Dear Parents & Carers,

 

Following the success of last year's Poppy sales, we have once again volunteered to sell Poppies to raise money on behalf on the Royal British Legion. We will have both Poppies and Poppy accessories such as wristbands, snap bands and keyrings available for the children to purchase.

 

We will be holding Poppy sales on both Thursday 6th November and Friday 7th November and children will be allotted time per year group to visit the hall and make their purchases.

 

If your child would like to purchase a Poppy or Poppy accessory, we would ask that you send them to school on the 6th or 7th November with small change in their book bag/folder. For Poppy accessories, we do suggest a minimum donation of £1.00.

 

Kind Regards,

Alex Leese

Dear Parents and Carers,

This is to inform you that we do have places remaining in the following after school clubs for term 2:

 

Choir Club- Y3/4/5/6- Wednesdays 3:15pm-4pm 
Netball Club- Y5/6- Wednesdays 3:15pm- 4:15pm
Health Club- Y2/4/5/6- Thursdays- 3:15pm- 4:30pm

 

Clubs will begin on Monday 3rd November and run until Friday 12th December. If you would like to purchase a space for your child, this can be done via the Parentmail shop. Please do bear in mind that we are unable to process refunds for club spaces so please ensure that your child will be able to attend the club prior to purchasing. 

 

We have also made the decision to open up our Monday and Tuesday Health clubs to all children in years 3,4, 5 & 6. In the interest of fairness, children will only be able to attend either Monday or Tuesday Health club and either Thursday or Friday Health club. Children will not be allowed to attend 2 days of the same programme (ie Monday & Tuesday or Thursday & Friday).

 

Additional Monday and Tuesday spaces are now available to purchase via the Parentmail shop under the titles "Additional Spaces- Health club- Monday- Y3/4/5/6- Term 2- 25-26" and "Additional Spaces- Health club- Tuesday- Y3/4/5/6- Term 2- 25-26"

 

If you have any questions regarding after school clubs, please contact admin@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk. 

If your child is due to start secondary school in September 2026, the deadline to apply is just weeks away, with applications closing on 31 October 2025.

 

Applications can be submitted online via https://parentportal.wiltshire.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/home

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

David Wiltshire Photography are coming to Bitham Brook Primary on the morning of Thursday 9th October to take individual photographs of all children, which will then be made available for you to purchase. Please can you send your child into school in their Bitham school uniform; if your child usually has PE on this day, they can wear their PE kit on their bottom half and bring their PE t-shirt to change into for their PE lesson.

 

We will also be offering the opportunity for children to have photographs taken with Pre-School siblings. Pre-school sibling photographs will take place between 8:00- 8:30am before school registration. If you wish to have pre-school sibling photographs taken, please arrive at school in good time to avoid disappointment. The photographer will also be taking photographs of Bitham Brook siblings in school during the day so you will not have to attend this pre-registration session if all children currently attend Bitham Brook. 

 

Please note that photographs are not shared or used for any other purpose. However, if you do not wish your child to be photographed for any reason, please let us know.

 

Kind regards,

Alex Leese

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

This is a gentle reminder that children are welcome to bring fruit or vegetables to enjoy at playtime as a healthy snack. For children in Reception and Key Stage 1, these are already provided by school.

 

We have noticed that some children are bringing crisps, chocolate bars, cakes and similar snacks into school for playtime. Please can we kindly ask that these are not provided as a playtime snack. Along with being less healthy, the packaging from these items has led to an increase in litter around school, making our outside areas less safe and enjoyable for play.

 

Please send chopped fruit or vegetables in a named container and remind your child to return the container to their bag once they have finished eating.

 

We encourage children to drink water rather than squash or other fruit juices. We have cool water dispensers for children to fill up their water bottles when needed.

 

Thank you for your support in keeping playtimes healthy and our school grounds safe and tidy.

 

We would also like to remind you that we are a nut free school. Snacks containing nuts are not allowed in school.

 

Thank you as always for your support and co-operation.

Phase leaders

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Ensuring safe, fair and appropriate provision

 

At the start of a new school year, I would like to take this opportunity to share some information regarding SEND support and to outline the school’s approach to responding to parents who wish to request specific SEND support for their child/ren. We value the opportunity to work closely with parents and want to provide support that best meets the needs of individuals, whilst taking into account the needs and any implications for other children.

 

There are four areas of SEND described in the SEND code of practice; cognition and Learning, communication and interaction, social, emotional and mental health difficulties and sensory and physical needs. If you are concerned that your child needs additional support in any of these areas, please speak to your child’s teacher in the first instance. This can be done by speaking to them at the end of the school day, or to arrange a phone call from the teacher, you can send an email to the relevant phase leader email addresses-earlyyearsphaseleader@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk (reception), lowerschoolphaseleaders@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk (years 1-3) or KS2phaseleaders@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk (years 4-6)

 

Your child’s teacher will inform our SENDCO (Mrs Robertson) that you have spoken to them. The SENDCO and the class teacher will decide what happens next. It could be that the SENDCO contacts you straight away to arrange a meeting. Or before this happens, there may be a period of observation and evidence gathering by the teacher and/or SENDCO to gain a better understanding. Most needs will be met through ordinary available provision. Whatever the agreed action, you will be informed of the next steps and kept up to date.

