School Communication

Correspondence 14th October 2025

Reception (F2) School Vision Screening Information

Dear Reception (F2) Parent,

We have been asked to share the attached information regarding the school Vision Screening programme with you.

Information For Parents Updated 2025

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 13^th October 2025

New After School Clubs

Dear Parents,

Please see below for details of the after-school clubs for next half term, that are now available to book on ParentPay.

After-school clubs will be displayed within ‘Pay for other items’ when you log into your ParentPay account. Please note that making a payment to a club does not book a place. You must click ‘book sessions’ and then ‘book all sessions’ to secure your child’s place. You may also be required to checkout.

If there are dates when a club will not run, for example, inset days, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

The cost for each club is £2 per week, and the full amount for the half term will need to be paid via ParentPay before we can secure your child’s place. Bookings for clubs will remain open until 11:59pm on Monday 20^th October.

Refunds will only be offered if clubs have to be cancelled and not for non-attendance or if your child changes their mind. We are committed to making these clubs accessible; therefore, if the fee presents a challenge for your family, please reach out to us. We are happy to discuss options for support.

If you wish to use the tax-free childcare payment to pay for after school clubs, you will need to initially make the payment from your personal bank account to secure your child’s place at the club. Once we have received the tax-free childcare payment into our school bank account, we will credit this to the relevant after school club on ParentPay, and refund your initial payment back to your ParentPay account. Please tell the office if you would like to use your tax-free childcare payment for after school clubs.

Our clubs can be popular and have a limited number of spaces. If you cannot see the club listed in your ParentPay account, it may be that it is full. Please email office@ellis.dsat.education to place your child on our waiting list.

Please ensure your child has their PE kit with them for sports clubs. If your child will not be attending club one week, please inform us to avoid any confusion and so we can make sure they do not get changed at the end of the school day.

Our sports after school clubs are run by coaches from Active Club.

All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the new booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Autumn 2 After School Clubs

Please remember to use ParentPay to book and pay for your child’s place in our clubs.

Monday

Multi Sports – open to F2 (Reception) to Y3 children.

Tuesday

Sportshall Athletics – open to Y4 to Y6 children.

Tuesday

Lego/Craft Club – open to Y3 children.

Wednesday

Dodgeball – open to Y3 and Y4 children.

Thursday

Darts/Archery – open to Y4 to Y6 children.

Correspondence 14^th October 2025

Y6 Crucial Crew – 14th December

Dear Parent/Carer,

As part of the year 6 curriculum, we will be taking the children to Crucial Crew, an initiative run by South Yorkshire Police and Fire services, on Tuesday 9^th December 2025. The visit leader on the trip will be Mr Milliner.

The coach company we will be using is Globe. The coach will leave school at 8:45am prompt and is expected to return to school by 3:15pm. If your child suffers from travel sickness, we would suggest that appropriate travel sickness tablets are taken. A further tablet for the return journey can be brought into school in a named envelope.

This trip will be fully funded by school as it is designed to help children develop an understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe in a variety of scenarios.

Your child will need a packed lunch for the day. Alternatively, you can order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached).

The Pantry Booking Packed Lunch for school trips guide

Please log onto Parent Pay to give your consent.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Milliner

Correspondence 9^th October 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Secondary Admissions Information

Please note:
The closing date for applications is now 31^st October 2025 – this is a significant change from last year’s deadline.
It is essential to apply on time to give your children the best chance of being offered one of their preferred schools.

Why applying on time matters:

89% of on-time applicants were offered their first preference school
Only 36% of late applicants received their first preference

If you require the admissions information to be re-sent, please contact: admissions@barnsley.gov.uk

Please see the two documents attached for further information.

Parents Applying for Sec School 2026-27

Applying Online for a Secondary School Place 2026-27

Important Safeguarding Notice: Children’s “Spy” Books

We have been informed of a recent issue affecting some popular children’s books by Andrew Cope, including the Spy Dogs, Spy Cats, and Spy Pups series.

Some editions of these books include a printed web address at the back. This link used to go to the author’s website, but the domain is no longer under his control. It has since been taken over by another party and now leads to inappropriate adult content.

The publisher, Puffin, has paused sales and distribution of the books and is working with schools, libraries, and retailers to remove copies from circulation. They have stressed that the website has no connection to the author or publisher.

What this means for you:

If your child has any Spy Dog, Spy Cat or Spy Pups books at home, please check the back for website links and make sure they do not try to visit the site.
It is safe for children to continue reading the stories themselves — the concern is only with the outdated link.
We recommend talking with your child about the importance of not following web addresses in books without checking with an adult first.

Your Home Fire Safety Checklist
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is offering a free online fire safety check for all families. This tool helps you to identify and reduce potential fire risks in your home.

Take Action: Get instant fire safety advice tailored to you.
Get Support: If your home is deemed high-risk, you can opt for a free in-person visit from the fire service.

Please visit http://www.ohfsc.co.uk

Open The Book Training Package

We have been asked to share details of ‘Open The Book’. This is a training package that enables congregational members to form small, fun groups to be able to go in to schools and provide simple and scripted collective worship. Please see the attached flyer for more information as this independent from school.

Open the Book Event Rotherham

Family Service – 12^th October

Please see the attached flyer for more information on St. Mary’s Harvest Family Service.

Harvest Family Service – 12th October

Kind regards

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 9^th October 2025

Y4 Geography Fieldwork Trip – Monday 13th October

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are planning a Year 4 Geography Fieldwork Trip to Elsecar Canal/Trans Pennine Trail (beside the Elephant & Castle) on Monday 13th October 2025. This is linked to our ‘Why are rainforests important?’ learning and will be an opportunity to observe and collect data about a local habitat that falls into the temperate deciduous forest biome, allowing us to compare our observations to that of a tropical rainforest biome. We will be making observations on living things along the canal, recording data on the living things we see, considering their habitats in addition to considering the similarities and differences between a body of water within our biome and that of the Amazon.

We will be leaving school after lunch at 1pm and walking down Tingle Bridge towards the entrance to the Elsecar Canal at the Elephant and Castle. The fieldwork will take no longer than an hour and a half, so we will be back in school for the end of the day.

On the day of the trip your child will need school uniform, a waterproof coat, suitable footwear for a potentially muddy walk, and a water bottle. We suggest pupils bring a rucksack in which to carry their water, as they will also be carrying clipboards for data collection.

The visit is covered by the local walks consent form and therefore, no separate consent is needed.

Kind regards,

Miss O’Brien

Y4 Teacher

Correspondence 9^th October 2025

Y5 Jorvik Viking Trip – 26th February 2026

Dear Parent/Carer,

Visit to Jorvik Viking Centre

In support of the children’s topic on Vikings in the Spring term, we would like to take Year 5 to the Jorvik Viking Centre in York on Thursday 26^th February 2026 to experience what life was like during Viking times. The children will take part in a tour of the Jorvik, a tour of the Dig Site and a Viking battle tactics workshop.

We will be travelling with Globe coaches. The coach will leave school at 8:15am and is expected to return to school by 3:30pm. Children will need to be at school for no later than 8:05am. If your child suffers from travel sickness, we would suggest that appropriate travel sickness tablets are taken before school.

The cost of the trip is £28 per pupil towards the cost of the coach, entrance to the two sites and the workshop fee. Unfortunately, if we do not receive sufficient contributions to cover the cost, the trip may have to be cancelled. Payment is available now via Parent Pay and will need to be paid by Monday 9^th February.

We are aware we that this is a significant cost additional to the PGL cost, however we try to give the children as many experiences as possible to enhance their learning. Consequently, we have given as much notice as possible and you are welcome to pay smaller instalments over time. If anyone is struggling with the cost, then please contact the school.

Your child will need a packed lunch for the day. Alternatively, you can order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached).

There is a gift shop on site and the children can bring a small amount of money (no more than £5) if they wish, however this will be the children’s responsibility to look after. Please ensure school uniform is worn on the day with suitable footwear and an appropriate coat depending on the weather.

The Pantry Booking Packed Lunch for school trips guide

Yours sincerely,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 8^th October 2025

Y4 Cannon Hall Trip – Friday 16th January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

As part of our history enquiry, “How Children’s Lives Have Changed,” Year 4 will be visiting Cannon Hall Museum on Friday 16th January 2026. During the day, the children will explore how Victorian children lived and compare their experiences with those of our Y4 children today.

The country house offers a fantastic opportunity for pupils to see both upper-class and working-class Victorian living quarters. The visit will also include a hands-on workshop where the children will step back in time to become Victorian children. They will take part in activities such as washing clothes, baking sweet treats, and making lavender bags for their ‘masters’. The children will be able to bring these keepsakes home.

We will be travelling with Globe Coaches, leaving school just after registration, so please ensure your child arrives promptly at 8:45am. We expect to return to school in time for the usual home time.

As the museum has both indoor and outdoor areas, please ensure your child wears:

Their normal school uniform
A waterproof coat
Suitable shoes for walking around the site

Your child will need a packed lunch for the day. Alternatively, you can order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached).

The cost of the trip is £16.60 per child, and we are asking for contributions to be made by Friday 9th January 2026 via ParentPay, where you can also give your consent. Unfortunately, if we do not receive sufficient contributions to cover the cost, the trip may have to be cancelled.

You are welcome to pay in smaller instalments or in full at any time before the due date. Please note that no spending money is required for this trip.

I will send out an email nearer to the date with all the final details.

This promises to be a wonderful and memorable experience for our Year 4 children, and we are really looking forward to sharing the day with them.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Without this, our trips could not go ahead.

The Pantry Booking Packed Lunch for school trips guide

Kind regards,

Miss O’Brien

Correspondence 7^th October 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Evening last week and to those who have already responded to our policy consultations. These will remain open until Friday if you would still like to share your views.

PINS (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools)

A quick reminder that the first of our three upcoming PINS events will take place on Thursday 9th October at 1pm.

This is a great opportunity to meet with staff and other parents to chat about co-production and how we can communicate and work better together to improve the experiences of our children.

Future sessions are scheduled for 20th November 2025 and 15th January 2026.

Water Bottles

We kindly ask that children’s water bottles are no larger than 500ml and do not have straws sticking out, as storage space in classrooms is limited and we want to avoid bottles getting damaged.

There’s no need to buy new bottles, however if replacements are ever needed, please avoid oversized ‘Stanley cup’ style bottles, as these are too large for our storage.

Children are always welcome to refill their bottles throughout the day.

Harvest Service

Our Harvest service this year will be at St Mary’s Church on Thursday 16th October.

Years 1 to 6 will be walking from school promptly at 9am and parents and families are welcome to meet us at St Mary’s for a 10am start. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, however, the children will be sitting in the main pews directly in front of the altar, so please leave these free. Children will need to stay with their class throughout the service and will share some harvest poetry or art.

At the end of the service, we will walk the children back to school in time for their lunch.

Kindly bring any donations of tinned/packet food or toiletries with you as these will be donated to Wombwell food bank via St Mary’s.

Lost Property

Please ensure that all belongings are clearly labelled with your child’s name. This makes it much easier for us to return any misplaced items quickly and helps reduce the amount of lost property.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 3rd October 2025

Y2 South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum Trip – Thursday 5th February 2026

Dear Parents,

We are planning a Year 2 trip to South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, this is linked to our History enquiry ‘How did we learn to fly?’, where we have been learning about the Wright Brothers, Besse Coleman, Amelia Earhart and their flying journeys. The former RAF airbase will give children an amazing opportunity to experience the development of aircraft over time with some crafts dating back nearly 100 years! There will be opportunities to step back in time through a number of exciting exhibits.

The trip will take place on Thursday 5th February 2026. We will be leaving just after registration; therefore, children will need to arrive promptly at 8:45am, and we will arrive back at school in time for normal home time. We will be travelling with Globe Coaches.

The museum has areas that are both inside and outside, and your children will need to wear their normal uniform, a waterproof coat and suitable shoes for walking around the site. As we will be there all day, the children will require a packed lunch on this day or you can order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached). I will send out an email much nearer the time to give you all the final details. There will be no spending money needed for this trip.

The cost of the trip will be £14.95 each, and we are asking for contributions to be made by Monday 26th January 2026. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then unfortunately it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay to make payments and to give your consent.

This trip will be a fantastic experience for the children and we are looking forward to taking them. It is available now on ParentPay should you wish to start paying smaller amounts towards it. Alternatively, you can pay the full amount up to the given date.

Thank you so much for your support. Without this, our trips could not go ahead.

The Pantry Booking Packed Lunch for school trips guide

Kind regards,

Miss Bradbury

Y2 Class Teacher

Correspondence 2^nd October 2025

SEND Children’s Progress

Dear Parents of Children with SEND,

We are aware that many parents with SEND children often have additional meetings or contact with their child’s class teacher and therefore do not need extra time at Parents’ Evening.

If you are happy with the 12-minute meeting on either of the two days that have been offered, then this will be great for us too, however, if at the end of your appointment, you or the class teacher feel more time is needed to discuss your child’s progress/learning, a further appointment can be booked for a mutually convenient time.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 2^nd October 2025

Parents’ Evenings – Wednesday 15th and Wednesday 22nd October

Dear Parents,

We will be holding our parents’ evenings in the school hall on Wednesday 15^th October and Wednesday22^nd October, between 2:30pm and 6pm.

To book your child’s 12-minute slot, please use the Cloud system by following the link below:

https://theellisce.schoolcloud.co.uk/

If you have any problems logging on to the system, please contact Mrs Fiddes or Miss Dodd at office@ellis.dsat.education who will be able to help you.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 30^th September 2025

RSE / Behaviour Policy

Dear Parents,

Attached are the two policies that will be available for consultation tomorrow evening. I thought it might be helpful to share them in advance so you have time to read through and consider any questions or thoughts you might like to raise.

We really value your input and look forward to discussing these with you tomorrow. I have attached the link to the google forms if you are unable to attend, but would still like the opportunity to contribute.

RSE policy feedback: https://forms.gle/5WhtnxvXT7YzD2Zq8

Behaviour policy feedback: https://forms.gle/zD5CFvqiLAH1d6ej9

DRAFT RSE Policy Sep 26

DRAFT Behaviour Policy Oct25-Oct26

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 26^th September

Ellis Information

Dear Families,

Welcome to our latest newsletter. There is lots to share with you about what is happening in school and what is coming up. As always, thank you for your continued support—it makes such a difference to the children’s experiences here at The Ellis. We hope you find this update helpful and that it gives you a flavour of the exciting things going on in and around school.

Online Learning Platforms

We are finally up and running with our online learning platforms, such as SeeSaw, TT Rockstars and Spelling Shed. Thank you so much for your patience during the set up. If you experience any issues logging in, please speak with your class teacher who should be able to help.

Open Evening 1^st October

We’re really pleased to let you know that, following feedback from parents, we’re bringing back our curriculum evening! This is a great chance to pop into your child’s classroom, have a look around and meet their class teacher. You will also be able to see what is planned for the year ahead in terms of the curriculum.

The evening starts off at 3:30pm and staff will be around until 5pm. Feel free to drop in whenever works for you.

While you’re here, you can also pop into the hall to share your thoughts on our school behaviour policy and RSE policy—we’d love to hear your views.

Just to be clear, this isn’t a formal parents’ evening—it’s a relaxed, friendly opportunity to get a feel for your child’s learning environment and the journey they’ll be on this year.

Sensory Toys

At The Ellis, we know that every child is unique and may need different types of support to help them thrive. We have lots of tools in school to help identify and meet these needs, and we also work with other professionals when needed.

Some children have sensory needs—for example, they may need to move more or use certain tools to help them regulate. Already this year, some families have kindly sent in things like fidget toys, putty, soft toys or notebooks to help. Whilst this was done with the best of intentions, we’ve noticed a few challenges:

Sometimes it’s tricky for children to see the difference between “toys” and “tools.”
Items can get lost, broken, or cause upset if they need to be put away.
It can be confusing for pupils who don’t need sensory tools but would like to bring toys from home.
For some children, these items actually become more of a distraction than a help.

To keep things clear and supportive for everyone, we’ll continue building and reviewing sensory toolkits in school for children who need them. We’ll provide a range of resources and work with families to identify what might help, but we kindly ask that parents don’t send sensory items in from home, particularly slime.

If you feel your child may have an unidentified sensory need, please chat with your child’s class team—we’re here to listen and support.

Melatonin Information

We’d also like to remind families about the use of melatonin. Recently there has been a rise in melatonin products being sold online, but these can be unsafe. The quality and dosage of these products aren’t always reliable, and giving them to children without medical guidance can be harmful. If your child needs support with sleep, please speak to your GP. Melatonin, in any form, should only ever be given to children when it has been prescribed by a doctor.

Book Bus

We’re also really excited to let you know that we’ve booked The Book Bus again this year! It will visit school on the 27th November (just in time for Christmas). Each class will have time during the day to visit the bus, and families are warmly invited to pop along after school too. It’s a great chance to browse and buy high-quality books at reduced prices. We will send out more information closer to the date.

A big thank you to all our families for your ongoing support! Don’t forget that Class Dojo is a great way to keep up with what’s happening in your child’s class. From updates on learning and class activities to messages from teachers, it’s a simple way to stay connected and support your child’s learning at home.

Thank you

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 26^th September 2025

Secondary Admissions Information

Dear Parents,

Why applying on time matters:

89% of on-time applicants were offered their first preference school
Only 36% of late applicants received their first preference

If you require the admissions information to be re-sent, please contact: admissions@barnsley.gov.uk

Please see the two documents attached for further information.

Parents Applying for Sec School 2026-27

Applying Online for a Secondary School Place 2026-27

Kind regards

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 24^th September 2025

Barnsley Poetry Slam 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are excited to share that your child has expressed an interest in taking part in Barnsley Poetry Slam 2025. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their performance and creative skills whilst enjoying the art of poetry.

The performance event will take place on Monday 13th October, from 5pm to 7pm at the Holiday Inn, Dodworth.

To prepare for the performance, your child will need to attend sessions to learn and practise their poem during the school day and be willing to practise at home to build confidence and fluency.

We would like your permission for your child to participate in these preparation sessions and to attend the event, with an adult, at Holiday Inn.

Please reply to this email by the close of day tomorrow (25th September) to confirm:

Your child has your permission to attend the final event on 13th October.
You agree to support your child by practising their poem at home.
An adult will be able to stay at the Holiday Inn to support the performance.

We look forward to encouraging your child as they take part in this exciting opportunity!

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 24^th September 2025

Y1 Trips Information

Dear Parents,

I am very excited to inform you of the two trips we have organised for our Y1 children for this academic year. At The Ellis, we see real value in taking our children on educational visits and want to ensure that throughout their time with us, they have the opportunity to experience many different places and types of visits. This year we would like to take our Y1 class to Cast Theatre in Doncaster and to Pops Outdoor Adventure in Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh. As the children are now in KS1, the staff at The Ellis accompany the children rather than parents. The trips are supervised in line with recommended ratios, and the staff taking the children are very experienced at running trips. I will be trip leader for both, and these two trips are perfect for the first-time children go without their parents. I have outlined the two trips below and will send out final details of each one nearer the time. We have tried to keep the cost as low as possible and to give you as much notice as possible so that parents can spread the cost over the coming weeks. The theatre trip is the higher priced one, as the tickets per child cost more and so does the coach. We have tried to balance this by running a lower cost trip to Pops.

Cast Theatre, Doncaster

On Tuesday 16th December 2025, we have booked to take the children to see ‘Hansel and Gretel’. It is described as a “joyful, festive theatre treat packed with magic, music and festive sparkle. Perfect for ages 2-6”. This will be a lovely experience, especially as it is the week of our nativity, so we can experience what it is like as an audience member rather than a performer.

The show lasts 1 hour, and we will be using Globe Coaches. The cost of the trip will be £20.40, and we are asking for voluntary contributions to be made by Friday 22nd November. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay to make payments and to give permission.

The performance starts at 11.30am prompt, and therefore we will be leaving at 10.30am to allow for traffic and getting into the theatre. I am aware that this will impact on lunchtime, so my plan is to offer the children a mid-morning snack of toast and fruit before we set off and to ask children to either bring a packed lunch or to order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached), so that when we return by 1pm we can have a picnic in our classroom before I take the children out for their lunchtime playtime. I will send out a letter reminding you of this information nearer the time. Children do not require any spending money for this trip. If you would like to find out more about the show, please visit

https://www.castindoncaster.com/whats-on/hansel-gretel/

Pops Outdoor Adventure (Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh).

On Wednesday 29th April 2026, we have booked to take the children to Pops, which is an educational centre within Rosehill Park that has a daily before and after school club and runs holiday clubs too. They have their own fully insured minibuses, which we will be using (hence the cost is a lot lower as they only charge for petrol which is wonderful). During the day, the children will take part in lots of activities linked to mini-beasts, and it supports a lot of our science Y1 objectives for the spring term. The centre has an indoor classroom where we can eat our lunch and a large gazebo tent should it be needed.

The cost of the trip will be £13, and we are asking for voluntary contributions to be made by Wednesday 25th March 2026. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay before this date to make payments and to give permission. We will send out a reminder nearer the time, as it is a long way away.

We will leave school at 9am for this trip, therefore children will need to arrive promptly at 8.45am. We will be back in time for normal home time. The children will require a packed lunch on this day or you can order a packed lunch from The Pantry (once it is available, the guidance is attached). I will send out an email much nearer the time to give you all the final details. There will be no spending money needed for this trip.

Local Walk

During the summer term, we will carry out a local walk around our village as part of our Geography topic, ‘What is it like to live in Shanghai?’ The local walk is an opportunity for the children to compare the human and physical features of Shanghai to features in Hemingfield village and to make a simple map using data collected through the fieldwork. There is no need to give permission for this trip as it is covered by the local walks permission already received. We will, of course, send out information about the day and details of the walk in the summer term.

I realise that this is a lot of information, but felt that it was helpful for parents to have all the information regarding trips for the year in advance, to enable parents to spread the cost throughout the year.

We love trips in Y1, and we hope that the memories they create will last for many years to come. Both trips are on ParentPay should you wish to start paying smaller amounts towards them. Alternatively, you can pay the full amount up to the given date.

The Pantry Booking Packed Lunch for school trips guide

If you have any questions regarding any of these trips, please do come and see me.

Thank you so much for your support. Without this, our trips could not go ahead.

Kind regards,

Mrs C Trotter

Correspondence 23^rd September

Y4 Football Tournament – Friday 26th September

Dear Y4 Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Football Tournament at Elsecar Primary School on Friday 26^th September.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 3pm. Your child will travel to the venue on foot. Children should arrive back to school for the normal finishing time, however may be a few minutes late depending on when the event finishes.

Children will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms, black/blue football socks, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. Socks can also be given out if needed. As the event will be held outdoors, on grass, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating and they can choose to wear trainers or football boots. Shin pads are recommended but not essential.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y5 Teacher

Correspondence 22^nd September 2025

Y5 Skipping Festival – Tuesday 7th October

Dear Parents/Carers,

Your child’s class has been selected to take part in a Skipping Festival at Trinity St Edwards on Tuesday 7th October.

The event will run from 12:30pm to approximately 2:30pm. Children will have their lunch in school before leaving.

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their full PE kit (white PE top, black shorts) with suitable trainers and a water bottle. As the event is indoors, they will also need a tracksuit/coat for travelling to and from the venue.

If your child uses an inhaler, please make sure it is brought into school on the day.

Unfortunately, parents are not able to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of this trip is fully covered by the Sports Premium Grant and therefore no payment is required.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook
Wider Curriculum Lead/Year 5 Teacher

Correspondence 19^th September 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of Week 3 of the new school year! It has been wonderful to see how well the children have settled back into school life. Classrooms are calm, happy and purposeful, which reflects both the children’s positive attitudes and the support you provide at home. Thank you for helping your child transition so smoothly after the summer holiday.

Over these first few weeks, teachers and support staff have been focusing on getting to know each child as an individual, building strong relationships that will support both learning and wellbeing throughout the year.

Academisation

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience. As some of you may know, our conversion to academy status has been delayed, which has had a knock-on effect on some of our background systems. As a result, we are still working through a few technical issues with our online learning platforms following recent MIS changes. We will keep you updated, and we appreciate your understanding whilst we get everything running smoothly.

Classroom Visits

In response to feedback from our end-of-year reports, we are pleased to share that we have reinstated our Classroom Open Evening. This will take place on Wednesday 1st October from 3:30pm (further details to follow). The evening will give parents and carers the opportunity to look around their child’s classroom, meet the teaching team, and find out more about the curriculum expectations for the year ahead.

Timing

I also want to apologise for the timing of the recent PE kit changes. I recognise that introducing this information at this stage of the term caused families inconvenience, and I am sorry for this, however the decision was made with the children in mind and moving forward it will benefit them. I am grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts, both positive and negative.

To help clarify:

On cooler days, it is absolutely fine for children to wear the joggers or leggings they already have for outdoor PE during their indoor PE sessions too.
School jumpers and cardigans can be worn as an extra layer.

There is no expectation to purchase additional items such as hoodies for your children.

SEND Meet and Greet

A huge thank you as well to everyone who attended our SEND Meet and Greet this week. It was lovely to see so many families come together. For our next event, we will ask attendees to book via Eventbrite to ensure we can comfortably accommodate everyone.

The Pantry (School Lunch Provider)

If you are still experiencing issues with The Pantry system, please contact them directly, as the school is unable to resolve these issues on your behalf.

Important Dates Calendar

We have attached these for your reference.

Important Dates

A few general reminders:

Start of the Day: Children should arrive on time each morning. The school gates close at 8:50am, after which children need to be signed in at the office. Families who are regularly late will be contacted by the senior leadership team so we can work together to address any difficulties.
End of the Day: Thank you for your patience as we continue to get used to new routines and faces during dismissal, particularly in KS1. The process is becoming quicker and smoother each day.
MUGA and Playground Equipment: Children are not permitted to use the playground equipment or play games on the MUGA before or after school, unless supervised by a member of staff.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support in helping us make such a positive start to the term.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 19^th September 2025

Y2 Whirlow Residential Trip

Dear Parents,

As you will be aware, we run an annual 2-night residential trip for our Y2 children to Whirlow Farm in Sheffield. Last July, we took 29 x Y2s and had an absolutely brilliant time! Our Y2 Whirlow residential is a wonderful experience and one which our current Y6 children talk about fondly from when they visited all those years ago!

Whirlow Farm is a very popular place for Key Stage 1 children to visit and they run residential trips for children all year round (although the summer term books up very early as it is a lovely end of year experience). Their most popular age group is indeed Year 2 as it provides a welcoming, age-appropriate programme for children of this age. Many schools visit year after year and it becomes an annual favourite for Key Stage 1 children!

Whirlow Farm is a working farm with many animals, beautiful woodland and farm walks and space for children to play in the safety of enclosed gardens. It is set in acres of farmland, has a lovely play area and the views are spectacular! The farm staff are very experienced at working with primary school children and there is an onsite educational team who will work alongside the teachers and children during the day.

On one of the days, the children will have the opportunity to take part in a farm tour where they will have the chance to meet lots of farm animals and to help out with the farm jobs (e.g; feeding the animals, grooming them and handling some of the smaller animals). On the second day, the school staff will walk the children to Forge Dam, approx. 1.2 miles away, which has a large duck pond, lovely play area, picnic spots, woodland area and stream which we love paddling in (it is very shallow only coming up to ankle-level and staff are in the water with the children) and yummy ice cream! In the evenings, we will do lots of activities with the children, depending on the weather, including playing games and sports, baking and playing board games and quizzes together. The children will also work together (alongside the school teaching staff) to prepare meals, make packed lunches and wash up! It really is a big team effort but an amazing opportunity for the children to develop their independence in a small, safe environment.

With regards sleeping arrangements; the farm can cater for 12 children and 2 teachers at a time, which would mean that one group would visit whilst the others are at school and on their return the other group would then visit. If we have 24 children or less, we will run 2 trips. If we have more than 24 children, we will take smaller groups of approximately 10 and run three trips (Any child who does not wish to take part in the residential will attend school as normal that week). The children will sleep in a converted hall which has two rooms of 6 children. (The two teachers will have their own rooms within the hall and will look after the children overnight). There is a lovely enclosed garden and it is right in the heart of the farm. Waking up to sheep baaing and the cockerel crowing is magical!

As a parent myself with two children, I realise that it is hard to ever imagine that your own child will be ready for an overnight stay but this residential is a lovely way to let them experience an overnight stay with their friends and teachers they know well in a small, homely and calm environment. Having taught KS1 for many years now, it still staggers me how much the children grow up and change between the end of Year 1 and the end of Year 2. They really do grow in confidence, independence and resilience over the year. Having now run this trip for many years now, I can say first-hand that the children gain so much from such an experience and that it provides them with lasting memories. I will be personally accompanying each group with another member of staff from school.

With regards cost, we are unable to give an exact figure until we know how many children will be going (as the hall and coach are a set price regardless of whether it is at full capacity of 12 children or not). I envisage that it will not cost more than £120 based on previous years and may be slightly lower depending on numbers. This will include 2 nights’ accommodation, food, return travel by minibus and all the activities children undertake whilst they are there. Payments can be spread throughout the year and once we have numbers, we will be able to send out a final price and a payment schedule.

As lots of schools are now starting to book residential visits for next year, we have provisionally booked the following dates for our visit, however I need to confirm these dates soon. If we have less than 24 children, then the last date will not be needed.

Mon 29th June – Wed 1st July 2026 (first group)

Wed 1st July – Fri 3rd July 2026 (second group)

Mon 6th July – Wed 8th July 2026 (third group)

NB – group 1 and group 2 swap over on Wednesday lunchtime. Group 2 are collected from school mid-morning on Wed 1st July and are taken to Whirlow and dropped off and group 1 are then returned to school on the same minibus.

