We have all felt incredibly proud of the approach that our Y6s have taken this week during their KS2 SATs tests. They have worked so diligently, with a real sense of calmness and should be very proud of themselves. They have impressed everybody so I'm sure they are looking forward to a well earned rest over the weekend! The SATs results are published in July so as soon as these come through, we will be sharing them with the Y6s and their parents. 

The Y5s have had a lovely week with a couple of visits to Chatsworth with Mrs Dey while the Y6s have been busy with their SATs. They have done some sketching down by the river, had a tour of the House and learnt lots in the kitchen garden. 

Miss Davison

After working as a teacher at Pilsley for nine years, Miss Davison has recently resigned from her post and will be leaving us at the end of July. Miss Davison has worked in both the infants and the juniors during her time here and the children have always enjoyed her fun and enthusiastic approach to lessons! Miss Davison has decided to take a step away from teaching whilst she pursues other interests. We will all miss her but wish her all the very best for the future. 

I'm delighted to say that Mrs Anderson and Mrs Dey will be taking on extra hours in September to cover Miss Davison's teaching commitment. Mrs Anderson and Mrs Dey will both be working four days per week from September. Once staff timetables are finalised for the next academic year, we will send this information out to parents and carers. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you so much for your support with sponsorships for our running event for VE Day 80. The children did brilliantly and we were so proud of them. If you have any sponsorship money at home for our chosen charity, Blind Veterans UK, please send this into the school office by 21st May. Mrs Townsend taught the children how to sign 'We'll Meet Again' by Dame Vera Lynn and you can see this recording here: Class Pages | Pilsley C of E Primary School

This afternoon, Class 4 have had their first Teams call with Wilkie Cumberbatch school in Barbados! It was great to ask the children lots of questions about what life is like at home and at school in Barbados and we've learnt lots already. We hope to set up another call later in the summer term. 

Next week is SATs week for our Y6 children. SATs tests will be running every morning from Monday-Thursday. We would really appreciate it if you could make sure that your child/children arrive at school on time so we can make a timely start. Everyone is immensely proud of all of our Y6s who have worked tremendously hard in preparing for these tests. The Y6s have approached their practise tests with calmness and a real determination to do well- good luck everybody!

A reminder that the Y5s need to be dropped off at Chatsworth House on Monday morning at 9am please where Mrs Dey will be waiting for them. 

The Y6s have their Y6 celebration sporting event at Whitworth Park on Friday. 

Wishing you a lovely sunny weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher

Our ECO Team spent some time on Wednesday morning collecting litter as part of the Chatsworth estate annual litter pick. It was a beautiful day for a walk and the children collected several glass bottles, countless dog poo bags (!) and even one or two items of clothing which had been left down by the river! Lord Burlington was very appreciative of all the children's help with the litter pick and they were all rewarded with a notepad/pencil. Well done ECO Team! 

Next Friday, we are having our Easter service at St.Peter's church in Edensor which starts at 2pm. The service is anticipated to last for around 40mins so please arrange to collect your child from church at 2.45pm if you are not attending the service. Please note, the school bus will not be running on the homeward journey. 

The children finish school for the Easter holidays on Friday 4^th April and return to school on Tuesday 22nd April. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Thank you for your support with Comic Relief today, the school council will report back next week with a total sum of money raised for the charity. 

Our ECO Team are joining in with the Chatsworth annual litter pick on the estate next week so our ECO reps will let you know how they get on!

Mrs Dey has been busy with Class 3 writing some super letters to the children at British school Quito which is in Ecuador. Mrs Dey's husband has links with the school as part of his role as Head of Schools for OrbitalEd who run a collection of internationally acclaimed schools. This is a wonderful link for us to have, and Mr Dey delivered our children's letters to the school in Quito last week. You can see some of the responses to these letters on the attached Instagram posts. I'm currently in the process of forming a link with a school in Barbados who will link up with Class 4 after Easter, so this is promising to be a really interesting opportunity for our children to learn about different cultures, climates and life in Barbados. I've got our next year's residential trip in mind already.... (if only!)🌞😎

You will have no doubt noticed that the playground gate is in desperate need of repair. We have been gathering quotes and have instructed a local joiner to make a new gate for us which is due to be fitted over the Easter break. In due course, the fencing either side of the gateway will be replaced too.  

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

During the visit, the children were given the opportunity to ask questions to PCSO Boswell and they had a look around the police car and tested the lights! 🚓

The children throughly enjoyed the talk and especially liked trying on old police hats! 👮

A suggested donation of £1 per child can be made via ParentPay which will then be paid directly to Comic Relief.

After school on Friday, members of our school council would like to run a bake sale on the playground. We would be really grateful if parents/carers could donate any baked items for the children to sell to raise money. Please note, any home baked goods would need to come into school with an ingredients list attached and please note, all items would need to be nut free. 

If any donations for the bake sale could be brought into school on either Thursday after school or Friday morning, that would be brilliant. All proceeds from the bake sale and the non-uniform day will be sent to Comic Relief. 

With thanks for your support and best wishes,

Mrs Thompson and the School Council Team

This week, Class 4 were very pleased to welcome John Everitt, Chris Froggatt and Jemima Letts from Chatsworth Forestry team into school. John and Jemima gave a very interesting talk about the role of the forestry team as well as the commercial aspects of the industry. Chris talked to the children about different climbing techniques and even demonstrated his climbing skills for us in the playground! The children were challenged to estimate what the weight of the timber might be on the back of the trailer and Louis excelled himself with some really accurate answers throughout the afternoon! Huge thanks to John, Chris and Jemima for making time to visit us in school. 

INSET days 

Just a reminder that we still have three INSET days left for the remainder of this academic year. The school will be closed to the children on the following dates:

Friday 23rd May 2025

Friday 27^th June 2025

Thursday 24^th July 2025

At present, we have set three of the five INSET days for the academic year 2025/26. Two further INSET day dates will follow in due course. Confirmed INSET days are:

Thursday 4^th September 2025

Friday 5^th September 2025 

Monday 3^rd November 2025

Please note, the children will start school on Monday 8^th September 2025 following the summer break. 

