Amazing Autumn!

As we come to the end of an exciting autumn term, we have been celebrating the achievements and aspirations of children across the school. Our Cog Awards have recognised pupils for their determination, creativity, and effort in all areas of learning, highlighting the incredible progress being made throughout the school. We were also truly inspired by a visit from Paralympian Sean Rose, who shared his journey and motivated our children to aim high and pursue their dreams, reinforcing the value of perseverance and ambition. We are very grateful to the sponsorship received and we are looking forward to buying some new sports equipment soon.

Children have continued to enjoy active and outdoor learning, developing skills in practical and engaging ways. From enhancing their map skills around the school grounds to managing challenges confidently in the forest, pupils have been learning through hands-on experiences that complement classroom learning. Bikeability has been completed successfully, and our school committees now have newly elected roles, giving children the opportunity to contribute to the wider school life and develop leadership skills. Science lessons have also brought learning to life, allowing children to explore and experiment practically, nurturing curiosity and problem-solving skills across the school.

We look forward to continuing this journey of discovery and achievement together after the half-term break and wish all our children and their families a restful and enjoyable week.

Mrs Frost

'The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart.'

In the autumn term we have had a forest club on a Monday afternoon. It has gone very well so far and the children that have participated have really enjoyed it. This term our focus cog is being aspirational. The Year 6s have been very aspirational with practise SATs papers. The Reception children have been extremely courageous getting to know others this term. Lime class have been doing letter writing and learning about informal and formal letters. They have also been rounding in maths. Ash class have completed two independent writes all ready! The whole school have done beautiful portraits that you can see outside the office.

The children once again took part in choosing their class names: Blossom and Blackberry, Lime and Ash.

Our Facebook page is now fully up and running!

Use this link to follow us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CGiSTokZv/?mibextid=wwXIfr

After half-term, we will begin focusing on the next of our Bardwell Cogs – developing reflective learners. Our aim is to nurture children who believe in their own potential, take pride in their progress, and are motivated to challenge themselves. Throughout the year, we will explore each of the Bardwell Cogs in turn as part of our commitment to developing the whole child.

We have now successfully recruited an Office Manager.

I'm delighted to welcome Tim Spinks to our Bardwell team. Tim has a wealth of experience to bring to the role and has been in this week to complete an early induction. He will begin on the 11th November and will be in the office everyday from 9.00-3.15pm.

Breakfast club and afterschool club will continue from Monday 3rd November, with the option to book onto this using your Arbor account. Thank you for the patience you have had this term while we have navigate technical difficulties. After school club on a Friday has been well-received, so we will be continuing to provide this option going forward.

Please can I politely remind you to cancel any sessions that have been booked. Some sessions are now becoming fully booked. Spaces that aren't needed not can therefore be freed up for others - it will also avoid you being charged.

Please note the cancellation deadline times for bookings:
Breakfast club - 4pm the day before
Afterschool club - 1pm on the day

We will be hosting Parents' Evening on Monday 3rd November and Wednesday 5th November, which you can book onto through Arbor. Please let the school office know if you need any support with this.

The PTA have been busy once again this half-term, planning and preparing for a fantastic range of events to raise valuable funds for our school. Thanks to their hard work — and your wonderful support — this half-term, they’ve been able to fund electronic spellcheckers for Ash Class and new outdoor equipment for our youngest children.

In addition, the PTA have helped us invest in a new writing scheme for all pupils called The Literacy Tree. This exciting programme uses high-quality books to inspire children’s creativity and help them develop a real love of writing.

We’re so grateful to our amazing PTA for all their efforts, and to all the parents who come along, volunteer, and support these events. Your involvement makes such a difference to our school community and to the learning experiences we can offer our children.

PTA events coming up:

Our Open Afternoon will take place on Tuesday 4th November. Please feel free to drop in from 1.30-3pm if you have a child starting school in September. With that in mind, here are some important deadlines:

Here are some key dates for the rest of this term. Any dates/changes or additional events will be posted on our Facebook page, the school calendar and we will notify you by email. We will always endeavour to give as much notice as possible. We will also give more details about each event as we move through the term.

Here is a link to the Bardwell calendar:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=tilian.org.uk_05m1tocr83l94aqi4o0dutfsdk@group.calendar.google.com

25th October. 9.30-4pm - community day - thank you so much to our volunteers who are coming to school on Saturday to offer their help.

3rd November - Parents' evening

4th November - Open Afternoon

5th November - Parents' evening

7th November - Remembrance Church Service at 2.45pm

10th November - Odd Sock Day - details to follow.

17th November - Pre-school forest activity club starts again, 1.30-2.30pm

5th December - PTA wreath making event

16th December - Afternoon Nativity performance (details tbc)

17th December - Morning and afternoon Nativity performance (details tbc)

18th December - Christmas lunch

19th December - Last day of term

6th January - Children back in school

I also want to take this opportunity to reaffirm that safeguarding is our top priority at Bardwell. We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all pupils. If you ever have any concerns or wish to speak with a member of the safeguarding team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

This brings me to an important reminder about road safety. We kindly ask parents to avoid stopping or parking on the yellow chevrons outside of school as these areas must be kept clear to allow visibility for children crossing and to ensure emergency vehicle access if needed.

SENDIASS sessions for parents and carers

Booking is open for two online sessions for parents and carers, hosted by SENDIASS.

Personalised Stories to support social communication
12 November 2025 (10:30am - 11:30am)
Register for session

Understanding Children and Young People’s Behaviour as a Communication Need
19 November 2025 (10am - 11:30am)
Register for session

Helpline: 01473 265210
Email: enquiries@suffolksendiass.co.uk
Text: ADVICE4ME to 87007
Suffolk SENDIASS website

A communication survey will be coming home with your children after half-term. We would be grateful if you could please fill this in and return to the school office as soon as possible.

We are very keen to have children attending school if they are well enough. Please have a look at this NHS advice if you are unsure.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

If your child is ill, you must phone into the school before 9am, giving a reason for the absence ('unwell' is not sufficient), leave a voicemail if you need to. Please do not email in for absence.

We recommend that you are familiar with the Tilian Attendance Policy.

Email: bardwell@tilian.org.uk
Website: https://www.bardwell.org.uk/
Location: School Lane, Bardwell, Bury Saint Edmunds IP31 1AD, UK
Phone: 01359 250854
Twitter: @BardwellPrimary