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

Headteacher - Mr J Mitchell

Senior Leadership Team - Ms L Stott, Ms L McCarthy, Mrs S Wood

Designated Safeguarding lead - Mrs S Wood

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

EYFS sports day

Good afternoon everyone

What a wonderful and busy week we have had at school! Our EYFS and KS1 Sports Days were a fantastic success, filled with energy, teamwork, and lots of smiles. A huge thank you to all the children for their enthusiasm and to the staff (especially Miss Atkinson) for making the events so special. We are now looking forward to the LKS2 and UKS2 Sports Days next week—let’s hope the weather stays fine!

Thank you to all the parents who took the time to complete our questionnaires. We really value your feedback and will be sharing these again at next week’s Sports Days for those who have not yet had a chance to respond.

Year 6 had a super Transition Day at TCA on Wednesday, and our new Reception Starter Event on Thursday after school was very well attended. We hope you found this event helpful and reassuring as your children prepare to join us in September.

Looking ahead, we have an exciting Subslime Science Day planned for Tuesday. A massive thank you to our amazing PTA for organising this fun and educational event. Don’t forget, Friday is a non-uniform day in return for donations of sweets for the Summer Fair—so it’s set to be a week to look forward to!

Have a lovely weekend, and I will see you all next week.

Mr Mitchell.

After careful consideration and after monitoring the weather for the next 2 days, we have had to make the unfortunate decision to re-arrange the Upper and Lower KS2 Sports Days to Tuesday 24th June 2025.

Years 3 and 4 will have their Sports Day at 9.30pm.

Years 5 and 6 will have their Sports Day at 1.30pm.

Whilst we understand it may be an inconvenience for you to re-arrange your commitments, we do have to think about the health and safety of our children and staff.

We are likely to experience hot weather, so please can you ensure your children have suncream applied from home and bring in their water bottles and sun hats.

This is a friendly reminder that all outstanding balances on ParentPay accounts need to be settled by the end of term. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your continued support in ensuring all school expenses are managed effectively.

You can view your child's current balance and make payments through ParentPay. If you need assistance with your account or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the school office. We are happy to help.

(This is for current Y5 pupils regarding next year when the children are in Y6)

On Monday 30th June at 5:00pm, Mr Willmott will be doing a presentation for Year 5 parents and pupils about next year's proposed Year 6 residential to High Adventure.

You will be able to find out about the great opportunities for your child at High Adventure and see photos and videos from recent visits. Mr Willmott will also be able to answer any questions you have. The meeting will be in the Year 6 classroom, parents should sign in at the school main reception.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our sponsored read. We raised a whopping £235, which has gone towards buying new and exciting books in school.

Dear Parents/Carers

Thank you again for all your continued support over the last year.

Please can we make you aware that, as usual, Owls will be closing early, at 4.30pm on Friday 18th July. Therefore, we would very much appreciate it if you could all pick up your children promptly at this time.

A reminder also that sessions should be paid in advance via Parentpay. Any sessions for week beginning 14th July must be paid for by Sunday 13th July. This does NOT affect you if you pay monthly via a childcare voucher scheme.

May we also take this opportunity to wish you and all your family a safe and relaxing summer break

Thank you.

Kind Regards

Sonia and the Overthorpe Owls Team

We would like to extend our thanks to all the parents and carers who joined us at our recent sports events. Your presence and enthusiastic support made the days truly special for our pupils and staff.

A special thank you to those who took the time to complete the survey—your feedback is invaluable in helping to inform us about our strengths and next steps.

We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did, and we look forward to seeing you at our next event!

As we approach the end of the term, we know that many children and parents are eager to learn about class arrangements for next year. We will be sharing information about which teachers will be with each class towards the end of this term.

We are delighted to announce that all of our current teachers will be staying at Overthorpe in September. In addition, we are excited to be welcoming a new teacher to our team, further strengthening our staff and the support we can offer our pupils.

For our Year 4 children, there will be a change in class groupings as they move into Year 5. After being in the same two classes for both Years 3 and 4, the children will be regrouped for Year 5, and these new groupings will continue into Year 6. This is to help children develop new friendships and prepare them for the transition to high school, where they will meet and work with many new classmates.

When creating the new classes, we will ensure a careful balance of gender, abilities, SEND, and emotional needs. Importantly, all children will have the opportunity to contribute to this process. Next week, they will complete forms to identify their 'close friends.' We will make sure that every child is placed in a class with at least one of their close friends, helping everyone feel comfortable and supported as they move into the new school year.

We look forward to an exciting year ahead and thank you for your continued support!

🌟 Reception New Starter Transition Morning 🌟

🗓 Tuesday 1st July 2025
🕘 9:00 – 11:30 AM

We’re excited to welcome our youngest learners for a special Reception Transition Morning! This fun and friendly session is designed to help children begin their school journey with confidence and smiles.

Children will have the chance to:
🎨 Explore their new classroom
🧸 Meet their teachers and new friends
📚 Enjoy playful activities and stories
👟 Get comfortable in their new surroundings

It’s a gentle, happy introduction to life in Reception – helping little ones feel right at home from day one. We can’t wait to welcome you and your child for these joyful, memorable sessions! 🌈

Science Day - 24.6.25 - Subslime whole day visit.

Zarach are a charity, based in West Yorkshire, dedicated to ensuring no child lives in bed poverty. If you or someone you know, has a child, who doesn't have a bed or a suitable place to sleep, please contact school. We will make a referral to Zarach. All the charity ask, is that you answer their call, be in when they come to visit your house to see which bed will suit your child the best and be in when they deliver your bed sets.

Zarach provide beds for all children, regardless of age, as long as they are in full time education.

Please see the flyer for more information.

2 hours - this workshop covers the following topics:

• Understanding knife crime from the perspective of children & young people

• The signs and stages of child exploitation

• Gangs and gang-life

• Exploring the link between trauma and exploitation

• Consider online harms, social media, slang and gang-related music

• Understanding how ‘issues’ with peers can escalate and how young people can manage them

• Having meaningful conversations about safety

• Helping our children stay safe; the SAFE ‘T’s approach

• Further support and resources available

To book onto one of the Parents & Carers online sessions, please register on one of the below:

Parents & Carers

Wednesday 25th June @ 10am - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1363932281169?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thursday 3rd July @ 6pm - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1363935901999?aff=oddtdtcreator

Wednesday 9th July @ 6pm - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1363937948119?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please note, these workshops will be held via ZOOM, further details with meeting links will be sent prior to the sessions for you to join.

The workshops have been organised by the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership and will be hosted by The Ben Kinsella Trust.

X: Overthorpe_Acad

School website: https://www.overthorpecofe.co.uk/

Email: office@overthorpe.enhanceacad.org.uk

Tel: 01924 325300

Address: Edge Top Road, Dewsbury, WF12 0BH