School News & Events

 
Our Vision

We believe that our children should have the aspiration and opportunity to ‘Live life in all its fullness’ and ‘Shine like stars in the sky’.


New this week…

Important Update: New School Information System (Arbor) from September
Arbor
Further to our recent communication, we are transitioning our school management system to Arbor. This system consolidates our school data and communications into one platform, allowing you to easily manage your child's school life from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Through the Arbor Parent Portal and Arbor Parent App you will be able to:
•     View your child's attendance 
•     Receive in-app messages and notifications directly to your phone
•     Update your contact information and manage consents
•     Make booking and payments for clubs, trips, and school meals
 
How to set up your account:
Today you will have received an email from school with your unique login link. Please complete the following steps:
1.   Open the welcome email from us (please check your junk/spam folder if you do not see it).
2.   Click the link provided in the email.
3.   Your username will be the email address we have on file for you.
4.   Click "Forgot your password?" to generate your password and log in.
Once your account is activated via your web browser, we highly recommend downloading the Arbor App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
If you have any queries or have trouble accessing your account, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the school office for help.

 
A massive well done to all our children who took part in the school Fun Run!
Every single child put in an incredible amount of effort, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces crossing the finish line. They truly did themselves and the school proud, showing fantastic sportsmanship and determination while having a brilliant time.
Thanks to your amazing generosity and the children's hard work, we raised a spectacular £670!
These vital funds will go directly towards enhancing school resources and activities for the children. Thank you to everyone who ran, cheered, and donated to make this event such a resounding success.

 
End of year reports
End of year reports came home this week. For those children with SEND, their support plan was included.  Please could you take the time to review this, add any comments you wish to make and sign, before returning to Miss Mandelson (SENCO).  You will then be provided with a copy to keep when they are reviewed formally in September.  As always, do not hesitate to get in touch with Miss Mandelson should you have any questions about the support your child receives.  You can email Miss Mandelson at:
senco@west-tanfield.n-yorks.sch.uk
 
 
-Friends End of Year Update.pdf-  

Booknic
Summer Reading
Today we launch our summer reading challenges, with the 'Booknic' and a visit from Harriet and Yorkshire Library Service, we have further reading challenges planned for the holiday... watch  out for more information to follow next week!
 
 
Collective Worship
As we reflected last week following our pupil voice discussions, our young people never fail to inspire us with hope for the future. We sincerely hope they always remain true to what matters most to them. It is a genuine privilege to work alongside them.
This week, we have been learning about Plastic Free July and considering the part we can all play in caring for our planet and everyone who shares it. We have begun collecting and recycling both hard and soft plastics from lunchtime, and we have many other practical ideas that we are excited to put into action as we strive to live out our values each day.
 
After School Club Years 1& 2

There are still spaces available for Years 1 & 2. Please sign up via
the LA Performance Academy link to take part.   https://la-performance-academy.classforkids.io/info/40 

 
 
Spotlights from Learning…

Acorn
We have had a busy week looking at the Great Fire of London in History, food chains in Science and lots of wonderful portrait work in art, I wonder if you can find any loose parts at home to create a portrait with? I would love to see phots of any portraits that you make.
We would like to invite parents into Class on Wednesday forming between 8.45am and 9am to have a little look at our photo wall before we take it down ready to start a new one next year.
 
Oak Class
In maths this week, we have been learning about capacity (how much a container holds when full) and volume (how much space is taken up by something).  We have looked at different containers and estimated whether they will hold litres (a water bottle, bucket, measuring cylinder) or just millilitres (like a teaspoon).  Perhaps you could find out the capacity of different containers around the home (e.g. how much milk will your container hold when full) and try measuring different volumes of liquid  in them (e.g. what volume of milk left in the bottle)  in litres and millilitres.
 
Palm
We have been learning all about rainforests this week, in particular the amazon rainforest. We learnt some quite surprising facts about rainforests and the continents that they appear in - I wonder if your child can teach you something you didn't know? 
 
Cedar Class
This week we have been learning all about different charities which are supported by different Muslim and Christian communities in order to help us answer our big question: Is architecture more or less important than charity? What does your child think? We have also had a great time in PE developing our cricket skills in our intra house competition.
 
Class Collective Worship
Each week one of our Collective Worship sessions takes place in class with a focus on something in the news. Attached is a take home that you might like to think about and share with your child at home, there is no need to return this to school.
 
This week’s take home…     -Take Home 10.07.26.pdf-  

 
Reminders…
 
End of term
Please can children bring a spare bag with them next week in preparation for sending home belongings over the summer e.g. wellies and trainers. 
Please take a moment to check through the lost property basket for any of your child's belongings - this can be found on the main playground at drop-off and pick-up. 
 
Library books
Please can all children ensure all library books are returned to school on Monday 13th July ready for the annual library check over the summer holiday. Thank you
 
 
PE days
Acorn - Tuesday (please come dressed in your PE kit)
Oak – Friday
Palm - Friday (some weeks next half term, Palm class will do PE on a Monday. Please can children bring their PE kits in on a Monday each week, in case our lesson is not on the Friday that week. Thank you! 
Cedar – Friday
 
Bus Booking Form W/C Monday 13^th July 2026.
Please note this form needs to be submitted by Monday 13^th July - 9.00am and we will no longer be accepting changes by phone or email.
 
News from the Wider Community
 
Kirkby Malzeard Flower and Produce Show Schedule 2026
 -KMFPS - Schedule 2026.pdf- 
 
 
We are excited to share that the annual West Tanfield Village Sports Day is just around the corner, and we would love for your students, families, and staff to join us for a fantastic community day out!
The event takes place on Saturday 11th July, from 10:00 AM till late at Village Farm, West Tanfield. It promises to be a brilliant day packed with activities for all ages. Here is a sneak peek of what we have lined up:

• 🛶 The Crazy Raft Race – Can anybody beat the Smiths this year?!
• 🦆 The Duck Race – Lots of fun for the whole family.
• 🧁 Village Bake Off – Aprons and rolling pins at the ready!
• 🏅 Traditional Sports Day Races – Relive the classics (Egg & Spoon, three-legged, and more!).
• 🦘 Massive Inflatable & 💦🔫 Water Fight
• 🏏 Rounders & 🥚 Egg Toss
• ♨️ BBQ (Hot dogs & burgers), a live DJ, and a Raffle with great prizes!
• 🌞 Fantastic weather (sadly, not guaranteed, but the fun is)