Garden volunteers

Mrs Allinson has done a wonderful job of maintaining our school garden over the last couple of years but has recently reduced her hours, so we are looking to recruit some willing volunteers to help with the weeding and maintenance of the garden. If you or somebody you know, might be interested in lending a hand either on an ad-hoc or more regular basis, please contact the school office. Many thanks!

School clock

You may have noticed that the school clock hasn't been working for the last few days. An engineer is due to visit to fix the problem but unfortunately, isn't able to attend site until 31st March.  

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Thank you for all your efforts with World Book Day this week! The children looked amazing, and it was great to share their favourite books and stories with them. Photographs from yesterday should be appearing on the class pages of the school website soon!

Class 4 visitors

Class 4 are really enjoying their 'Sow, Grow, Farm' topic and over recent weeks, we have been lucky enough to welcome several local experts from the estate to come in and talk to the children about various aspects of farming. Ted's dad joined us to talk about sheep farming, Violet's dad came in to talk to us about farming in Kenya and this week, Charlotte and Emily's dad arrived on his tractor to talk to the children about arable farming! The tractor was a huge hit across all the classes!! Holly and James' dad is also coming in to see us next week to talk to the children about forestry which we're all looking forward to. 

Science week!

Tom's mum has very kindly offered to come in and work with each class, in her capacity as a secondary science teacher, to run some activities as part of science week! The infants have had their session today and have been busy making seed bombs this afternoon as part of their growing topic this term! You can keep up to date with what's been happening via the class pages on the school website. 

We're also delighted to be welcoming a teacher from Oundle School on Thursday 24^th April who is coming in to run a STEM workshop for Y4, Y5 and Y6. This arrangement is in partnership with St.Anselms school in Bakewell and we are very grateful to have this opportunity once again this year. We have also invited Y5 and Y6 pupils from Baslow school to join us for the workshop too. 

Chatsworth estate annual litter pick

We have been asked to join in again with the annual litter pick on the estate which is taking place on Wednesday 26^th March. Representatives from our ECO Team will be sent some further information and permission slips next week. 

Easter service

On our last day of term, Friday 4^th April, we will be having our annual Easter service down at St.Peter's church in Edensor at 2pm. You are most welcome to join us for this. The service will last approximately 45mins so please make arrangements to collect your child from church at 2.45pm if you aren't able to come.  Class 4 will be selling items from their Enterprise project after the service so you can pick up an Easter treat or two!

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

We've been delighted to welcome two new families into our school this week. Florence has joined us in Y3 and has settled in extremely well. Romeo and Harvey have joined us in Y5 and Y2 respectively and it has been a real pleasure to see how well they have settled into life at Pilsley in such a short time. I'm sure you will join us in welcoming both families into our school community and it's great to see the children getting on so well and making new friends.

Please find a letter attached to this email regarding the NSPCC's Speak out, stay safe programme which we will be delivering in school over the next couple of weeks to children in Y1-Y6. 

For those families who went to Young Voices last week, you can access the YV2024 concert video by visiting 

yv24film.co.uk

A reminder that we are celebrating World Book day next Friday (letter attached with more details). Each child need to bring in a large potato next Friday please!  

On Friday 15^th March, it is Comic Relief so we will be having a non-uniform day. More details to follow!

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

WBD tokens

We have, once again, been fortunate to receive a £1 book token for every child in the school to spend on a new book. These will be given out on World Book Day, so keep an eye out in your child’s bag! Children can use their £1 token at a range of shops including Asda, Blackwell’s, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waterstones, WHSmith, The Works and hundreds of independent booksellers. Find your nearest bookseller at worldbookday.com/participating-retailers

We’re very much looking forward to celebrating World Book Day, which could not happen without the support of parents and carers – thank you.

Happy reading everyone!
The Pilsley Team

You can see a video via this link

Class Pages | Pilsley C of E Primary School

Class 3 had a truly wonderful trip to Creswell Crags yesterday and have come back to school today telling us all about their exciting adventures! Members of staff at the centre, who led the children's activities, were blown away by their knowledge on all the different topics and said their behaviour and attention to detail was exemplary! All our accompanying adults, as well as the coach driver, commented on how beautifully well behaved all the children were and that they were a credit to our school. Mrs Dey and I were exceptionally proud of them! Well done everyone!! 

School Uniform

We take a pride in our school uniform and believe that it creates an environment of equality and mutual respect. We also encourage the children to be proud of their identity as members of our school community. Please can we remind parents and carers that nail varnish is not permitted to be worn for school with the exception of non-uniform days/ discos, or party days. 

As you know, the junior children wear their PE kit for school on the days when they have PE rather than changing in school. On PE days, a reminder that the junior children need to wear their Pilsley PE hoody or their school jumper with their PE kit please.

Earrings should be removed for PE sessions due to health and safety. If there is a medical reason as to why your child's earrings can't be removed for PE, please let us know. If this is the case, your child should bring in their own supply of plasters which they can use to cover their earrings for PE. 

Uniform | Pilsley C of E Primary School

Young Voices

Mrs Townsend, Mrs Dey and I are all looking forward to taking the children to Young Voices in Sheffield next Thursday! Mrs Townsend has sent out all the information you need to know but in case you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. As Thursday will be a late night for the children, they are welcome to come into school slightly later on Friday morning, arriving for registration up until 9.30am. 

Parent consultations

Just a reminder that parent consultations are happening next term on the following dates:

Wednesday 5^th March- Reception, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y5 and Y6.

Thursday 6^th March- Y4

Wednesday 12^th March- Nursery 

Sign up sheets will be made available on classroom doors from Monday onwards. If your child uses the school bus and you are unable to come into school to make an appointment, please contact the school office who will be happy to arrange this for you. 

