Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and hopefully sunny Easter holidays! 

Wishing everyone a relaxing, happy and healthy Christmas break

From everyone at West Leigh Infant and Backwell C of E Junior School

Newsletters will be sent out twice a term.  Please see the front page.  The whole document can be viewed as an attachment below.

As we reach the end of another year, I thought it important to reflect upon the huge number of positives that we’ve seen and experienced at each of our lovely schools.

The opportunity to welcome back visitors, go on school trips and residential camps, host events and invite our community back into school should not be underestimated. These enriching experiences are central to what we hold most dear and are what the children value more than anything else at school. It has been wonderful to see such a wide range of these throughout this year from Post Office visits in Reception to Year 6 camp at Morfa Bay. Sports days and enrichment weeks to museum visits and reptiles coming to class!

Staffing

I must thank the wonderful staff at both schools for making these events and many more happen. Their hard work, care and creativity ensure that your children enjoy a hugely positive school experience.

A huge thank-you goes to Mrs Gill Chaffe and Mrs Sue Morrell who are retiring from their roles at West Leigh Infants. They have both contributed huge amounts to life at the Infants over many years and we all wish them a restful and enjoyable retirement.

Thank you also to Miss Hayley Hutchings who moves on to a teaching role at Wraxall Primary School and also to Miss Kayleigh Jones who moves on to a support role at Ravenswood School. Mrs Anna Davies also begins a new teaching role near Burnham-on-Sea.

We look forward to welcoming Mrs Eloise Sinclair to teach in Year 1, Miss Ella Wheeler to Year 3 and Miss Jess Yandall to Year 5 in September. We will also be welcoming several additional members of support staff to work with specific pupils – Miss Freya Wetherall, Mrs Lucy Papanikolaou, Mrs Nicky Corkerton and Miss Ellie Britton.

To our departing Year 6 children, thank you! Your leavers’ service epitomised the positivity that you’ve brought to both West Leigh and BJS. We will miss you and wish you the very best as you move into Year 7.

Thank you as always to both our PTAs without whom we would be unable to offer many of the experiences and resources referenced above. The joint summer fair in June was a huge success and the new mural at West Leigh makes such a wonderful impression to all visitors. These are only two highlights of the wonderful work they do.

I’d also like to recognise the important role that our Governors, with Justine Stafford as chair, play in the development of our Federation and the key decisions that they take to ensure we continue to progress and move in the right direction. Their often unseen hard work and dedication has had a hugely positive impact over recent times. Thank you one and all.

I wish you all a lovely summer break and hope the sun shines wherever you may be spending the holiday period. Don’t forget that term starts for the pupils on Monday 5^th September after our INSET training days on the 1^st and 2^nd. We look forward to seeing you then and having many more opportunities to regularly welcome you onto each school site, beginning with our open afternoons in early September where you will have the chance to meet your child’s new class teacher and find out about the curriculum offer in their class.

Yours sincerely

Nick Webster

Headteacher

Upcoming Important Dates

• Thursday 21 July - Last Day of Term 6
• Thursday 01 Sept - Inset day 1, School closed to pupils
• Friday 02 Sept - Inset day 2, School closed to pupils
• Monday 05 Sept - First day of Term 1 for pupils at West Leigh and BJS
• Sunday 11 September - Federation PTA Circus in Backwell. Please see attached information

Our Federation Value for Term 5 is Celebration

We have had such a fabulous start to Term 6

This term's value is 'Celebration'  and both schools are certainly embracing this.  

We celebrated our wonderful Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee with a Federation picnic up at BJS. The sun was shining, and we all had a fabulous time together.

We have celebrated some of our school musicians at BJS with our Summer Music Concert.  Year 6 have enjoyed a fabulous week at Morfa Bay camp in Pembrokeshire.  Both schools have held Sports Day mornings, with excellent work and participation from both children and parents!

We have also held an incredible Federation Summer Fair, organised by our wonderful PTA's!  All of this and more, whilst still having 2 weeks until the end of the school year.

Please enjoy reading our blog articles below on some of the exciting things we have been up to.

Our Federation Value for Term 5 is Confidence and Self-Esteem

Term 5 has flown by! 

Although only a very short term, we have packed in so much at both West Leigh and BJS!

Reception have been on a school trip to a farm, Sponsored events at West Leigh, Year 2 and 6 SATS, Health & Fitness week & Platinum Jubilee preparations... just to name a few!  We are incredibly proud of all the pupils for their hard word and diligence over the last 5 weeks.  It has been lovely to celebrate the end of term this week, with fabulous Health and Fitness weeks at both schools.

Important Dates to remember:

• Start of Term 6 - Monday 6 June
• BJS Summer Music Concert - Thursday 09 June @ 1830
• Federation Jubilee Picnic (at BJS) - Friday 10 June
• Year 6 Camp to Morfa Bay - Tuesday 14 - Friday 17 June inclusive
• WL Sports Day - Thursday 23 June @ 0915
• BJS Sports Day Morning - Friday 24 June @ 0915
• Federation Summer Fayre - Saturday 25 June

Wishing everyone a wonderful, relaxing school holiday.  Enjoy the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.  

We send our Congratulations to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee.

Our Federation Value for Term 4 is Responsibility

Term 4 draws to a close, and we look forward to spending a well-earned Easter break with our families.  Term 4 has been fast-paced, and rewarding with all year groups working very hard.  We have seen a couple more class assemblies and have been very pleased to be able to celebrate together with parents, including: superstars, Celebration assembly, West Leigh's Spring Sing, The BJS Easter service at St Andrew's Church and our BJS Eggstravaganza Easter Festival!

We would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Easter holiday, with maybe just a chocolate egg or two!

We look forward to welcoming all children back on Monday, 25 April.

Important Dates to remember:

• Start of Term 5 - Monday 25 April
• May day bank holiday - Monday 02 May (both Schools Closed)
• BJS - 5C Class Cake Sale - Friday 29 April @ 3.30pm
• Federation Inset Day 5 - Friday 27 May (last day in school Term 4, for pupils is Thursday 26 May)
• End of Term 5 - Friday 27 May

Our Federation Value for Term 4 is Responsibility

Term 4 has started very well, and we have been very happy to be able to invite parents back in to school/church for the Ash Wednesday service. We hope that this positivity will continue, but will keep everyone up to date of any required changes.

We were not expecting to have to end Term 3 so abruptly, with the appearance of Storm Eunice.  We are happy to reports that both schools are still standing strong as we look towards springtime and longer days.

Important Dates to remember:

• West Leigh Parents' Evening - 15, 16 & 17 March 2022 
• BJS Parents' Evening - 16 & 17 March 2022 
• Fundraiser for Red Nose Day and Ukraine Appeal - Friday 18 March 

This year we have decided to hold a 'Dress Down' day (own clothes day), on Friday 18 March to raise funds for Red Nose Day and the DEC Ukraine Crisis appeal.  Please bring cash in to school on Friday (minimum suggested donation £1.00).  We will collect all donations and split them equally between these 2 very important causes.

• BJS Book Fair from Friday 18 March (after school)
• 5PB Class Cake Sale at BJS - 3.30pm outside the 1862 building (or in the outdoor classroom in the event of bad weather)

• BJS Easter Service at St Andrew's Church - Wednesday 06 April at 2.30pm
• BJS Easter Festival - Morning of Friday 08 April (BACKWELL JUNIOR SCHOOL ONLY)
• End of Term 4 - Friday 08 April