As we are only able to hold our provisional booking for a certain number of days, please can you reply to this email by Friday 26th September 2025 confirming whether or not your child would like a place. When we have confirmed numbers, I will be able to confirm the exact price. I will then send out payment schedules and details of how to pay on Parent Pay.

Please note participation in this trip will be dependent on consistent good behaviour in school.

If you have any initial enquiries, please pop and see Mrs Trotter or email the office and I will answer any questions you might have. Alternatively, I am sure the current KS2 parents would be happy to speak to you about their experience of the residential.

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter (Y1 Teacher and KS1 Leader)

Correspondence 18^th September

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Social, Communication & Interaction (SCI) Team

Please find attached an information flyer detailing parent/carer courses that are available for this year.

2025-26 SCI Courses

F2 and Y6 National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

As you may be aware, the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)?is a nationally mandated public health programme. It involves measuring the height and weight of all school children in Reception and Year 6, every year. In Barnsley, this is carried out by the 0-19 Public Health Nursing Service. This provides vital information which is used to plan for and invest in key services to tackle obesity and its wider determinants and ensure all children can be healthy. It also engages parents in healthy lifestyle advice and support. We have not yet been informed as to when the nurses will be coming into school.

Please see the attached poster and the video below for more information:

Parent/Carer video

NCMP poster

Play Equipment before and after School

Please can we remind parents that children are not allowed on the play equipment before or after school. This includes the tyres, trim trail, climbing wall, reading shed and Foundation Stage field equipment. We have signs to help everyone remember these rules. Please can we ask that you help us to enforce this and if your child walks to school alone, that you talk to them about this at home.

Thank you for your support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 16^th September 2025

Ellis Information – Changes to PE Arrangements

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are making a small change to our PE arrangements to help children get the very best out of their lessons. From now on, on their allocated PE days, children should come to school wearing their PE kit and remain in it for the full day, rather than changing at school. This will allow more time for exercise and activity, and less time spent changing, while also reinforcing important messages about privacy.

Our Uniform Policy outlines the requirements for PE kits, and we kindly ask that children come to school wearing the correct kit.

A gentle reminder that football shirts and branded tops are not permitted. During the colder months, children may wear tracksuit bottoms or trousers for PE (over their shorts for indoor lessons) and their school jumper or cardigan, or a plain, unbranded hoodie in our school colours, to ensure they are comfortable and warm. During outdoor PE lessons, a small, lightweight jacket may also be worn.

For after-school clubs, children will still have the opportunity to change at the end of the school day.

Thank you for your support with this change — we are looking forward to seeing the children enjoy even more time being active and healthy.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards
Headteacher

Correspondence 16^th September 2025

KS2 Football Tournament – Friday 19th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a KS2 Football Tournament at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 19^th September.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 3pm. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport at 12:25pm, and should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm. However, this is dependent on the bus. Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Children will also need to bring their MiCard (if they have one), shorts/tracksuit bottoms, black socks, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. As the event will be held outdoors, on grass, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating and they can choose to wear trainers or football boots. Shin pads are recommended but not essential.

If your child does not have a MiCard, we would encourage you to apply for one, as it enables your child to benefit from free bus travel within Barnsley, and also supports the school financially when we organise public transport for sporting activities such as this. To apply for a MiCard, please visit the Travel South Yorkshire website.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Teacher

Correspondence 15^th September 2025

Meet and Greet Coffee Afternoon – Thursday 18th September, 2pm

Dear All Parents and Carers,

On Thursday the 18^th of September at 2pm, we would like to invite you to a coffee afternoon with the purpose of meeting Mrs Edwards, our headteacher and Mr Davies, our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), and Kimberley Smith from the SEND Participation Team.

In their journey at The Ellis, all our children will have challenges and successes and we are keen to support them all, and you as their families, through the highs and the lows. Please come along to find out more about our school team and the support that can be put in place if it is needed.

Please accept our apologies for the short notice.

To help us manage numbers, please email office@ellis.dsat.education if you will be attending.

Many thanks,

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 15^th September 2025

Y5 Elsecar Reservoir Geography Fieldwork Trip – Wednesday 1st October

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are planning a Year 5 Geography Fieldwork Trip to Elsecar Reservoir on Wednesday 1^st October 2025. This is linked to our ‘Why do oceans matter?’ learning and will be an opportunity to observe and collect data about a local marine environment. This will give us a chance to use field study skills and to make links between our learning about the ocean and the bodies of water in our locality. We will be making a sketch map, collecting data on plants, animals and litter and making observational drawings of key human impact on the area.

We will be leaving school after register is completed at 8:45am, walking along the canal to Elsecar Park, walking around the reservoir and stopping at three points to make tally charts regarding any litter in the area, observations of animals and plants and drawings of key geographical features. We intend to be in school for lunch, however, we may eat slightly later than our usual time.

The visit is covered by the local walks consent form and therefore, no separate consent is needed.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Y5 Teacher

Correspondence 12^th September 2025

Trinity St Edward’s Information

Dear Parents,

We have been asked to email the attached letter and open evening information to our current Year 6 parents.

Trinity Academy St Edward’s – Fair banding registration – Reminder

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 12^th September 2025

Information Flyers

Dear Parents,

Please see the attached posters for more information on:

The community PINS project. PINS Coffee Meeting Poster

St Mary’s Church Family Service on Sunday 14^th September. Family Service

St George’s Church, Jump, Campfire Service on Sunday 21^st September.
JAM (Jesus and Me) after school club on Mondays.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 12^th September 2025

Young Voices Information

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to a new school year. I hope you have all had a restful summer. I am very excited that your child has decided to join our Young Voices choir. Here are a couple of reminders and also some information about an optional after school club.

Young Voice Account

Please ensure you have either created (new to Young Voices) an account or logged into your current account (if you have previously created one). You will only be able to access the song tracks and place t shirt and ticket orders through the website. If you signed up last year, then log into your Young Voices account and to receive a message saying you have not been approved for this season (or words similar to this). That is fine. It will then come through to me and I will approve you and it will let you into the same forum as last year where you can access everything. You do not need to make a new account.

If you are new to Young Voices, then you need to make an account linked to our school. You can do this by clicking on the link below or by scanning the QR code.

https://yvmusicroom.com/auth/parent/login

YV Music Room

The YV Teacher Centre and Music Room

yvmusicroom.com

This will then take you into the music room where you can gain access to everything you need.

Ticket and T-Shirts

Tickets and t-shirts are available to order from now. Please remember they are not compulsory; a white PE t shirt is also acceptable. If you have already placed an order, then please be reassured I can see it on the school account. If you need to place an order, click on the left hand side on ‘shop – products’ and it will open up the tickets and t shirts.

The tickets are emailed to me and I print them out and send them home. We do not receive the tickets until approximately a week before the concert, so please do not worry that you won’t receive them until February 2026, that is normal. The t-shirts are delivered in bulk to school and again I send them out when I get them (which is usually a couple of weeks before the concert).

As tickets sell out quickly, I will be submitting all orders by Friday 3rd October. You are able to order after this date, however, I cannot guarantee your tickets will be with the rest of our school. As soon as I place the orders, you will receive an email to say they have been sent. I have to await an email from Young Voices to say I can do.

Music Room

All the tracks, dance videos etc are now on and ready to practise! Just log onto your account and select ‘Music Room’ from the left hand side and you are ready to go! I will send home printed lyrics with your child over the next few days.

Lunchtime and Optional After School Club

I will start lunchtime rehearsals in October. Children will be expected to attend a 20-minute rehearsal once a week. Please remind your child that this is compulsory in order to ensure your child has a good idea of the songs we will be singing.

In addition, I will put on an optional after school club. This will take place in the Y1 classroom on Friday 3:15pm to 4pm. You do not need to sign up for this, there is no charge and please don’t worry if you child is unable to attend one week, just come to the ones they can. It is simply an extra opportunity to practise the songs and do the dance moves with others from our YV choir. Please collect your child from the main entrance at 4pm.

The club will run on the following dates:

Fri 7^th Nov

Fri 14^th Nov

Fri 21^st Nov

Fri 28^th Nov

Fri 5^th Nov

Fri 12^th Nov

Fri 19^th Nov – NO CLUB

Fri 9^th Jan

Fri 16^th Jan

Fri 23^rd Jan

Fri 30th Jan

Fri 6^th Feb – NO CLUB

I hope this helps to clarify things. I will email / Class Dojo any updates or reminders and will send home a letter with final details about the day and things your child needs nearer the time.

Until then…keep singing!

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 10^th September 2025

EYFS (Nursery & Reception) Library

Dear Parents/ Carers,

We are pleased to announce that we will be reintroducing our EYFS Library Session in the school Library, every second week, beginning Thursday 18^thSeptember for Nursery children and their families, and Friday 19^th September for Reception children and their families. This will be a ‘pop in pop out’ session where you can spend a short time choosing a book with your child.

We hope that you are able to attend with your child.

Here is a reminder of how our library sessions will run:

Please arrive via the main school entrance between 8:15am–8:40am. This is a drop-in session, and you do not need to stay for the full time.
Please remember that Nursery library is every second Thursday starting 18^th September, and Reception library is every second Friday starting 19^th September.
The library will be set up with books and stories appropriate for your child. Please help your child to choose a book to take home.
After selecting a book, please sign it out using the sign-in/sign-out forms (a member of staff will be on hand to help).
If siblings attend, they must remain with you at all times and respect our library session.
Once you have signed out your child’s book, please leave via the main office entrance.
When returning the book at the next session, please record this on the sign-in/sign-out form before selecting a new one.

We hope you and your child enjoy these sessions and the opportunity to share stories at home. If you have any questions, please speak to your child’s class teacher.

Many thanks and kind regards,

The Early Years Team

Correspondence 10^th September 2025

EYFS (Nursery & Reception) Parent Workshop – 4:30pm, Wednesday 24th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are delighted to invite all parents, carers, and grandparents of children in our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) to a free workshop on Wednesday 24^th September at 4:30pm, for approximately 1 hour.

This session, “What to Expect in the Early Years”, will provide valuable insight into our curriculum at The Ellis and share practical ideas on how you can support your child’s learning and development during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

We know many of you are keen to understand more about what happens in Nursery and Reception, and this is a great opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and connect with other parents.

Refreshments will be available free of charge. Unfortunately, children will not be able to attend the session with you.

If you would like to join us, please register your place via Eventbrite using the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-workshop-for-nursery-reception-parents-wednesday-24th-sept-tickets-1679226173689?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please note that we will only be able to run the workshop if there is enough interest, so please do sign up as soon as possible to confirm your attendance.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Many thanks and kind regards,
Mr. D Grayhurst & Mrs. T Pollard

Correspondence 10^th September 2025

Cycle Confidence Session – 3:15pm to 4:45pm, Tuesday 16th September

Dear Y6 Parent/Carer,

On Tuesday 16th September 2025, your child has been invited to take part in a Cycle Confidence Session run by Active Barnsley at The Ellis School.

The aim of the session is to improve cycling confidence in preparation for the upcoming Bikeability session the following week. The session will run from 3:15pm to 4:45pm.

Children do not need to bring their own bikes, as these can be provided. However, if they would prefer to use their own, they are welcome to do so, and bikes can be securely locked up in school. Helmets must be worn, and these can also be provided if required.

There are only six places available, which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to reserve a place for your child, please email: office@ellis.dsat.education.

If you would like your child to participate in Bikeability (week commencing 22nd September), and have not already given your consent, please do so at

https://consent.bikeability.org.uk/matt-cap-arena

Kind regards,
Miss Cook
Teacher / Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 9^th September 2025

Y5/6 Football Tournament – Friday 12th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Football Tournament at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 12^th September.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 3pm. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport (bus) at 12:25pm. This is something we are trialling travelling for local events. Your child should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm, however, this is dependent on the bus. Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Children will need to bring their MiCard (if they have one), shorts/tracksuit bottoms, black socks, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. As the event will be held outdoors, on grass, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating and they can choose to wear trainers or football boots. Shin pads are recommended but not essential.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Teacher

Correspondence 9^th September 2025

Starting School – Academic Year 2026-2027

Sent on behalf of Barnsley Council Schools Admissions

Dear Parent/Carer,

STARTING SCHOOL – ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027

Your child is due to start full-time school in September 2026.

To help you with the application process you must read ‘A guide for parents with children starting primary school in 2026’. This guide is available to view at www.barnsley.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

What you need to do

Choose three schools.
List them in order of preference.
You can apply for schools in Barnsley as well as other areas.
If you live outside of Barnsley please apply to your local authority.

How to apply

The easiest way to apply is online at www.barnsley.gov.uk/schooladmissions
Select Primary School Places and then Apply Online.
Make sure that you submit your application by the closing date 15 January 2026.

If you can’t apply online or need help, please contact School admissions – we are here to support you.

Important notes

Applying online is safe and secure.
You will be able to see your child’s offer from 12:30am on 16^th April 2026.
If you choose to send a form via post then please check with School Admissions that it has arrived. We cannot be responsible for forms lost in the post.

On offer day, 16 April 2026, you will receive a single offer of a place at a primary school.

Applying Online for a Primary School Place 2026-27

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact School Admissions.

Yours faithfully,

School Admissions

Correspondence 4^th September 2025

Y6 Bikeability

Dear Year 6 Parents,

We are pleased to inform you that Bikeability training for Year 6 pupils will take place during the week commencing Monday 22nd September.

Please find the attached information document, which includes full details about the programme and instructions on how to book your child’s place. If you would like your child to take part, please ensure that you have booked their place and that consent forms are completed and submitted before Monday 22nd September.

Bikeability Letter & Consent 2025 – The Ellis

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 4^th September 2025

Y2 Tuesday Lego/Craft Club

Dear Parents,

Mrs Willis will be running a Y2 Tuesday Lego/Craft Club for 7 weeks from 9^th September until 21^st October. The cost for each club is £2 per week, and the full amount of £14 for this half term will need to be paid via ParentPay before we can secure your child’s place.

Clubs are displayed within ‘Pay for other items’ when you log into your ParentPay account. Please note that making a payment to a club does not book a place. You must click ‘book sessions’ and then ‘book all sessions’ to secure your child’s place. You may also be required to checkout.

This club is popular and has a limited number of spaces. If you cannot see the club listed in your ParentPay account, it may be that it is full. Please email office@ellis.dsat.education to place your child on our waiting list.

All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the new booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 2^nd September 2025

New After School Clubs

Dear Parents,

Please see below for details of the after-school clubs for this half term, that are now available to book on ParentPay.

If there are dates when a club will not run, for example, inset days, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

The cost for each club is £2 per week, and the full amount of £14 for this half term will need to be paid via ParentPay before we can secure your child’s place. Bookings for clubs will remain open until 11:59pm on Thursday 4^th September.

Our sports after-school clubs are run by coaches from Active Club.

All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Autumn 1 After-School Clubs

Please remember to use ParentPay to book and pay for your child’s place in our clubs.

Monday

Multi Sports – open to F2 (Reception), Y1 and Y2 children.

Tuesday

Football – open to Y4 to Y6 children.

Wednesday

Girls Football – open to KS2 (Y3 to Y6) children.

Thursday

Dance – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Correspondence 1^st September

New School Lunch Information

Dear Parents,

A reminder that from September, our school will be partnering with a new catering provider, The Pantry https://www.thepantrycatering.co.uk/.

Please ensure you have activated your new Pantry catering account, in preparation for ordering your child’s school lunches. You should have received all of the information required to set this up direct from The Pantry. They have asked us to re-send their introductory letter along with other documents containing lots of information and useful tips and advice. Please click below:

School Meals Service

As detailed in The Pantry correspondence, all school lunches must now be ordered in advance by parents. School will no longer be able to choose a lunch for your child. If your child arrives at school late or without a lunch, the only option available will be a jacket potato with beans. Also be aware that accounts cannot be in arrears.

We are excited to be working with The Pantry, their meals are nutritious with more options now available (including sandwiches), and it will be our existing kitchen staff serving the children.

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 22^nd July 2025

End of Term Email from Mrs Edwards

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of the school year, I would like to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support and to celebrate the many wonderful things we have achieved together as a school community.

It has been a joy to watch our pupils grow, thrive, and embrace the wide range of opportunities available to them. From the unforgettable memories made on our residentials at Whirlow and PGL, to the enthusiasm and teamwork shown in sporting events, and the creativity that shines through in our musical performances — there is so much to be proud of. These experiences enrich our curriculum and help our children develop confidence, independence, and build lifelong friendships.

We have also been incredibly proud of the way our children have represented the school on trips and visits throughout the year. Their behaviour has consistently been exemplary, and they have been praised by staff and members of the public alike for their kindness, respect, and enthusiasm — a true credit to our school.

None of this would be possible without the incredible dedication of our teaching and support staff. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to every member of our team who consistently go above and beyond for the children. Their hard work, passion, and commitment make our school such a special place to learn and grow.

Thank you, too, for your continued involvement and enthusiasm throughout the year. Your attendance at so many of our events — from the joyful VE Day celebration and the reflective services at St Mary’s, to the various meetings and workshops held in school — it means so much to the children and staff. Your support strengthens our school community and creates lasting memories for everyone involved.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful summer break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for a new and exciting school year ahead.

With warmest wishes,

Mrs Edwards
Headteacher

Correspondence 18^th July 2025

Flu Vaccine Nasal Sprays – Thursday 20th November

Dear Parents (F2-Y6),

The seasonal flu vaccine protects children, and those around them, from catching flu, which is a very unpleasant illness and can lead to serious complications, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

On Thursday 20th November, the immunisation team will be coming into school to offer annual flu spray vaccinations to all children from Reception upwards. These vaccinations are given as a nasal spray.

Please complete one consent form for each of your child/children here, please complete the form even if you do not wish for your child/children to receive the vaccine:

www.barnsleysais.co.uk/Forms/Flu

Your unique code for The Ellis Primary is BN106638

Please complete the form even if you do not want your child to have the vaccination.

If you experience any problems, please contact the team on barnsleysais@swyt.nhs.uk

Flu: 5 reasons to get your child vaccinated – Primary School (POSTER)

Protecting your child against flu; Information for parents and carers

If you experience any problems, please contact the team on barnsleysais@swyt.nhs.uk

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 16^th July 2025

Free Uniform Vouchers, Bus Travel and Year 11 Support Packs

SENT ON BEHALF OF GREAT CHILDHOOD AMBITION TEAM

I wanted to provide you with an update on some of our Great Childhood Ambition projects, following the agreement at Cabinet on the 9^th July to invest in the provision of uniform to all school age children and support packs for all year 11 pupils.

Uniform:

The LA will post to all Barnsley families post office vouchers to claim against the costs of school uniform. FAQs will be on the Barnsley website soon. Parents and carers will receive a letter and do not need to do anything.

Year 11 Support Packs:

Mainstream packs will be purchased centrally by the GCA team and delivered to schools for September. In addition to the packs, you will be provided with £30 per year 11 student for Exam revision resources for maths and English ensuring these meet the needs and priorities of your students, please secure these early in the Autumn term to be given out with the packs. Our SEND team will work with Special schools to develop more bespoke packs for those students where the mainstream pack would not meet their needs.

Free Bus Travel:

The applications for the Barnsley MiCard are now open. Families can apply here and the scheme goes live 1^st August. Children who are eligible should still sign up for the Zero Fare Zoom card, as this allows them priority transport, and schools should continue to support this at the end of the school day.

Promotion is going out across the borough, and we ask for your support in raising awareness of the scheme. There scheme will operate 7am-9pm every day, in recognition of the varying term dates, inset days and school hours of settings across the borough. We will be monitoring bus usage and have plans in place with SYMCA should capacity become an issue on any routes. The FAQs are here.

When signing up for the card expectations are made clear on appropriate usage of the scheme and the parameters under which the card can be withdrawn should it be misused by young people. We appreciate your support in reiterating personal responsibility for our children and young people so they can benefit from this offer. We are working in partnership with Public Health to monitor and evaluate the impact of the scheme.

Summer Activities:

A wide range of free summer activities have been agreed as part of the GCA investment and these will be promoted over the coming weeks on the GCA website. Please encourage families to access these, alongside the HAF activities which are available to eligible families.

Have a great summer break.

K Rose

Head of Early Start, Prevention and Sufficiency

Strategic Lead for Great Childhoods Ambition

Children’s Services, Barnsley Council

Correspondence 14^th July 2025

Admission Information for current Y5 Parents

ACTION – Information for Y5 parents moving to Y6 2025/26

Good afternoon,

We have revised our communications for parents applying for school and would appreciate your support in ensuring all Barnsley children make an on-time application for their transition to secondary school. We feel that a digital and paperless approach will benefit both parents and schools.

We are opening the application portal from Monday 14^th July as we have amended the closing date to 31^st October 2025 for entry to secondary school in September 2026. Any application received after this date will be processed as late, which will significantly impact parents receiving one of their preferred schools. To clarify, there is no extended closing date for applications.

Please see attached letter from school admissions as well as a guide to applying, please share both documents through your school communication channels before the end of term with all current Y5 parents. We will not be producing paper packs for distribution this year.

Parents Applying for Sec School 2026-27

Applying Online for a Secondary School Place 2026-27

Kind regards

L Matanga

School Admissions and Access Manager

Education and Partnerships

Children’s Services

Correspondence 14^th July 2025

The Pantry New School Meal Service

Dear Parents,

As you are aware, from September, our school will be partnering with a new catering provider, The Pantry https://www.thepantrycatering.co.uk/.

The Pantry have asked us to send their introductory letter along with other documents containing lots of information and useful tips and advice.

Please click here School Meals Service

The Pantry will be issuing your new account details by email over the upcoming weeks, which you will need to get set up ready for the start of the new term.

Please take the time to read through the information on the link above, as there are some changes to the way we currently order, for example, from September, your child’s meals can only be ordered from home, school will have no access to menus or meal choices. If a child arrives to school without a packed lunch or a pre-ordered lunch, a jacket potato with beans will be the only option available, this is for allergen purposes. You will still be able to amend and cancel orders with an automatic refund up to the daily cut off of 9am.

Please log on to ParentPay at your earliest convenience and clear any outstanding debts in preparation for ordering with The Pantry. Please also remember, DO NOT order lunches via ParentPay from September.

Our wonderful cooks will continue to work with The Pantry, so your children will still see familiar faces at lunchtime, along with some new options on their plates.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 11^th July 2025

Whole School Transition – Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th July

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to clarify a few details for the transition days next week. I hope this information will answer any queries you may have, but please do ask if you have any further questions.

Tuesday 15^th and Wednesday 16^th July

These are our whole school transition days.

Foundation Stage

Please look out for an email from Mr Grayhurst providing details of the staggered transition days in September. A friendly reminder, F2 start their day at 8:50am.

We will shortly be emailing our Welcome to F2 booklet, which contains lots of key information about starting school. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

KS1/2

On both mornings, please can children line up at 8:45am. Class teachers will be outside to help you know where to stand.

As the children will be spending the Tuesday and Wednesday in their new class, we would like to encourage them to use the cloakrooms as they will in September. Please ensure any items of clothing are clearly labelled as the children’s pegs may not have been renamed yet. The children will have already taken their pumps to their new classroom. Please don’t forget to send them with their water bottles. PE kits won’t be needed on these days.

The children will spend the two days getting to know their new classroom and staff in order to feel fully prepared for September.

Please order your child’s lunch online via ParentPay, or send them with a packed lunch.

Don’t forget to order milk online for your child over the summer holidays, from Cool Milk.

At the end of the day, please collect your child from the following places:

F1 (Nursery)- Please collect from the nursery door at 3:30pm

F2 (Reception)- Collect from the classroom door at 3:20pm

Y1- line up by the brown fence opposite the Y1 classroom

Y2- line up opposite the Y2 window

Y3- collect from the classroom

Y4- collect from the classroom

Y5- wait near the brick wall opposite the staff car park

Y6- As Y5.

Mobile phones should be collected from the office.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 11^th July 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

After School Clubs

A reminder that this week is the final week for after school clubs. There will be no after school clubs running next week.

Meet Mr Davies

A reminder of our Coffee Afternoon on Friday the 18^th of July at 1:15pm (just before our Celebration of Music event) where you will have the opportunity to meet Mr Davies, who will be joining us as our new SENDCo and Assistant Headteacher.

This informal gathering is a chance to begin building relationships and open communication with Mr Davies, who is keen to work closely and collaboratively with families to support your children’s continued journey here at The Ellis. We know how important the partnership between home and school is, particularly in supporting children with additional needs, and we’re excited to begin this next chapter together.

Mrs Wise, our current SENDCo and Deputy Headteacher, will also be joining us on the afternoon. Mrs Wise has been working closely with Mr Davies to ensure a smooth handover and continuity of support for children, families, and staff.

Whether you’ve worked closely with the SEND team before or are simply keen to meet the new member of our leadership team, we would be delighted to welcome you.

Please book your place using the following QR code or by clicking on the link, it will help us to know numbers so we can make sure there is enough tea, coffee, and biscuits to go around!

https://www.eventbrite.com/meetMrDavies

2025-26 Calendar

Please find attached our calendar for the next academic year including inset days. A full list of important dates will be sent out at the beginning of September.

Calendar 2025-26 with inset days

St Mary’s Church Family Service – Sunday 13^th July and The Ellis Church – Thursday 17^th July

Please see the attached flyers for further information on St. Mary’s church family service this Sunday, and The Ellis Church on Thursday 17^th July.

Family Service

Ellis Church

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 11^th July 2025

Y5 PGL Residential Trip 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are delighted to let you know we have provisionally booked our Y5 residential trip for next year, at PGL Dearne Valley (previously Kingswood), for 16^th to 18^th March 2026.

We have chosen the dates of the trip in order to secure a more reasonable price of approximately £225. As the venue is fairly local and transport costs have risen dramatically, we have made the decision to ask parents to take their children (or car share) to and from the venue to keep costs down.

The booking is only being held for a short period; therefore we will need to confirm numbers by Friday 18^th July. Please reply to this email to confirm if your child would like a place. This will give an initial indication of interest and allow us time to put the deposit onParentPay for you. Please note that if you do not get in touch, we will assume that you do not want a place for your child on the trip.

To secure your child’s place, an initial deposit of £40 will be due by Friday 12^th September. A further interim payment of £100 will be due on or before Friday 14^th November. The remaining balance will be due by Monday 12^th January. As always, there is the option to pay in small, regular amounts if you prefer to spread the cost of the visit, as long as the deadlines are met.

We would like to inform you of PGL’s cancellation costs below:

4-8 weeks before travel – 60% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

2-4 weeks before travel – 80% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

2 weeks or less before travel – 100% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

If there are less than 14 children, unfortunately the trip will not be able to go ahead.

A Parent’s guide is available on PGL’s website. Please visit:

https://www.pgl.co.uk/en-gb/school-trips/resources/parent-guide/about

If you have any questions about the trip, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Miss Cook.

Please note participation on this trip will be dependent on consistent good behaviour in school.

Many thanks,

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 9^th July 2025

FS Cleethorpes Trip Information – Thursday 17th July

Visit to Cleethorpes

Dear Foundation Stage Parent/Carer,

We are pleased to inform you that our trip to Cleethorpes will go ahead as planned on Thursday 17^th July 2025 (Nursery will be closed on this day to children who are not participating). As you are aware, the money that you have kindly contributed will help pay for the cost of the coaches which is only the financial outlay that has been required for this trip. If you are travelling on the coach, and you have not already made a contribution, we encourage you do so prior to the date of our trip. Payments need to be made via ParentPay and if you are experiencing any financial difficulties covering the cost of the trip, please contact Mrs Edwards.

Below is an outline of the plans for our day trip to the seaside: –

The coaches will arrive at approximately 9:30am and will park on School Street.
Please bring your child to school from 8:55am.
Please toilet your child in their classroom and collect an identity bracelet for your child. Please remember that there may not be toilet facilities on the coaches.
Once your child has their identity bracelet on, you can wait outside on the school field until it is time to embark on the coach.
Please check which coach you and your child will be travelling on (these will be clearly labelled Bus A and Bus B – you will find this information on the classroom door)
Once the buses have arrived, please make your way on to the correct coach, ensuring that you are supervising your child at all times both on and off the bus.
Children who are being supervised by their F2 class teachers will need to come to school at the usual time and school staff will supervise them accordingly.
Please ensure that your child is wearing their seatbelt and it remains on throughout the whole journey.
Please note that snacks and drinks are not permitted on the coaches.
If your child requires medication, please ensure that you have it with you at all times – this includes travel sickness medication and a sick bag if necessary.
Once we reach Cleethorpes, we will park in the designated coach area. There are toilets in the train station which is approximately 100 yards from the parking area.
Your time in Cleethorpes is your own to enjoy. School will provide you with a scavenger hunt checklist should you want to carry out this activity with your child on the beach. School staff will be making their way on to the beach where they will stay for the remainder of the day. If you need staff at any time, please do not hesitate to find them. If there is an emergency, please ring school on 01226 753383 and school will act accordingly.
Our return journey will be at 2pm. You will find the coach in the same parking area as on arrival. Please ensure that you have toileted your child before returning to the coach. Once staff have registered all children and their accompanying adults, we will set off back to school.
We should arrive back at school at approximately 3pm. However, if there are any delays, staff will contact school to notify parents of unaccompanied children from F2.
Any older siblings in school will be asked to stay in the Library if our journey is delayed in any way.
Please ensure school uniform is worn on the day with suitable footwear/sun hat/sun cream and an appropriate coat depending on the weather.
Children who are not being supported by their parent can bring a small amount of spending money (no more than £10) if they wish.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Pollard & Mr. Grayhurst

Correspondence 9^th July 2025

MiCards – free bus travel for all Barnsley children

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please see the article below regarding free bus travel for children aged 5 to 18.

