Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Hometime Harmony starts next week!

  Thu 20 Apr 2023

  On Monday 24th April, Greswold will be launching a new initiative in school in response to feedback given by school councillors and the wider pupil population on the subject of hometime routines.  The campaign is entitled 'Hometime Harmony'. 

   

  It promotes seven different aspects of hometime routines which currently impact some pupils in challenging and somewhat negative ways.  It is our intention to encourage all parents and families to become more aware of these simple routines and, with the help of year 6 pupils who have designed clear, eye-catching and thought-provoking posters to advertise the campaign, our whole school community can work together to improve the education and lives of our younger people even further.    

   

  Please take the time to view the poster gallery below and read the dedicated Hometime Harmony page in the Parents section of the website.  You can use the link below to access it quicker. 

   

  https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/hometime-harmony/

   

  Thank you  

  

• Greswold Primary wins award for young carer support!

  Mon 17 Apr 2023

  We are pleased to announce that Greswold Primary school has been given a Bronze award for their work to make sure students don’t miss out on an education because they are young carers. 

   

  The Young Carers in Schools programme helps primary and secondary schools improve outcomes for young carers and celebrates good practice through the Young Carers in Schools Award.

  Young carers are responsible for emotional, practical or physical care for a parent, sibling or other family member who has a physical disability, mental health issue or substance misuse issue. The 2011 Census statistics revealed that there are just over 166,000 young carers in England, but research reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The true figure could be closer to 800,000 young carers in England, equivalent to one in 5 secondary aged school children many of whom are unrecognised and unsupported. 

   

  Research carried out by Carers Trust and The Children's Society shows that, on average, young carers miss or cut short 48 school days a year and often have lower levels of self-confidence, mental wellbeing and significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE level, because of their caring role. Ofsted's Common Inspection Framework states that inspectors will look at how well schools support young carers.  While some schools are doing this really well, others struggle and this causes real problems for young carers.

   

  To help schools support young carers, the programme offers a step-by-step guide for leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff, with practical tools designed to make it as easy as possible for schools. Staff can also receive training through webinars and events and the programme also features a newsletter each term highlighting relevant policy developments, spotlighting good practice and giving updates on the programme’s successes.

   

  “To achieve their Bronze Award, Greswold has demonstrated that it supports young carers in many ways, including homework clubs and drop-in sessions with a member of staff who is responsible for this vulnerable group of pupils.  Vital information about how to identify young carers is made available to all school staff, and noticeboards and the school webpage let students and their families know where to go for help”.

  
  The programme is open to all schools in England and to sign up schools just need to visit www.youngcarersinschools.com

   

  Giles Meyer, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, today congratulated Award-winning schools, saying: “The Young Carers in Schools programme is helping to transform schools and support staff across England. Schools play a vital role in a young carer’s life, as many care for relatives without their teachers even knowing what they do. On average young carers will miss a day of school each month as a result of their caring role, so the steps schools take to identify and support them can have a huge impact on their learning, wellbeing and life chances.” 

   

  Luella Goold, Service Manager at The Children’s Society, is delighted that the Young Carers in Schools Programme is bringing about national change. 

  
  “Hundreds of schools across England are participating in the Young Carers in Schools programme, using the tools and resources to improve their support systems, and ensuring that no child need miss out on educational opportunities because they are a carer. 74% of schools who have achieved a Young Carers in Schools Award have noticed improved attendance among their young carers, and 94% have noticed improvements in their wellbeing and confidence.”
   

  

• Greswold bids farewell to Mrs Jellicoe!

  Fri 31 Mar 2023

  This morning's Star Pupil assembly was also a chance to say goodbye to Mrs Jellicoe who has been at Greswold since 1992 as a class teacher and Special Needs Co-ordinator. 

   

  The children had a surprise for her as Mrs Low had expertly adapted one of Mrs Jellicoe's favourite school songs to make it all about her instead, which the children then duly sang to her.  They had been secretly practising all week.  There was also a very entertaining and amusing video put together by Mr Chater and school council to say thank you to Mrs Jellicoe for all of her care, support and professionalism over the years.  

   

  We also said goodbye to Miss Cooney from year 1 who has been with Hedgehogs since September and we wish her all the best for the future. 

  

• PSD (Personal and Social Development) Parent Workshops

  Thu 30 Mar 2023

  On Monday evening we invited parents of children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to learn more about our personal and social development curriculum. Parents had the opportunity to ask any questions they had about the statutory guidance and how we teach it at Greswold. We received lots of positive feedback which was pleasing to hear and we would like to thank those who attended, as we believe that working in partnership with parents is important. Following requests from parents, more detailed curriculum overviews for N - Y2 are on the PSD curriculum page on our website (please see the link below). The overviews for Y3 - 6 will be uploaded following the upcoming workshops. 

   

  https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/our-personal-and-social-development-curriculum-1/

   

  If your child is in Year 3 or 4, you will have received an email about your parent workshop and we look forward to welcoming you at 6pm on Monday, 17th April.