The children break up for the February half term break on Friday 14^th February and return to school on Monday 24^th February. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

Thankfully, it's been a much quieter week this week after all the snow and ice! Thank you for your understanding, it is always very much appreciated when we're navigating tricky situations! 

As some of you may know, Mrs Porter had a minor operation on her knee over Christmas. She is recovering well from her surgery, and we are sending her lots of love and looking forward to having her back in school in the not-too-distant future. 

On Friday 31st January, Reverend Mark is coming into school to lead a Christingle themed collective worship with the children. The children will need to bring a large orange into school in order to make their Christingle on Wednesday 29^th January please. Ordinarily, we would love to invite parents and carers in to join us but as the school hall is being used as a venue this year, there isn't enough space to allow visitors in when we have the children arranged differently in the hall with their lit Christingles. Instead, we will post some pictures on the school website for you to have a look at, after the event. 

Mrs Townsend has sent out some information today for all those who are attending the Young Voices concert with us on Thursday 13^th February at Sheffield Arena. 

Just a reminder that consent slips for Class 3's trip to Creswell Crags need to be returned by Monday 27^th January.

All best wishes,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

The school bus will not be running on Thursday and Friday morning. However, the school bus will run every afternoon. 

Apologies for any inconvenience caused, we very much hope that next week will be a much smoother start to the new term!

Best wishes,
Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

School will open at 9.30am today with registration at 10am. Please take your time and don't rush in. 

Best wishes,
Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Having spoken to the Chair of Governors this evening regarding school opening tomorrow (Wednesday), we think it is sensible to open at 10am again in the morning to allow everyone extra time to travel. There has been further snowfall in some places this afternoon and with freezing temperatures overnight, ice will be a problem first thing on untreated roads. 

We will use the same entrance for the children in the morning as we have done today and collection at the end of the day will be via the main front entrance steps again. There is no further snow forecast so we don't anticipate closing school early tomorrow like we did today. 

Joe Greaves is planning to run his after school club as usual tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, the school bus won't be running in the morning but will be running on the homeward journey. 

If we are in position to open school any earlier than 10am tomorrow, I will let you know as soon as possible in the morning. 

Best wishes,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

We are experiencing intermittent heavy snow showers in Pilsley at the moment. The roads are fine around here at present but if the weather is worse where you are and you would like to collect your child/children early, please come whenever you're ready. 

There is heavy snow forecast here from 3pm. In light of this, we have decided to close school a bit earlier, at 2.30pm to enable everyone to get home safely before the weather is due to deteriorate.  

Please come to the main entrance to collect your child/children. Unfortunately, the school bus won't be running at the end of the day. 

Many thanks,
Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

We are going to open school at 10am today. Please use the entrance at the front of school by the old nursery gate. Mrs Dowding will be there to meet you. Class arrangements may be different today depending on which staff are able to make it into work. Mrs Wiggins will be cooking lunch as usual. 

Please be very careful when parking and walking around the village as paths are likely to be very slippery this morning. The playground will be out of action all day so collection will be via the main entrance at 3.15pm. Please use this entrance to come into school to collect your child from their classroom later. 

Your child will need a change of shoes, preferably wellingtons or boots to change into if we go out onto the field at lunchtime. 

The school bus is not running this morning, but we will update you later about the homeward run. 

As I said last night, please only make the journey to school if you feel it is safe to do so. Local reports are saying that you can get through Baslow but routes over the tops are still snowy and icy this morning. 

We will keep an eye on the weather forecast as further snow showers are predicted in some areas later on today and will let you know via email and text should we need to close school early. Hopefully, not!

Many thanks,

Mrs E Bond
Headteache

At present, we seem to be in the same situation as we were yesterday with staff struggling to find a suitable route over to Pilsley from higher levels. At best, it will be a 10am start but we are waiting for some daylight and more information on the roads before making a final decision as to whether we will open today. 

Many thanks,
Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Unfortunately, we are unable to open school today as staff travelling to work on higher routes are unable to make it into school safely. We have tried to source cover teachers but unfortunately, they live a distance away and can't travel in safely either. 

There will be work provided for the children via the school website.  

I will update again later today in the hope that everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

Best wishes,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a lovely break over Christmas and managed to find some time to relax. 

Snow is definitely not what we were wanting for the beginning of the new term, but it appears to be with us for a little longer. I've been into school this afternoon to clear some snow and grit some pathways for the morning and Pilsley itself isn't too bad. It has forecast heavy rain overnight in the Pilsley area with temperatures staying above freezing and then sleet falling for most of the day tomorrow. However, several of our staff are travelling in from higher routes in Buxton and Sheffield and the forecast for those areas is for heavy snow arriving from around 6am tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, if we are in a position where can't get enough staff in to open school safely, then we may need to open later or not open at all depending on staff numbers and how things are tomorrow.  Fingers crossed, the forecast will be better than predicted and all will run smoothly! 

The children will need to bring a spare pair of boots/wellies with them to school which they can change into to go outside. They will also need to make sure that they have a warm coat, gloves and hat with them too. 

Please note, we've already had notification from Bakewell and Eyam community transport that the school bus will not be running in the morning. The bus company will make a decision tomorrow about the bus for the homeward run. 

I will send another email tomorrow, by 8am at the latest, letting you know what the situation is once all the staff have been in touch. If school is closed or opening later, you will also receive a text message via Integris, and notifications will be made available via the school website and our school Facebook page.

Many thanks for your anticipated understanding,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Huge thanks to Mrs Dey, Amanda Travis and all the children who helped with the Bakewell Sparkle market event today! Despite the rain and cold, their cheerful smiles drew in the crowds and lots of people visited the stall to buy the beautiful handmade decorations which had been so carefully crafted by Class 3. They raised a whopping £182 today which is amazing!! Well done everybody 🙂

Just a couple of reminders for this week:

Monday 9^th December: Class 4 have their Greek day  (please send in PE kit for the mini Olympics in the afternoon)

Joe is running after school club as usual until 4pm

Tuesday 10^th December: Y3 swimming is on as usual

Christmas service at Edensor church- starts at 5.30pm. The church doors open at 5pm. 