We encourage you to apply for a MiCard for your child—especially those in Key Stage 2. Having a MiCard not only enables your child to benefit from free bus travel within Barnsley, but also supports the school financially when we organise public transport for local events and sporting activities.

We kindly ask that children bring their MiCards on the day of travel, or alternatively, they are welcome to leave them safely in the school office for use when needed.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Ellis Office

Barnsley MiCard is coming back to our borough, unlocking endless opportunities with free bus travel for under 18s

We are excited to announce the return of the Barnsley MiCard travel pass which will enable free bus travel for under 18s in Barnsley from Friday 1 August 2025.

As part of our Great Childhoods Ambition to support all children and young people in the borough by providing them with the foundation for a successful future, we’re bringing Barnsley MiCard back and it’s better than ever before.

Barnsley MiCard will be available to anyone living in Barnsley aged 5 to 18. Young people will be able to access free bus travel from Monday to Sunday, between 7am and 9pm, as long as the journey starts or ends in Barnsley local authority area and is within South Yorkshire. This means that children and young people from Barnsley will be able to get to opportunities and attractions not only across our borough but also in Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster for free.

Current holders of Zoom travel passes will start receiving their brand-new Barnsley MiCard through the post very soon. Everyone else will be able to apply via post or online on the Travel South Yorkshire website from Monday 7 July.

More information about the scheme and Barnsley MiCard, including frequently asked questions and details about upcoming applications, are available on the Travel South Yorkshire website.

You can also keep an eye on our social media channels or subscribe to our weekly newsletter, where we will be sharing more information over the next few weeks.

Read the full article

Correspondence 4^th July 2025

Rounders Event – Tuesday 8th July

Dear Parent / Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Year 5/6 Rounders event at Netherwood School on Tuesday 8^th July. This event is part of the School Games events with a focus on participation. The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 2:45pm. Children should arrive back at school around 3pm.

Your child will have their lunch before leaving for the venue at 12:30pm.

Children will travel to and from the venue via mini bus with Miss Turton and Mr Webster. Unfortunately, parents are not allowed to attend the event.

Your child will be given a sports top but will still need to bring suitable trainers, their PE kit, a drink of water, a bag for their belongings and suitable clothing to wear when not participating. The event will be held outdoors. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Correspondence 3^rd July 2025

Summer Reading Challenge

Please see the email below from Wombwell libraries.

Dear Parents,

It’s that time of the year again when our thoughts turn to the Summer Reading Challenge. This year’s theme is ‘Story Garden’ and it’s about getting outdoors and enjoying nature.

The Summer Reading Challenge will run from

Saturday 12 July

Saturday 13September

at Barnsley Libraries.

Find your nearest library on our website: www.Barnsley.gov.uk/libraries

We are looking forward to seeing your children over the summer!

K Taylor

Library Manager & Digital Engagement & eServices Lead

Wombwell & Darfield Libraries

Public Health & Communities: Barnsley Libraries

Correspondence 2^nd July 2025

Meet and Greet ‘The Pantry’, our new Catering Provider – Friday 4th July

Dear Parents

We are pleased to let you know that from September, our school will be partnering with a new catering provider, The Pantry.

https://www.thepantrycatering.co.uk/

To help introduce themselves and their service, The Pantry team will be in the outdoor classroom on the corner of the playground this Friday at pick-up time. This is a great opportunity to meet the team, learn more about what they offer, and ask any questions. They’ll also be handing out pamphlets with the new menus and a Pantry cookie for you to try!

We’re also excited to be moving to a new system that will make meal ordering and payments simpler for everyone. We’ll share more details about this before we break up for Summer.

Please don’t worry—our wonderful cooks will continue to work with The Pantry, so your children will still see familiar faces at lunchtime, along with some new options on their plates.

Thank you for your continued support as we make this positive change.

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 2^nd July 2025

Trinity St Edward’s Information

Dear Y5 Parents,

Trinity Academy St Edward’s – Fair banding

Please see the attached letter from Trinity St Edwards containing important information about their fair banding assessment along with the link to register your child for the assessment.

Trinity Academy St Edward’s – Y5 Parent letter.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 2^nd July 2025

Meet Mr Davies – Friday 18th July 1:15pm

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am delighted to invite you to a Coffee Afternoon on Friday the 18^th of July at 1:15pm (just before our Celebration of Music event) where you will have the opportunity to meet Mr Davies, who will be joining us as our new SENDCo and Assistant Headteacher.

Whether you’ve worked closely with the SEND team before or are simply keen to meet the new member of our leadership team, we would be delighted to welcome you.

Please book your place using the following QR code or by clicking on the link, it will help us to know numbers so we can make sure there is enough tea, coffee, and biscuits to go around!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-mr-davies-our-new-sendco-tickets-1447405391489?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sparkpost&utm_campaign=postpublish

We look forward to seeing you there and to building strong, positive partnerships in the term ahead.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 1st July 2025

Young Voices Concert – Wednesday 11th February 2026

Dear Parents,

I am delighted to say that your child has a place on our Young Voices 2026 trip on Wednesday 11^th February. To enable you to purchase tickets, t-shirts and to access all the music then you will need to have a Young Voices account. All orders are now online and do not go through school. Here is the information you need.

If you signed up last year, then please log into your Young Voices account. A message saying you have not been approved for this season (or words similar to this) will pop up, this is fine. I will then be notified and will approve you. You will be able to enter the same forum as last year, where you can access everything. You do not need to make a new account. (Please bear with me as I am at Whirlow this week but will check in the evenings and approve you when I see you on my list).

If you are new to Young Voices, then you will need to make an account linked to our school. You can do this by clicking on the link below or by scanning the QR code.

https://yvmusicroom.com/auth/parent/login

This will then take you into the music room where you can gain access to everything you need.

Ticket and T-Shirts

Tickets and t-shirts are available to order from now. Please remember they are not compulsory, a white PE t shirt is also acceptable. When you go on, you click on the left hand side on ‘shop – products’ and it will open up the tickets and t shirts.

The tickets are emailed to myself and I will print them out and send them home. We do not receive the tickets until approximately a week before the concert, so do not worry that you don’t get them until February 2026, that is normal. The t-shirts are delivered in bulk to school and again I send them out when I get them (which is usually a couple of weeks before the concert).

As tickets sell out quickly, I will be submitting all orders by Friday 3rd October. You are able to order after this date, but I cannot guarantee your tickets will be with the rest of our school.

Currently, there is only one song on the music room (Power in Me) but over the coming weeks, all the songs will be uploaded and your child can start learning them over the summer holidays. For those who have not attended Young Voices before, we do not have words at the concert so we have to learn as many as we can off by heart!

I realise this is a lot of information, but hopefully it will make sense as you log on etc. I am now at Whirlow this week and 7-9th July next week, but please do email the office with any questions and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 1st July 2025

Girls Football Event – Friday 4th July

Dear Parent,

Your child has expressed an interest in taking part in a Y3/4 Girls Football Festival on Friday 4^th July at Dorothy Hyman Stadium.

The event will begin at 1pm and will end at approximately 2:45pm.

Your child will travel to and from the event via Wyatt’s Minibuses accompanied by Mr Webster and Miss Turton.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day along with water bottles and PE kits. Tracksuit bottoms can be worn. The children will be given a school shirt to wear when competing and will need warm and waterproof clothes for when they are spectating.

Your child should return to school by the usual home time; however, you may have a brief wait.

Parents can spectate but would need to meet their child at the event and must remain in the viewing area at all times, and not enter the playing area.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

Please contact me at school if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 30^th June 2025

Important E-Safety Reminder for All Families

Dear Parents,

I am writing to you today about an important matter that requires our shared attention and continued vigilance.

We have recently become aware of an online safety concern involving one of our students and the WhatsApp messaging service. While I’m unable to share specific details in order to protect the privacy of those involved, I feel it is important to remind everyone of the need for ongoing conversations with our children about staying safe online.

E-Safety Focus: WhatsApp
As we support our children in navigating the digital world, it’s essential to stay proactive in protecting them from potential online risks—especially on widely used platforms like WhatsApp.

To help with this, I have attached Top Tips for Parents from National Online Safety. This resource offers practical advice on:

Talking to your children about staying safe on WhatsApp
Steps to take if your child encounters concerning contact
Recommended privacy settings for WhatsApp
Age-appropriate guidance for messaging and sharing

How You Can Help
I encourage you to:

Review the attached guide with your family this week.
Have regular conversations with your children about their WhatsApp use.
Check the privacy settings on their WhatsApp accounts.
Report any concerns immediately to the school and appropriate authorities.

Please remember that children may not always recognise when something is inappropriate online. Open communication and regular check-ins help create an environment where they feel safe sharing their experiences—both positive and concerning.

If you have any questions about online safety or would like support in discussing these topics with your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to work with you to keep all our children safe.

Thank you for your continued partnership in safeguarding our school community.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 30^th June 2025

Barnsley Mental Health and Wellbeing Service Event – 14th August 10-3pm

Dear Parents,

We have been asked to share the email below with our parents.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Good afternoon,

As a Mental Health and Wellbeing service in Barnsley, we feel that it is important to encourage conversations and enjoy fun activities together as a family. So, we have arranged a FREE summer event on the 14/08/2025 at Locke Park, Barnsley 10am – 3pm to encourage this for all families – Compass staff included!

Our service also offers a bereavement service and therefore the day will have activities linked to supporting this and encouraging ‘memory making’. When someone important dies in a child’s or young person’s life the impact can be really tough, as everyone around them is likely to be struggling too. In grief, alongside the really normal feelings of disbelief, sadness, possibly relief and anger, it is especially important to engage in restorative activities that keep life normal in small ways and provide relief from the intensity and disruption of feelings a death brings; for children and young people that’s why play is so important, in all its forms.

Please can you share this information/attached poster with your families and school community, everyone welcome! Kind Regards,

Barnsley Summer Play Day 2025

K Taylor

Senior Healthy Peer Relationship Practitioner

Correspondence 26^th June 2025

Y1 Information

Dear Y1 Parents,

As some of you may be aware, our Y2 class will be going on a residential visit to Whirlow Farm during Week 5 (next week) and part of Week 6. I’m writing to let you know that I will be out of school from Monday 30th June to Friday 4th July and again from Monday 7th July to Wednesday 9th July, as I will be leading the residential trip and staying with our Y2 children.

We have looked very carefully at who will cover our Y1 class during my absence, and this will be Mrs Freeman, Mrs Andrews and Mrs Law. I have planned all the lessons in advance and prepared everything needed to ensure that the children continue their amazing learning journey, and I know they will continue to work as hard for them as they do for me.

They are wonderful children, and I will miss them very much. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have been up to when I return. I will, of course, be in touch with Mrs Freeman to ensure they have everything that they need and will be keeping a very close eye on Class Dojo to follow their brilliant learning.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

The exciting news is that I have just booked Whirlow for 2026, which means that this time next year, it will be your children heading off to make lifelong memories on their own residential trip!

Kind regards,

Mrs Trotter

Y1 Teacher/KS1 Leader

Correspondence 25^th June 2025

Y4/5 Swimming Event – Friday 4th July

Dear Parent/Carer,

On Friday 4^th July 2025, your child has been selected to take part in a Year 4/5 Swimming event held at Hoyland Leisure Centre. This is an inspire and engage event as part of the School Games. These events have an emphasis on participation and encouraging children to develop sporting skills.

The event will consist of races and finals. You child will have a minimum of 1 race against other schools in our sport’s cluster.

The event will begin at 10am. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport (bus) at 9:15am. This is something we are trialling for local events. Please ensure your child arrives at school for the normal registration time.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Your child can come to school with their costume underneath their uniform to speed up getting changed. Children will need water bottles and towels and a bag to store their wet clothes.

Parents are unfortunately not allowed to spectate at this event.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 20^th June 2025

DKMS registration event – Sports Day

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to invite you to participate in an important and life-saving initiative during this year’s KS1 & 2 Sports Day on Monday.

A volunteer for DKMS (an organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer) and who is also one of our Year 3 parents, will be on-site offering the opportunity for parents to register as potential stem cell donors. The volunteer/parent has also previously been matched with someone and donated stem cells herself. She’ll be on hand to answer any questions too.

Registering to become a stem cell donor is a simple process and will only take about 10 minutes of your time! The process is quick, painless, and involves scanning a QR code and filling out a form online and providing a cheek swab (less invasive than a covid test). That’s it! Your registration could make a difference to someone in need of a life-saving transplant.

The criteria is :

* Aged 17-55

*NOT registered on any other stem cell registry i.e. Anthony Nolan, The British Bone Marrow Registry or the Welsh Bone Marrow Registry.

*In general good health

We encourage all parents who are eligible to consider this amazing opportunity. If your child is in Nursery or F2, you’re still very welcome to pop along to the KS1 and KS2 Sports Day event to register. Every single person who registers is potentially giving someone a second chance at life.

Please stop by the DKMS stand during Sports Day, and our volunteer will guide you through the process. If you’re unable to attend, you can also find more information and register online at https://www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor

Please note, making the decision to register during Sports Day will not involve missing any of your children’s sporting activities as it can be done before your class starts or afterwards. The DKMS stand will be next to the refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards with special thanks to Lindsey for arranging everything.

Correspondence 18^th June 2025

Young Voices – Wednesday 11th February 2026 7pm

Dear Parent/Carer (Y2-Y5),

It’s that time of year again when I get very excited! I have received the date for 2026 Young Voices! With this in mind, we would like to offer the children who will be in Key Stage 2 (current Y2 – Y5), the opportunity to take part in “Young Voices”, a concert for primary school children involving over 1 million children all over the country and is quite simply – awesome! Our school has taken part for the past 16 years and it is an event which children in Year 6 often refer to as one of their lasting memories from their time at The Ellis. It is also a special year for Young Voices, as it is their 30th Anniversary year.

The concert is at Sheffield Arena on Wednesday 11th February 2026 at 7pm. Before then though, there is a lot to do! We will practise the songs and the dance moves one lunchtime each week from October onwards and will send lyrics home for the children and login details so they can start practising the songs and dances over the summer break.

There is no cost for your child to take part in Young Voices. The children will be transported to and from the concert by coach, which will be funded by school. On the day of the concert, children will take part in an afternoon rehearsal at the arena and will be required to bring a packed tea. Staff will then bring the children back to school after the concert. (A letter with further details outlining all the arrangements will be sent out nearer the time).

You will be able to buy tickets for the concert (they are £24 each, set by Young Voices). The children will need either a plain white T-shirt or a ‘Young Voices’ T-shirt (£15 each including a small torch). Please note, there is no obligation to buy either of these. Once we have received permission via email, we will send the information on how to purchase tickets and t shirts. Please note that parents must login into the website (using the link which will be sent to you) and order tickets and t-shirts this way. School is unable to order them for you (a change which came in last year). Tickets will be on sale straight after the summer holidays and we encourage parents to purchase within the first few weeks (I will send out a school deadline) as they sell out quickly. You will be able to order after the school deadline, however, we cannot guarantee orders placed after the deadline will be seated with the rest of the parents.

You can find more on the website www.youngvoices.co.uk where there is a dedicated Parents section.

Final choir numbers are needed before the end of September, if you would like your child to take part, please respond as soon as possible, before we break up for the summer. We have 63 places available this year. Please could everybody respond via email to office@theellis.org as soon as possible to ensure places are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Before replying, we ask that you speak to your child and explain that they are making a commitment to attend one lunchtime practise every week from October up until the concert date. We do sometimes have a waiting list of children who desperately want to do Young Voices and then after a few weeks children drop out as they do not want to miss their lunchtime playtime. We welcome everyone, but do ask that you check that your child genuinely wants to be involved in Young Voices and will show this by turning up once a week to a lunchtime rehearsal willingly.

Thank you and we look forward to starting rehearsals in October. We will send a confirmation email to those who have received a place with a link to the words, music tracks and tickets / t shirt purchases so the children can start learning them over the summer holidays!

Yours sincerely

Mrs C Trotter (KS1 lead and music co-ordinator)

Correspondence 18^th June 2025

Nursery Information for September 2025

Dear Parents of Full-Time Nursery Children,

We’re excited to share that from September 2025, our nursery will be open all day, Monday to Friday, to fully support families eligible for the 30-hour childcare entitlement.

To help us provide this extended service, there will be a small additional charge of £5 per day to cover the lunchtime period which is in excess of the free 30 hours. This charge will appear on your ParentPay account each week. If you prefer not to pay this fee, you are very welcome to collect your child over the lunchtime period and return them afterwards. We’re happy to support whatever works best for your family.

There is also the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) which is extra funding for early years providers to support the learning and development of 3 and 4 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A child can get EYPP if they:

Are in a nursery or childcare setting that provides funded early education (15 or 30 hours).

Meet specific criteria, such as, their family receives certain benefits (e.g., Universal Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance).

If you think that you may be eligible for EYPP please let us know and we may be able to support you further with the lunchtime fees.

Many families may also be able to reduce costs by using the Tax-Free Childcare scheme available through gov.uk. This government support allows you to receive up to £500 every 3 months (or £1,000 if your child is disabled) per child, which can be used towards nursery fees, breakfast clubs, and after school clubs. For every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2, giving you more value for your money.

You can use Tax-Free Childcare alongside your 15 or 30 hours of free childcare, provided you’re eligible for both.

To find out more and check your eligibility, please visit https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

Thank you for your continued support

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 18^th June 2025

Ellis Staffing Updates

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we look ahead to the new school year in September, I wanted to keep you updated on some changes to our staffing. We’re excited about the team we’re putting in place and wanted to share some news about who will be working with your children and supporting them next year.

As part of our approach to making the biggest positive impact on pupils, some of our support staff will be working across multiple year groups. This will allow us to be more flexible in how we meet children’s needs and ensure that support is available where it is needed most. We’re confident this will strengthen the learning experience for all pupils and help us continue to provide a nurturing and inclusive school environment.

STAFFING FOR NEXT YEAR

F1- Teaching team – Mrs Pollard

Mrs Kelly, Miss Turton & Mrs Lodge

F2 – Reception Teaching team – Mr Grayhurst

Mrs Beevers & Miss Turton

Y1-Teaching team – Mrs Trotter

Mrs Freeman, Mrs Andrews & Miss Rigby

Y2-Teaching team– Miss Bradbury

Mrs Law, Mrs Lawson & Mrs Willis

Y3-Teaching team – Mr Davies (Mon- Weds)/Miss Beresford (Weds pm – Fri)

Mrs Lawson, Miss Turton & Mrs Law

Y4-Teaching team – Miss O’Brien

Mrs Brinkley, Miss Turton & Mrs Lawson

Y5- Teaching team – Miss Cook (Mon -Thurs)/Mrs Brinkley (Fri)

Mr Webster & Mrs Wood

Y6-Teaching team – Mr Milliner

Mrs Brinkley, Mrs Wood & Mr Webster

Mrs Brinkley, our Higher-Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), will be covering Year 2-6 PPA and management time in the afternoons, and she will also be teaching Year 5, on Tuesday mornings and all day on Fridays.

Mr Davies will be in school throughout the week. He will be teaching Y3 from Monday to Wednesday, with his SENDCo and management time scheduled for Thursday and Friday morning.

TRANSITION

This year we will be having 2 full days of transition 15^thand 16^th July. All the children will move up to their next class to give them the opportunity to be with their new teaching team and to work in their new classroom before September.

Our current Y6s will have the hall and outdoor areas to use for their learning on those days.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 18^th June 2025

FS (Nursery and Reception) Trip to Cleethorpes – Thursday 17th July

Dear Foundation Stage Parent/Carer,

Visit to Cleethorpes

As an end of year treat, we would like to take all of the children within our EYFS to Cleethorpes on Thursday 17^th July 2025. The children will have the opportunity to carry out a scavenger hunt on the beach and to also have some free time with their family and friends.

Children within our nursery (F1) MUST be accompanied by an adult.

We RECOMMEND that children in our Reception (F2) class are also accompanied by an adult, however this is not compulsory. Children who are not accompanied by an adult will be supervised by their class teacher.

As bus places are limited, we must ask for only one supporting adult per child and unfortunately, younger siblings cannot attend this outing.

The visit leaders on the trip will be Mrs Pollard and Mr Grayhurst and the accompanying staff will be Mrs Kelly and Mrs Beevers.

The coach company we will be using is Gee Vee. The coach will leave school at 9:30am and set off back at 2pm. The expected time of arrival back at school will be approximately 3:20pm. Children will need to be at school for no later than 8:55am. If your child suffers from travel sickness, we would suggest that appropriate travel sickness medication is taken before school.

The cost of the trip will be no more than £14 per person and it is necessary for accompanying adults to pay. We must point out that if insufficient money is collected the trip will have to be cancelled. Payment will be via ParentPay and will need to be paid by 4^th July 2025. The default amount on ParentPay is £28, however, if your F2 child will be unaccompanied then only £14 will be due. If you are experiencing any financial difficulties covering the cost of the trip, please contact Mrs Edwards.

Please ensure school uniform is worn on the day with suitable footwear/sun hat/sun cream and an appropriate coat depending on the weather.

Accompanying adults are welcome to purchase lunch such as fish and chips, however, if your F2 child is unaccompanied then a packed lunch must be provided for them. If your child (F1& F2) requires a school packed lunch, one can be provided for them (lunches are free to children in F2, and the cost for F1 children is £2.80 – also paid via ParentPay). The lunch will include a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a home bake. The choice of sandwich fillings is cheese, ham, tuna or jam. Please let us know if your child requires a school packed lunch by Monday 14^th July, and their choice of sandwich filling.

Children who are not being supported by their parent can bring a small amount of spending money (no more than £5) if they wish.

Let’s hope for sunny weather and remember to bring your buckets and spades!

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Pollard & Mr. Grayhurst

Correspondence 17^th June 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parent/Carer,

International Picnic Day – Wednesday 18^th June

Our cook will be making sandwiches along with some tasty extras – please see the attached menu. Weather permitting, we hope to enjoy this picnic outside.

If your child would like to choose this for their lunch, please book this via ParentPay. Please note, there will be no other meal choices on this day.

International Picnic Day 18.06.25

Ellis Church – Thursday 19^th June

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church on Thursday 19^th June, held in the school hall straight after school.

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

The Ellis Church

KS1 and KS2 Sports Day – Monday 23^rd June

The forecast for the next few days and the beginning of next week is looking very pleasant, and sports day will be going ahead as planned.

We understand that children get hot and tired in the warm weather, and we will try and make adjustments where possible. Please ensure your child has a sunhat, is wearing sun cream and has a water bottle or two in school. If they require hay fever medication, they should have taken this before coming to school.

During the sports events, children will be outside for around 90 minutes and will have access to their water bottles at all times.

Refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks and ice lollies) will be available throughout the day. You are welcome to stay for a short time with your child after their session and enjoy refreshments on the playground. Children without an adult attending sports day can bring £1 in a named envelope and will be able to purchase alongside their friends.

The approximate timings for the day are:

Years 5/6 – 9am – 10:30am

Years 3/4 – 10:30am – 12pm

Years 1/2 – 1pm – 2:30pm

As the Year 3/4 event may run into lunchtime, it would be preferable for those children to have a packed lunch, however, this is not compulsory.

The Year 1/2 session is due to end around 2:30pm. You are welcome to take your Y1/2 child and any siblings home afterwards, however, please ensure you have made the class teacher aware that you are leaving. Children can only leave with their own parents/carers.

Children should arrive at school in their PE kits and remain in them for the duration of the day.

Please make your way to the school field using the KS2 gates (at the side of the bins). Chairs will be provided on the field for spectators.

FS (Nursery and Reception) Sports Day – Tuesday 24^th June

Our Foundation Stage Sports day will be held from 9:15am until approximately 10:15am.

Parents can make their way up to the school field, and the children will follow after registering. Children will need to wear shorts and a t-shirt and trainers – please send them to school in these instead of their uniform. They will need to be wearing sun cream, a sunhat and have a water bottle.

During the sports day you are welcome to take photographs, however, please do not post any photos of another child on any social media site.

After the event, all our Early Years children will be taken back to their classes. If you would like to collect your child from nursery at this time, please wait at the nursery gates, and a member of the team will send them to you after another register has been taken. Nursery will be open as usual if you would like your child to stay for the duration of their usual session.

All of our Foundation Stage children will have an ice-pop in class after sports day free of charge.

Please note that our Reception children will remain in school until the usual pick-up time of 3.20pm.

School Uniform Reminder

Children are welcome to wear our summer uniform, which includes lighter options such as summer dresses and smart, tailored shorts. However, we kindly ask that children do not wear very short shorts or cycling shorts, unless they are worn discreetly under dresses for comfort. On the hotter days, we will ask all children to remove their jumpers, cardigans, and leavers’ hoodies during the school day, to ensure they stay cool and comfortable.

To help protect your child from the sun, please ensure they come to school with a sunhat and have sun cream applied before arriving. If you would like them to reapply during the day, you may send in a clearly labelled bottle of sun cream for their personal use only.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 16^th June 2025

Y5/6 South Yorkshire Cricket Finals – Tuesday 17th June

Dear Parent/Carer,

A reminder that your child is taking part in the District Cricket finals tomorrow at Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park (BAWTRY ROAD), S9 1UA.

The format will be, group stages in the morning, followed by a knockout stage in the afternoon, with all schools participating in a minimum of 3 games each. This will then progress to later rounds leading up to a final to determine a winner.

Please note that registration is from 9:00am with play beginning at 9:30am, and the finish time will be approximately 2:30-3:00pm.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day. Your child should come to school wearing their PE kit and will be given a school shirt to wear.

As the hot weather we are currently experiencing is forecast to continue, please ensure your child has a hat, sun cream and water bottle. If they require hayfever medication, please ensure they have taken this before coming to school.

We would love for you to come and support your child; however you will need to meet them at the venue. Children will travel to and from the venue by minibus. The minibus will leave The Ellis at 8:45am and children will need to arrive at school by 8:30am. Children should return for the end of the school day, however may be slightly late depending on traffic.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12^th June 2025

Trinity Academy St Edward’s Open Evening flyer – 18th September 2025

Dear Y5 Parents,

We have been asked to email the attached flyer to inform you of an upcoming open evening that will be held on Thursday 18^th September 2025.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 10^th June 2025

Y5/6 South Yorkshire Cricket Finals – Tuesday 17th June

Dear Parent/Carer,

As a result of winning the District Cricket finals, your child’s team has progressed to the South Yorkshire finals, which is a fantastic achievement! These will be held at Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park (BAWTRY ROAD), S9 1UA, on Tuesday 17^th June.

Please note that registration is from 9:00am with play beginning at 9:30am, and the finish time will be approximately 2:30-3:00pm.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day, along with water bottles, PE kits, and appropriate warm and waterproof clothing for when they are spectating. Children will be given a school shirt to wear.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 9^th June 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parent/Carer,

Over the next few days, we will be changing our telephone provider. We have been informed that there should be no disruption to our phone service. If, however, you are unable to reach us by phone, please do not hesitate to contact us by email at office@theellis.org or through Class Dojo.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Kind regards,
The Ellis Office

Correspondence 9^th June 2025

Y5 PE Kit Reminder

Dear Y5 Parents/Carers,

Just a quick reminder that our PE days are Mondays and Thursdays. Please ensure your child brings their full PE kit to school on these days, ready to take part in activities.

Outdoor PE takes place on Thursdays and children will need suitable outdoor footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather and activity.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Y5 Team

Correspondence 9^th June 2025

Key dates for this half term

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below a list of the key dates prior to the Summer holidays. Also attached is the full list of important dates for your information.

Y4 Multiplication Tests – 2^nd to 13^th June

Y1 Phonics Screening Week – Monday 9^thto Friday 13^th June

International Picnic Day – Wednesday 18^th June

Our cook will be making sandwiches along with some tasty extras – please see the attached menu. Weather permitting, we hope to enjoy this picnic outside.

If your child would like to choose this for their lunch, please book this via ParentPay. Please note, there will be no other meal choices on this day.

The Ellis Church – Thursday 19^th June

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

INSET day – Friday 20^th June

KS1 and KS2 Sports Day – Monday 23^rd June

Refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks and ice lollies) will be available on the playground throughout the day.

Y5/6 9am-10:30am

Y3/4 10:40am-12:10pm

Y1/2 1-2:30pm

Further information about KS1 and KS2 Sports Day has already been shared.

EYFS (Nursery and Reception) Sports Day – 9:15am, Tuesday 24^th June

Further information about EYFS Sports Day has already been shared.

Rocksteady Summer Music Concert/Assembly – 2:30pm, Tuesday 24^th June

Families of our Rocksteady Music band members are invited to the concert/assembly, which will be held in the school hall.

F2 (Reception) to Y1 Transition Meeting – 4:30pm, Thursday 26^th June

New F2 (Reception) Parents’ Meeting – 4:30pm, Monday 30^th June

Whirlow Residential Group 1 – Monday 30^th to Wednesday 2^nd July

Whirlow Residential Group 2 – Wednesday 2^nd to Friday 4^th July

Whirlow Residential Group 3 – Monday 7^th to Wednesday 9^th July

F2 library session – Wednesday 9^th July

Our final Library session for Reception children will be from 8:15-8:45am in our School Library.

EYFS (Nursery and Reception) Summer Coffee Morning – Friday 11^th July

We will be holding our Summer Coffee morning on Friday 11^th July, 9-10:30am to which all family members are invited.

School Reports Sent out – Friday 11^th July

Class Transition days – Tuesday 15^th to Wednesday 16^th July

Further information will be sent out soon.