   

  If your child is in Year 5 or 6 you should have received an email about the upcoming workshop on Monday, 24th April at 6pm. 

• All change at the top of the House Point leaderboard!

  Wed 29 Mar 2023

  St Patrick's have snuck ahead of St David's and into the lead of the House Point race for this half term.  With 52 points this half term, they're now leading the table by just three points with two half terms to go.

   

  Well done to Wrens for attaining the best attendance as a class this half term in KS2 (97%) with Badgers receiving a certificate for best attendance in KS1/EYFS with 96.3%.  The children very much enjoyed the Attendance Archery game too!  Y5 Oaks deserve a special mention for being runners up in KS2 this half term by 0.1% and runners up overall since September to Chaffinches who are still out in front with an average attendance percentage of 97.2% since September 2022.  Well done to all the children.    

   

   

  

• Badge bonanza

  Fri 24 Mar 2023

  Look at the queue of children waiting to receive bronze, silver or gold badges this afternoon. Mrs Scott personally awarded over 75 badges to children from Reception to Year 6 in just 30 minutes. She looks forward to giving out more badges next week. Families can look at the roll of honour to celebrate the successes of our children. www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/roll-of-honour 

  

• Please enjoy our Marble Run mania!

  Fri 24 Mar 2023

  As you may be aware, Greswold commemorated Science Week and its theme of 'Connections' last week with a collaborative challenge to construct a whole school marble run stretching from Willows in year 6 on the first floor, all the way down the long corridor to the Early Years' corridor finishing outside Bumblebees.  

   

  The success of this project was a testament to the commitment, enthusiasm and energy of both pupils and staff.  By clicking on the link below, you can also enjoy the amazing outcome of when the whole school community came together by viewing the journey of the marble around school!  Enjoy...

   

  https://greswold-primary-school.primarysite.media/media/great-greswold-marble-run 

  

• Year 1 go back in time...

  Thu 23 Mar 2023

  To add extra context and purpose to their History theme for the term, year 1 went back in time on Wednesday.  The children had a wonderful time at Warwick Castle on Wednesday! Their day was jam packed with exciting activities and adventures, from walking up the Conquerors Fortress, to exploring the Time Tower, watching the Winter Birds of Prey show, finding and identifying the key features of a castle and having lots of fun in Zog's Playland. The children made the staff very proud and represented Greswold brilliantly, demonstrating our values of respect and curiosity. 

  

• Greswold crowned county champions!!!

  Thu 23 Mar 2023

  Greswold's exciting Sportshall Athletics season came to a triumphant end on Wednesday afternoon at the North Solihull Sports' Centre.  After first places finishes in the qualifying heat back in February and the South Solihull Area Final two weeks ago, the 30-strong team, comprising of both year 5 and year 6 pupils, confidently competed in the School Games Level 3 Large Schools' County Finals. 

   

  The opposition, from North Solihull and regions in Coventry and Warwickshire (all area winners too), were understandably very strong.  Nevertheless, each individual not only displayed our Greswold values magnificently but their commitment, endeavour and the will to improve, enabled the whole team, school and South Solihull to finish the event as outright winners and be crowned Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire champions!

   

  The support of parents must be recognised again with the vast majority of the spectators on the viewing balcony being from Greswold!  To put the achievement into perspective, there are approximately 250 large schools (2/3 form entry) in the 3 regions eligible to take part in the competition and Greswold still managed to exceed on the previous year's performance (came 2nd to Grange Farm in 2022).  Well done to the children.  You are a real inspiration to the whole school community. 

   

  School Games Level 3 Large Schools' County Finals Result:

  (1st) Greswold - 346 points representing South Solihull

  (2nd) Grange Farm - 330 pts (Coventry West)

  (3rd) St Nicholas CE - 278 pts (South Warwickshire) 

  (4th) Aldermoor Farm - 264pts (Coventry East)

  (5th) Paddox Primary - 214pts (East Warwickshire)

  (6th) Marston Green Junior - 212pts (North Solihull)

  (7th) Telford Junior - 198pts (Central Warwickshire) 

  (8th) Water Orton - 188pts (North Warwickshire)

  (9th) St Michael's CE - 168pts (North Warwickshire)  

   

     

  

• Greswold finish the football league season in winning style....now it's time for the play-offs!

  Wed 22 Mar 2023

  Yesterday marked the seventh and final round of league fixtures for the boys' school football team and yet again, they endeavoured to win their match versus Monkspath School.  The hard fought 1-0 victory means Greswold finish the season in first place in the league and therefore will be in strong contention to win the play-off finals taking place on Thursday 27th April at Solihull Moors and be crowned best large school in South Solihull. 

   

  Their near perfect league season involved 6 wins and only one loss with 23 goals scored and only 7 conceded, accumulating a total of 31 points.  Other play-off finalists include Dorridge, Shirley Heath and Monkspath. Well done to all the players involved and thank you to the continuous support from Greswold families too.