Refreshments are being served before and after the service and you can also buy raffle tickets on the night for our Christmas raffle! Please keep your children with you until 5.15pm.

At 5.15pm, the staff will ask for the children to come forward to the front of the church and we will gather them in the chapel at the back of church ready for the beginning of the service at

5.30pm. All infant children need to come to church already dressed in their costume please.

All junior children need to come to church wearing their full school uniform (no hoodies) and school shoes please (no trainers). Thank you

Wednesday 11^th December: Class 4 Carol singers to sing at Chatsworth farmshop at 1.30pm (normal collection arrangements apply)

Joe is running his after school club as usual.

Thursday 12^th December: Trip to see Chatsworth Christmas decorations. 

We aren't able to access the House until 9.45am so we are asking parents and carers to drop off children at the Lodge at Chatsworth House as close to 9am as possible please. We will take the children for a short walk before we are allowed entry into the House, so please ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather as there isn't any indoor space for us to use if the weather is bad. The children will come back to school on the school bus in time for their lunch. As we will be outdoors for part of the morning, please send your child to school wearing their school jumper/hoody with trousers (no jeans please) and either sturdy trainers, walking boots or wellies. If you could please put your child's school shoes into their bag, they can change their footwear once we're back at school at lunchtime. Class 4 will have their PE session on Thursday afternoon as usual. The majority of juniors have a rucksack as their school bag but we would urge infant parents to send their children with a rucksack on Thursday rather than a bookbag, so it is easier for them to carry. 

Mrs Porter is running her after school club as usual.

Friday 13^th December:

We are having a non-uniform day on Friday 13^th December and theme is 'Wear something Christmassy!'. We are asking for donations to be made via Parent Pay which will be split between Save the Children and the school fund to pay towards Christmas party resources and refreshments when we go to the pantomime in Buxton. 

As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

All best wishes,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Christmas is fast approaching and we're getting ready for lots of festive fun in school! Unfortunately, when we've fetched our Christmas decorations out of the loft today, our very old Christmas tree has decided that its time is up! Before purchasing a new one, we wondered if anyone had a Christmas tree which they aren't using this year that we could potentially borrow until the end of term? We've decided it would make sense for us to wait until the January sales to buy ourselves a new one! If you can help, please let us know. 

Several parents and carers are raising concerns around parking on the main road at school drop off and pick up times. It is almost impossible to see traffic coming along the main road when you are pulling out of the village if cars are parked too close to the junction. The farmshop are happy for parents to park in their car park in a morning to help alleviate traffic congestion so do make use of this if you can. We appreciate that crossing the busy main road is not ideal, but the school has raised its concerns around safety and parking with the local safer neighbourhood team. The children's safety, as well as that of our parents and carers, is our utmost priority. 

Church rehearsals next week

A reminder to please collect your child/children from Edensor church on Tuesday 3^rd and Wednesday 4^th December between 3pm-3.15pm. The parking situation is pretty terrible in Edensor at the moment so please take care. The school bus will run as usual both afternoons and will collect the children from church to take them home. If your child usually goes to 623 club on a Tuesday or Wednesday, please make arrangements with 623 directly for your child's collection arrangements. Many thanks. 

Y3 swimming

As we are at church next Tuesday, the Y3 children will not be going swimming. The children's final swimming session this term will be Tuesday 10^th December. 

Old nursery classroom

After several weeks of liaising with our insurance company, I'm pleased to say that the downstairs classroom which suffered from a water leak, will have a new floor fitted the week commencing 9^th December. Our toddler group will continue to meet in Beeley village hall on a Friday morning up until Christmas but will then be back in school in January. 

Christmas craft fair- Bakewell Agricultural Centre

On Sunday 8^th December, Mrs Dey, Amanda Travis and some of our Class 3 pupils will be selling their handmade wreaths and other Christmas decorations in aid of school funds. This is part of Class 3's enterprise project and they can't wait to get selling!! Our thanks go to everyone involved.

Christmas service- Tuesday 10^th December- 5.30pm

Everyone is welcome to join us for our annual Christmas service at Edensor church on Tuesday 10^th December at 5.30pm. The doors to the church will open at 5pm. The infants will need to come to church dressed in their costume please. All junior children should be in full school uniform (no hoodies) and school shoes please. 

Y5/Y6 residential

The children in Class 4 will be receiving a letter next week regarding a residential visit in the summer term. 

Carol singing at the farmshop- Wednesday 11^th December

Mrs Townsend is taking a group of Y5/Y6 children to carol sing at Chatsworth farmshop on Wednesday 11^th December at 1.30pm. 

Trip to see Chatsworth Christmas decorations- Thursday 12^th December 

We have arranged to take the children to Chatsworth on Thursday 12th December to see the Christmas decorations. We aren't able to access the House until 9.45am so we are asking parents and carers to drop off children at the Lodge at Chatsworth House as close to 9am as possible please. We will take the children for a short walk before we are allowed entry into the House so, please ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather as there isn't any indoor space for us to wait if the weather is bad. The children will come back to school on the school bus in time for their lunch. As we will be outdoors for part of the morning, please send your child to school wearing their school jumper/hoody with trousers (no jeans please) and either sturdy trainers, walking boots or wellies. If you could please put your child's school shoes into their bag, they can change their footwear once we're back at school at lunchtime. Class 4 will have their PE session on Thursday afternoon as usual. 

'Wear something Christmassy' day- Friday 13^th December 

We are having a non-uniform day on Friday 13^th December and theme is 'wear something Christmassy!'. We are asking for donations to be made via Parent Pay which will be split between Save the Children and school fund to pay towards Christmas party resources and refreshments when we go to the pantomime in Buxton. 