Parent Drop Ins – Wednesday 16^th July (during staff meeting time)

The Ellis Church – Thursday 17^th July

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

Y6 Sleepover – Thursday 17^th July

Further information will be sent out soon.

Celebration of music assembly – 2pm, Friday 18^th July

Will be held in the hall – all are welcome.

Merits assembly – 2pm, Monday 21^st July

Individual invites will be set out nearer the time.

Y6 Leavers Assembly – 1:15pm, Tuesday 22^nd July

All Y6 parents and families are welcome.

Important Dates

If you have any questions about the above events, please contact the school office.

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 9^th June 2025

Y5/6 Cricket Competition – Friday 13th June

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Year 5/6 cricket competition on Friday 13th June at Rockingham Cricket Ground (Hoyland Common).

The competition will begin at 9:30am and end at approximately 2:30pm depending on how well the children do.

Your child will travel to the venue by public transport. This is something we are trialling for local events. Your child should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm, however, this is dependent on the bus.

Parents are welcome to spectate, however, children must be registered in school before travelling to the event with their group. If you will be at the event when the competition ends, you are welcome to take your child home, however, please let us know before Thursday, as we will be purchasing return bus tickets. As this will be before the end of school, you are unfortunately unable to take any other children with you, and those children will return on public transport.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day along with their water bottles and PE kits. Tracksuit bottoms can be worn. The children will be given a school shirt when they arrive and will need warm and waterproof clothes for when they are spectating.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 6^th June 2025

Y1 Information

Dear Parents,

Firstly, as part of our geography unit, we would like to take the children on a walk around our local area, identifying physical (fields, trees etc) and human features (shops, roads, houses etc). We intend to walk as far as the local shops (corner of Cemetery Road), to the rec and up to the farm on Billy’s Hill. We will then walk back down to school.

We are aiming to do the walk during the afternoon of Wednesday 11th June. Should the weather be unsuitable, I will message out with a new date. There is no permission needed as this is covered under the local walks consent form. Mrs Trotter will be leading this geography fieldwork activity with the children, accompanied by Mrs Edwards and Mr Webster. Please ensure your child has a coat and sensible walking shoes on the day.

Secondly, next week, your child will be completing the Y1 phonics screening check. This will be undertaken one at a time and will be carried out by Mrs Trotter. We have not mentioned it to the children, as it is just part of our usual Y1 practice and we have completed lots of practise ones before, so they are used to doing them. The results will be sent out in your child’s end of year report.

We are all so proud of how far every child has come with their phonics and we could not ask any more of them.

Thank you for all the work you have done with your child during Y1, it is much appreciated.

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 6^th June 2025

FS Sports Day – Tuesday 24th June

Dear Foundation Stage Parents,

We hope that you are okay and you are keeping well.

ur Foundation Stage Sports day will be held on Tuesday 24^th June at 9:15am until approximately 10:15am.

Parents can make their way up to the school field and the children will follow after register. Children will need to wear shorts and t/shirt and trainers- please send them to school in these, instead of their uniform. They will need sun cream on if it is warm, a sunhat and a water bottle.

During the sports day you are welcome to take photographs but please do not post any photo of another child on any social media site.

After the event, all our Early Years children will be taken back to their classes. If you would like to collect your child from Nursery at this time, please wait at the nursery gates and a member of the team will send them to you after another register has been taken. Nursery will be open as usual if you would like your child to stay for the duration of their usual session.

All of our Foundation Stage children will have an ice-pop in class after Sports Day free of charge.

Please note that the day will commence for all our Reception children, so please pick them up at the end of the day at usual time of 3.20pm.

In the event of bad weather, we will let you know as soon as possible if we have to cancel the event for health and safety reasons.

If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to come and speak to a member of the Early Years Team.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst and Mrs T Pollard

Correspondence 6^th June 2025

KS1/2 Sports Day – Monday 23rd June

Dear Y1 to Y6 Parents,

We are really looking forward to our KS1/2 sports day on Monday 23^rd June. Here is a little more information about the day.

The approximate timings for the day are below:

Years– 5/6 – 9am – 10:30am

Years 3/4 – 10:40am – 12:10pm

Years 1/2– 1pm – 2:30pm

The children will compete in a mix of races and field events.

Refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks and ice lollies) will be available throughout the day. You are welcome to stay for a short time with your child after their session and enjoy refreshments on the playground. Children without an adult attending sports day can bring £1 in a named envelope, and will be able to purchase alongside their friends.

As the Year 3/4 event runs into lunchtime, it would be preferable for those children to have a packed lunch, however this is not compulsory.

Children should arrive at school in their PE kits and remain in them for the duration of the day.

Please make your way to the school field using the KS2 gates (at the side of the bins). Chairs will be provided on the field for spectators.

We are hoping for a very enjoyable day and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather!

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 2nd June 2025

Y3/4 Cricket Skills Event – Wednesday 4th June

Dear Parent,

A reminder that your child is taking part in a Y3/4 Cricket Skills event at Elsecar Cricket Club on Wednesday 4^th June.

Your child will walk to and from the event with Mrs Brinkley, Miss Rigby and Mr Webster. Your child should return to school by the usual home time; however, you may have a brief wait.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day along with water bottles and PE kits. Tracksuit bottoms can be worn. The children will be given a school shirt when they get there and will need warm and waterproof clothes for when they are spectating.

A tuck shop and refreshments will be available on the day. Should your child wish to buy something from the tuck shop, we would ask that they bring the correct change in a purse to keep inside their bag. Children will be responsible for their own money.

Please contact me at school if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 2nd June 2025

Y5/6 Cricket Competition – Friday 6th June

Dear Parent,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Year 5/6 cricket competition on Friday 6th June at Rockingham Cricket Ground (Hoyland Common).

The competition will begin at 9:30am and end at approximately 2:30pm depending on how well the children do.

Parents are welcome to spectate, however, children must be registered in school before travelling to the event with their group. If you will be at the event when the competition ends, you are welcome to take your child home, however, please let us know before Thursday, as we will be purchasing return bus tickets. As this will be before the end of school, you are unfortunately unable to take any other children with you, and those children will return on public transport.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 23^rd May 2025

Ellis Staffing Updates

Dear Parents,

I’m writing to share some important staffing updates which will take effect from September 2025 at The Ellis CE Primary School.

I am proud, yet saddened, to share that Mrs Wise, our Deputy Headteacher and SENDCo, will be leaving us to take on an exciting new role as Deputy Head at another school. This is a bittersweet moment for us all. Mrs Wise has contributed so much to The Ellis during her time here — her dedication, leadership, and care for our children have made a lasting impact. Whilst we are very sad to see her go, we are also incredibly proud of her and wish her every success in this next step of her career. She has supported many parents on their SEND journey and I know she will be very much missed.

We are also saying goodbye to Miss Saunders, our Reading Lead and Year 5 teacher, who has made the personal decision to step away from teaching. Miss Saunders has been an inspiring presence in our school and a passionate advocate for reading. Her creativity, warmth, and unwavering commitment to our children’s learning will be deeply missed by staff and pupils alike. Although we are sad to lose her, we fully support her decision and are grateful for everything she has brought to The Ellis.

In light of these changes, I am pleased to announce that Mr Davies will be joining us as our new Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo. Mr Davies brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role, and we are confident he will play a key part in shaping our continued success and supporting all our children to thrive.

Further updates regarding teaching teams will be shared after the half-term break prior to our transition days.

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 23^rd May 2025

Welcome to The Ellis Reception Class

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are delighted that your child has been offered a place at our school for September 2025 and we are very much looking forward to working with you. With this in mind, we are currently making plans to offer transition visits for all our children before the Summer Holidays so that they can meet both Mr Grayhurst, the class teacher and Mrs Beevers the teaching assistant.

Your child will have two full transition days before the Summer Holidays, Tuesday 15^th July and Wednesday 16^th July 2025. On both days your child will need to come straight to their new classroom using the F2 entrance door, which can be located at the top of the path from School Street. Mr Grayhurst will be waiting to greet the children and take them inside. The drop off time is 8:50am and the pick-up time at the end of the day is 3:20pm. Your child will also have the option of staying for a school meal on both days which we encourage you to take up, as school meals are free until your child turns 7 years of age. You will need to let us know your child’s meal order for each of these days by contacting Miss Dodd or Mrs Fiddes in the office directly via email on office@theellis.org or via telephone on 01226 753383.

The menu choice for Tuesday 15^th July is:

Southern Style chicken goujon wrap with rice or

Vegetarian crunchy nuggets with rice or

Jacket potato with a choice of hot and cold fillings (beans, cheese or tuna).

The menu choice for Wednesday 16^th July is:

Chicken with tomato pasta or

Pasta in tomato sauce or

Jacket potato with a choice of hot and cold fillings (beans, cheese or tuna).

Your child is welcome to bring a packed lunch instead of ordering a school meal, please let Mrs Fiddes or Miss Dodd know if this is the case.

On both days, children will be accompanied by their teachers into the school hall to have their lunch and the adults will stay to support them.

You will be able to attend a new Parent’s Meeting in school on Monday 30^th June at 4:30pm. This will be hosted by Mr Grayhurst and Mrs Beevers and will consist of a short presentation of key information about the ‘Reception Year’ including daily routines, the provision we have on offer and our Early Years Curriculum.

We will also offer further transition days for all children at the start of the new academic year to help them settle in to school after the long Summer Holiday. Our plan of action is as follows:

On Wednesday 3^rd September, our children who are totally new to our school (who previously attended a different nursery setting) will be able to attend school for the day. Parents will receive a personal letter inviting them to come into school with their child for a specific time in the morning. Parents will be able to stay for 10 minutes to see the provision and ask staff any questions and children will be able to stay for the whole school day until collection time at 3:20pm.
On Thursday 4^th September, a group of our children who previously attended The Ellis nursery will be invited into school for the day. Parents will receive a personal letter inviting them to come into school with their child for a specific time in the morning. Parents will be able to stay for 10 minutes to see the provision and ask staff any questions and children will be able to stay for the rest of the day.
On Friday 5^th September, the remaining group of our children who previously attended The Ellis nursery will be invited into school for the day and you will receive a personal letter with a specific time to come into school.
Please note, that for those three consecutive dates, your child will only attend school for one day as this will allow all children and parents to have a transition visit for a day. All children will begin full-time from Monday 8^th September 2025 onwards.

A few additional pieces of information

ParentPay

If you are unfamiliar with our online payment system, ParentPay, you will be issued with a username and a password once your child has started. This will enable you to access your child’s own personal account in order to pay for trips etc. Menus are uploaded onto ParentPay for you to look at and help your child choose their lunch each week.

School Uniform

If you wish to purchase school uniform with our school logo on, this can be ordered online from Vortex, at Stairfoot.

Indoor shoes are not required in Early Years as the children wear wellies for outdoor play all year round. During the Summer months a pair of trainers may be needed for outdoor PE. PE kit consists of black shorts and a white t-shirt. ALL items should be labelled. ‘Stikins’ sell stickers which can be stuck onto lunch boxes and water bottles as well as clothing and require no sewing or ironing and are fully washable and dishwasher proof.

The children will need a book bag which can be ordered from Vortex, or they are welcome to choose their own from elsewhere if preferred. This also applies with school uniform.

Illness

If your child has been unwell and requires medicine when they are well enough to return to school, we are insured to administer antibiotics if they have been prescribed to be given four times a day only. Please complete a form at the office.

Milk

Cool Milk is the provider of school milk at our school. The process of ordering and paying for your child’s milk is quick and easy and you can pay for each term (3 times a year) or for the full academic year September – July. If you would like your child to enjoy milk at school as a snack, you can register on-line at www.coolmilk.com Once you have registered, there is no need to register again. Your child(ren) will receive free milk whilst under the age of 5 and Cool Milk will get in touch with further information by email shortly before their 5th birthday. If you are in receipt of benefits, please speak to the school office as milk may be free for your child and school will also receive extra funding.

Snacks

Fruit is provided free for your child to enjoy as a mid-morning snack. Please send your child into school with a named water bottle with fresh water in every day.

Jewellery

Our jewellery policy is that children are allowed to wear a watch and one pair of single stud earrings through the earlobe only. No other piercings are permissible. Pupils are asked to remove all of their jewellery for PE. If your child is unable to remove their jewellery by themselves, please do not send them into school on PE days with earrings in.

We look forward to meeting you very soon. In the meantime, we have provided you with a copy of our ‘Welcome to F2’ booklet that provides you with an overview of key information about F2. However, if you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate contacting school and we will be happy to help in any way that we can.

We have also been asked to share the following link which may help you to prepare your child for their September transition.

Video link:

https://vimeo.com/827222400

F2 Pupil Booklet 2025

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst & Mrs C Beevers

Correspondence 22nd May 2025

Ellis Reminders

Dear Parents,

Just a quick note to help keep everyone safe and healthy. Please make sure that children don’t play on the tyres, slide, climbing frame or roll down the banking before or after school. These areas aren’t supervised at those times, and we want to avoid any accidents.

Also, a gentle reminder about breaktime snacks—especially for Key Stage 2, please stick to healthy options like fruit or vegetables. No chocolate biscuits, sweets or crisps please and remember no nuts or products with nuts in are allowed at any time.

Thank you for your support and understanding—it really helps us to keep school a happy and safe place for everyone.

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 15th May 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Census Day

School funding is based on meal uptake today, census day, therefore, if your child sometimes orders a school lunch, they have been put down for a school meal, but will still be having their packed lunch. Thank you.

Menu Change – Monday 19^th May

Our menu has changed on Monday 19^th May, due to a shortage of the original food product. Unfortunately, when this happens, any pre-booked meal choices are automatically wiped off. If you see a credit appear, or you have been notified that your child’s lunch has been cancelled, it will need to be re-ordered. Apologies for this.

The new menu on Monday is: cheese and tomato pizza, quorn pasta bolognaise or jacket potato.

Class Group Photographs Tuesday 20^th May

Please see the attached flyer confirming our photograph day.

School Photograph Flyer

Childcare Survey

We have been asked by Sophie Morris, Childcare Sufficiency Officer within the Early Start and Prevention Team BMBC, to circulate the link below. An integral part of her role is finding out parents’ thoughts on the childcare options within the Borough. The questionnaire will close on Friday 13th June 2025.

Parent Carer Survey Poster 2025

https://forms.office.com/e/44UgGDbBHY

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 14th May 2025

Fire Service Attendance at School Today

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to inform you that earlier today the fire service attended the school following the activation of our fire alarm system. This was triggered by the steamer oven in the kitchen and was not due to an actual fire.

The incident occurred during the administration of the Key Stage 2 maths paper. Please be assured that all children were safe and well supported throughout. They remained calm, separated and under test conditions. Thankfully they were able to continue with their test under appropriate conditions once we had received the all-clear from the fire service.

As per protocol, the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) and the Local Authority have been notified.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 14th May 2025

New Parent Governor Appointment

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are pleased to inform you that Mrs Sarah Ottewell has been appointed as our new Parent Governor.

As only one nomination was received for the vacant position, no election was required. We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the Governing Body and look forward to the valuable contribution she will make to the school community.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 13th May 2025

New After School Clubs

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below for details of the after school clubs next half term, that are now available to book on ParentPay.

If there are dates when a club will not run, for example, inset days, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

Our clubs can be popular and have a limited number of spaces. If you cannot see the club listed in your ParentPay account, it may be that it is full. Please email office@theellis.org to place your child on our waiting list.

Our sports after school clubs are run by coaches from Active Club.

All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the new booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Summer 2 After School Clubs

Please remember to use ParentPay to book and pay for your child’s place in our clubs.

Monday

Multi Sports – open to F2 (Reception), Y1 and Y2 children.

Tuesday

Athletics – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Tuesday

Lego Club, with Mrs Willis – open to Y1 children.

Wednesday

Tennis – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Thursday

Rounders – open to Y3 to Y6 children.

Correspondence 13th May 2025

Ellis Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we move into the warmer summer months, we would like to remind you of our school uniform expectations, and share a few helpful tips to ensure children stay safe and comfortable during the day.

Children are welcome to wear our summer uniform, which includes lighter options such as summer dresses and smart, tailored shorts. However, we kindly ask that children do not wear very short shorts or cycling shorts, unless they are worn discreetly under dresses for comfort. A quick reminder that leggings are not permitted in place of trousers. On the hotter days, we will ask all children to remove their jumpers, cardigans, and leavers’ hoodies during the school day, to ensure they stay cool and comfortable.

To help protect your child from the sun, please ensure they come to school with a sun hat and have sun cream applied before arriving. If you would like them to reapply during the day, you may send in a clearly labelled bottle of sun cream for their personal use only.

We would ask that your child brings a simple, named bottle to school, filled with water rather than fruit juice or cordial. If your child requires a drink other than water in their bottle, this must have been previously agreed with school.

Whilst we are currently enjoying more sunshine, the weather can still be unpredictable. We therefore recommend that children continue to bring a lightweight coat to school in case of rain or damp conditions during playtimes or outdoor learning.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a smart, respectful, and safe learning environment for all our children. If you have any questions about summer uniform or need support with any items, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 12th May 2025

Y5 Orienteering Event – Thursday 22nd May

Dear Y5 Parent/Carer,

Your child’s class has been selected to represent the school in an orienteering event at Netherwood Academy on Thursday 22^nd May.

This event is part of our School Games events against other schools in the local area, with a focus on inspiring and engaging the children.

The event will start at 1:00pm and should finish at approximately 2:45pm. Children will travel to and from the venue by coach with Miss Saunders and Mrs Wood.

Your child will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms and top, trainers and their water bottle. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothes.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12th May 2025

Y5/6 Tag Rugby Event – Friday 16th May

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Tag Rugby event at Kirk Balk Academy on Friday 16^th May.

Your child will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms and top, trainers and their water bottle. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothing.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 8th May 2025

Y6 Pupils joining Wath Academy in September 2025
Good afternoon,

We have been asked to share the email below with our Y6 pupils who will be joining Wath Academy in September 2025.

Thank you

Office Staff

We can’t wait for you to join us in September!! We would like to plan our next year’s Golden Ticket Rewards programme with your help!!

Please complete our form below with your ideas!

https://forms.office.com/e/usqgxHuaTR

Kind regards,

Wath Academy

Correspondence 8th May 2025

St Mary’s Church Family Service – Sunday 11th May

Dear Parents,

Please see the attached for further information on St. Mary’s church family service this Sunday.

Thank you

Family Service 11th May

Correspondence 8th May 2025

Key Stage 1 Optional SATs

Dear Year 2 Parents,

It’s that time of year again when Year 2 will soon be taking the Key Stage 1 Optional SATs. These tests became optional for schools from 2023, however, we have decided to keep using them alongside our teacher assessments to help us understand whether your child is working at the expected level for their age.

The SATs will cover:

Maths (arithmetic and reasoning)
English Reading
English Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG)

We will be completing the tests between Monday 19th May and Thursday 22nd May 2025 and will send a timetable with the specific days for each paper, a little bit nearer. The children will complete the tests in a calm and familiar environment, just like other assessments they have had before.

If your child needs any extra support or changes to the test materials (like a larger paper size), I will chat with you about this beforehand.

You can find more info about the KS1 Optional SATs here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-1-tests

We are so proud of how hard the children have worked this year! All we ask is that they try their best—as they always do.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me.

Thanks so much for your continued support,

Miss Bradbury

Correspondence 7th May 2025

Y1 DT Food Tasting

Dear Parents,

Our DT topic this half term is designing and making a fruit smoothie.

As part of this unit, we will be working in small groups to teach the children how to safely cut soft fruits with a table knife (we will be teaching how to hold the fruit safely and how to use a table knife in a safe way). We will then design and make our own smoothie by the end of this half term.

Please could you email Mrs Trotter directly (c.trotter@theellis.org) or speak in person, if your child has any allergies to the listed food below, as the children will also be invited to taste the foods before we make the smoothie. Please be reassured that if you child does not want to try any of the foods, this is fine.

Banana

Strawberry

Raspberry

Blueberry

Watermelon

Pear

Apple

Grape

Mango

Pineapple

Orange juice

Apple juice

Milk

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 7th May 2025

VE Day Email Reminder

Many parents are asking if it is non-uniform tomorrow for VE Day.

I have copied and pasted the email below that was sent out.

Thank you

Hayley

Dear Parents,

I am writing to share our exciting plans to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day at The Ellis.

To celebrate this significant occasion, we would welcome you to join our craft morning on Thursday 8^th May, from 9-11am. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our children to engage in creative activities, reflecting on the history and importance of VE Day.

Following the craft morning, we invite you to join us for an assembly at 2:30pm, when our children will perform a selection of songs, poems, and prayers. Their hard work and enthusiasm promise to make this a memorable event.

In the spirit of VE Day, we encourage the children to wear red, white, or blue clothing (but kindly refrain from football kits) or to dress in styles reminiscent of the 1940s. This will add to the festive atmosphere and help our children connect with the historical significance of the day.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone together and creating lasting memories for our children.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 7^th May

Classroom Visit – Important Information for Tomorrow Morning

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to visit their child’s classroom tomorrow morning – based on the numbers from Eventbrite, we’re expecting a fantastic turnout!

To help the morning run smoothly, please drop your child off as usual, then make your way to the school hall. This allows us to complete normal morning routines such as lunch ordering etc.

At 9:00am, parents will be invited into classrooms to begin a special VE Day-themed craft session with their child.

From 9:45am, refreshments will be available for purchase. We have plenty of drinks, although cake supplies may need to be rationed! To make sure all parents have an equal opportunity to enjoy a drink and a slice of cake, refreshments will be served in time slots by year group:

9:45 – EYFS (Reception and Nursery) & Year 1
10:00 – Years 2 & 3
10:15 – Years 4, 5 & 6

Price list:

50p per bun

50p per bottle of water

£1 per hot drink

£1 per deluxe cake

Please bring change. We would like to request that you to stick to your allocated time so that we can serve everyone fairly. To make our system work smoothly we have designed a one way queuing system to the staffroom, where drinks will be served. Cakes can be purchased in the hall. These can then be enjoyed in the hall on our street party style tables.

Please note:

Nursery children will need to return to class at 10:30am.
All parents will be asked to depart by 11:00am prompt, to allow Years 1–6 to head out for playtime.
Photos will be taken throughout the morning. If you do not wish to be photographed, or do not want your child included in any pictures, please speak to a member of staff on arrival.

We’re looking forward to a creative and enjoyable morning as we mark VE Day together – thank you again for your support!

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 5^th May

VE Day Celebration – Thursday 8th May

Dear Parents and Carers,

As part of our upcoming VE Day celebration, we would be very grateful for any cake donations to help make the day extra special. We are hoping that the craft activities in classrooms will take approximately one hour, after which, we would like to invite you to enjoy some refreshments, for a small cost, to help us raise funds for school.

If you are able to contribute, however small, please drop off any cakes—homemade or shop-bought—at the school office on Wednesday 7th May.

Our VE Day menu is attached. As we will be offering fish on this day, we will be swapping Friday’s menu to avoid a repeat. Friday’s menu will be pizza, BBQ taco or jacket potato. Please be mindful that ParentPay will show the existing menu of fish, however, fish will not be offered.

Thank you so much in advance for your support. We’re looking forward to a wonderful day of celebration and remembrance.

VE Day 08.05.2025

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 30^th April

New – ‘ The Climb’ Parent/Carer Group

Dear Parents,

There will be a NEW ‘The Climb’ parent/carer group beginning on Thursday 22^nd May 9.45am – 12pm at South Family Hub – c/o Wombwell IKIC Hub, Barnsley Road, Wombwell, Barnsley, S73 8HT.

The group aims to support parents/carers who are supporting a child or young person with Special Educational Needs, disabilities, or mental health problems. There will be guest speakers each month from different support services from across Barnsley, and plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits! The aim of this group is to help parents/carers feel that they are not alone and get support and guidance from our family practitioners here at Compass Be.

Attached is a leaflet that may be of interest to you.

SEND CLIMB

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 29^th April

F2 – Y6 Poster Competition – Barnsley in Bloom

Dear Parents/Carers,

As part of the Barnsley in Bloom Campaign, pupils of The Ellis are invited to take part in a poster competition commemorating the 80^th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Elements of this theme may be included in the poster designs.

The winning posters will be displayed across the town to publicise our community group entries into the Yorkshire in Bloom Competition.

The poster competition rules are attached, and there will be a prize for both the winning pupil and their school. There will also be a presentation event with the Mayor of Barnsley for the successful winner, two runners up, and the ‘Mayor’s Favourite’ award on Wednesday 25^th June, with media coverage invited.

Competition entries should be returned to the office by Friday 16^th May. The work should be your child’s own, sized A4 and can be landscape or portrait. Please ensure that your child’s name, age and school name are written clearly on the back of their poster.

I look forward to seeing the entries!

Barnsley In Bloom 2025 Poster Competition Rules

Kind regards,

Mrs Brinkley

HLTA/Art Lead

Correspondence 29^th April

Key Dates for This Half Term

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below a list of the key dates for this half term. Also attached is the full list of important dates for your information.

Y1 POPs Trip – Wednesday 30^th April

May Day Bank Holiday – Monday 5^th May

80^th Anniversary of VE Day – Thursday 8^th May

Please come and join us for our craft morning (9-11am) and school assembly (2:30pm). Please confirm your attendance using the following Eventbrite links:

VE Day 80th Anniversary F1 (Nursery) Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary F2 (Reception) Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y1 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y2 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y3 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y4 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y5 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y6 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary School Assembly

Y6 SATs Week – Monday 12^th to Thursday 15^th May

Group Class Photographs – Tuesday 20^th May

Y2 Whirlow Residential Parents Meeting – 5pm, Tuesday 20^th May

The Ellis Church – Thursday 22^nd May

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

May Bank Holiday – Monday 26^th May

Half Term – Tuesday 27^th to Friday 30^th May

If you have any questions about the above events, please contact the school office.

Important Dates

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 28^th April

Y6 Danish Longball Event – Friday 2nd May

Dear Y6 Parent/Carer,

Your child has expressed an interest in representing the school in a Danish Longball event at Birdwell Primary School on Friday 2^nd May. Danish longball is also known as Swedish longball. It is a bat and ball game that is popular in primary schools in the UK. It is described as a mixture of cricket and baseball, and each team takes turns to bat or field. In some versions, an element of dodgeball is incorporated – where players have to avoid being hit by the ball below the head when running.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish at approximately 3pm. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport (bus) at 12:25pm. This is something we are trialling for local events. Your child should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm, however, this is dependent on the bus. Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Your child will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms a top, trainers and their water bottle. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothing.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 25^th April

FS Mini Beast Workshop – Friday 6th June / Library Dates Reminder

Dear Parents/Carers of EYFS Children,

We are pleased to let you know, that as part of our EYFS Topic, learning about ‘Mini-beasts’, we have arranged for a workshop run by Michala from Lion Learners, to bring our learning to life and to give the children an interactive experience which they will enjoy and remember.

Our visitor will be coming into school on Friday 6^th June, to run a hands-on workshop where the children will be able to explore a variety of exciting animals and insects. This company is highly recommended and has received very positive feedback from local schools who have recently accessed the workshop.

We are asking for donations of £3.80 per pupil for us to be able to offer this valuable experience. Payments can be made on ParentPay straightaway (www.parentpay.com). Please be aware that without sufficient donations this event will not be able to go ahead.

Library Reminder

Can we also please remind you of our upcoming library sessions:

Nursery is on Thursday 1^st May

F2 is on Friday 2^nd May

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr Grayhurst and Mrs Pollard

Correspondence 24th April

Parent Governor Vacancy

Dear Parents (F2-Y6),

A parent governor vacancy has arisen on the School Governing Body.

If you are interested in taking up this position, please ensure that the attached nomination form is completed as indicated and returned to the school by the date and time shown. If you would prefer a paper copy of the nomination form, please contact the school office.

Parent governor election letter and nomination form Apr 2025

Kind regards

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 23^rd April

Y4 Orienteering Event – Friday 25th April

Dear Y4 Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in an orienteering event at Kirk Balk Academy on Friday 25^th April.

Your child will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms and top, trainers and their water bottle. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothing.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 23^rd April

Y3 PHSE Information

Dear Y3 Parents,

We would like to inform you that we will be delivering the ‘Relationships: Touch’ area of the PSHE curriculum over the next few weeks.

We will be covering appropriate and inappropriate touch, for example, hugging or hi fiving friends is appropriate, however, kicking and hitting is not appropriate.

As part of this unit, we will mention body parts and will use their correct scientific names. This will be in no more detail than the name and will only be mentioned in one of the weeks.

Thank you,

Y3 Team

Correspondence 23rd April

Y5 PSHE, RSE and Science Curriculum Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope this letter finds you well.

As part of our PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education), RSE (Relationships and Sex Education), and Science curriculum, Year 5 will be participating in a series of lessons over the coming weeks focusing on puberty and human reproduction.

These lessons are designed to be age-appropriate, factual, and sensitive, aiming to prepare children for the physical and emotional changes they may experience as they approach adolescence.

The lessons will cover:

Puberty: Understanding the physical and emotional changes during puberty, including menstruation and hygiene.

Human Reproduction: Exploring the human life cycle and the process of reproduction, in line with the Science curriculum.

Emotional Well-being: Developing self-esteem, positive body image, and understanding the importance of respecting others’ bodies and privacy.

Our curriculum aligns with the Department for Education’s guidance and incorporates resources from well-regarded educational programmes. In Science, we use the PlanBee unit Changes and Reproduction, which introduces the human life cycle and reproductive process in a clear, age-appropriate way. In PSHE and RSE, we follow the 1Decision scheme, which includes dedicated lessons on puberty. These explore the physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence and help children understand what to expect as they grow, with a strong emphasis on personal hygiene, managing feelings, and respecting others.