 

Parents requesting support for a child’s sensory needs is managed in the same way as any other area of SEND. We will listen to parents, assess the need and share our observations on the child’s learning and development. The approach we take will be needs led and based on what we see at school. Our response will be in the best interests of the individual child, whilst carefully considering any implications for other children. It is important to note that we cannot respond to any bespoke conditions requested by parents that we do not believe respect the rights of others, do not follow school policy or do not comply with statutory guidance.

 

We have worked closely with a senior sensory occupational therapist (OT) to develop a graduated response for children displaying sensory needs. This graduated response is also now being used by SENDCOs and senior leaders in other Wiltshire primary schools.

 

We are currently seeing a growing number of children bringing fidget toys or other items such as ear-loops, headphones, or chewies into school. These items are being brought in from home with the intention of being used in the classroom. While such resources can form part of the sensory behaviours graduated response, their use will only be permitted if agreed by the SENDCO and senior leaders (SLT). We kindly ask that these items are not brought into school unless this has been agreed in advance with the SENDCO and SLT. Children will not be permitted to use them in the classroom without prior agreement.

 

If agreed by the SENDCO and SLT, we have a selection of fidget items at school that children can use as part of our ordinarily available provision (OPAL). The toys in school are made from food-grade silicone and are accompanied by protocols for their use.

 

Importantly, in relation to the use of fidget toys, we received information from the local authority regarding water beads, which are commonly used in fidget toys. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a product safety alert to warn of the risks that water beads pose to children. The alert advises that water beads should be kept away from children under five, and only used with older children under close supervision. Water beads can expand up to 400 times when exposed to liquid. They can also cause choking and have harmed children in the UK. It is very important that toys containing water beads are not brought into school for the safety of all our children.

 

If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

 

Amy Leighton

Deputy Headteacher/ DSL Bitham Brook Primary Schoo

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Please can we ask that children not be allowed to ride bikes and scooters in the school car park during drop off and pick up times. This is for safety reasons as the car park does become busy during these times. There is always a risk of cars entering and leaving parking spots even when the gates are closed and the safety of our families is of the utmost importance to us.

 

Thank you as always for your understanding and support.

 

School Office

Dear Parents & Carers,

 

Parents evening for all year groups will be taking place on Tuesday 28th January and Thursday 30th January from 3.40- 6.00pm. (Miss Cowley's Year 3 class will take place on Monday 27th January and Tuesday 28th January). Bookings are now live and appointments can be booked using the Parent Booking system.

 

To book an appointment, please click on the following link http://parents-booking.co.uk/bithambrook and enter the details for yourself and your child. Once logged in you will be able to select an appointment from the list of available appointment times. The log in details you enter must match those we have on record for your child.  If you do experience any issues please email admin@bithambrook.wilts.sch.uk.

 

We are delighted to be able to offer the following clubs for Terms 5 and 6.  Having listened to feedback, we have split many of the clubs into single terms with the aim of allowing more children the opportunity to participate. Clubs in Term 5 will run from Monday 15^th April – Thursday 23^rd May (6 weeks), and clubs in Term 6 will run from Monday 3^rd June- Thursday 18^th July (7 weeks).

We are pleased to introduce a club for our Reception children this term to introduce the children to clubs in preparation for their time in year one and as they progress through the school.  

If your child would like to apply for a place in any of the clubs, please purchase the relevant payment item available in Parentmail / Payments / Shop.  Places are purchasable on a first-come first-served basis.

 

To give all children a fair chance, the payment items will go live at 7 pm Monday 18^th March 2024.  Clubs will be at a cost of £1 per week and will be charged per term. The fee you pay goes directly towards covering the costs of running the clubs, materials and specialist coaches.  Our aim is to continue to provide more after school clubs each term, so children have an even broader range of activities to try.

 

If you are able to successfully purchase a club, then it means your child will have a place. If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available places then you will be able to join a waiting list, by selecting that option in the Shop. Confirmation of your child’s place in a club will also be sent via Parentmail prior to the start of Term 5.

 

Unfortunately, if your child cannot attend for any reason, we will not be able to offer a refund.  Please ensure you check the options carefully before purchasing to ensure you haven’t double-booked!  Due to bad weather or staff absence, clubs sometimes need to be cancelled.  When this happens, we will inform you as soon as we can so please keep an eye on Parentmail for any notifications.

 

As we ask for payment to be made termly in advance, we appreciate that you will have paid for clubs even if they are cancelled. We will be charging 1 week less per club in case any clubs need to be cancelled throughout the term. For example, if the club runs for 6 weeks, the club will cost £5.00.

If your child is attending a sports/active club, they need to bring their PE kits to school on the day of their club. They will have the opportunity to change in school before their club.

 

 

We have been awarded an FFT National Award for Pupil Attendance.

The awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of Parents/Carers, staff and all others involved within the school community in achieving excellent attendance.