Musical and wellbeing coffee afternoon- Tuesday 17^th December 

This will take place in school hall at 2pm and everyone is welcome. 

Trip to Buxton Opera House- Jack and the Beanstalk- Wednesday 18^th December- Reception to Y6

The children will be having an early lunch on Wednesday 18^th December as we are leaving for the pantomime at 12.00. Please arrive at school for 4pm to collect your child afterwards. The children will be dismissed from their classrooms when we return as it will be dark on the playground. Once we are all back inside school, we will open the main playground gate for the junior parents to collect children from the hall and we will ask infant parents to use the main entrance (front steps) to come into school to collect your infant children from Class 2. 

Christmas disco- Thursday 19^th December

After much consideration, we have decided to run the school disco during school time on the afternoon of the 19^th December. There will be quiet activities planned in the annexe for children who don't want to join in with the disco. The community transport buses will take the children down to the Cavendish Hall after lunch.  Please collect your child from the Cavendish Hall at 3.15pm on this date. The school bus will collect the bus children from the Cavendish Hall as usual to take them home. If your child usually goes to 623 club, please contact 623 directly to arrange your child's collection from the Cavendish Hall. More details will follow as to what the children need to wear/bring etc for the disco. 

Christmas party day- Friday 20^th December

Following part food for lunch, we'll be having a Christmas party in the afternoon. The children will be in non-uniform and can come to school wearing their party clothes. We are planning for a visit from Father Christmas too!

PTA news

The PTA are having a meeting to discuss the Christmas disco on Friday 13^th December at 9am. The meeting will take place at school in the old nursery room downstairs. 

Following on from the PTA meeting held in school on the 18^th November, the new committee is as follows:

Amanda Travis- Chair of the PTA

Emma Coleman- Vice-Chair

Secretary- TBC

Kev Parkes- Treasurer 

Huge thanks go to Kev Parkes who has agreed to take on the role of treasurer again as well as Bex Vardy, Katy Wood and all previous post holders on the PTA for all the work that they've done in raising funds for our school. Their time and commitment are greatly appreciated and lots of money was raised last year through various fundraising efforts. The newly formed committee are ready and raring to go and have lots of lovely ideas already. 

The children return to school on Monday 6^th January after the Christmas break.

All best wishes for a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

To allow everyone extra time to travel safely into school today due to the snow/ice, school will be opening later at 9.30am.

The school bus will not be running this morning but we will keep you posted about the afternoon bus run.

Please can you ensure the children have boots/waterproofs/gloves/hats etc with them today.

Many thanks,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

Best wishes,
Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

The weather forecast is for snow overnight tonight so we're keeping our fingers crossed that it won't be disruptive to the school day tomorrow but a decision will be made as early as possible tomorrow morning if school is closed due to adverse weather conditions. On occasion, if the weather is bad first thing in a morning and the situation looks to be improving, we may open school later than usual so it gives staff and parents extra time to travel safely in. 

Any decision to close school is taken in association with the Chair of Governors and is made as early as practically possible. The decision is based on establishing if we can open the school site safely for the children, whether enough staff can travel safely into school (several staff travel in from outside of the local area with some travelling in from as far as Buxton and Sheffield), as well as considering the predicted weather conditions during the school day. 

If the school is open but you feel it is unsafe for you to travel due to poor weather or road conditions, please let us know via news@pilsleycofe.derbyshire.sch.uk

In the event of an emergency school closure, you will be notified via the following four ways:

1. A text message from school via RM Integris
2. An email via news@pilsleycofe.derbyshire.sch.uk
3. A message on the front page of the school website
4. A message on the school's Facebook page

We will repeat these communications on each subsequent day of closure. Please note, occasionally there can be difficulty in utilising one of the communication methods listed above, so we advise parents and carers to check more than one. If we do have to close school during the school day due to bad weather, we will alert you to this via the same means listed above. 

If there is an extended period of school closure due to bad weather, the teachers will set work for the children on the class pages of the school website which you can find here:

Class Pages | Pilsley C of E Primary School

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Welcome back after the half term break. It's been lovely to see all the children and hear about what they have been doing over half term. 

Remembrance Sunday

There are services of Remembrance happening locally this Sunday. There is a short service in our school playground at 9.50am, a service at Edensor church at 10.50am and a service at Beeley church at 3pm. All are most welcome. We will also be observing the two minute silence on Monday morning in school following our Remembrance themed collective worship.

Parking

Parking is always a tricky and somewhat ongoing issue in our village. Pick-up and drop-off times are busy outside school. This can cause an increased safety risk to both children and parents and carers. Parking restrictions outside schools are there to keep you and your children safe. Yellow zig-zag road markings indicate the part of the road where motorists should not wait, stop or park a vehicle. This area must be kept clear so that children and other road users can see clearly when crossing the road. Therefore, please can we remind parents and carers not to stop on the yellow zig-zag lines at the beginning or end of the school day. If you could please share this message with any friends or family members who are responsible for bringing your child to school or collecting them at the end of the day, it would be much appreciated. 

If you are parking on the main road, please ensure you are not causing an obstruction by parking too close to the junction into the village. The farmshop kindly allows parents and carers to use their car park in a morning when dropping off children at school which can alleviate traffic on the main road at busy times. We understand that parking can be tricky but hope that we can all work together to make our village as safe as possible. 

Choir club-Tuesday

Mrs Townsend is running an after-school club on a Tuesday as an opportunity for all those children who are attending the Young Voices concert in February 2025 to learn and practise the songs. At present, there are only a few children who have signed up for the club which means the majority of children going to the concert are missing out on this rehearsal each week. We understand that an after school club may not work for everybody if children have other commitments after school on a Tuesday but if your child is able to come along, please reply to this email. Next week, Choir club will run as usual after school on Tuesday. However, if the take up for this club hasn't increased, we will switch to running this club at lunchtime instead of after school. We will keep you posted but the club will run after school on Tuesday 12^th November, as planned for now. 