The first of these lessons will be taught on Tuesday 29th April, and the unit will continue over the following weeks.

We understand that discussions around puberty and human reproduction are sensitive. Our aim is to create a safe, respectful environment where children can learn accurate information, feel reassured, and ask questions with confidence.

If you have any questions or would like to review the teaching materials, please feel free to contact me. We value your partnership in ensuring that your child receives a thoughtful and supportive education on these important topics.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best wishes,

The Y5 Team

Correspondence 22^nd April

Autism Strategy Launch Event – Metrodome – 24.04.25

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am emailing to some information on behalf of Barnsley Council about the launch of their All-Age Autism Strategy.

This strategy sets out how Barnsley aims to improve support and inclusion for autistic children, young people and adults.

Some of our families may find this information more useful than others.

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Best wishes,

Mrs Wise

Headteacher / SENCO

Correspondence 21st April

Y5/6 Handball Event – Tuesday 22^nd April

Dear Parents/Carers,

Unfortunately, Wath Academy has cancelled this event.

Y5 will no longer be out of school on the afternoon of the 22nd of April.

Kind regards,

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 1st April

Y5/6 Handball Event – Friday 4th April

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your Y5/6 child has shown an interest in representing the school in a handball event at Jump Primary School on Friday 4^th April.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 2:45pm, and children should be back at school for the end of the day.

If the weather is fine, the children will walk to the event and must return to school afterwards.

Children will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothes for when they are spectating.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 1st April

Y1-Y6 Easter Service – Wednesday 2nd April

Dear Parent/Carer,

A reminder that we will be walking our Y1-Y6 children to St Mary’s Church for a 10am Easter service tomorrow, Wednesday 2^nd April.

The children will leave school just after 9am and parents are welcome to meet us there – seating will be available on a first come, first served basis, however, the children will be sitting in the main pews directly in front of the altar, so please leave these free. Children will need to stay with their class throughout the service.

At the end of the service we will walk the children back to school and we usually arrive back in plenty of time for lunch.

Please do get in touch if you need further clarification on anything or have any other questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 26th March

VE Day 80th Anniversary – Thursday 8th May

Dear Parents,

I am writing to share our exciting plans to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day at The Ellis.

To celebrate this significant occasion, we would welcome you to join our craft morning on Thursday 8^th May, from 9-11am. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our children to engage in creative activities, reflecting on the history and importance of VE Day.

To help us with planning, we kindly ask that you confirm your attendance via Eventbrite. This will give us a better idea of numbers and ensure that we can accommodate everyone comfortably.

To confirm your attendance at either or both events, please use the following Eventbrite links:

VE Day 80th Anniversary F1 (Nursery) Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary F2 (Reception) Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y1 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y2 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y3 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y4 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y5 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary Y6 Craft Morning

VE Day 80th Anniversary School Assembly

If you have children in different classes and wish to swap between them, please confirm attendance for both classes.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone together and creating lasting memories for our children.

Kind regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 25th March

New After School Clubs

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below for details of the after school clubs that are running next half term. All clubs are now available to book on ParentPay.

After school clubs will be displayed within ‘Pay for other items’ when you log into your ParentPay account. Please note that making a payment to a club does not book a place. You must click ‘book sessions’ and then ‘book all sessions’ to secure your child’s place. You may also be required to checkout.

If there are dates when a club will not run, for example, inset days, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

If you wish to use the tax-free childcare payment to pay for after school clubs, you will need to initially make the payment from your personal bank account or existing ParentPay account balance to secure your child’s place at the club. Once we have received the tax-free childcare payment into our school bank account, we will credit this to the relevant after school club on ParentPay, and refund your initial payment back to your ParentPay account. Please tell the office if you would like to use your tax-free childcare payment for after school clubs.

Our clubs can be popular and have a limited number of spaces. If you cannot see the club listed on ParentPay, it may be that it is full. Please email office@theellis.org to place your child on our waiting list.

Our sports after school clubs will now be run by coaches from Active Club.

All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the club booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Summer 1 After School Clubs

Please remember to use ParentPay to book and pay for your child’s place in our clubs.

Monday

Multi Sports – open to F2 (Reception), Y1 and Y2 children.

Tuesday

Athletics – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Tuesday

Craft/Lego Club, with Mrs Willis – open to Y3 children

Wednesday

Darts/Archery – open to Y4 to Y6 children.

Thursday

Cricket – open to Y2 to Y5 children.

Correspondence 24th March

EYFS Library Sessions and Easter Coffee Morning

Dear Parents/Carers,

We hope that you are all keeping well.

Our next Library session for Nursery children will be this Thursday 27^th March from 8:15-8:40am.

Our Library session for Reception children will be Friday 4^th April from 8:15-8:45am. The date has changed due to our EYFS Easter Coffee Morning, which will be held on Friday 28^th March.

If you have any questions regarding this, please see your child’s class teacher.

On the day of the Library, please leave empty prams under the canopy outside Mrs. Edwards’ office.

We also hope that you are able to join us for our EYFS Coffee Morning this week (Friday 28^th March). The children have been busy making handmade gifts, which will be on sale and have been practising the Easter songs that they will perform for you on the day.

Many thanks for your continued support this term it has been very much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you at our Library and Easter Coffee Morning.

Kind regards,

The EYFS Team

Correspondence 24th March

Y5 Careers Afternoon – Tuesday 22nd April

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are pleased to inform you that our Y5 children have been invited to attend a Careers afternoon at Wath Academy on Tuesday 22nd April 2025.

This will be an opportunity to take part in a range of learning activities led by the staff at Wath Academy. Mrs Wise and Mrs Wood are excited to be taking the children on this trip. We will be travelling by minibuses, which are being provided by Wath Academy. There will be no cost associated with this trip.

On the day of the trip, your child will need to be wearing school uniform, a waterproof coat, suitable footwear, and a water bottle. We will eat lunch in school before we depart, however, as this will be earlier than our usual lunchtime it would be advisable to provide a packed lunch for that day if possible.

Kind regards,

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 24th March

Dr Bike Session – Tuesday 1st April

Dear Parents/Carers,

On Tuesday 1^st April, Ami Harding (Barnsley Council, Road Safety Officer) is having a ‘Dr Bike Session’ at our school!

Any pupils who cycle to school that day will be able to receive a free health check for their bike. If your child does not cycle to school and you would like their bike to be checked, you are welcome to bring their bike and a bike lock into school from Monday 31^st March. We cannot be held responsible for your child’s bike; however, the school gates are locked each night.

Consent will need to be given on ParentPay. Without this, your child’s bike will not be checked.

Your child’s bike will need to be identified, as Ami will be given a list on the day of those who have given consent. You are welcome to come and collect a blank name tag from the office to attach to your child’s bike.

What does it involve?

Every bike will be checked over to ensure that it is safe to ride
Bikes will have tyres pumped up and chains lubricated
Nuts and bolts will be checked for tightness
Brakes will be tightened and checked

Ami may be able to replace some parts, however, with the time and resources she has, some things may not be possible to fix.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/ Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 18th March

KS2 Gymnastics Festival – Friday 21st March

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to attend a Key Stage 2 Gymnastics Festival at Kirk Balk Academy on Friday 21^st March.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 3.00pm. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport (bus) at 12:25pm. This is something we are trialling travelling for local events. Your child should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm, however, this is dependent on the bus. Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Your child will be taught gymnastics skills by Kirk Balk sport leaders and will then perform a routine to other schools. No prior rehearsal or practise is needed. This is a non-competitive event.

Children will need to bring shorts/ tracksuit bottoms, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. Children can wear a tracksuit and warm jumper/ coat for travelling to and from the event, which will be held indoors.

Unfortunately, parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12th March

KS2 Teambuilding Event – Friday 14th March

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a teambuilding event at The Ellis Primary School on Friday 14^th March.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish at approximately 2:45pm. This event is one of our Primary Sports Cluster events in which we take part with other schools in the local area.

Children will need to bring tracksuit bottoms, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm, waterproof clothes, that may get muddy.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 11th March

Ellis Information

Dear Parent/Carer,

The Ellis Church will be held in the hall after school this Thursday 13th, and not the 20^th March as we previously advised.

If your child attends KS2 kick boxing after school club on Thursday, please send them with weather appropriate clothing, as the session may be held outdoors.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 11th March

KS2 Panathlon Event – Thursday 20th March

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a KS2 Panathlon event at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, on Thursday 20^th March. In November, your child attended the regional event and as a result of their success, they are now entered into the county finals.

The event will start at 10am and finish at 12pm. Children will have their lunch when they arrive back from the event and will require a packed lunch.

This event is part of our Compete series of events in the South Yorkshire School Games Programme. Therefore, this event has an emphasis on competition with the chance to win the county title! The event will be held indoors.

Children will travel to and from the venue via Broadway Travel. Unfortunately, parents are not allowed to attend the event.

Your child can come to school in their PE kit and will be given a sports top. They will need suitable trainers, a drink of water, and a bag for their belongings. Children can remain in their PE kits on their return to school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 26th February

Y5/6 Bouldering Finals – Thursday 13th March

Dear Parent/Carer,

Due to your child’s success at the bouldering qualification event in January, I am pleased to inform you that your child has successfully qualified for the indoor bouldering finals. This will take place on Thursday 13^th March. The event will start at 9am and will finish for 12pm. Please bring your child to the school office by 8:10am for an 8:15am departure. Children will have their lunch when they arrive back from the event and will require a packed lunch.

They will be travelling with Mr Webster using Broadway Travel. Parents can spectate but must meet children at the event.

Your child will be given a school PE shirt but will need to bring suitable clothing for climbing in, trainers, a drink of water and a bag for their belongings. Children can wear tracksuit bottoms or shorts for the event, which will be held indoors. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 25th February

KS1 Gymnastics Event – Friday 28th February

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to attend a Key Stage 1 Gymnastics Festival at Kirk Balk Academy on Friday 28^th February.

Your child will be taught a gymnastics routine by Kirk Balk sport leaders and will then perform their routine to other schools. No prior rehearsal or practise is needed.

Children will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. Children can wear a tracksuit and warm jumper/ coat for travelling to and from the event, which will be held indoors.

Unfortunately, parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 25th February

F2 (Reception) Parent Invitation – Monday 31st March

Dear F2 Parent,

On Monday 31^st March at 2:45pm, Reverend Armstrong will present your child with The Children’s Bible.

We would like to invite you to share this event. You are also welcome to stay for our collective worship assembly in the hall, which should finish around 3:10pm.

If you would like to join us, please make your way through reception and into the school hall from 2:35pm.

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 25th February

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below a list of the key dates prior to the Easter holidays. Also attached is the full list of important dates for your information.

Important Dates

The Ellis Church – Thursday 27^th February

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

Academisation Parent Consultation Meeting – 5:30pm, Thursday 27^th February

Please come along to our parent consultation meeting to ask any questions, share your thoughts and learn more about the benefits of joining DSAT.

We want to make sure we have enough seating available for the meeting, and would please ask you to book your space at the link below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1257996554559?aff=oddtdtcreator

Y5 PGL Parent Information Meeting – 4:30pm, Monday 3^rd March

Parents’ Evenings – 2:30-6pm, Wednesday 5^th and 12^th March

To book your child’s 12-minute slot, please use the Cloud system at https://theellisce.schoolcloud.co.uk/

If you have any problems logging on to the system, please contact Mrs Fiddes or Miss Dodd at office@theellis.org.

World Book Day – Thursday 6^th March

Children are welcome to dress up as their favourite book character or wear their pyjamas.

Our wonderful cook will also be offering a picnic lunch that day, in place of the standard lunch menu.

Y2 South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum Trip – Thursday 13^th March

Rocksteady Music Concert/Assembly – 2:30pm, Tuesday 18^th March

Families of our Rocksteady Music band members are invited to the concert/assembly, which will be held in the school hall.

The Ellis Church – Thursday 20th March

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

Comic Relief (Red Nose Day) – Friday 21st March

Friday 21st March is Red Nose Day, and children are welcome to come to school in Comic Relief t-shirts, wear something red or non-uniform. If you would like to, please feel free to donate via their website – www.comicrelief.com

Y3 Magna Trip – Thursday 27^th March

EYFS (F1 and F2) Easter Coffee Morning – Friday 28th March

We will be holding our Easter Coffee morning on Friday 28^th March, 9-10:30am to which all family members are invited.

Y5 PGL Residential – Monday 31^st March to Wednesday 2^nd April

Y1-Y6 Walk to Church Easter Service – Wednesday 2^nd April

Our Easter service will be at St Mary’s Church on Wednesday 2^nd April.

Years 1-6 (Y5 will be at PGL) will be walking from school promptly at 9am and parents are welcome to meet us at St Mary’s for a 10am start. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, however, the children will be sitting in the main pews directly in front of the altar, so please leave these free. Children will need to stay with their class throughout the service and will sing a variety of songs and share some Easter readings.

At the end of the service, we will walk the children back to school in plenty of time for their lunch.

The Ellis Church – Thursday 3rd April

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church which is held in the school hall straight after school.

Easter Holidays – Monday 7^th to Friday 18th April

Easter Monday Bank Holiday – Monday 21st April

If you have any questions about the above events, please contact the school office.

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 14^th February

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Barnsley Museums Half Term Activities

Barnsley Museums have exciting activities planned for the upcoming February half term. Please see their attached flyer.

Barnsley Museum February Half Term flyer

Watch

A watch was found on the road outside school around 8:30am one morning last week and we have been unable to locate the owner in school. If you know of anyone in the local area who may have lost their watch, please ask them to get in touch with the school office. office@theellis.org

World Book Day Dress Up and Picnic

A reminder that it is World Book Day on Thursday 6^th March. Children are welcome to dress up as their favourite book character or wear their pyjamas.

Our wonderful cook will also be offering a picnic lunch that day, in place of the standard lunch menu. Please see the attached flyer for details.

Paddington Bear’s Picnic

Breakfast Club

We are pleased to hear that opening up breakfast club from 7:45am has had a positive impact on families. We would like to remind you that from April, the price will increase by 20p to £3.25.

School Meals

We would like to give you advance notice that from April, pupil meal prices will increase by 20p to £2.80 from April 2025, then a further 20p from £2.80 to £3 from September 2025. This is in line with rising food prices.

We wish you all a happy half term holiday.

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 13^th February

Parents’ Meetings – Wednesday 5th and 12th March 2:30pm-6pm

Dear Parents,

We will be holding our parents’ evenings in the school hall on Wednesday 5^th March and Wednesday 12^th March, between 2:30pm and 6pm.

To book your child’s 12 minute slot, please use the Cloud system by following the link below:

https://theellisce.schoolcloud.co.uk/

If you have any problems logging on to the system, please contact Mrs Fiddes or Miss Dodd at office@theellis.org who will be able to help you.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 12^th February

KS2 Dance Event – Friday 14th February

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Key Stage 2 Dance event at Kirk Balk School, on Friday 14^th February 2025. The event will start at 1pm and will finish for 3.00pm. Your child will have their lunch before leaving at 12:20pm, travelling to and from the venue via public transport. Your child should be back at school in time for the end of the school day however, this is dependent on the bus and may be a little late.

Unfortunately, parents are unable to attend this event. Your child will be taught a dance by Kirk Balk dance leaders and will then perform their routine to other schools.

Your child will be given a school PE shirt but will need to bring suitable shorts, trainers, a drink of water and a bag for their belongings. Children can wear tracksuit bottoms over their shorts for travelling to the event, which will be held indoors. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12^th February

Y2 PE Information

Dear Parents,

You may know that PE is a statutory part of the National Curriculum, and at The Ellis, we are privileged to have indoor and outdoor spaces to complete our PE lessons and these are timetabled accordingly.

On Monday, PE is an outdoor lesson and on Thursday PE is an indoor lesson, as outlined in our half termly newsletter.

Please ensure that your child has the appropriate PE kit in school for both days; this includes:

White plain t-shirt
Black plain shorts/joggers (please note joggers are not suitable for indoor sessions)
Suitable trainers (boots cannot be worn for PE)
Earrings are ideally removed before school if children cannot remove them themselves.
A sweatshirt/hoody or thin jacket can be worn as an additional layer during colder sessions.

We do PE in all weathers, and it is important that pupils are dressed appropriately so that they can fully access the lesson.

Thank you for your continued support,

Miss Bradbury and the Y2 Team

Correspondence 11^th February

PGL Information Meeting – Monday 3rd March

Dear Y5 Parents,

A reminder that we are holding a PGL information meeting on Monday 3rd March at 4:30pm.

If you have not already returned your child’s completed PGL Medical information and Consent form, please can I ask you to do so at the meeting. I will have spare copies should you need one.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Many thanks

Beth Wise

SENDCo and Deputy Headteacher

Correspondence 10^th February

Y4 Aqua Fest – Thursday 13th February

Dear Parent/Carer,

On Thursday 13th February 2025, your child has been selected to take part in a Year 4 Aqua Fest Swimming event held at Barnsley Metrodome. This is an inspire and engage event as part of the School Games. These events have an emphasis on participation and encouraging children to develop sporting skills.

The event will consist of races and finals. You child will have a minimum of 1 race against other schools in our sport’s cluster.

The event will begin at 9:30am and be finished in time for the children to return to school for their lunch. Children will leave school just after 8:45am, and will travel to and from the venue via Wyatt Coaches. If your child is attending Young Voices, they will be back in time to have their dinner before setting off in the afternoon.

Children can come to school with their costumes underneath their uniform to speed up getting changed. Children will need water bottles and towels and a bag to store their wet clothes.

There will be no cost for this event. Parents can spectate but must observe the event from the balcony.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 5^th February

Y4 Dodgeball Event – Friday 7th February

Dear Parents,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in an indoor Y4 Dodgeball event at Hoyland Springwood Primary School on Friday 7^th February.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. Your child will travel to the venue by public transport (bus) at 12:25pm. This is something we are trialling travelling for local events. Your child should be back at school for approximately 3:25pm, however, this is dependent on the bus.

Children will need a packed lunch on the day.

Children should come to school in their uniform but have their PE kit with them. They can bring tracksuits to travel in. They will be given a school PE shirt to compete in. They will need inhalers if they require them, and their named water bottle.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant, and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 4^th February

New After School Clubs

Dear Parents,

Please see below for details of the after school clubs running after half term that are now available to book on ParentPay.

After-school clubs will be displayed within ‘Pay for other items’ when you log into your ParentPay account. Once you have made a booking and completed payment, you will secure your child’s place for the full half term and do not need to select each week individually. If there are dates when a club will not run, for example, inset days, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

Please ensure your child has their PE kit with them for sports clubs. If your child will not be attending club one week, please inform us to avoid any confusion and also so we can make sure they do not get changed at the end of the school day. All clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Our sports after school clubs will now be run by coaches from Active Club.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding after school clubs or the new booking system.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/Wider Curriculum Lead

Spring 2 After School Clubs

Please remember to use ParentPay to book and pay for your child’s place in our clubs.

Monday

Multi Skills – open to F2 (Reception), Y1 and Y2 children.

Tuesday

Dance – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Tuesday

Craft/Lego Club, with Mrs Willis – open to Y1 children.

There are limited spaces for this club.

Wednesday

Gymnastics – open to Y1 to Y6 children.

Thursday

Kick Boxing – open to Y3 to Y6 children.

Correspondence 30th January

Y6 Leavers Hoodies

Dear Y6 Parents,

I am sure you don’t like to think about your child leaving primary school just yet, however, I would like to inform you that our Y6 leavers’ hoodies are now available to purchase online with Vortex, our school uniform supplier.

Please use the link below to choose the preferred colour and also a nickname or initials can be chosen to go on the front of the hoody.

https://www.vortexschoolwear.co.uk/The-Ellis-C-E-Primary-Leavers-Hoody-2025

Many thanks

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 27th January

Ellis Information – Threadworms

Dear Parents,

We have been made aware of a case of threadworms in school. More information on threadworms and how to treat them can be found at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/threadworms/

Kind regards

Correspondence 23^rd January

Young Voices Update

Dear Parents,

We are slowly edging towards the Young Voices concert and we can’t wait for it to arrive! Here are a few bits of information which I hope you find helpful.

I will give the children a letter after our lunchtime practise next Tuesday with all the information you will need about the day. It will have a slip on the bottom which asks for a phone number and any medical need. Please ensure this is filled in and returned as we are taking the children to the arena out of school hours, so I need phone numbers to hand in case of emergency.
I have received an email to say the tickets will be emailed to me shortly and I will print them and send them out as soon as I have received them.
T-shirts will also be arriving shortly. It is usual for us not to have them yet, so please do not worry.

After you have read the letter next week, if there is anything you need clarifying, please just let me know.

A quick reminder that we are running our Friday after school club this Friday 23rd and next Friday 30^th January but there will not be one on Friday 7^th Feb.

Kind regards

Charlotte Trotter

Class Teacher / KS1 Leader

Communication 21^st January

Nursery Closure – Monday 20th January

I am writing to you regarding the recent closure of our nursery due to heating issues, as I understand the impact and possible frustrations surrounding the timing of yesterday’s decision.

Firstly, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for your understanding and support during this time. Please know that the decision to close the nursery was not taken lightly. We are acutely aware of the impact this has on our children and families, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. Prior to the message, we had been working hard to see if we could get the room to the legal temperature and sustain it before making the final decision. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we could not.

We have been experiencing ongoing issues with the heating system, and I want to assure you that we are working systematically to get this fully resolved. Our team is working with our plumbers and Glow-Worm to address these concerns as swiftly as possible, however, we are bound by scheduling that is outside of our control.

In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and support.

Thank you once again for your understanding.

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 21st January

Y4 Basketball Event – Friday 24th January

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Year 4 Basketball event at Kirk Balk School on Friday 24^th January 2025.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue by public transport (bus) at 12:20pm. This is something we are trialling for travelling to local events. Children should return to school by the normal time; however, this is dependent on the bus.

Children will need to come to school in their uniform but have their PE kit with them. They can bring tracksuits to travel in. They will be given a school PE shirt to compete in. They will need inhalers if they require them, and a named water bottle.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant, and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 21st January

Reception (F2) Library Session – Friday 24th January

Dear Reception,

A reminder that Reception (F2) library session is this Friday (24^th January) from 8:15-8:45am. Please bring your library book to swap at the session.

Thank you

Correspondence 21st January

Nursery Library Session – Thursday 23rd January

Dear Nursery Parents,

A reminder that our Nursery (F1) library session is this Thursday (23^rd January) from 8:15-8:40am. Please bring your library book to swap at the session.

Thank you.

Correspondence 21st January

Y2 South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum – Thursday 13th March

Dear Parents,

The trip will take place on Thursday 13th March 2025. We will be leaving just after registration; therefore, children will need to arrive promptly at 8:45am, and we will arrive back at school in time for normal home time. We will be travelling with Globe Coaches.

The museum has areas that are both inside and outside, and your children will need a waterproof coat and suitable shoes for walking around the site. As we will be there all day, your child will need to bring a packed lunch with a filled water bottle. No spending money will be required for the trip.

The cost of the trip will be £16.50, and we are asking for contributions to be made by Thursday 6^th March. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then unfortunately it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay to make payments and to give your consent.

Thank you so much for your support. Without this, our trips could not go ahead.

Kind regards,

Miss Bradbury

Y2 Teacher

Correspondence 15th January

Y3/4 Benchball Event at The Ellis – 17th January

Dear Parents,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Y3/4 Benchball event on Friday 17^th January 2025.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. There is no requirement for transport, as the event is being held at The Ellis.

Children will be given a school PE shirt and will require their PE shorts, trainers and their water bottle. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need this to be in school.

Please note if your child has recently had their ears pierced and cannot take them out themselves, then they will be unable to take part in the event.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 15th January

Y5 Dance Festival – Thursday 23rd January

Dear Y5 Parents,

Your child’s class has been selected to take part in a dance festival at Horizon on Thursday 23^rd January.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus with Wyatts. Children should return to school on time, but maybe 5 to 10 minutes late, depending on traffic.

Children will need to bring their full PE kit (white PE tops/black shorts), suitable trainers for the event and their water bottle. The event will be held indoors, however, suitable tracksuits/coats should be worn when travelling to and from the event.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 13th January

Key dates for this half term

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please see below a list of the key dates for this half term. Also attached is the full list of important dates for your information.

INSET day – Monday 6^th January

M&M Panto – (held in school, children only) – 9:15am, Monday 13^th January

Y4 Cannon Hall Trip – Tuesday 14^th January

Primary School Applications Closing Date – Wednesday 15^th January

FS (Nursery and Reception) Writing Workshop for Parents – 4:30-5:30pm, Tuesday 21^st January

Refreshments will be available free of charge. Childcare will also be available for children in Nursery and Reception for the duration of the workshop.

The Ellis Church – straight after school in the hall, Thursday 23^rd January

All are welcome to attend.

SEND Coffee Morning – 9-10am, Friday 31^st January

If you intend to come to the coffee morning meeting, please register your interest with Miss Dodd or Mrs Fiddes at office@theellis.org

SENDCo 1:1 Meetings with Mrs Wise, 10am-4pm, Friday 31^st January

If you would like to book a meeting, please do so via School Cloud at https://theellisce.schoolcloud.co.uk/

National School Safer Internet Day – Tuesday 11^th February

Young Voices – Thursday 13^th February

More information to follow.

Half Term – Monday 17^th February to Friday 21^st February

Important Dates

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 13th January

Y5/6 Bouldering Event – Monday 20th January 2025

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child will be attending an indoor bouldering event on Monday 20^th January 2025 at The Climbing Works, Sheffield, S8 0UJ. The event will start at 10am and will finish at 12pm. Children will return to school at approximately 12:45pm. Children will have lunch when they return but can take a snack with them to the event.

Children will travel with Wyatt Coaches and Mr Webster will accompany them to the event. Unfortunately, parents are not able to attend this event.

Your child will be given a school PE shirt but will need to bring suitable shorts/tracksuit bottoms, trainers, a drink of water and a bag for their belongings. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 13th January

Foundation Stage Workshop – Tuesday 21st January

Dear Parent/Carer,

We will be running a free workshop for all parents, carers and grandparents of children within our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) on Tuesday 21st January at 4:30pm for approximately 1 hour.

The workshop will focus on ‘Writing in the Early Years’ and will offer you valuable insight into how to support your child’s early mark making development whilst they are in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Refreshments will be available free of charge. Childcare will also be available for children in F1 and F2 for the duration of the course.

A letter has also been sent home today. If you would like to attend the workshop, please complete and return the slip at the bottom of the letter to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst & Mrs T Pollard

Correspondence 13th January

Y4 Cannon Hall Trip – Tuesday 14th January

Dear Y4 Parent,

A reminder that it is our trip to Cannon Hall tomorrow, Tuesday 14^th January. We will be leaving school at 9am, and therefore, children will need to arrive promptly for registration at 8:45am. We will be back at school in time for normal home time.

The children will need to bring a packed lunch, and there is no requirement for any spending money.

If your child receives Government funded free school meals, we can provide your child a packed lunch. This will include a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a home bake. Please email office@theellis.org with your choice of cheese, ham, or tuna sandwich by 3pm today.

Kind regards

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 10th January

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well after the Christmas break. It’s wonderful to have the children back in school, and we are excited to see them settle back into their routines and learning.

Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your understanding and cooperation during the icy conditions we have experienced during our start to the new year. Your support in ensuring the safety of our children is greatly appreciated.

As we move forward into the new term, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few important policies and procedures:

Class Dojo: Whilst we love sharing the children’s achievements on Class Dojo, please remember that any photos or videos should not be shared on ANY social media, including WhatsApp.

Uniform: Please ensure your child is wearing the correct school uniform, including appropriate footwear. This includes indoor shoes which ideally should be a pair of black pumps. Long hair must be tied fully up in a bun, ponytail or plaits. The uniform policy can be found on the website.

Nail polish must not be worn and children will be assisted to remove it.

Jewellery: For health and safety reasons, we ask that children do not wear any jewellery to school, with the exception of small stud earrings and a basic watch (if desired). Smart watches are not permitted. Bracelets or necklaces are also not allowed. We cannot take responsibility for any valuable items that are brought into school.

PE: Please ensure your child has a full PE kit in school on PE days. Earrings need to be removed and plastic retainers are only permitted for the first half term after ears have been pierced (which should only be in the six week holidays, therefore, until the October break). We kindly ask that ears are not pierced in the Spring and Summer terms. Children should be able to remove their earrings themselves as staff are unable to assist with this.

Water Bottles: We request that all children bring a water bottle to school, filled with water rather than juice or other sugary drinks. If your child requires a drink other than water in their bottle, this must be arranged with the class teacher.

I hope this letter has been helpful in reminding you of our school policies. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or your child’s class teacher.

We look forward to a productive and enjoyable term ahead.

Best regards,

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 10th January

Y6 SATs Boosters (Maths) – Starting Thursday 16th January

Dear Y6 Parents,

As we embark on an important phase in your child’s academic journey, we are excited to invite your child to join our Y6 SATs Maths Boosters, starting on Thursday 16^th January, 2025.

The boosters will take place every Monday in the Y6 classroom, providing targeted support to enhance your child’s Mathematical skills in preparation for the upcoming SATs. We believe that these sessions will play a crucial role in building confidence and refining key strategies.

Details of the Y6 SATs Boosters:

Start Date: Thursday 16^th January 2025

Day: Every Thursday

Time: 3:15pm-4:15pm

Location: Y6 Classroom

Staff: Mr Milliner & Mrs Brinkley

We understand the importance of your child’s success, and these boosters are designed to create a supportive and focused environment to aid their preparation.

