have a go. Well done to everyone who was involved and we hope to see more children taking part in the upcoming competitions. Watch this space for more news!

On Monday, PCSO Joe Lodge spoke to a number of classes about County Lines. The children listened very carefully to what he had to say and they asked some very in depth questions. Thank you PCSO Lodge for coming in to talk to us.

See you all next week

Ms McCarthy

Perfect

This week in worship, we explored the powerful theme of acceptance, empathy, and seeing the beauty in others—especially when things don't turn out as we first expected.

We read the book Perfect by Nicola Davies, which tells the moving story of a child excitedly awaiting the arrival of a new baby sister. But when she is born, it becomes clear that she will never run, play, or move like other children. This brings a mix of emotions—sadness, confusion, disappointment, and even anger. Through caring for a young, injured bird, the older sibling begins to understand that some beings just need a little help to find their way—and that needing help doesn't make someone less perfect. In fact, it opens the door to love, patience, and deeper understanding.

During our reflections, children thought deeply about the emotions we feel when life doesn’t go as planned and how we can learn to see people for who they truly are, not just what they can or can't do. Difference is not something to fix, but something to value and that sometimes, love means offering a helping hand—and discovering something even more wonderful in return.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that no jewellery including earrings of any kind should be worn in PE lessons, after school sports clubs and at swimming. This is because earrings can get easily caught on equipment or a stud could penetrate the neck behind the ear should an unintentional blow be received from someone or from equipment such as a ball, which can cause a painful injury.

We understand that newly pierced ears require the earrings to remain in the ear at all times for a maximum of 6 weeks. Once 6 weeks has passed the earrings can be removed. We ask that any new piercings happen at the start of the six weeks summer holiday.

Please make sure your child’s ears are safe by removing their earrings on PE, afterschool sports club and swimming days or preferably teach them how to remove them prior to their PE lesson, school club and swimming.

Unfortunately, teachers are not allowed to remove earrings.

Children will be unable to take part in PE, afterschool sports clubs or go swimming unless their earrings have been removed in order to keep them safe.

Thank you for your co-operation.

If your child is attending an after-school sporting club, we ask that they come to school wearing their PE kit for the day. This will save time getting changed after school and allow them to maximise the amount of active time they can enjoy in the club.

As a reminder, our PE uniform has not changed in recent years and remains as follows:

Plain white t-shirt
Plain navy or black shorts (or joggers in colder weather)
School jumper (in colder weather)
Suitable, safe footwear such as trainers for outdoor PE

All PE uniform should be plain and unbranded to ensure it remains affordable and accessible for all families. Thank you for helping us make the most of every minute our pupils spend being active.