PTA meeting 

There is a meeting in the school hall on Monday 18^th November at  6.30pm to discuss the formation of the PTA committee as there are currently vacancies for Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. It would be great to see as many people there as possible so we can talk about events in the run up to Christmas once we have an established working committee. 

Children in Need

Please see the attached letter from the School Council regarding activities for Children in Need which is on Friday 15^th November.

Some Christmas dates for your diary:

Tuesday 10th December- Our Christmas service will take place at St.Peter's church in Edensor at 5.30pm

Thursday 12th December- Trip to Chatsworth House to see their Christmas decorations (more details to follow)

Wednesday 18th December- Pantomime trip to Buxton Opera House

Thursday 19^th December- Christmas dinner

Christmas disco  (more details to follow)

Friday 20^th December  (which is our last day of term)- Christmas party day

The children return to school after the Christmas break on Monday 6^th January 2025.

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Just to remind you that the children's last day of term is Friday 25th October as we break up for October half term. The children return to school on Tuesday 5^th November as Monday 4^th November is an INSET day.  

Thank you to everyone who was able to come along to our Harvest service last week, it was lovely to see you all! Our harvest donations were delivered to the Padley Centre on Monday morning, and they were so impressed with the children's efforts that they are going to come into school on the 22nd of October to talk to the children about how their donations have been utilised by the Padley centre and distributed to those in need. 

A reminder that if you haven't already done so, please do sign up for a parents evening appointment with your child's class teacher. 

Open afternoon

Next Wednesday (16th October), we are holding an open afternoon for any new parents who are interested in joining our school. 

School photograph orders

Just a reminder that parents and carers have until the end of this Sunday (13th October) to take advantage of the £5 discount off orders over £35 as well as the free postage option to school. 

***Friends of Pilsley School Team Update***

Thank you to everyone who supported the fashion show event the week before last. It was a fun and entertaining night, and we raised around £400! Well done everyone 😊

The monies raised will go towards helping with the general opportunities the PTA help with throughout the year including subsiding school trips, contributing towards the end of year play, picture news, certificates, music lessons etc.

All your donations are greatly received and help to provide great experiences for all our children.  We also have future fund raisers coming up, so please support ……

**Please note dates for the diary**

AGM – Monday 21st October @ 6.30pm – All welcome – Venue TBC

FRIDAY 18^th OCTOBER - Chatsworth Garden Winter Tour & Talk with Head Gardener Steve Porter – this is a great opportunity, £15 a ticket. Please encourage ticket sales to friends and family etc. We only have limited spaces and tickets are selling quickly, so please book quickly to avoid disappointment. It would be great if we could make this a sell out event again! Please book via the link https://www.pta-events.co.uk/pilsley-fops/index.cfm?event=event&eventId=83526

FRIDAY 29^th NOVEMBER – WREATH MAKING – BOOKING OPENING SOON

TUCKSHOP  Could anyone help with sponsoring a tuckshop? Once a month treat for all children. £10 for a half sponsorship / £20 for one month’s sponsorship. Please contact Bex/ Katy Wood/ Amanda Travis if you feel you could help 😊

From all THE FOPS TEAM 😊x

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Thank you very much for all your donations towards our harvest appeal for the Padley Centre in Derby. Donations are being collected from school first thing on Monday morning. If you haven't already done so and would like to make a donation, you can bring this in at school drop off on Monday morning. 

St.Peter's church in Edensor are hosting their annual harvest festival service on Sunday at 10.45am. There is also a harvest festival service taking place at Beeley church at 3pm on Sunday. All welcome!

Appointment list times for parent/teacher consultations will be made available on classroom doors on Monday morning. Please contact news@pilsleycofe.derbyshire.sch.uk if you can't get into school to make an appointment and we will be happy to arrange this for you. 

Parents evening for all year groups is Wednesday 23rd October, with the exception of Y3 whose parents evening is on Thursday 24^th October. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

Please find attached information and advice regarding term time absence and penalty notices.

Kind regards,

Mandy Read
School Business Assistant 

A reminder that you are most welcome to join us for our Harvest collective worship on Friday 4^th October at 2.30pm in the school hall. Reverend Mark will be joining us and we'd be very grateful of any donations for the Padley Centre's harvest appeal (details below) to be brought in on Friday too, ready for the collection on Monday morning.

Lord Burlington's visit to school

We were delighted to welcome Lord Burlington into school last Friday. Lord Burlington was given a tour of the school by Charlotte and Patrick, our Head Girl and Head Boy and the children were very excited to talk to him and show him what they had been learning about that day. Lord Burlington is very keen to build on the links which the school already has with the estate and we look forward to working with Chatsworth even more closely with future projects. 

School photographs

Your child will be bringing home their school photograph proof with them this afternoon in bookbags. There are details on the proof about how to place an order. There is also a £5 discount code for orders placed before 13^th October. 

PTA Fashion show

We're really looking forward to supporting the PTA fashion show this evening which is taking place at the Cavendish Hall at 7pm. If you haven't bought any tickets yet and would like to come, you can buy tickets on the door this evening. 

Flu vaccinations in school

If you would like your child to receive the flu vaccine in school this year, please follow this link to complete an online consent form. If you would like to decline, please complete a no consent form on the attached link.

https://nhsImms.azurewebsites.net/session/081c33b5

The vaccinations will take place at your child’s school on Wednesday 9th October 2024. 

The link will close on the 1st October 2024. 

If your child has already had the Flu vaccine elsewhere since Sept 2024, please disregard this message. If you have any problems accessing the link, please telephone 0333 3583 397 option 5.

All best wishes,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Despite the temperature taking a bit of a tumble this week, we all extend a very warm welcome back to you all at the start of our new school year! All the children have settled in brilliantly into their new classes, and we've seen some excellent examples of work, kindness and behaviour already. A very special welcome to our new Reception and nursery families as well as Arin and William's families who have recently joined us in Year 3 and Aaron and Daniel who have joined our infant class.

