The deadline for Reception admissions is fast approaching! Click here to apply for Beckfoot Priestthorpe before the 15th January 2026.
We currently have places available in our Nursery. Don't hesitate to contact us today to learn more.
Happy New Year and welcome back to all our families
We are delighted to see everyone return and are looking forward to a positive start to January. You may notice some new faces around school, we are pleased to welcome two new apprentice teachers: Miss Jones in Early Years and Miss Harney in Year 1 who will be working with us for this half term. We are also delighted to have Miss Rainford who you will have seen towards the end of last year supporting some of our children across our school. We are also delighted to share some happy news with you, Miss Margerison welcomed a baby boy on Boxing Day, both mum and baby are doing very well and the family are enjoying this special time together. Miss Sefton has settled in well with her Year 2 class. We’re sure you will join us in making them all feel welcome.
Weather Forecast
As winter weather approaches, we wanted to remind families that school closure due to snow is unlikely unless there is very heavy snowfall. In some cases, a later opening may be necessary. Any decisions will be made by Mrs Gunning following guidance from Our Trust, with everyone’s safety as the top priority. We will keep families informed as early as possible if there are any changes, please keep you eye on Class Dojo for updates.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to a great term ahead.
January
Monday 12 January, 8:40am – 9:30am – FOPPS Coffee morning and ‘Winter coat’ shop.
Wednesday 14 January, 9:30am – Foodbank whole school assembly (children only)
Thursday 15 January, Year 5 school trip to the Alhambra
Friday 16 January, – Wonderdome Mobile Planetarium visits school (please make £2.80 payment on ParentPay)
Monday 19 January, 3:05pm – 4:00pm – FOPPS planning meeting (all parents/carers are welcome to attend)
Wednesday 28 January – Year 3 school trip to Cliffe Castle (see email for details)
February
Thursday 5 February – FOPPS annual disco at the Methodist Church (more details to follow)
Wednesday 11 February – Year 5 school trip to the Bradford Industrial Museum (see email for details)
Thursday 12 February – Year 5 school trip to Saltaire (see email for details)
Thursday 12 February, 2:30pm – 3:00pm – Nursery Rhyme Challenge (parents/carers welcome to attend, more details to follow)
We are delighted to see that attendance is this week is 97.7%, it’s wonderful to have so many children in school each day this week, happy, healthy, and ready to learn.
Our whole-school attendance target is 97%, and this week we achieved it so thank you for your continued support. Good attendance has a significant impact on children’s learning, confidence, and friendships, so thank you for ensuring your child is in school whenever possible. Let’s keep up the great work together!
Well done to the following children who received our Pride of Priestthorpe award this week.
Early Years – Olivia. H and Delilah
Year 1 – Lilah and George
Year 2 – Ayrah and Elliott
Year 3 – Theo and Mads
Year 4 – Max. O and Oliver. T
Year 5 – Zane and Joseph
Year 6 – Alfie and Rufaro
Early Years have been learning about Winter and exploring ice.
Year 1 have loved dancing to the Lion King in PE this week.
Year 2 have settled brilliantly into the new term. It has been a pleasure getting to know the children and beginning our exciting new topics together. The children have shown great enthusiasm for our Roman history topic and have been asking lots of thoughtful and insightful questions. We also enjoyed a wonderful visit from the Lifebase Caravan, where the children took part in interactive games and puppet activities to learn about looking after their bodies, minds and friendships. In class, we have been working hard to improve our presentation in both writing and maths, as well as developing our skills in telling the time.
Year 3 have started their topic on Ancient Egypt. We started by learning about where Egypt is and the countries that surround it. We then learnt that all of the cities of Ancient Egypt were along the River Nile and thought about why the River Nile was important to the Ancient Egyptians.
In Maths, we have been learning how to do short division. We have shown our working as grouping or sharing.
Year 5 had a visit from Jane and Harold the giraffe (from Coram Life who help with PSHCE) on Wednesday to discuss personal health, abusive substances, friendships and choices. Harold enjoyed watching Finley’s magic card trick!!
Year 6 had a visit from Harold and Jane this week to talk about the important subject of peer pressure and making the right decisions. The children were involved in group activities and discussions about making the right choices for them and not giving in to what their peers may want them to do. They also discussed some of the issues surrounding drugs and alcohol and why it is important to be informed and make the right decisions as they grow into teenagers.
We love seeing what our children are achieving beyond the school day! Whether it’s sporting success, music and dance achievements, community involvement, or personal milestones, it’s wonderful to celebrate the talents and efforts our pupils show outside of school. Please email [email protected] if you would like us to share anything on the newsletter.
We use a range of Learning Apps in school, which can also be accessed at home. Please use the links below to practice key skills.
Times Table Rockstars is an award-winning maths learning platform where children can practice their times tables like a rock star! Certificates can be achieved every Thursday for the children who have made the most progress in terms of the biggest increase in accuracy that week. We also run in school competitions.
Times Tables Rock Stars – Times Tables Rock Stars
Accelerated Reader will allow children to read a book and then take an online quiz to test their knowledge and understanding of the text, and receive immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to improve their reading skills.
This week’s winners are; Wandi (Year 1) Keisha (Year 2) Emily H (Year 3) Freddie (Year 4) Max B (Year 5) Dheyon (Year 6)
Spelling Shed uses the science of spelling to teach it to pupils. Using phonics as a base and drawing upon proven approaches such as teaching morphology, etymology, and orthographic mapping, as well as teaching spelling patterns. Children are set new activities on here each week.