Could you please email school if you would like your child to take part in these booster sessions. This is to ensure we have a register of who is in the school building and who is following usual arrangements going home.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr Milliner

Correspondence 10th January

Y6 SATs Boosters (Reading) – Starting Monday 13th January

Dear Y6 Parents,

As we embark on an important phase in your child’s academic journey, we are excited to invite your child to join our Y6 SATs Reading Boosters, starting on Monday 13^th January, 2025.

The boosters will take place every Monday in the Y6 classroom, providing targeted support to enhance your child’s Reading skills in preparation for the upcoming SATs. We believe that these sessions will play a crucial role in building confidence and refining key strategies.

Details of the Y6 SATs Boosters:

Start Date: Monday 13^th January 2025

Day: Every Monday

Time: 3:15pm-4:15pm

Location: Y6 Classroom

Staff: Mr Milliner & Mrs Wood

We understand the importance of your child’s success, and these boosters are designed to create a supportive and focused environment to aid their preparation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr Milliner

Correspondence 8th January

F2 Library Reminder – Friday 10th January

Dear F2 Parents,

A reminder that Reception (F2) library session is this Friday (10^th January) from 8:15-8:45am. Please bring your library book to swap at the session.

Thank you.

Correspondence 8th January

Y5 PGL – 31st March-2nd April 2025

Dear Y5 Parents,

Just a quick email to help you with preparation for our upcoming PGL trip to Caythorpe Court (31st March-2nd April 2025).

We have attached a suggested kit list of what your child will need for their time at PGL. Children will need to be able to carry their own bags, so please consider this whilst packing (it can be a bit of a trek from the coach to the accommodation).

PGL Kit List UK

Children are invited to bring sweets and snacks for a ‘midnight feast’ whilst we are there and can also bring money (£10 limit) to spend at the gift shop.

We will hold a PGL information meeting on the 3rd of March at 4:30pm, but thought it would be helpful to be able to start considering the kit requirements before then.

Many thanks,

The Y5 Team

Correspondence 8th January

Beauty and the Beast Panto – Monday 13th January 2025

Dear All Parents,

We’re very excited to share that M&M Productions will be performing for us on Monday 13th January – oh yes, they will!

We’re kindly asking for a £2.75 donation per child, which you can easily pay now through ParentPay. Please see the following link: ParentPay

We love giving children this opportunity, but we do rely on your support to make it happen. If we do not get enough donations, unfortunately, we won’t be able to book the pantomime next year.

Thank you for your support,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 20th December

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

As we approach the festive season, I would like to take a moment to reach out and express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support throughout this term.

We are incredibly proud of all our children and the progress they have made. Their enthusiasm and dedication to learning have truly shone through, and it is a joy to witness their growth every day.

I would also like to extend a special thank you to our amazing teachers who have put in so much effort to organise fantastic events this term. Their commitment to creating enriching experiences for our children does not go unnoticed, and we are grateful for all they do.

Please see a couple of pieces of school information below before we break up for the Christmas holidays.

Hair Accessories

As you know, we have allowed the lovely Christmas-themed hair accessories to be worn during the festive season, even though they do not strictly adhere to our uniform guidelines. However, I would like to inform you that as we move into the new term, these accessories will need to be removed in order to align with our established uniform policy.

We appreciate the creativity and spirit that these accessories have brought to our school community, and I understand that this may be disappointing for some. Please know that our aim is to maintain a consistent and focused environment for all children.

Breakfast Club

We are pleased to announce that, following a viability study, after Christmas, we will be opening up breakfast club from 7:45am.

We would like to give you advance notice that from April, the price will increase by 20p to £3.25 in line with rising food prices.

On behalf of the entire school community, I would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year for another term of learning, growth, and celebration.

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 16th December

Y2 PG Film Consent

Dear Y2 Parents,

We are very close to finishing our book this half term, which is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we would like to watch the film (the Johnny Depp version – the Gene Wilder version is unavailable).

We need your permission as the film is rated as PG. Please respond to this email if you do not want your child to watch the film, and we will find them an alternative activity.

Thank you

Miss Bradbury

Y2 Teacher

Correspondence 13th December

Y1 Theatre Trip – Wednesday 18th December

Dear Parents,

We are very excited about our theatre trip on Wednesday, it has come round so fast!

Please ensure your child is at school prompt on the day, as we need to leave by 8:45am. We will collect any children who are at breakfast club and take them into class at 8:30am.

Children need to be in full school uniform and do not need any spending money. Please order lunches as usual as we will be back in time for lunch.

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 13th December

Reminder – closing date for Reception applications 15.1.25

Dear Nursery Parents,

You will have received an envelope at the beginning of September containing information on how to apply for a Reception school place for your child in September 2025.

The closing date for applications is 15^th January 2025.

You should apply online at www.barnsley.gov.uk/schooladmissions If you do not receive an email confirming your application, you MUST contact the Admissions Department at Barnsley Council on 01226 773677.

If you do not live in Barnsley you should apply to the authority where you pay your council tax to. If this is the case, please can you email the school office to tell us that you have submitted your application so that we don’t send you any further reminders.

Should you have any queries, or require any support completing your application, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office office@theellis.org or the admissions department on 01226 773677.

Thank you

Correspondence 13th December

SENDCo Meeting Invitation – Friday 31st January 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Friday the 31st of January, I would like to invite any parents or carers who would find it useful to meet with me in my role as SENDCo (Special Educational needs and disabilities coordinator) to have the opportunity to do so. This offer is open to families of children who are already on the SEND register and to those who may have concerns or questions about their children.

There will be two types of meetings available on this day:

For those of you who would like to have a chance to meet as a group for an informal catch up, a hot beverage and a chat, there will be a coffee morning style meeting 9-10am.

For anyone who has more specific concerns or personal matters they would like to discuss, there will be the option of booking a 15 minute meeting with myself between 10-4pm.

If you would like to book a 1:1 meeting then please follow this school cloud link: https://theellisce.schoolcloud.co.uk/

If you intend to come to the coffee morning meeting, then please register your interest with Miss Dodd or Mrs Fiddes at office@theellis.org

Many thanks,

Mrs Wise

SENDCo and Deputy Headteacher

Correspondence 13th December

Nativity Information for KS1

Dear Y1/2 Parents,

With less than a week to go, KS1 are getting very excited for their nativity next week! Here is some information which I hope you will find useful.

We are doing a dress rehearsal for the school on Monday, during school time (no parents are required please). If you have any outstanding items of costume, please could these be sent in Monday morning so we are well prepared for next week.

On the days of the two performances (Tuesday and Wednesday), please could children be brought back to school for 5:30pm (no earlier please as staff will not be able to open the doors until 5.30pm and we do not want the children getting cold outside). Please bring them to the Y1/Y2 cloakroom door where staff will sign them in. You are then welcome to walk round to the main entrance if you are watching the performance and we will open the doors to let you in. We envisage the performance will last approx. 50 minutes, so if you are not watching, then please be back at school at 6:50pm to collect your child. We will be releasing the children from the internal classroom doors and will only be letting them go with a known adult. If it is someone different collecting your child, please tell us before so we can ensure everyone goes home with the appropriate adult.

We understand that the children will be tired next week due to lots of exciting things happening, but we hope that by putting on two 6pm performances, it enables parents to come and watch. Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets already, if anyone wants an additional one, please contact the office. We will be holding a raffle on each night of the performance and tickets can be bought from the entrance on the night (cash only please). We have been kindly donated prizes from various people and companies including The Elephant and Castle, Seasaw Fish and Chip shop and a hamper form The Ellis staff. Thanks to each of these people for their kindness. All monies raised goes straight back into KS1 fund to continue enhancing resources and buying books.

If you have any further questions, please ask one of the KS1 team.

Kind regards

Charlotte Trotter

Class Teacher / KS1 Leader

Correspondence 12th December

F2 Soup Tasting – Friday 13th December

Dear Reception Parents,

Tomorrow, Friday 13^th December, we will be completing our DT topic ‘ Cooking & Nutrition- soup’ by making vegetable soup.

We will be using a small number of ingredients including potatoes, onions and a range of winter vegetables. We will also be adding a small amount of salt and pepper and a vegetable stock to add flavour.

If you do not wish your child to taste the soup, please let a member of our team know.

Many thanks,

Mr Grayhurst & Mrs Beevers

Correspondence 11th December

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

F2-Y6 After School Clubs

There will be no after school clubs running during the last week of term.

A reminder also, that the after school club on Thursday (tomorrow) will be held outside (weather permitting) as our Ellis church will be in the hall.

Our new clubs are still available to book on ParentPay until 11.59pm on Wednesday 18th December.

Ellis Church (Tomorrow)

Everyone is welcome to our Ellis Church, held straight after school in the school hall tomorrow (Thursday).

Y1-Y6 Disco

A reminder that today (Wednesday) is the last day to buy your child’s disco ticket. Tickets cost £3.50 on ParentPay and include a small bag of sweets, a drink and a packet of crisps. Due to staffing ratios, we will be unable to admit any children without a ticket on the night.

HAG Carol Concert Friday 13^th December

Thank you to the children who are part of the choir this year. The concert is open to all. To clarify, the concert will start at 7pm (the doors will open at 6:30pm).

Y1/2 Nativity Tickets

Tickets are being sent home tonight (Wednesday). If you have made a recent payment, please allow a couple more days for your payment to clear and for your tickets to be sent home.

Kind regards

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 11th December

Y1/2 Nativity Information

Dear Y1 & Y2 Parents,

The children and staff are really excited for the upcoming Nativity. I would just like to clarify that the dress rehearsal for the nativity will take place during school time and will be performed for the whole school.

I will send out a further email with final details for Tuesday and Wednesday evening.

Kind regards,

Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 6th December

The Eldon Street Beast – Rescheduled performance – Thursday 12th December

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to invite you to a special Bright Nights performance by our wonderful Y6 children.

The performance will take place on Thursday 12th December at 2:15pm. You will be able to see our amazing illuminated flash mob dance, see and hear about the children’s learning, and have a special visit from the Eldon Beast.

I really hope you can make it!

Kind regards,

Maggi Brinkley

HLTA/ Art Lead

Correspondence 2nd December

Y3-6 Skipping School

Dear Parents,

Today in school, children in Years 3-6 have had the opportunity to work with Skipping School to develop their technique and skills in skipping.

Skipping School provide workshops for children to show how skipping skills learnt today can be fun, and to lay the foundations for improved health, fitness and self-esteem. They have also worked with some children this afternoon to develop their leadership skills, so the older children can support the younger ones in the playground at breaks and lunch times to encourage the children to be active.

Skipping School brought their own high-quality ropes which school has purchased. These include better quality handles, lighter weight ropes and are made from better quality materials meaning they last longer and will not hurt the children if the rope whips round. We also have a selection of these ropes in the school office to purchase at £5 a rope. If you or your child are interested in buying one of these ropes, please bring £5 cash to the school office (the children will know which colour length rope they used on the day). These will only be available until the end of term. Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Teacher/ Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 2nd December

Christmas Lunch and Party Day Menus

Dear Parents,

The Christmas lunch and party food menus are attached.

Christmas Dinner Menu

Party at the North Pole 19th December

Thank you

Correspondence 2nd December

Foundation Stage Information

Early Years Coffee Morning – Friday 6^th December

Please remember that you are all invited to our Foundation Stage Coffee Morning. It will be held in our school hall, on Friday 6^th December 9am-10.30am. There will be lots of festive refreshments and the children have been busy making gifts for you to buy. We have also been practising lots of lovely Christmas songs so we look forward to seeing you there. Please remember to bring some money to this event as we are do not have the facilities to accept card payments.

Please make sure that you also send your child to school in their Christmas jumper on the day of the coffee morning.

Library

Due to our Christmas coffee morning this Friday 6^th December, our next library session has been postponed until the following Friday (13th).

Please remember to bring your child’s library book and folder to the session.

We look forward to seeing you at both events.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr Grayhurst and Mrs Beevers

Correspondence 2nd December

The Ellis Christmas Information

Dear Parent/Carer,

As Christmas comes upon us there will be lots of events happening in school, so we thought it would be useful to send you a reminder of some of the key dates and information for the remainder of this half term.

Christmas Dinner and Christmas Jumper Day – Wednesday 4^th December

Please see the attached menu. Please come to school in your Christmas jumpers and normal school uniform for the bottom half (trousers or skirt). There is no alternative food that day, therefore, if you do not wish to order school lunch, please send your child to school with a packed lunch. Please note that for Nursery children, Christmas dinner is only available to order for those who attend on a full-time basis.

PTFA Christmas Discos – Thursday 12^th December Y1-3 5-6pm / Y4-6 6:30-7:30pm

Tickets are on sale on ParentPay priced at £3.50 each until Tuesday 10th December. This includes a drink, crisps and a small bag of sweets. A list of attendees will be handed to the PTFA and your child’s name will be ticked off as they enter school.

If your child is arriving unaccompanied, please remind them to register with a member of staff/PTFA when entering school. Parents do not need to stay with their children.

Children must arrive at the disco no earlier than 5 minutes before the start time. Children will not be allowed to leave school without an adult. Please collect them from the main office. Y1-3 at 6pm / Y4-6 at 7:30pm.

Please leave a contact telephone number on the notes section when you pay for your tickets.

Hemingfield Action Group (HAG) Christmas Concert – Friday 13^th December time TBC

Mrs Edwards is currently recruiting children to be part of a choir for the Hemingfield Action Group Carol Concert on Friday the 13^th December, at 6pm. We will be rehearsing cheerful Christmas songs some lunch times between now and the concert.

On the evening of the concert, children will need to stay with their parent/guardian until it is our turn to sing. If they could wear Christmas jumpers that would be great, however they are not compulsory.

Christmas Party Day – Thursday 19^th December

Please see the attached menu as ParentPay is currently not displaying the party food.

Children are welcome to come in their party clothes but please be mindful of outdoor play.

Party food costs £2.60 and is ordered and paid for using the lunch option on ParentPay. Party food includes all nursery children. There is no alternative food on this day, therefore, if you do not wish to order school lunch, please send your child to school with a packed lunch.

Please order your child’s food as soon as possible, this helps with numbers for the kitchen.

Christingle Service – Friday 20th December

Please join us for our school Christingle Service which will be held in the hall at 2pm on Friday 20th December.

If you have any questions or would like any further information, please contact the office who will be more than happy to help you

We look forward to seeing you all in school over the next few weeks!

Many thanks for your continued support

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 27th November

Nursery DT Session – Tuesday 3rd December

Dear Nursery Parents,

Next Tuesday (3^rd December), we will be completing our DT topic ‘ Cooking & Nutrition- soup’ by making pumpkin soup.

Here is a list of the ingredients we will use:

pumpkin

potatoes

onion

carrots

Vegetable stock

Double cream

Unsalted butter

Olive oil

Bay leaf

garlic

salt

pepper

If you do not wish your child to taste the soup, please let a member of the nursery team know.

Thank you

Mrs. Pollard

Correspondence 27th November

Ellis Information

Clinics 2024-2025

Dear Parents,

Breakfast Club

Our breakfast club is almost at full capacity most days and we have had several days where it has reached maximum. To ensure the safety of our children, we must adhere to staffing ratios, and unfortunately, as we do not have additional staff available to call upon to support breakfast club, it is imperative that children do not arrive without a booking.

If you have missed the 4pm cut off to book into breakfast club, please email the office so that we know to expect your child. We do not wish to turn anyone away, however, we may have to do so.

Parents who have not booked must remain with their child at breakfast club drop off in case we do not have the capacity to accommodate your child.

Nativity Tickets

Our Nativity this year is called ’Straw and Order’ and we know the children are going to make us proud!

Tickets are available to purchase on ParentPay until Tuesday 10^th December, priced at £2 each (child and adult). We are provisionally limiting these to four per pupil, per night, on a first come first served basis.

Seat numbers will be allocated, therefore, please let us know if you require any accessible aisle seats. Tickets will be sent home with your child from Wednesday 11^th December.

A raffle will be held on both nights (cash only please), and all money raised goes to improve our KS1 learning areas and classroom resources.

Christmas Disco Tickets Y1-6

Christmas disco tickets are now available to buy on ParentPay, priced at £3.50 each. Children will receive a packet of crisps, a small bag of sweets and a drink.

Young Voices

We are really enjoying practising for Young Voices 2025 and will continue to rehearse Tuesday lunchtimes and after school on Friday 29^th November and 6^th December. Due to the Christmas festivities, Young Voices Friday after school club will not run on 13^th and 20^th December.

During next half term, Friday practise will continue after school on 10^th,17^th, 24^th, and 31^st January. Should your child wish to attend our Young Voices after school club, it will last until 4:15pm, and parents are asked to collect the children from the main entrance, unless they have prior permission to walk home by themselves after a club. Your child does not have to attend every week; however, it would be lovely to see as many as can make it, and what a way to end a busy school week! Children should come to the Year 1 classroom after school, where they will be registered.

Please remember that all the videos and tracks are available on the Young Voices Music Room app/website using the school code sent out to you in a previous email, should children wish to practise a little more.

The tickets and t-shirts won’t arrive until a couple of weeks before the event; please don’t worry as this is quite normal.

Guidance on purchasing dangerous gifts at Christmas

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has published guidance on purchasing dangerous gifts at Christmas. You can read the article at https://capt.org.uk/8-dangerous-gifts-to-avoid-this-christmas/

Flu Vaccination Clinics

The attached flyer contains details of the children’s flu vaccination clinics that are running locally.

Volunteer Training Programme

Please see attached the Hoyland Milton & Rockingham Volunteer Training Programme for this winter.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 25th November

Y5/6 Football Finals – Wednesday 4th December

Dear Parent,

A few weeks ago, your child was part of the boys’ football team that came runners up in the district finals. As a result of this, we have been allocated a place in the Barnsley Boys Plate Finals.

The event is Wednesday 4^th December at Barnsley College Honeywell Site (also known as Honeywell Sports Village), S75 1BP, and will run from 12-3pm.

I am aware this is Christmas dinner day; however, the children will need to leave before this and will unfortunately miss lunch. If you would prefer your child to remain in school for Christmas dinner, please inform the office, and their space at the event will be given to another child.

Children will need a packed lunch, which they will eat at the event. Your child will travel to the venue by minibus at 11:20am.

The event will be played on Astro turf, and your child will need suitable footwear, shin pads, socks, water bottle, and warm clothes to wear when spectating. They will also be given a school football kit to wear at the event.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant, and therefore no money is needed.

Parents are able to spectate on this occasion; however, children will need to return to school via the minibus before they can be collected.

Due to the location of the event, children may not return to school until approximately 3:30pm.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12th November

Y2 DT Project

Dear Y2 Parent,

Our current Design and Technology (DT) project is to structure a chair for Baby Bear from Goldilocks.

We have looked at different 3D shapes that will create a strong, stiff, and stable chair. Our recent experiment has helped us discover that cylinders were the best 3D shape to achieve our criteria.

Last lesson, we began designing our chairs and considering what materials we would like to use. Based upon previous years’ experience of this DT project, we have narrowed it down to two different types of materials that they could choose from to make the chair. These are:

Paper and tape (school can provide these materials), or
Recycled materials.

The recycled materials we would need are cylinder shaped, such as toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes. They will need 4 of these tubes to create the legs of the chair. They may also need a small amount of cardboard to create the seat and back of the chair.

Your child has chosen which option they would like to use, and we ask that you talk to them regarding their preference. We have discussed that if they have chosen the option of recycled materials, then they would need to bring those in from home. Mrs Law and I will also try to bring in some recycled materials to support them.

The children will test their structures in school and will be able to take them home afterwards (if the structure is still standing), if they would like!

If your child is bringing in recycled materials, we would like them to be in school by Thursday 28th November, as we will be starting the structure then and will be working on them over the next few weeks.

Thank you for your support,

Miss Bradbury

Y2 Teacher

Correspondence 12th November

Emotional Regulation Workshop Reminder – 27th November

A reminder about our Emotional Regulation Support Parent Workshop – 27^th November

We have been offered an Emotional Regulation Support parent workshop by Compass Be on the 27^th of November, 9:15-11:15am. This is an opportunity to find out more around supporting children with strong emotions, and building strategies to help them manage difficult feelings. It is a workshop some parents and carers attended last year and found helpful.

We would like to extend an invitation for any parents that would find this helpful to attend this workshop.

Places are limited and we hope to be able to accommodate all those who wish to attend, however, it would help us if you could confirm whether you wish to attend by Friday 23rd of November. Places will be given on a first come, first served basis.

Please register your acceptance of your place by emailing the main office at office@theellis.org

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 12th November

Bright Night’s Parade – Saturday 23rd November

Dear Y6 Parents and Carers,

We have an exciting opportunity for our Y6 children and their families to be part of Barnsley Bright Nights Parade.

We are working with Fusion, Barnsley’s Cultural Education Partnership, on an exciting project funded by Arts Council England. The first part of the project has seen three artists coming into school to work with our children to create artwork and a performance as part of Bright Nights Illuminated Parade. This brilliant event is being held in Barnsley town centre on Saturday 23rd November, to round off the Bright Nights Festival. This year, you and your children have a very special opportunity to be part of it.

We really hope our Y6 children will come along and join in the parade to show off their hard work to the crowd, including the Mayor of Barnsley. Free transport will be provided to and from the event (pick up and drop off at school, time to be confirmed) for every child who wishes to come along, as well as their parents/carers. (places are limited, so book early to guarantee your seat). If you wish to bring siblings, please let us know, and we will try our very best to book seats for them however, we cannot guarantee this. For a child to take part, they MUST be accompanied by their parent or carer, who will need to walk with their child in the parade.

Here is a film of last year’s parade to give you an idea of how special an event this is – the children who took part last year absolutely loved it – it was something they will always remember!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX2a7shedig

If you are planning on making your own way there, please let school know so that we know how many children to expect at the event.

Correspondence 12th November

Cross Country Colour Run Event – Friday 22nd November

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has expressed an interest in attending a 2km Cross Country Colour Run event at Kirk Balk Academy on Friday 22nd November. The route will be marshalled so the children will know where to go around the simple route. The aim is to inspire participants to continue their physical activity journey.

The event will start at 1pm and will finish at approximately 3pm. Your child will have lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus, at 12:30pm.

Children will need to bring old clothes comfortable for running in. It is more effective if the children wear white t-shirts, and they will need to bring a top or a coat for afterwards to keep the bus clean. They will need their water bottles and inhalers if they require them. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating.

If your child wishes to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes, they are permitted to do so, however, this is not essential.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant, and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you do not wish your child to take part, please let us know, and they will remain in school for the afternoon.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 12th November

KS2 Multi Sports Panathlon Event – Tuesday 19th November

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a KS2 Multi Sports Panathlon event at Barnsley College Honeywell Site on Tuesday 19^th November. The event will start at 9:30am and finish at 11:30am. Children should arrive back at school before lunch time.

This is an inspire and engage event run by the School Games. These events have an emphasis on participation and encouraging children to develop sporting skills.

Children will travel to and from the venue via Wyatts Coaches. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, parents are not allowed to attend the event.

Your child will be given a sports top but will still need to bring suitable trainers, their PE kit, a drink of water, a bag for their belongings, and suitable clothing to wear when not participating. The event will be held indoors.

If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant, and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 11th November

Y4 Cannon Hall Trip – Tuesday 14th January

Dear Parents,

We are very excited to inform you that we have organised a trip for our Y4 children to Cannon Hall, where the children will be participating in a Victorian kitchen workshop. This incredible workshop will support children in securing their knowledge of ‘children’s lives through history’ and also our class book ‘Street Child’ by Berlie Doherty.

The trip will take place on Tuesday 14^th January 2025. We will be leaving school at 9am, and therefore, children will need to arrive promptly for registration at 8:45am. We will be back at school in time for normal home time. Transport will be provided by Globe Coaches.

The children will need to bring a packed lunch, and there is no requirement for any spending money. During our visit, the children will engage in making lavender bags, Victorian style laundry, and making Victorian style sweets (sugar mice), in addition to a visit of the house itself.

The cost of the trip will be £16, and we are asking for contributions to be made by Tuesday 7^th January 2025. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then unfortunately it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay to make payments and to give your permission.

This trip will be a fantastic experience for the children, and we are looking forward to taking them.

If you have any questions regarding the trip, please do come and see me.

Kind regards,

Miss O’Brien

Correspondence 11th November

Foundation Stage Reading Workshop – Tuesday 12th November

Dear Parent/Carer,

This is reminder about our free workshop for all parents, carers and grandparents of children within our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) tomorrow, Tuesday 12^thNovember, at 4.30pm for approximately 1 hour.

The workshop ‘Reading in the Early Years’ will be held in the ICT Suite and will start at 4.30pm. If you have requested a child care place, Mrs Edwards will be running a small creche in the school library. Please drop your child off there before making your way to the ICT Suite.

Refreshments will be available free of charge.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst & Mrs T Pollard

Correspondence 7th November

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Government Tax–Free Childcare can help with the costs of breakfast club AND after school clubs

If your child is attending breakfast club or the new paid after school clubs, you may be eligible to receive ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ to help fund these.

Please see the following link for more information: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

If you are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, you will set up an online childcare account for your child and for every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your childcare provider.

You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you’re eligible for both.

Once you have set up your account, please email the school each time you make a payment as this goes direct to the school bank account. Let us know whether it is for breakfast club or after-school club so that the school can credit those funds to your ParentPay account.

Please note:

If you wish to use the tax-free childcare payment to pay for after school clubs, you will need to initially make the payment from your personal bank account to secure your child’s place at the club. Once we have received the Tax-Free Childcare payment into our school bank account, we will credit this to the relevant after school club on ParentPay and refund your initial payment back to you.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Emotional Regulation Support Parent Workshop – 27^th November

We would like to extend an invitation for any parents that would find this helpful to attend this workshop.

‘What’s for Tea Barnsley?’

‘What’s for Tea Barnsley?’ is a time limited competition, where residents are able to submit photos and recipes of their home cooked evening meal for the chance to win a £30 Barnsley gift card and for their recipe to be included in a free cookbook, which will be distributed to residents in 2025.

The campaign is designed to tackle particularly high obesity levels in the borough and improve food education and food access levels. Through this campaign, the aim is to empower residents to cook healthier, low-cost meals at home, reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods where possible, foster a sense of community around cooking, provide residents with food education in an accessible way and improve cooking skills on a budget.

Submit your entries via email to WhatsForTea@barnsley.gov.uk.

All cooking abilities are welcome, as long as the recipes are easy, affordable and nutritious. Entries need to be submitted by an adult aged 18+. Please include the ingredients, a picture of your meal and why you like to make this recipe with your submission.

#WhatsForTeaBarnsley

Healthy Lunch Box Toolkit

The Children’s Public Health team would like to share the ‘Barnsley Packed Lunch Tool Kit’ to help raise awareness around a ‘Healthy Lunch Box’.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 6th November

Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust Young Leader Award for Y5

Dear Y5 Parent/Carer,

I would like to share with you a fantastic opportunity for your children. We are taking part in the Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust Young Leader Award to help ‘be the change you want to see’.

The scheme will give the children the opportunity to make small changes in their environment/ global community, as well as other skills including self-development and social awareness. Previously, we have raised funds for the WWF Australian Bushfire appeal, Cancer research, the Red Cross Ukraine appeal, as well as organising litter picks and many other worthy causes.

Some of the children’s individual tasks will involve doing things to help you out at home, and I will be in touch over the coming weeks to let you know what these tasks are.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Maggi Brinkley

HLTA/ Art Lead

The Ellis C of E Primary School

01226 753383

Correspondence 6th November

KS2 SEND Glow In The Dark Dodgeball Event – Friday 15th November

Dear Parent,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in an inclusive Glow in the dark Dodgeball event at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 15th November.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, at 12:30pm.

Children will need to be in full PE kit but can bring tracksuits to travel in. They will need inhalers if they require them and their water bottle with their name on.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 6th November

KS2 Taekwondo Taster Event – Wednesday 13th November

Dear Parents,

Your child’s class has expressed an interest in attending a KS2 Taekwondo taster event at Horizon on Wednesday 13^th November.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish approximately 3pm. Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus with Wyatts.

Children will need to bring full PE kit (white PE tops/black shorts), suitable trainers for the event and their water bottle. The event will be held indoors but suitable tracksuits/coats should be worn when travelling to and from the event.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 6th November

Key dates for this half term

Y6 Crucial Crew – Thursday 14^th November, 8:45am

The coach will leave school at 8:45am prompt and is expected to return to school by 3:15pm.

Children in Need – Friday 15^th November

Children are welcome to come to school in spots or pyjamas. Should you wish to donate, please do so via the Children in Need website.

The Ellis Church, straight after school in the hall – Thursday 21^st November

All are welcome to attend.

F2 to Y6 Flu Vaccinations – Thursday 21^st November

Christmas Dinner and Jumper Day – Wednesday 4^th December

More information to follow.

Foundation Service Christmas Coffee Morning – Friday 6^th December, 9-10:30am

All our F1 and F2 family members are invited.

The Ellis Church – straight after school in the hall, Thursday 12^th December

All are welcome to attend.

Christmas Discos – Thursday 12^th December (5-6pm for Y1-3 and 6:30-7:30pm for Y4-6)

More information to follow.

HAG (Hemingfield Action Group) Christmas Concert, in the school hall – 6pm, Friday 13^th December

KS1 Nativity Dress Rehearsal – Monday 16^th December

More information to follow

KS1 Nativity – 6pm, Tuesday 17^th December, and Wednesday 18^th December

More information to follow.

Y1 Theatre Trip – Wednesday 18^th December

The coach will leave at 8.45am and return in time for lunch. Please ensure your child is in school for registration by 8:30am.

Christmas Party Day – Thursday 19^th December

More information to follow.