School uniform reminders

Just a reminder that jewellery and nail varnish are not permitted to be worn for school, as per our uniform policy. Plain stud style earrings are allowed to be worn for school but must be removed for PE. Watches are allowed to be worn but these must be analogue or digital (smart watches are not allowed to be worn for school). Your support with this is much appreciated. 

Pupil permission forms

If you haven't already done so, please can you return the pupil permission form which went home with your child's annual report in the summer. If you require another form, please contact the school office. 

School lunches

Please note, if you decide that your child no longer requires a school lunch and would like to bring a packed lunch instead, the notice period for this request is two weeks. This is due to the ordering system which the school kitchen operates. Many thanks for your understanding. 

Y6 roles

We're delighted to let you know who will be undertaking our Y6 leadership roles within school this year!

Head Girl- Charlotte

Head Boy- Patrick

Cavendish House Captain- Ted

Devonshire House Captain- James

Burlington House Captain- Sophie

Hartington House Captain- Daisy

Librarian- Matilda

Sports Captain- Louis

School Councillor- Sophie

Peer Mentor- Daisy

Senior Prefects- Romeo and Holly

Worship leader- Holly

Digital leaders- Romeo and Charlotte

ECO Captains- Matilda and Ted 

School photographs

The photographer will be in school on Wednesday 18^th September to take individual photographs as well as a whole school photograph. If your child usually has PE on a Wednesday, they will need to come to school wearing their school uniform and bring their PE kit in a bag to change into. 

Dates for the diary 2024/2025  (these will also be added to the calendar on the school website)

Friday 4^th October- Harvest festival donations deadline (more info to follow)

Wednesday 9^th October- Flu vaccination clinic in school

Wednesday 23rd October- Parents evening for Reception, Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5, Y6

Thursday 24th October- Parents evening for Y3

October half term week: Monday 28^th October-Friday 1^st November 

Monday 4^th November- INSET day

Tuesday 5^th November- Children return to school

Friday 15^th November- Non uniform day for Children in Need

Tuesday 10^th December- Christmas carols and Nativity- Edensor church- 5.30pm

Wednesday 18^th December- Trip to Buxton Opera House  to watch the pantomime (Reception-Y6)  1pmperformance

Thursday 19^th December- School Christmas lunch

Friday 20^th December- Christmas party day  (last day of term)

Christmas holidays- Monday 23^rd December-Friday 3^rd January 2025

Monday 6^th January- Children return to school

Friday 31^st January- Christingle service at Edensor church- 2pm

Thursday 13^th February- Young Voices concert in Sheffield

Friday 14^th February- Last day of term

February half term week: Monday 17^th February-Friday 21^st February 2025

Monday 24^th February- Children return to school

Wednesday 5^th March- Parents evening for Reception, Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5, Y6

Thursday 6^th March- Parents evening for Y3

World Book Day- dress up day

Friday 4^th April- Easter service at Edensor church- 2pm (last day of term)

Easter holidays- Monday 7^th April- Monday 21^st April 2025

Tuesday 22^nd April- Children return to school

Monday 5^th May- May day bank holiday

Monday 12^th May-Thursday 15^th May- Y6 SATs week

Thursday 22^nd May- Last day of term

Friday 23^rd May- INSET day

May half term week: Monday 26^th May- Friday 30^th May 2025

Monday 2^nd June- Children return to school

Monday 9^th June- Y1 Phonics screening check week

Thursday 26^th June- Sports day at Chatsworth cricket pitch- 1.30pm

Friday 27^th June- INSET day

Tuesday 8^th July- Junior summer play- 1.30pm

Wednesday 9^th July- Junior summer play- 5.30pm

Monday 14^th July-Tuesday 15^th July- Y2, Y3 and Y4 residential visit to Dukes Barn

Wednesday 23^rd July- Y6 Leavers' service at Edensor church- 2pm  (last day of term)

Thursday 24^th July- INSET day

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Your child's school report has come home with them tonight in their bag. There is also a school permissions form included in the envelope and we would be grateful if these could be filled in and returned before the end of term if possible, so we can update our records over the summer break. 

The children had a brilliant time at Dukes Barn on residential this week too. We went stream walking, caving at Devonshire Mine, abseiling at Millers Dale and canoeing on Emperor Lake. The younger children really enjoyed the climbing wall and ropes course and although not a lot of sleep was had, it was happy exhaustion at the end of their stay! Our thanks to all the staff who supported on residential- we couldn't do these things without them!

The Y6s have had a wonderful day at Rother Valley today at the inflatable aqua park! We had perfect weather for it and I don't think we all stopped laughing the whole time!! 

It is our Y6 leavers' service on Tuesday at 2pm in Edensor church. Everyone is welcome to join us for this, as we remember with fondness, all the happy memories which we've shared with our Y6s during their time with us at primary school. If you aren't able to make the service, please collect your child from Edensor church at 3pm on Tuesday afternoon. There isn't a school bus running on Tuesday afternoon so all children need to be collected from church please. 

***THE SUMMER FAIR *** THIS MONDAY AFTER SCHOOL***4-7pm

Please come along and support. All the proceeds raised at this event help towards paying for classroom resources for the next academic year.

**Hot dogs/ burgers** **slide**face painting**salon station for hair & nails***lucky dip***football top score***target games***plant stall**And more!

**Don’t forget to purchase/ send in your raffle tickets!! We have some amazing prizes!***The raffle will be drawn at 6.30pm on Monday***

Look forward to see you all there 🥳

On behalf of all the staff and governors, may we wish you a lovely and hopefully 'sunny' summer break. Our last day of term is Tuesday 23^rd July. We have an INSET day on Wednesday 4^th September so the children's first day back at school is Thursday 5^th September. 

