St James’CE Primary School

Welcome back to the start of the Summer Term! We hope you had a restful Easter break and your children are refreshed and ready for the start of another action packed term. We have so much to look forward to but why not take five childfree minutes to look back and read our latest newsletter. https://www.stjames.dsat.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=160&type=pdf

Thank you to all those parents and carers who came down to be part of Foxes Parent Share. The Reception children did amazing, singing and performing a number of upbeat nursery rhymes as well as showcasing their learning on the Glockenspiel. I bet you didn't expect to be joining in, but great to see you all doing 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' with the children - I'll save posting that video evidence.

It was an absoulute privelege to welcome Saltmine Theatre Company to St James' First School and Nursery - Wimborne for their performance of the Rhyming Bible. The adaptation of Bob Hartman's Rhyming Bible journeyed through the Bible, starting at the creation of the Earth, and ending with the story of Jesus at Easter. The children were captivated by the performance, laughing and singing along and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The opportunity to see live theatre every year is so important and will no doubt inspire our children as they start rehearsals for our own big show! A special thank you to the Bishop Wordsworth Educational Trust who gave a full grant to cover the cost of this performance.

It was wonderful to gather the parents and carers of Squirrels class who took time to share their stories they have been writing in English. The children were able to explain how the story, 'The Bear and the Piano' had inspired their writing and illustrations. Other work shared included the storyboards created with Bob Hartman on World Book Day and the fairground wheels which they had made as part of their DT learning. Thank you all for coming out to join your child in their learning, stories are made to be read!

Nursery and Reception had two unexpected visitors join us for the afternoon! The children all loved meeting Dolly and Daisy and having an opportunity to stroke them. It is these unscripted moments that can bring learning alive and inspire our youngest. Thank you to Miss Lewis for bringing them in and showing us how to care for them.

We made it to the news! A huge well done to all the wonderful staff about both the School and Nursery for your hard work and to the children for being so wonderful.

Foxes class had a wonderful day at Launceston Farm digging for worms, planting pants in a wheat field and baking bread. They leart all about what makes healthy soil and where their food comes from. Thank you for all the parent volunteers who supported our trip.

To celebrate British Science Week, we took all the children from Year 1 - 4 to Winchester Science Centre. I think it would fair to say that everyone (adults included) had an absolute blast! The centre is alive with experiments that explore and explain science in a fun, engaging and practical way. Whether it is learning how we hear different sounds and playing the giant guitar or shooting a tennis ball into the sky using air pressure, the children loved exploring the different exhibitions. Each year then took a deeper dive in a workshop session, Year 1 and 2 explored what different minibeasts need to survive and used a microscope to take a closer look. They even learnt how to capture a moth. Year 3 and 4 learnt more about human circulatory system and how the body pumps oxygens to all their organs. We compared our height to the capacity of our lungs as well as exploring and handling a real lambs heart. Finally, all the year groups got a chance to visit the planetarium and learn all about our planets that make up our solar system. Who knew that one of our planets was originally called George?! As always, the children were a credit to the school and represented our values in abundance. A huge thank you those parents who volunteered to help who ensured our trip with a resounding success.

We are excited to announce the successful outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection. The inspection, which took place on the 4th and 5th of February 2025, highlighted the school's commitment to providing high-quality education and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all pupils. We have been rated 'Good' across all areas, with the curriculum being praised as ambitious. It found that St James' is a school at the heart of the community, which provides an opportunity for all children to flourish. https://www.stjames.dsat.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=153&type=pdf For our Nursery, this was their first inspection under a school led framework. The inspectors spent time in the nursery and were confident that the work already established through our Early Years team was going to ensure the continued success of the Nursery for many years to come. Of course, none of this is achieved without the tireless sacrifice of the wonderful staff team who continually give over and above to ensure all children achieve the best possible outcomes. Their dedication and effort uniquely define the school and ensures it, and all the children who attend, continues to succeed. Mark Lacey, CEO of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, added, "The success of St James' is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of its staff and leadership. We are proud to support the school in its journey towards excellence and are confident that it will continue to provide outstanding education for its pupils."

Two weeks ago, the St James' PFA hosted another fantastic fundraising event The Horton and Chalbury Village Hall. The school disco was a tremendous event and judging by the smiles on their faces, the children had a brilliant time. A huge thank you to all those who gave up their time to host such a wonderful and fun-filled event.

We have recently installed a new difibrillator on the outside of the school to serve our village. We hope we never need it but if you live in the villages, please let the residents know it is there and maintained by the school.

Have you spotted our new website? It launched last week and is so much easier to navigate on both desktop and mobile devices. We hope you love it as much as we do so why not go and take a look? www.stjames.dsat.org.uk Thank you Juniper Education for working to create a wonderful new website for our school and its community.

I think it is fair to say that World Book Day 2025 has been a lot of fun! As well as the usual joy on everyone's faces guessing each others characters, we welcomed Bob Hartman, author of over 100 children's books, including the Rhyming Bible to St James' First School and Nursery - Wimborne. Bob worked in all classes to tell many of his hilarious stories and then worked to construct their own class story thinking about character, setting and problem. We have all laughed a lot today and thoroughly enjoyed these sessions. Throughout the rest of the day, children have shared their favourite books with their friends in other classes, completed our special World Book Day orienteering course and other fun activities. Reading really is the gateway skill that fosters and promotes succesful learning. That's why we make a big thing of World Book Day because we want all our children to love reading. #WorldBookDay #ReadingIsFun #lovetoread

Last week, our Nursery welcomed Truth Be Told: Intergenerational Storytelling Groups to come and share the Truth - I am held. Through a collection of songs and stories, the children learnt this simple truth alongside their parents and carers. We had a great time and look forward to working with Truth Be Told at St James' First School and Nursery - Wimborne for stories, songs and bubbles!

Well that was a fun afternoon in the sun! A huge thank you to the St James' PFA for all their hard work and cooking so many tasty pancakes!