Christingle – 2-3pm, Friday 20^th December

Please join us for our school Christingle Service, which will be held in the hall at 2pm.

Christmas Holidays – Monday 23^rd December to Friday 3^rd January

INSET day – Monday 6^th January

Kind regards,

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 16^th October

Y5 Geography Afternoon – Tuesday 5th November

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are pleased to inform you that Y5 have been invited to attend an afternoon of Geography learning at Wath Academy on Tuesday 5th November 2024.

This will be an opportunity to take part in a range of learning activities led by the staff at Wath Academy. Mrs Wise, Mrs Wood and Mrs Law are excited to be taking the children on this trip. We will be travelling by minibuses, which are being provided by Wath Academy. There will be no cost associated with this trip.

On the day of the trip your child will need to be wearing school uniform, a waterproof coat, suitable footwear and a water bottle. We will eat lunch in school before we depart, however, as this will be earlier than our usual lunchtime it would be advisable to provide a packed lunch for that day if possible.

Our extra-curricular and sporting trip form covers this event and there is no requirement for you to give additional consent.

Kind regards,

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 15^th October

Young Voices Reminder

Dear Parents/Carers,

A reminder that the deadline for ordering tickets for Young Voices is Monday 21^st October.

We do have 3 tickets and a t-shirt (aged 9-11) to sell on behalf of one of our parents, at a cost of £88.99. Please contact the office should you wish to purchase them.

The link to sign up for a Young Voices account and is https://yvmusicroom.com/auth/parent/register-referral?code=MTU4Mi8xNzIxMTY1NDA5

Kind regards,

Mrs Trotter

Class Teacher/KS1 Leader

Correspondence 14^th October

The Great Cable Challenge – Monday 14th October to Monday 21st October

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please bag up any unwanted or broken cables and place them in the box outside the school office for recycling. The box will be available until Monday 21^st October.

Thank you for helping to make a difference to the environment and saving some precious metals from going to waste.

Thank you for your support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 13^th October

Y1-6 Harvest Festival, St Mary’s Church – Wednesday 16th October

Dear Y1 – Y6 Parents,

A reminder that our Harvest festival this year will be tomorrow, Wednesday 16^th October at St Mary’s Church, Wombwell.

Years 1-6 will be walking from school promptly at 9am and parents are welcome to meet us at St Mary’s for a 10am start. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, however, the children will be sitting in the main pews directly in front of the altar, so please leave these free. Children will need to stay with their class throughout the service and will share some harvest poetry or art.

At the end of the service, we will walk the children back to school in plenty of time for their lunch.

Kindly bring any donations of tinned/packet food with you as these will be donated to Wombwell food bank via St Mary’s

We look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 13^th October

Christmas Card Competition

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please see below the details of a Christmas Card Competition run by Stephanie Peacock MP. If your child would like to enter, please give their entry to the office before the 5th November deadline.

Kind regards,

Mrs Brinkley

HLTA/Art Lead

Invitation to take part in the 2024 Christmas Card Competition

It is that time of year again when I invite pupils across Barnsley South to take part in my annual competition to design my official Christmas card. Every year, the competition shows the creativity and talent of young people in the area.

I would be delighted if the pupils at your school took part in this year’s competition. The card, made with the winning design, will be sent to local businesses, civic leaders, voluntary groups, and politicians across Barnsley and Westminster.

Winners from each school will be chosen and named the ‘school winner’. Winners from each participating school will then be shortlisted, and the final design will then be chosen to be my Christmas card design. However, all the school winners will have their design included within the card, along with their name and school.

In December, the winner and runners up from the schools will be awarded prizes and certificates.

The competition will run from now until Tuesday 5th November, with applications accepted up until the deadline. Designs should be submitted on white A4 paper, preferably landscape.

To avoid any potential confusion, please could the artist’s full first name, the first initial of their surname, class, year group, and the name of their school be clearly written on the back of their design.

I look forward to receiving your designs.

Yours sincerely,

Stephanie Peacock MP
Member of Parliament for Barnsley South

Correspondence 13^th October

Y1 Trip Information

Dear Parents,

I am very excited to inform you of the two trips we have organised for our Y1 children for this academic year. At The Ellis, we see real value in taking our children on educational visits and want to ensure that throughout their time with us, they have the opportunity to experience many different places and types of visits. This year we would like to take our Y1 class to the Crucible Playhouse Theatre in Sheffield and to Pops Outdoor Adventure in Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh. As the children are now in KS1, the staff at The Ellis accompany the children rather than parents. The trips are supervised in line with recommended ratios, and the staff taking the children are very experienced at running trips. I will be trip leader for both, and these two trips are perfect for the first time children to go without their parents. I have outlined the two trips below and will send out final details of each one nearer the time. We have tried to keep the cost as low as possible and to give you as much notice as possible so that parents can spread the cost over the coming weeks. The theatre trip is the higher priced one, as the tickets per child cost more and so does the coach. We have tried to balance this by running a lower cost trip to Pops.

Crucible Playhouse Theatre Sheffield

On Wednesday 18^th December, we have booked to take the children to see ‘Underneath a Magical Moon: A reimagining of Peter Pan as told by Wendy Darling’. It is described as ‘a sparkling production with exquisite music, enthralling movement, and a sprinkle of Tutti Frutti magic, and is for children 3+ and their families to enjoy’. This will be a lovely experience, especially as it is the week of our nativity, so we can experience what it is like as an audience member rather than a performer.

The show lasts 1 hour, and we will be using Globe Travel. The cost of the trip will be £24, and we are asking for voluntary contributions to be made by Friday 29^th November. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay to make payments and to give permission.

The performance starts at 10am prompt, and therefore the coach company has asked that we leave at 8.45am to allow time for traffic and parking. On the day we ask that your child be at school by 8.30am to allow us time to register them and to get onto the coach. We will collect any child who is at breakfast club at 8.30am. The children will be back at school in time for lunch and do not require any spending money. A letter will be sent out nearer the time to remind you of this information. If you would like to find out more about the show, please visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/underneath-a-magical-moon.

Pops Outdoor Adventure (Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh)

On Wednesday 30th April 2025, we have booked to take the children to Pops, which is an educational centre within Rosehill Park that has a daily before and after school club and runs holiday clubs too. They have their own fully insured minibuses, which we will be using (hence the cost is a lot lower as they only charge for petrol, which is wonderful). During the day, the children will take part in lots of activities linked to mini-beasts, and it supports a lot of our science Y1 objectives for the spring term. The centre has an indoor classroom where we can eat our lunch and a large tent gazebo should it be needed. We ran this trip in the pouring rain last year, and the children still had an incredible time! Fingers crossed for a pleasant day, though!

The cost of the trip will be £11.50, and we are asking for voluntary contributions to be made by Wednesday 2^nd April 2025. If we do not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of this trip, then it will have to be cancelled. Please log onto ParentPay before this date to make payments and to give permission. We will send out a reminder nearer the time, as it is a long way away.

We will leave school at 9am for this trip, therefore children will need to arrive promptly at 8.45am. We will be back in time for normal home time, and the children will require a packed lunch on this day. I will send out an email much nearer the time to give you all the final details. There will be no spending money needed for this trip.

Local Walk

If you have any questions regarding any of these trips, please do come and see me.

Thank you so much for your support. Without this, our trips could not go ahead.

Kind regards,

Mrs C Trotter

Correspondence 9^th October

SEND Parents’ Evening

Dear Parents of Children with SEND,

We are aware that many parents with SEND children often have additional meetings or contact with their child’s class teacher and therefore do not need extra time at Parents’ Evening.

If you are happy with the 10 minute meeting on either of the two days that have been offered, then this will be great for us too, however, if at the end of your appointment, you or the class teacher feel more time is needed to discuss your child’s progress/learning, a further appointment can be booked for a mutually convenient time.

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 9^th October

BMBC Questionnaire regarding Childcare Facilities

Dear Parents,

We have been asked to share the link below to a short questionnaire regarding the difficulties parents/carers might face when sourcing childcare.

This has been sent to us from a Childcare Sufficiency Officer within the Early Start and Prevention Team within BMBC. The questionnaire closes next Monday (14th October).

https://surveys.barnsley.gov.uk/s/BRFTFO/

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 7^th October

Y5/6 Football Event – Friday 11th October

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Football Event at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 11^th October. The event will start at 1pm and will finish before 3pm. Children will return to school for the normal finishing time.

Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus, at 12:30pm.

Children will need to bring shorts/tracksuit bottoms, black socks, trainers and their water bottle. They will be given a school shirt to wear. As the event will be held outdoors, on grass, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating and they can choose to wear trainers or football boots. Shin pads are recommended but not essential, however we do have spares in school if you require any.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 7^th October

Y6 Barnsley Bright Nights Parade – Saturday 23rd November

Dear Y6 Parents and Carers,

We have an exciting opportunity for our Y6 children and their families to be part of Barnsley Bright Nights Parade.

Here is a film of last year’s parade to give you an idea of how special an event this is – the children who took part last year absolutely loved it – it was something they will always remember!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX2a7shedig

If you would like to travel to Bright Nights on the coach from school, please email office@theellis.org by Friday 8th November.

If you are planning on making your own way there, please let school know so that we know how many children to expect at the event.

More information about timings, what to expect from the parade, what clothing to wear, and any items to bring will be sent to you closer to the date.

We wanted to let you know as soon as we could about this brilliant opportunity so you can make sure you don’t miss it!

If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me in school

Kind regards,

Mrs Brinkley

HLTA/ Art Lead

Correspondence 7th October

KS2 Non-Competitive Inclusive Event – Thursday 10th October

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a KS2 non-competitive inclusive event at Horizon Community College on Thursday 10^th October 2024. The event will start at 1pm and finish for 3pm. Children should arrive back at school before the end of the day.

This is an inspire and engage event ran by the School Games. These events have an emphasis on participation and encouraging children to develop sporting skills.

Children will travel to and from the venue via Wyatts Coaches. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, parents are not allowed to attend the event.

Your child will be given a sports top but will still need to bring suitable trainers, their PE kit, a drink of water, a bag for their belongings and suitable clothing to wear when not participating. The event will be held indoors. If your child requires an inhaler, they will need to bring this along with them. The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 3rd October

The Ellis Home School Agreement September 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

Home School Agreement

I hope this email finds you well. As we reach the midpoint of the first half term, I want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. We’ve had a wonderful half term so far, filled with learning, creativity, and positive energy. It’s been fantastic to see the children settling into routines and enjoying their time at school.

To ensure the rest of the year runs smoothly, I’d like to kindly remind everyone of a few key school policies and have attached a document which I hope you will find useful which includes useful information about The Ellis. Whilst this document may be lengthy, it addresses many frequently asked questions and serves as a valuable resource that you can refer back to as needed.

We truly appreciate your partnership and support in helping us create the best possible environment for your children. If you have any questions or need clarification on any of the policies, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you once again and we look forward to even more exciting learning opportunities in the weeks ahead!

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 3rd October

Y4 Geography Fieldwork Walk to Hemingfield Rec – Monday 7th October

Dear Y4 Parents,

As the weather (at the moment) is looking a lot brighter for Monday 7^th October, we will have another attempt to walk to Hemingfield Rec for our Geography fieldwork.

The timings will be the same as originally planned, leaving school to begin the walk at 9:15am and arriving back in time for school lunch.

Could all children please come prepared with a water bottle, suitable footwear and a warm coat.

Kind regards

Miss O’Brien

Correspondence 3rd October

Admission Arrangements 2026-27

Dear Parents,

Please find attached an overview of the changes to the admission arrangements.

Admissions

Kind regards

Joanne Rodgers

Business Manager

Correspondence 2nd October

Looking after yourself as a parent – online seminar

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have been asked to share the following information:

Looking after yourself as a parent – online seminar with parents.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/looking-after-yourself-as-a-parent-online-seminar-tickets-1027867468267?aff=oddtdtcreator

This seminar helps you find ways to take time for yourself as a parent or carer and stay calm so you can juggle family life.

“You can’t pour from an empty cup”

You will learn ways to cope with the everyday ups and downs as a parent, including:

Recognising signs of stress

Tips for recharging our batteries

How to implement the five ways to wellbeing

The seminar will be held over Microsoft Teams.

Kind regards,

S O’Rourke

Family Hub Practice Lead

Correspondence 2nd October

Fundraising for School

Dear Parents/Carers,

As the Christmas shopping period is starting, we thought it would be a good time to remind you of some easy ways you can help fundraise for the school.

ASDA CASHPOT FOR SCHOOLS

Parentkind – a charity that supports school PTAs – have teamed up with Asda, who is making millions of pounds available to donate to primary schools across the UK through their ‘Cashpot for Schools’ initiative. To support our school, all you have to do is opt-in through the Asda Rewards app, shop and scan in store or shop online at Asda.com.

Between 2^nd September and 30^th November 2024 – every time you shop with Asda using your Asda Rewards app, Asda will donate 0.5% of the value of your shop to your chosen Primary school. Also, every time somebody opts-in to support our Primary school, Asda will give an additional £1 to the school Cashpot. Plus, it doesn’t stop there – Asda are also giving £50 to every school to get them started.

The supermarket has joined forces with Joe Wicks to support the initiative – look out for the TV advert, radio ads and social media coverage!

It’s as easy as 1,2,3

Download the Asda Rewards app, register and opt-in to Cashpot for Schools (make sure you have the latest version of the app installed)
Choose our Primary School – either searching by name or postcode
Shop instore across Asda and George, or online at Asda.com and start filling your Cashpot as you shop

Asda does the rest, all money raised will be donated to schools to spend on the things they need the most.

Remember, anyone can sign up – so start spreading the news and raising funds for our school.

This initiative is on top of the existing Asda Rewards benefits you get as a shopper – so you won’t lose out on any of your own earnings or Cashpot, so everyone is a winner!

For more details, visit asda.com/cashpotforschools

EASYFUNDRAISING FOR SCHOOLS

We are registered on #easyfundraising which means you can raise free donations for us when you shop online! Over 8,000 retailers will make a donation to The Ellis Primary School Hemingfield on your behalf when you shop with them. All the big names like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Argos, Just Eat and more are ready to donate at no extra cost to you. Plus, join today and we could win a £100 bonus! Sign up here:

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ellis-prisch-hemingfield

Thank you for your continued support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 1st October

Y2 Whirlow Farm Residential 2025

Dear Y2 Parents,

Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response to our Year 2 residential to Whirlow Farm next year. I can now inform you that we have 28 children going, which is very exciting news! Now that we have these numbers, I can give you some more information. We plan to take the 3 groups of children on the following dates:

Group 1: Monday 30^th June – Wednesday 2^nd July 2025

(Leaving at approximately 10.30am on Monday and arriving back at 12pm on Wednesday).

Group 2: Wednesday 2^nd July – Friday 4^th July 2025

(Leaving at approximately 10am on Wednesday and arriving back at 12pm on Friday).

Group 3: Monday 7^th July – Wednesday 9^th July 2025

(Leaving at approximately 10.30am on Monday and arriving back at 12pm on Wednesday).

When your child is not on their residential trip, they should attend school as normal. 2 members of staff will stay with each group of residential children, and other staff members will teach the children who are in school.

The cost of the trip will be £110, which includes 2 nights’ accommodation, return travel, food, and all activities whilst we are there. We must inform you at this stage that the cost is non-refundable. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a discounted price if your child does not sleep over night.

We ask that payments be made via Parent Pay. The total amount will appear on your child’s page, and parents are then able to pay off small amounts at a time (the total amount left will decrease as payments are made), or should you wish to, you can pay the full amount in one go. We ask that all parents meet the following payment deadlines, as we have to pay Whirlow Farm in advance. Should you wish to pay the balance before these dates, that is fine.

First payment of £40 to be paid by Monday 9^th December 2024.

Second payment of £35 to be paid by Monday 24^th February 2025.

Third payment of £35 to be paid by Monday 12^th May 2025.

Parents are invited to a meeting on Tuesday 20^th May 2025, at 5pm to discuss what your child will need to bring and to give you more information. Should you have any questions prior to this time, please do not hesitate to pop in and see Mrs Trotter.

Thank you for allowing your child to take part in this experience. We are sure that many lifelong memories will be made whilst we are there!

Kind regards,

Mrs Trotter

Year 1 teacher and KS1 Leader

Correspondence 1st October

Barnsley Rockley Rotary Club’s annual art competition

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have been invited to enter Barnsley Rockley Rotary Club’s annual art competition, once again. This year the entries will be judged by Barnsley born comic book illustrator Dean Ormston. The competition is open for children from F2 up to Y6, and 12 successful entrants will have their work on display at Barnsley Metrodome along with this year’s winners.

If your child would like to take part, the competition criteria is listed below:

2D artwork (paint, pastel, pencil, etc.)
A4 size
There is no specific theme, any subject is acceptable.
The artwork must be your child’s own work.

The closing date for this competition is Thursday 17th October.

I am really looking forward to seeing the fantastic artwork that your children produce, I feel very privileged to lead art at The Ellis and am so proud of the work that I see produced in and around school.

Mrs Brinkley

HLTA/Art Lead

Correspondence 30^th September

Young Voices Information

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are very excited to let you know that we are about to launch into our Young Voices rehearsals from this week. Mrs Trotter and Mrs Edwards spent the day last Wednesday at the YV teacher’s workshop and are ready and raring to go. The day highlighted that we have a lot of songs and dances to learn, but also showed us that yet again, we are in for a phenomenal concert!

YV Practise Schedule

Children are expected to attend a half an hour rehearsal each Tuesday lunchtime (after they have had their dinner) in the Y1 classroom starting on Tuesday 1st October. This rehearsal is compulsory and we will focus mainly on learning the songs and going through the dances as well.

As both space and time is limited on a Tuesday, this year we are offering an after school Young Voices club on a Friday (starting on Friday 4th October) run by Mrs Edwards / Mrs Trotter which is optional. The club will be held in the hall which means we can focus more on the dance moves as well as practising the songs again. It will last until 4:15pm and parents are asked to collect the children from the main entrance unless they have prior permission to walk home by themselves after a club. Your child does not have to attend every week, however it would be lovely to see as many as can make it, and what a way to end a busy school week! Children should come to the hall after school where they will be registered. Please remember that all the videos and tracks are available on the Young Voices Music Room app / website using the school code sent out to you in a previous email, should they wish to practise a little more.

Tickets and T Shirts

The final deadline for ordering tickets and t shirts is 21st October. At this point Young Voices will ask us to submit all the orders which means that the tickets should all be in one block as in previous years. If anyone requests tickets after this date, they may be sold out or they are not guaranteed to be seated with all the other parents. We are also not sure if the cost of buying them after this date will increase. Therefore, if you want a t shirt or any tickets, please do ensure your order is in and fully paid for by 21st October. As soon as Young Voices ask us to submit the orders, we will be doing so to ensure they have been ordered for everyone. Just a reminder, the tickets and t shirts will come in bulk to school and Mrs Trotter will send them out. Again, please do not worry if the tickets do not arrive until a couple of weeks before the event, this is quite normal.

All that is left to say is that we can’t wait to get started on Tuesday and to raise the roof with our practises! It is going to be a good one!

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter and Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 30^th September

Y4/5 Swimming Information

Dear Parent/Carer,

In addition to their swimming kit, your child will now need a t-shirt and shorts every Friday, for their lesson. The reason for this is that the swimming instructors will be incorporating water safety into each lesson. Please also send a plastic carrier bag to use for wet clothes.

Thank you for your support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 2nd October

Consultation letter – The Ellis CE (VA) Primary School Admission Arrangements 2026-27

Correspondence 26^th September

Y5 Religious Studies Day – Tuesday 1st October

Dear Parent/Carers,

We are pleased to inform you that Y5 have been invited to attend a Religious Studies day at Wath Academy on Tuesday 1^st October 2024. This will be an opportunity to take part in a range of learning activities led by the staff at Wath Academy. Mrs Wise and Mrs Wood are excited to be taking the children on this trip. We will be travelling by coach, provided by Globe Travel. There will be no cost associated with this trip.

On the day of the trip your child will need to bring a water bottle and be wearing school uniform, a waterproof coat and suitable footwear. We will eat lunch in school before we depart, however as this will be earlier than our usual lunchtime it would be advisable to provide a packed lunch for that day if possible.

Our extra-curricular and sporting trip form covers local events, therefore there is no requirement for you to give additional consent for this trip.

Kind regards,

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 24^th September

Secondary School Open Evenings

Dear Y6 Parent/Carer,

We have been asked to pass on further details of the secondary school opening evenings below.

Netherwood Academy – Thursday 26^th September

Tours are 4:30pm and 5:30pm.

Penistone Grammar School – Thursday 3^rd October

The open evening timings are:

Principal Presentation 4.30pm and repeated at 5.30pm

Department Tours 5-7pm

For more information, please visit Penistone Grammar School

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 24^th September

Y3/4 Football Tournament – Friday 27th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Football Tournament at Jump Primary School on Friday 27^th September. The event will start at 1pm and should finish before 3pm depending on how well the school perform!

If the weather is fine, the children will walk to the event however, in the event of adverse weather, Mrs Fiddes and Mrs Edwards are insured to transport the children in their cars. Children have to return to school after the event and cannot go straight home from the football.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 23^rd September

Y4 Walk to Hemingfield Rec – Monday 30th September

Dear Y4 Parent/Carer,

As part of our Geography fieldwork this half term, we are planning to walk to Hemingfield Rec on Monday 30^th September. We will be leaving school to begin the walk at 9:15am and will be back in time for school lunch.

Please send your child to school with a water bottle, suitable footwear and a waterproof warm coat, in case we have a change in weather at the end of the month.

Our extra-curricular and sporting trip form covers local walks and there is no requirement for you to give your consent to this trip.

Kind regards

The Y4 Team

Correspondence 24^th September

Y3/4 Colour Run Event – Thursday 26th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to attend a 2km Y3/4 colour run event at Horizon School on Thursday 26^th September. The route will be marshalled so the children will know where to go around the simple route. The aim is to inspire participants to continue their physical activity journey.

The event will start at 1pm and should finish by 2:15pm. Your child will have lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus, at 12:20pm.

Children will need to bring old clothes comfortable for running in. It is more effective if the children are in white t shirts, and they will need to bring a top or a coat for afterwards to keep the bus clean. They will need their water bottles and inhalers if they require them. As the event will be held outdoors, it would be useful to bring warm clothes for when they are spectating.

If your child wishes to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes, they are permitted to do so, however this is not essential.

Parents are unfortunately unable to spectate on this occasion.

The cost of the trip will be funded using the Sports Premium Grant and therefore your child requires no money for the event.

If you do not wish your child to take part, please let us know, and they will remain in school for the afternoon.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 24^th September

Foundation Stage Workshop Reminder – Tuesday 24th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

This is reminder about our free workshop for all parents, carers and grandparents of children within our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) tomorrow, Tuesday 24^thSeptember, at 4.30pm for approximately 1 hour.

The workshop ‘What to expect in the Early Years’ will be held in the ICT Suite and will start at 4.30pm. If you have requested a child care place, Mrs Wise will be running a small creche in the school library. Please drop your child off there before making your way to the ICT Suite.

Refreshments will be available free of charge.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst & Mrs T Pollard

Correspondence 20^th September

The Great Cable Challenge

Dear Parents,

We have been invited by the Policy and Compliance Team at Barnsley Council to join ‘The Great Cable Challenge’, a project to promote the re-cycling of e-waste, especially cables. Cables are full of valuable metals, however, most of them end up in landfills or incinerators.

We will be sent a pop-up box to use as a collection point on October 14^th, the first day of Recycle Week, where children and their families can bring unwanted or broken cables. This will help make a difference to the environment and save some precious metals from going to waste.

Thank you for your support.

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 20^th September

Y1 Information and Reminders

Dear Parents,

Having been in Y1 now for three weeks, I just wanted to send a message with a few ‘thank yous’ and reminders.

Firstly, thank you so much for all your help in settling the children into Y1 so quickly and the support you have shown the Y1 staff. We are so impressed with how they have coped with the numerous changes from FS2 to Y1 and are really pleased at how they have embraced the KS1 busy timetable and all the new things they have been shown. We recognise that they are tired at the end of a day, but have to praise them for the number of things they are getting through at school every day. Please give them all a well-deserved cuddle and a pat on the back!

Thank you for your patience at the end of the day. We are getting quicker and please forgive us if we are still asking which child you are here for. There are a lot of new faces to learn but we are getting there.

We are very impressed at the number of children who have remembered PE kits on the correct days and book bags. It really helps us when the children have all they need so please continue to do this.

Thank you also for providing your child with a pair of pumps and wellies. If you haven’t had chance to bring any wellies in yet, then please could you do so as the grass in our outdoor area, which we use every Thursday, is getting a little wet.

Well done to everyone who has managed to log onto Seesaw, Spelling Shed and Class Dojo. If you are having difficulty with any of these things, please do just ask.

A few reminders:

Homework and spellings are being set on a Friday and are due in the following Friday. The homework is very quick and should not take more than 15 minutes for both the video and the maths. There are 5 spellings every week and it is really key that children try their best to learn these. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic wand to wave to help children learn to spell (if there was, every teacher would buy one!) it really is just lots of practise.

Please read regularly with your child at home and record this in your child’s reading diary. Short bursts of reading have the most impact and at this early stage of learning to read, it is proven that lots of re-reading of phonics books is essential for them to build up the fluency needed to help them when they move into Y2. This is why we only change the books once a week. Ideally your child needs to read the book at least 3 times a week to reap the benefits. Please trust in the Read Write Inc scheme as it is based on lots and lots of educational research.

Can I please remind everyone of a few things which are not allowed in school, but that we have noticed some children are starting to bring in.

Our jewellery policy states only small stud earrings and a watch (if you feel your child is ready for one – at this young age, they can be a big distraction as they do tend to end up ‘playing’ with them). They are not allowed bracelets and necklaces.

Children are encouraged to bring water in their bottles (we have noticed a few bottles of juice). If this causes a problem, please come and see me so we can discuss it.

No nuts at all in lunchboxes please as we do have children with nut allergies. This includes Nutella based things.

Please do not attach keyring toys etc to rucksacks and books bags or allow children to bring toys into school. Unfortunately, our cloakrooms are very small and the same with storage spaces for 27 book bags. These are currently causing a problem at the moment, as not only are they taking up space, children are wanting to play with them and get upset if they fall off or are damaged. The children are very good at working out which are their things and do not need large keyrings to identify their belongings.

Please ensure everything is named, especially jumpers and cardigans. We know how expensive things are to buy and it makes it so difficult to find the owner if things are not named. We want to help you get your belongings back if they are lost.

One slight change I have made to the week, having looked at our very busy Friday afternoon timetable of PE, computing and gold awards, is that ‘Recommended Read Library Books’ will be changed on a Thursday, not a Friday. Please ensure if your child wants to change it, that they have it in school on that day.

I recognise that this is a lot of information, but I really want to ensure your child makes the most of every minute at school, to ensure we maximise learning time. By working together, I know we can help all our amazing Y1 superstars have the best year possible.

A massive thank you for all your support so far this year. We really are having a wonderful time in Y1 and I am so proud of each and every child.

Kind regards

Mrs C Trotter

Correspondence 19^th September

Y6 Artsmark Project

Dear Y6 Parents and Carers,

We are excited to inform you that our Y6 class has been selected to take part in an Artsmark project. This project will run throughout the school year and offer a range of opportunities with artists in residence and enrichment activities. The first project the class will be working on is linked to Barnsley Bright Nights, with pupils contributing and possibly participating in the event.

This project has been funded by The Arts Council England and is facilitated by Fusion (Barnsley Cultural and Educational Partnership) and Mrs Brinkley, with an action research project running alongside the exciting opportunities that will be offered to the class. The research project is investigating the question ‘Why arts and creativity is so important to supporting children and young people’s mental health?’ As part of the research aspect of the project, the researchers may seek parental views on this. As a school, we are committed to offering a broad and balanced curriculum and feel that this project offers our children unique opportunities. We are one of only two schools in the Barnsley area to be selected to take part.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Brinkley, who is excited about this project and more than willing to answer any queries.

Many thanks,

Y6 Team

Correspondence 19^th September

School Milk Registration Information

This email originated from outside the theellis.org domain. Please treat any links and attachments with caution.

Dear Parents,

The School Food Standards legislation states that lower fat milk must be available for all pupils during the day and should be offered free of charge for children who are eligible for benefits-based free school meals.

Please find attached a flyer from School Milk, our milk provider, containing everything you need to know regarding registering for an account.

Parent Registration Letter

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 18^th September

Foundation Stage Library Session Reminder

Dear Parents/ Carers,

We are pleased to announce that we will be reintroducing our EYFS Library Session in the School Library, every second week, beginning Thursday 19^thSeptember for Nursery children and their families and Friday 20^th September for Reception children and their families. This will be a ‘pop in pop out’ session where you can spend a short time choosing a book with your child.

We hope that you are able to attend with your child.

Here is a reminder of how our library sessions will run:

Please bring your child into the School library via the main school entrance between 8:15am-8:40am. We do not expect you to stay for the full duration as this is a drop in session.
Please remember that Nursery library is every second Thursday starting 19^th September and Reception library is every second Friday starting 20^th September.
The library will be set up with books and stories appropriate for your child. Please help your child to choose a book to take home.
Once you have chosen a book, please sign the book out using the sign in/sign out forms (there will be an adult to support you with this process)
If siblings are to attend this session, please remember they must stay with their adult at all times and respect our library session.
After you have chosen and signed out your child’s book, please leave via the main office entrance. Nursery/Reception will open as usual on library day.
When you return your child’s book on the following session, please remember to acknowledge this return on the sign in/ sign out form. Your child can then select a new story to take home.

