Weekly Newsletter

Headteacher - Mr J Parkinson

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Miss L Whale

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Mr K Reynolds

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week at Larks Hill, our Year 6 pupils have been working incredibly hard as part of their practice assessments in preparation for SATs week. They have conducted themselves exceptionally well and have approached each test with a positive attitude and determination to do their best. We are very proud of the dedication they have shown over the past two terms and know they are well-prepared for the challenges ahead – keep up the fantastic work!

We were also pleased to see a number of entries from KS2 for the Junior Civic Society’s Anti-Litter Poster Competition, part of the Keep Britain Tidy Great Spring Clean 2026 initiative. Six pupils from Larks Hill have been invited to attend a presentation event at Pontefract Library on Tuesday morning, where they will join children from other local schools. One winner from each school will be selected and awarded a trophy, with all posters displayed in and around the library. We look forward to sharing more news about our representatives in next week’s newsletter.

Today, pupils across school took part in Comic Relief / Red Nose Day by coming to school in non-uniform. It was fantastic to see so many pupils supporting the cause, with lots choosing to wear red to mark the occasion.

Also today, our fantastic Girls Active Leadership Group (GALS) attended a leadership course at Pontefract Squash Club. Pupils took part in activities designed to develop confidence, teamwork and leadership skills in sport, and how they can empower girls in sport. As always, we are very proud of how they represented Larks Hill.

The Larks Hill Eco Team and Gardening Club alongside Miss Thorley are raising money to purchase a pond for our wildlife area. They have spent a lot of time researching the best set up and preparing a proposal to Mr. Parkinson which has been given the go ahead!

On Monday, 23rd March, We will be running a Name the Cuddly Pig Competition! The team will be based in the year 5/6 shared area where for £1.00 each, children can choose a name from the list. The child that selects the winning name will get to keep the pig! There are 100 names to choose from and the winner will be announced during Friday's celebration assembly.

Whilst we have not experienced any issues at Larks Hill relating directly to this, many schools continue to report concerns linked to group chats on messaging apps. Recently, WhatsApp introduced Parent-Managed Accounts for children under 13, allowing parents to set up and oversee their child’s account directly from their own device.

These accounts include features such as approving contacts and group chats, receiving notifications about activity, and limiting certain functions within the app. This gives parents greater oversight and helps to support children in using messaging platforms more safely.

Further information can be found from the links here:
Link - Introducing parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp:
https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-parent-managed-accounts-on-whatsapp

Link - How to set up a parent-managed account: https://faq.whatsapp.com/875902238256170/?cms_platform=android

Arthur - Year 1

Arabella - Year 2

Seth - Year 3

Jack - Year 5

Evie & Grace - Year 6 - For their fantastic pieces of writing in English.

Fin - Year 6 - For his excellent perspective artwork this week.

Well done Evie, Grace & Fin!

Thursday, 26th March - Easter Egg Competition Deadline

Friday, 27th March - Easter Bonnet Parade

Friday, 27th March - Last Day of Term

Monday, 13th April - Back to School

This weeks CATS Spotlight goes to Freya - Year 3. Freya recently competed at the Judo Spirit Championships - U12s Yorkshire & Humber Judo Association at Reed School, Drax.

26 Judo club's took part with Freya winning a Bronze in her weight category under 35kg.

This was Freya's first official inter-club Judo competition and to win a Bronze Medal is a wonderful achievement. Well done Freya!!

If anyone else is interested in Judo, Freya attends Knottingley Judo Club on Thursdays at 6:30pm.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and we look forward to seeing our pupils again next week for our final week before the Easter break.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Reynolds

The menu for next week is Week 1

Please see the new Summer lunch menus below which will launch the first week back after the Easter Holidays.

Please see some information below regarding an understanding autism course provided by Wakefield Council at the Pomfret Family Hub.

Are you having a New Year clear out? Have the children grown AGAIN?

We are pleased to be running a clothing collection to support The Clothing Bank and our local community in Pontefract.

We would be grateful for donations of clean, good-quality women’s, men’s and children’s clothing that you no longer need. All items should be bagged and can be brought to the school office or taken directly into your child’s classroom.

Donations will be accepted throughout this half term and next half term. Your generosity will help support families within our local area, and we thank you in advance for your continued support

Please follow this link if you would like to find out more about The Clothing Bank. https://theclothingbank.org.uk/mission/

Due to a recent increase in demand for our Wraparound After School club, we have taken the decision to increase our capacity from 15 to 18 children per day. We hope this will help out those families that need childcare either on a regular or ad hoc basis.

If you haven’t used our Wraparound After School Club before, please drop in to the office to sign the agreement form.

The Club runs from 3.15pm-5.45pm Monday-Thursday and costs £12 per session (or £10 each for siblings).

Children can take part in games, activities, crafts and more! We also offer a selection of snacks and light bites for them to enjoy.

From next week we will also be launching our new Friday offer! Friday club will run as the rest of the week but at a discounted price of £8 for the full session, or £5 for a 4.30pm pick-up. This could be an opportunity for parents to get ready for the weekend, do some shopping or run any errands that need doing without the children there.

Places should be booked on MCAS by Friday of the preceding week, please give us a call if you need to book after this deadline and we will see what we can do.

Featherstone Lions ARLFC are running Easter Holiday Camps for children aged 5–11 as part of the Wakefield Happy Healthy Holidays programme.

The camps will run Monday 30th March – Thursday 2nd April - 10:00am – 3:00pm each day

The programme includes multi-sport activities, games, crafts, and Easter themed activities, along with a healthy hot or cold meal provided each day.

Places are free for children eligible for benefit-related free school meals, with a limited number of paid places available (£10 per day).

They also have SEND places available and a sensory room to support children who may benefit from a quieter environment. Places can book now by scanning the QR code on the poster.

Barnsley FC Community Trust are running football camps throughout the Easter Holidays.

Places can be booked by scanning the QR code on the attached poster

Elite Kids Coaching Holiday Camps are open to children in the local area and provides a fun, safe environment for them to stay active during the school holidays. All key information, including dates, times and booking details, can be found on the attached poster.

Ackworth Tennis Club invites you to join them for their Open Day on Sunday 26th April from 2:30-5pm to try tennis for free, all are welcome - staff, pupils and parents!

The Ackworth Tennis Club Open Day is a great opportunity for juniors and adults to try out some free coaching. Families can also come down to the tennis club to have a knock around with each other. All equipment is provided all you need to do is turn up in your sports gear and trainers. We will also be providing information about membership if you wish to sign up. We look forward to seeing you at the club!

To book yourself onto a coaching session or chance to play please sign up for FREE on: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/ackworthtennisclub/EventsV2