If you have any questions regarding our new library sessions, please see your child’s class teacher.

Many thanks and kind regards,

The Early Years Team.

Wednesday 18^th September

Allergy Information for Cooking Lesson

Dear Parents/Carers,

This half term, our DT topic is Cooking and Nutrition: Eating Seasonally. Over the next few lessons, we will be developing our cutting and peeling skills for different fruits and vegetables, tasting different fruits and vegetables and making our own seasonal tarts.

The ingredients we will be using is:

puff pastry

tomato puree

pesto

cheese

red cabbage

cucumber

radish

spring onion

spinach

peppers

asparagus

Please could you let us know by next Wednesday if your child has an allergies to any of these ingredients.

Thank you,

The Year 3 Team

Correspondence Tuesday 17^th September

Macmillian Cancer Support Colour Run – July 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

July seems like a distant memory now, however I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to support us at the colour run on 16^th July. We had a brilliant afternoon and it was a fantastic way to end the summer term. There were many smiling faces and the atmosphere was amazing!

Our reasons for holding the colour run were to raise funds and increase awareness towards Macmillan Cancer Support charity and the incredible work that they do. I am pleased to say that, as a school, we have sent £200 to the charity from donations and proceeds from the cake sale. I know many families also raised sponsorship and made donations directly to the charity.

Once again, thank you to all involved, whether you were brave enough to run the course, you donated baked goods, or you bought a cake or two on the day. We couldn’t have held the event and sent such a large donation to the charity without your generosity and support.

Kind regards

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 17^th September

F2/Y1 Phonics Parent Workshop – Monday 7th October

Dear Parent/Carer,

F2 / Y1 Phonics Parent Workshop

We are holding a phonics workshop on Monday 7^th October at 4.30pm in the hall.

During this session, we will explain how phonics is taught in school and the ways in which you can support your child effectively at home. You will also have the opportunity to see the resources we use in school on a daily basis and to ask any questions.

Please note that for any of our Y1 parents who may have attended the phonics workshop last year, this will be a refresher course, however, we encourage as many people as possible to attend.

Kind Regards

Mr Grayhurst and Mrs Trotter

Correspondence 16^th September

Secondary School Open Evenings

Dear Parent/Carer,

Please see attached details of the secondary school open evenings in our area.

Secondary School Open Evenings 2024

Kind Regards

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 16^th September

Meet and Greet Coffee Afternoon and ‘The Graduated Response’ Speaker – Wednesday 18th September 2:15pm

Dear All Parents and Carers,

On Wednesday 18^th of September at 2:15pm, we would like to invite you to a coffee afternoon with the purpose of meeting Mrs Edwards, our headteacher, Mrs Wise, our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), Mrs Gay, our Parent Support Advisor, and to listen to a talk by Frances Whayman from the Local Authority SEND team about The Graduated Response.

To help us manage numbers, please email office@theellis.org if you will be attending.

Many thanks,

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 16^th September

Ellis Information

Dear Parents/Carers,

We would like to let you know that there has recently been a couple of incidents where strangers have approached children after school in the Tankersley and Birdwell areas. Whilst these incidents have not resulted in any harm, we wanted to make you aware so you can speak with your children, particularly those who have permission to walk home alone, about the importance of being cautious around strangers and what steps to take if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Please remind your child to:

Stay alert and be aware of their surroundings and avoid engaging with strangers.
Seek help if approached by someone they don’t know, they should move to a safe place and seek help from a trusted adult.
Stick to routes that are well known and safe when walking home.

If you have any concerns or notice any suspicious activity, please do not hesitate to contact the school or local police.

Parking Safely

Whilst we understand that parking at school drop off and collection is a constant pressure for everyone, please be considerate to our community when parking. We sadly have had complaints from our neighbours that cars are parking unsafely at the bottom of Garden Grove, making it dangerous for pedestrians crossing the road, and for cars exiting onto School Street. We continue to recommend parking a 5 minute walk away from school, this is healthier for us and better for the environment.

We thank you for your support with these matters.

Kind Regards

Emily Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 16^th September

KS2 Girls Football Tournament – Friday 20th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a KS2 Football Tournament at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 20^th September. The event will start at 1pm and will finish before 3pm. Children will return to school for the normal finishing time.

Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus, at 12:30pm.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 13^th September

Foundation Stage Library Sessions

Dear Parents/ Carers,

We hope that you are able to attend with your child.

Here is a reminder of how our library sessions will run:

Please bring your child into the School library via the main school entrance between 8:15am-8:40am. We do not expect you to stay for the full duration as this is a drop in session.
Please remember that Nursery library is every second Thursday starting 19^th September and Reception library is every second Friday starting 20^th September.
The library will be set up with books and stories appropriate for your child. Please help your child to choose a book to take home.
Once you have chosen a book, please sign the book out using the sign in/sign out forms (there will be an adult to support you with this process)
If siblings are to attend this session, please remember they must stay with their adult at all times and respect our library session.
After you have chosen and signed out your child’s book, please leave via the main office entrance. Nursery/Reception will open as usual on library day.
When you return your child’s book on the following session, please remember to acknowledge this return on the sign in/ sign out form. Your child can then select a new story to take home.

If you have any questions regarding our new library sessions, please see your child’s class teacher.

Many thanks and kind regards,

The Early Years Team.

Correspondence 12^th September

Attendance and Punctuality Procedures

form should be collected from Mrs Gay, completed fully and handed in to the office.

Generally, the DfE DOES NOT consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.

If we have reason to believe your child is on holiday, and no form has been handed in, you will receive a ‘Reason to Believe’ letter.

If a leave of absence form is not handed in then your child could be classed as a child missing education.

Attendance and punctuality will be taken into account prior to a decision being made with regards to exceptional circumstances.

Please note that attendance and punctuality are monitored rigorously both by school and the Education Welfare Service. When a child’s attendance level drops below 96.7% parents will receive a phone call and may be asked for evidence of a doctor’s appointment regarding any further absences. Mrs Gay will work with parents to improve attendance as

poor attendance at school can result in fines for parents.

If attendance does not improve then a referral to the Education Welfare Service will be made as they may be able to offer different strategies that may work for you and your family.

If your child’s attendance drops below 90%, it is classed as persistent absence and you will be asked to attend a meeting to discuss how we can improve your child’s attendance.

From September 2019, there is a revised code of conduct for issuing penalty notices please read the following:

Revised Code of Conduct for the issuing of Penalty Notices to parents for unauthorised pupil absence or leave of absence from school September 2019.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC) has now received Council Cabinet approval for changes to the Code of Conduct regarding the issuing of Penalty Notices which are to be implemented from the 2^nd September 2019. (See appendix 1). The proposed changes to the Code of Conduct were circulated to Schools, Academies, Governing Bodies, Chief Executives of Academy Trusts and the Chief of Police for Barnsley as part of the consultation period which commenced on the 18^th January 2019 and concluded on the 15^th February 2019.

The changes to the Code of Conduct are:

The removal of the following criteria which Headteachers were required to consider under the current Code of Conduct when assessing the merits of a leave of absence request during term time:

previous periods of leave of absence
leave of absences taken in the first term
exams and assessments
employers’ letter(s)
removal of school attendance target

Under the new Code, Penalty Notices will be issued if any of following three conditions applies:

A pupil has accrued five or more consecutive days of unauthorised leave of absence for a holiday in term time
If due to sporadic unauthorised absences (10 sessions in a rolling period of 10 weeks which can be a combination of Holidays in term time, Unauthorised absence and Lates after register closed), The period of 10 weeks can also span different school years and terms e.g., 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the summer term and a further 8 in the autumn term.
Support to improve attendance where needed is in place and is not working and a notice to improve letter has been issued.
An excluded pupil present in a public place without justification, during the school hours of the school day where the pupil is on roll, during the first five days of each fixed period or permanent exclusion

Legal Context

The Education Welfare Service Issues Penalty Notices on behalf of all schools and academies across Barnsley as part of the Council’s statutory duties. Penalty Notices are issued by the Local Authority at the request of Headteachers (or designated Deputy). Prior to any request, the school must ensure that they can evidence that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the parent/carer has committed an offence under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996. The offence relates to the unauthorised absence during the period in question and not the non-payment of the fine, therefore, schools must consider each case on its own merits to ensure it passes the evidential test.

Section 444(1) Offence: failure to secure regular attendance at school of registered pupil.

(1)If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, his parent is guilty of an offence

Impact on Attendance

The changes will provide clarity across the system which has been lacking since the Supreme Court hearing in April 2017 and the continued delay in the issuing of revised guidance from the DfE. The proposal will ensure that Barnsley is aligned with other Local Authorities across the country that have amended their respective Codes. The proposal will further promote to families the importance of consistent attendance and this will support the ongoing efforts of schools and the Council in raising awareness of children, young people and families of the impact that attendance has on their education and longer-term outcomes. The proposal is part of a strategy across the Council and the Barnsley Alliance to improve attendance.

Please remember all holidays in term time are classed as unauthorised absences unless there are exceptional circumstances that have been discussed with school, and;

failure to inform school with a reason for any absence is classed as an unauthorised absence, which can also lead to a fine.

Attendance statistics are collected regularly throughout the year by the DfES and in order for school to achieve a good attendance record we rely on the support of parents/carers.

If you are experiencing any issues or need some support, please contact Mrs Gay.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that we have good attendance and punctuality rates.

Yours sincerely

Mrs T. Gay

PSA / Attendance Officer

Correspondence 12^th September

Y5 Geography Fieldwork Trip – Monday 7th October

Please note: ‘The information below will also have been shared on our Class Dojo story. If you have not yet signed up for the Class Dojo platform, then please do. It is a great way of finding class specific information.

Dear Y5 Parent/Carers,

We are planning a Year 5 Geography Fieldwork Trip to Elsecar Reservoir on Monday 7^th October 2024. This is linked to our ‘Why do oceans matter?’ learning and will be an opportunity to observe and collect data about a local marine environment. This will give us a chance to use field study skills and to make links between our learning about the ocean and the bodies of water in our locality. We will be making a sketch map, collecting data on plants, animals and litter and making observational drawings of key human impact on the area.

We will be leaving school after registration at 8:45am, walking along the canal to Elsecar Park, walking around the reservoir and stopping at three points to make tally charts regarding any litter in the area, observations of animals and plants and drawings of key geographical features. We intend to be in school for lunch, however we may eat slightly later than our usual time.

On the day of the trip, your child will need school uniform, a waterproof coat, suitable footwear for a potentially muddy walk, and a water bottle. We suggest pupils bring a rucksack in which to carry their water, as they will also be carrying clipboards for data collection.

We ask that you give permission for your child to take part in this trip via ParentPay, which you may do so straightaway at www.parentpay.com

Kind regards,

Mrs Wise

Correspondence 12^th September

50 Recommended Reads

Dear Y1-Y6 Parents,

Exciting news! As a school we have purchased a set of 50 brand new books for each class, Y1 – Y6. These are called ’50 Recommended Reads’ and the packs have been put together by a team of experts, who have selected the best 50 books for each year group. They cover a variety of themes, from classic stories to modern adventures and include a range of picture books, non-fiction books, chapter books and poetry collections. They are stunning books which we hope our children will love to read. The children will soon be able to choose a book to bring home and will regularly change these books in school.

As we have spent a considerable amount, we would like these books to bring enjoyment to our children for years to come. We kindly ask, therefore, that they are well looked after when they are brought home.

We have spoken to the children around the importance of looking after all books and that they need to be returned to school in the same condition they were taken home. If any book is returned damaged or defaced, parents will be required to cover the cost of purchasing a new book.

Please see the list below for the list of 50 Recommended Reads and we look forward to the children having many hours of pleasure reading them.

https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards

Correspondence 12^th September

Ellis Information

Dear Parents,

Free School Meals

To find out more information on free school meals and how to apply, please see the attached flyer.

FSM flyer

F2 and Y6 National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

Please see the attached poster for further details on this programme for F2 and Y6 children.

National Child Measurement Programme Poster

Health Protection Public Health

As we head into the autumn and winter seasons, the Health Protection Public Health team at Barnsley Council would like to share the following information and attachments:

Pharmacy First leaflet (information on using your local pharmacy to treat certain conditions)
When can my child return to school poster (to support making decisions regarding sending children to school)

Barnsley schools Pharmacy First

When can my child return to school Barnsley

Thank you

The Ellis Office

Correspondence 11^th September

Y5/6 Football Tournament – Friday 13th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

Your child has been selected to represent the school in a Football Tournament at Hoyland Common Primary School on Friday 13^th September. The event will start at 1pm and will finish before 3pm. Children will return to school for the normal finishing time.

Your child will have their lunch before travelling to the venue, which will be by minibus, at 12:30pm.

Parents are unable to spectate on this occasion.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact me at school.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead/ Y3 Teacher

Correspondence 11^th September

Swimming Lessons – Friday 13th September

Dear Parents,

A reminder of your child’s swimming lesson details for Friday are below:

Swimming sessions begin on Friday 13th September 2024 for 7 weeks until Friday 25th October. Swimming lessons will recommence on Friday 8^th November for a further 5 weeks until Friday 6th December 2024.

Your child will need to bring a swimming bag containing:

Swimming costume or trunks

Girls should have a one piece bathing suit, no Bikinis or Tankinis.

Boys should wear swimming shorts, but these should be tight fitting and should not be longer than the middle of the thigh.

Bath towel
Swimming Cap (for all children)
Goggles (optional, however, not advised unless for medical reasons, eg. Prescription goggles).
Jewellery No jewellery can be worn. This includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces etc.
Ear Piercing. Any children who have their ears pierced in the 12 week programme will not be allowed to attend lessons unless they take the earrings out.

If your child does not have a swimming cap, please send £2 in a labelled envelope on the day to purchase one at the centre. All monies should be handed to reception before registration.

Any medication your child may require, such as asthma medication, will be taken to the pool. Please ensure that, if your child has asthma, a spare reliever inhaler is available for them to use during the school day, by leaving one with our office staff.

Parents are not allowed to come along to spectate during the swimming lessons.

Thank you

Kay Dodd

Correspondence 11^th September

Y5 PGL Residential Trip 2025

Dear Y5 Parents and Carers,

We are delighted to let you know we have provisionally booked our Y5 residential trip for next year, at PGL Caythorpe Court, for 31st March – 2nd April 2025.

We have chosen the dates of the trip in order to secure a more reasonable price of approximately £250. This includes transport costs but will depend on the number of children going.

The booking is only being held for a short period, therefore we will need to confirm numbers by Monday 16^th September. Please reply to this email to confirm if your child would like a place. This will give an initial indication of interest and allow us time to put the deposit on ParentPay for you. Please note that if you do not get in touch, we will assume that you do not want a place for your child on the trip.

To secure your child’s place, an initial deposit of £40 will be due by Friday 27^th September. A further interim payment of £55 will be due on or before Friday 13^th December. The remaining balance will be due by Friday 24^th January. As always, there is the option to pay in small, regular amounts if you prefer to spread the cost of the visit, as long as the deadlines are met.

We would like to inform you of PGL’s cancellation costs below:

4-8 weeks before travel – 60% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

2-4 weeks before travel – 80% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

2 weeks or less before travel – 100% of the whole balance is retained/needs to be paid.

As soon as we have final numbers, we will be able to give an exact costings, however we do not envisage this to be over £255 per child. If there are less than 14 children, unfortunately the trip will not be able to go ahead.

For more information about this trip and the types of activities on offer please visit:

http://www.pgl.co.uk/PGLWeb/Schools/Primary-schools/adventure/centres/CaythorpeCourt_activities

Primary School Residential Trips | PGL Education

Looking for a fun and educational primary school residential trip? Look no further than PGL! With over 50 years of experience, we can provide the perfect trip for your students. Visit our website today to learn more! www.pgl.co.uk

If you have any questions about the trip, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Wise.

Please note participation on this trip will be dependent on consistent good behaviour in school.

Many thanks,

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 10^th September

Foundation Stage Workshop – Tuesday 24th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

We will be running a free workshop for all parents, carers and grandparents of children within our Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) on Tuesday 24^thSeptember at 4.30pm for approximately 1 hour.

The workshop will focus on ‘What to expect in the Early Years’ and will offer you a valuable insight into how to support your child’s learning and development whilst they are in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Refreshments will be available free of charge. Childcare will also be available for children in F1 and F2 for the duration of the course.

A letter is going out about this workshop at the end of the school day. If you would like to attend the workshop, please complete and return the slip at the bottom of the letter to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Mr D Grayhurst & Mrs T Pollard

Correspondence 10^th September

Y2 Whirlow Farm Residential 2025

Dear Y2 Parents,

As some of you may be aware, we run an annual 2-night residential trip for our Y2 children to Whirlow Farm in Sheffield. In July, we took 29 Y2s and we had an absolutely brilliant time! Our Y2 Whirlow residential is a wonderful experience and one which our current Y6 children talk about fondly from when they visited all those years ago! This will also be the 10th year we have run the residential!

On one of the days, the children will have the opportunity to take part in a farm tour where they will have the chance to meet lots of farm animals and to help out with the farm jobs (e.g. feeding the animals, grooming them and handling some of the smaller animals). On the second day, the school staff will walk the children to Forge Dam, approximately 1.2 miles away, which has a large duck pond, lovely play area, picnic spots, woodland area and stream which we love paddling in (it is very shallow only coming up to ankle-level and staff are in the water with the children) and yummy ice cream! In the evenings, we will do lots of activities with the children, depending on the weather, including playing games and sports, baking and playing board games and quizzes together. The children will also work together (alongside the school teaching staff) to prepare meals, make packed lunches and wash up! It really is a big team effort but an amazing opportunity for the children to develop their independence in a small, safe environment.

As a parent myself with two children, I realise that it is hard to ever imagine that your own child will be ready for an overnight stay but this residential is a lovely way to let them experience an overnight stay with their friends and teachers they know well in a small, homely and calm environment. Having taught KS1 for many years now, it still staggers me how much the children grow up and change between the end of Year 1 and the end of Year 2. They really do grow in confidence, independence and resilience over the year. Having run this trip for many years now, I can say first-hand that the children gain so much from such an experience and that it provides them with lasting memories. I will be personally accompanying each group with another member of staff from school.

With regards cost, we are unable to give an exact figure until we know how many children will be going (as the hall and coach are a set price regardless of whether it is at full capacity of 12 children or not). I envisage that it will not cost more than £115 based on previous years and may be slightly lower depending on numbers. This will include 2 nights’ accommodation, food, return travel by minibus and all the activities children undertake whilst they are there. Payments can be spread throughout the year and once we have numbers, we will be able to send out a final price and a payment schedule.

Mon 30th June – Wed 2nd July 2025 (first group)

Wed 2nd July – Fri 4th July 2025 (second group)

Mon 7th July – Wed 9th July 2025 (third group)

NB – group 1 and group 2 swap over on Wednesday lunchtime. Group 2 are collected from school mid-morning on Wed 2nd July and are taken to Whirlow and dropped off and group 1 are then returned to school on the same minibus.

As we are only able to hold our provisional booking for a certain number of days, please can you reply to this email by Friday 20th September 2024 confirming whether or not your child would like a place. When we have confirmed numbers, I will be able to confirm the exact price. I will then send out payment schedules and details of how to pay on Parent Pay.

Please note participation in this trip will be dependent on consistent good behaviour in school.

Kind regards

Mrs Trotter (Y1 teacher and KS1 leader)

Correspondence 9^th September

Ellis information – Important Dates 2024/25

Dear Parent,

Please find attached our list of important dates for the 2024/25 academic year.

Important Dates 2024-25

Thank you

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 9^th September

Ellis Information – Earrings during PE

Dear Parent,

Every year, schools face questions regarding the wearing of earrings in PE. The National guidance has always been that no jewellery should be worn in PE and that includes swimming and physical activity. It is also not safe to cover earrings, studs or sleepers with tape. The reason is both because of the potential tearing of the ear lobe, but also the very slim chance that the post of the earring could damage the neck, which is where the brachial nerve is running directly to the brain. There are anecdotal cases of children wearing earrings and studs with plasters over being hit by a ball or having a collision, and suffering from injuries as a consequence. There have been awful cases involving jewellery in PE and physical activity, and we are protecting against that happening.

Unfortunately, children and staff are not allowed to help each other to take out earrings. With the children being so young they could potentially cause injury to each other taking them out and also need to be ready themselves for the lesson.

We understand that ears can take time to heal, and if done at the start of the summer holidays then this healing period should be coming towards an end. Therefore, up until October half term we will allow children to wear plastic retainers but only the ones given free from the school office to ensure that these are fully safe, however they may not be sterile. After October half term no retainers will be allowed for PE and if children cannot remove their own earrings, then unfortunately, they will be unable to take part in PE and sporting events.

Once fully healed, it may be beneficial for your child not to wear earrings on PE days to minimise the time taken to prepare for, and after the lesson.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

Wider Curriculum Lead

Correspondence 9^th September

F2/Y1 Thursday Footy Stars After School Club

Dear F2/Y1 Parent,

There are spaces available on Thursdays Footy Stars after school club. The club is led by Adrian Barnard, a qualified football coach and costs £2.50, payable directly to Adrian. Parents must remain with their child at this club. Please book your child’s place on ParentPay.

Thank you

Kay Dodd

Correspondence 5^th September

Flu Vaccination Programme – Thursday 21st November 2024

Dear F2-Y6 Parents,

Barnsley School Aged Immunisation Service will be visiting school on Thursday 21^st November to deliver the flu vaccination programme for our pupils, F2-Y6.

Please see the attached information on how to give consent for your child.

Flu Invitation Letter 2024

Poster

Thank you

Hayley Fiddes

Correspondence 5^th September

Y2 After School Girls Football Club

Dear Parents,

Due to low numbers, we have decided to open up the after school club below to Year 2 girls. If your child would like a place, please book this on ParentPay. There are limited places so it will be first come first served.

Wednesday

KS2 Girls Football, Free of charge with a coach from Complete Coaching Solutions.

Thank you

Hayley Fiddes

Correspondence 5^th September

Trinity St Edward’s Information

Dear Y6 Parents,

We have been asked to email the attached letter and open evening information to our current Year 6 parents.

Trinity Academy St Edward’s – Reminder Letter

Trinity Academy St Edward’s – Open Evening

Thank you

Hayley Fiddes

Correspondence 4^th September

Meet and Greet Coffee Afternoon and ‘The Graduated Response’ Speaker – Wednesday 18th September 2:15pm

Dear All Parents and Carers,

On Wednesday the 18^th of September at 2:15pm, we would like to invite you to a coffee afternoon with the purpose of meeting Mrs Edwards, our headteacher, Mrs Wise, our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), Mrs Gay, our PSA, and to listen to a talk by Frances Whayman from the Local Authority SEND team about The Graduated Response.

To help us manage numbers, please email office@theellis.org if you will be attending.

Many thanks,

The Ellis Team

Correspondence 4^th September

Full Time School Reception Place September 2025 Information

Dear Nursery Parent,

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ

If your child was born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021, they will be bringing home an envelope today containing information about how to apply for a full time school place in September 2025.

We strongly recommend that you apply for a school place online because you will receive an email confirmation that your application has been received. If you don’t receive an email, you MUST contact the Admissions Department at Barnsley Council on 01226 773677.

If you do not live within Barnsley you should apply to the authority where you pay your council tax.

In addition to the above, if you or your child attend a Church and you are applying for a Voluntary Aided School including The Ellis, then you should support your application by completing a Supplementary Information Form. These are available within the online admissions system or from the admissions team. Please note, this is NOT the formal application form.

The closing date for applications is 15 January 2025.

Please be aware that the school does not have access to check who has applied for our school until after the closing date, therefore we would appreciate it if you can inform us that you have applied online and have received an email confirmation.

Should you have any queries, or require any support completing your application, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

Yours sincerely

Mrs E Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 4^th September

Secondary School Application Information

Dear Y6 Parents,

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ

Your child will be bringing home an envelope today containing information about how to apply for a Secondary school place in September 2025.

We strongly recommend that you apply for a school place online because you will receive an email confirming that your application has been received. If you do not receive an email, you MUST contact the Admissions Department at Barnsley Council on 01226 773677.

If you do not live within Barnsley, you should apply to the authority where you pay your council tax.

In addition to the above, if you or your child attend a Church and you are applying for a Voluntary Aided School, then you should support your application by completing a Supplementary Information Form. These are available within the online admissions system or from the admissions team. Please note, this is NOT the formal application form.

The closing date for applications is 30 November 2024.

Please be aware that the school does not have access to check who has applied for Secondary school until after the closing date, therefore we would appreciate it if you can inform us that you have applied online and have received an email confirmation.

Should you have any queries, or require any support completing your application, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Edwards

Headteacher

Correspondence 3^rd September

Class Dojo

Dear Parents,

You may remember, before the summer, we announced that we would no longer be using X (formerly Twitter) to share children’s learning. We have opted to use Class dojo instead as it offers a safer environment for us to connect with our families. Tomorrow, your child will come home with a paper invite to enable you to access the school and class accounts, please check their book bag.

Below is a guide to connecting with us; it can be found online here: https://help.classdojo.com/hc/en-us/articles/202047699-Connecting-to-Your-Child-s-Class-via-a-Parent-Code#h_01HAN5D32A2J8RD4W0H74QWF0Y

This is a new platform for us all and we may experience a few teething issues, however, there are some key bits of information we’d like to share before we start. Whilst there is a messaging option on the platform, we request that you do not use this as this feature as it will not be checked regularly. Please continue to communicate either face to face with your child’s class teacher or speak to the office.

We would, however, like to encourage you to comment on posts and talk to your children about their learning. Any inappropriate comments will be removed.

As it is a closed platform, we kindly request that you do not share posts on other social media platforms as we have children in school who cannot be online for safeguarding reasons. If you don’t want your child’s photograph to be on Dojo please email the office by Monday 9^th September.

There are plenty of guides available on the class dojo website if you are unsure of anything, however, please get in touch if you are struggling to access it.

Thank you for your support with this change.

Kind regards

Mrs Edwards and The Ellis Team

Connecting to Your Child’s Class via a Parent Code

Parent codes are unique to each child and allow parents to connect with their child’s teacher on ClassDojo. Each parent code can be used by up to three parents and guardians, making it easy for everyone to stay connected!

All parent accounts linked to a code are separate and private. All connected parents can view the student’s reports and any posts made to the Class Story or Portfolios. However, individual messages exchanged between each account holder and the teacher remain private.

Please note: Parent codes can only be obtained from your child’s teacher. If you haven’t received one yet, please reach out directly to the teacher to get yours!

Learn how to create a parent account using the web, iOS, or Android device below.

From the Web

Here’s how to use a parent code to connect to your child’s class on the ClassDojo website:

Log into your parent account. (If you do not have a parent account yet, please create a parent account.)
On the left side of the screen, click the purple “+ Add a child”
Click “Add child using code”
Enter the code and then click “Verify code” to connect.

iOS

Here’s how to use a parent code to connect to your child’s class on the iOS app:

Log into your parent account on the iOS app. (If you do not have a parent account yet, please create a parent account.)
Tap on the “Kids” tab at the bottom of the screen
Tap the purple “+ Add code” button
Enter the code and then click the “Submit” button to connect

Android

Here’s how to use a parent code to connect to your child’s class on the Android app:

Log into your parent account on the Android app. (If you do not have a parent account yet, please create a parent account).
Tap on the “Kids” tab at the bottom of the screen
Tap the purple “Add code” button
Enter the code and then click the “Submit” button to connect

TUTORIAL VIDEO- https://help.classdojo.com/hc/en-us/articles/202047699-Connecting-to-Your-Child-s-Class-via-a-Parent-Code#h_01HAN5D32A2J8RD4W0H74QWF0Y

Correspondence 3^rd September

Y3 Information

Dear Parent,

We look forward to welcoming your child into Y3 tomorrow.

At the end of the day, please collect your child from the Y3 classroom. We would kindly ask you not to arrive before 3:10pm, to minimise distractions, as children will be getting ready for home time.

Thank you

The Y3 Team

Correspondence 2^nd September

New After School Clubs

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are happy to announce that you can now use ParentPay to book your child onto our after school clubs for the next half term.

Our new after school clubs will be displayed within ‘Pay for other items’ when you log into your ParentPay account. Once you have made a booking, you will secure your child’s place for the full half term and do not need to select each week individually. If there are dates when a club will not run, for example inset days or during the last week of the summer term, the date will not be displayed in the booking calendar.

As our clubs are free of charge (Footy Stars is payable directly to Adrian), you do not need to complete the checkout process and confirming your booking will secure your child’s place on the club.

Bookings for our clubs will remain open until 11:59pm on Thursday 5^th September.

Our clubs run straight after school until 4:15pm.

Here is the list of our clubs that will be running after half term.

Please remember to use ParentPay to book your child’s place on our clubs.

Monday

Y1/2 Multi Skills, Free of charge with a coach from Complete Coaching Solutions

Tuesday

Y4-6 Football, Free of charge with a coach from Complete Coaching Solutions.

Tuesday

Y3 Craft/Lego Club, Free of charge with Mrs Willis.

Wednesday

KS2 Girls Football, Free of charge with a coach from Complete Coaching Solutions.

Thursday

F2/Y1 Footy Stars, £2.50 paid to Adrian Barnard, a qualified football coach. Parents must remain with their child at this club. There are a maximum of 12 places.

Please ensure your child has their PE kit with them. If your child will not be attending club one week, please inform us to avoid any confusion and also so we can make sure they do not get changed at the end of the school day.

Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding our after school clubs or the new booking system.

Kind Regards

The Office Team

The EllisChurch Of England Primary School

School Communication

Section 444(1) Offence: failure to secure regular attendance at school of registered pupil.