All best wishes,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

It's been a hugely busy week in school this week with so many proud moments!! Firstly, huge congratulations to all of our wonderful Y6 children who received their SATs results on Tuesday. They have all worked incredibly hard and we are so proud of all they have achieved. We have arranged for a special treat for all the Y6s next Friday (separate letter to follow to all Y6 parents in bags tonight) to recognise and celebrate the huge effort they have made during their time with us at Pilsley. 

Matilda!

Matilda the Musical was a roaring success both last night and on Wednesday afternoon! The children were fantastic and worked so hard at home and school to learn their lines, cues and song words. Watching the children's confidence with performing arts blossom every year, is so heartwarming for us to see. It was a huge team effort in school too with all the costumes, props, scenery, music and choreography. Thank you to everyone who helped make the show happen. It was a really big production with lots to learn in a fairly short space of time! As always, thank you for all your continued help and support and we're really glad you enjoyed it! 

Dukes Barn

The excitement levels are rising by the day with our impending residential visit to Dukes Barn next week! A kit list is attached to this email in case anyone has mis-laid theirs. The children must bring a drink and a packed lunch with them on Monday please. Everything needs to be labelled too. If your child needs any medication when they are away, please collect a form from the office to fill in if you haven't already done so as we cannot administer any medication without this. Please bring your child's belongings onto the playground on Monday morning where there will be stations set up for them to leave their luggage. They need to be wearing comfortable clothes suitable for the outdoors and weather conditions on the day. Please send them in trainers and no jeans please. 

Y2s and Y3s need to be collected at 2pm on Tuesday 15^th July from Dukes Barn

Y4s, Y5s and Y6s need to be collected at 1.30pm on Wednesday 16^th July from Dukes Barn

Huge thanks to all the staff who are giving up their time (and sleep!) to take the children on residential. Please keep your phone with you in case there are any problems and we will phone you. Myself, Mrs Porter, Miss Davison and Mrs Townsend will be staying overnight on the Monday. Miss Davison, Mrs Porter and Miss Rodgers will be staying overnight on the Tuesday. Mrs Dowding, Mrs Dey and Mrs Field are all spending some time at Dukes Barn over the three days too. 

Road safety

Just a reminder to please take care when you have collected your child at the end of the day. Local vehicles, the school bus and 623 bus do pull out from the lane outside school onto the main road at the end of the school day and whilst they drive very carefully, it is obviously very important to keep your children with you under close supervision, especially if they are running to play on the village green after school. We would hate for any accidents to happen. Thank you for your support. 

Mrs Thompson

We have received confirmation from Mrs Thompson this week that she will be returning to work on Monday 30^th September. Therefore, all class teachers will stay exactly as they are at present at the start of September until Mrs Thompson returns at the end of September. Mrs Thompson will be returning on a part-time basis and will be mainly teaching in KS2 when she does return. As such, amended staff timetables will be sent out at the beginning of the next academic year. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Sports day

Thank you for coming to Sports day yesterday afternoon. I'm sure you'll agree that the setting was beautiful and we ended up being very lucky with the weather! Our thanks go to Chatsworth cricket club who kindly agreed for us to use their ground for this event, making it such a success. The children were brilliant and everyone took part really well in supporting their team. We have lots of great athletes in our school and huge congratulations go to Cavendish who took this year's top spot! 

Cavendish- 79 points

Devonshire- 63 points

Hartington- 63 points

Burlington- 44 points

The children have been talking to me about their favourite moments from sports day and the adult 'tug of war' was definitely a highlight! They have requested a rematch next year so get training!!

Costume slips for 'Matilda the Musical'

Just to make you aware that costume slips were sent home in the children's bags yesterday, letting you know what your child needs to wear for the junior show. If costumes could be brought in by Tuesday 2^nd July, that would be great. If you are struggling with anything, do let us know. 

Please note, there is a rehearsal at the Cavendish Hall on Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon next week for the juniors. The juniors need to come in their PE kit on Monday but normal uniform on Wednesday please as they won't have PE that afternoon.  

Transition day- Thursday 4^th July

The children will spend the morning in their new classes/year groups for September on Thursday.  The Y6s have their transition day at their chosen secondary school on Thursday too.  

• Mrs Anderson, Mrs Porter, Miss Dennis and Mrs Allinson will be with the infant children. Our new Reception starters for September will also be in for the morning with their parents for a 'stay and play' welcome session. 

• Mrs Dey and Mrs Dowding will be with the current Y2s and current Y3s for the morning.

• Mrs Field, Miss Davison and Mr Sparks will be with the current Y4s and Y5s for the morning. 

The children will go back to their usual classes for the afternoon. 

Mrs Dey will be staying with Class 3 until the end of the summer term. At present, we have not been made aware as to when Mrs Thompson will return from her maternity leave. Mrs Thompson is not required to return to work following her maternity leave until the beginning of October. Employees on maternity leave are only required to give the employer a minimum of three weeks notice before they wish to return to work. As soon as we are in a position to confirm the arrangements that will be in place for the beginning of the autumn term, we will let you know. 

Work experience students

Next week, we have four work experience students joining us from Sheffield Girls High and High Storrs school in Sheffield. Alysha, Sophia, Tom and Jude will be working across the classes and learning lots about working in a primary school environment!

Well blessing- Thursday 4^th July at 7pm

The blessing of the wells will take place on Thursday evening at 7pm. People usually meet on the village green just before 7pm and we walk around the village for a short well blessing service which will be conducted by Reverend Mark. If anyone would like to volunteer to help with our school well dressing, please let Mrs Allinson know on Monday. Many thanks. 

Bakewell library summer reading challenge

We are pleased to let you know that the Bakewell Library Summer Reading Challenge this year is called ‘Marvellous Makers!’, from Saturday 6th July until Saturday 7th September.

 The Summer Reading Challenge aims to harness creative thinking skills and build confidence in young readers during the school holiday when they aren’t in the classroom. Participation encourages children to read for pleasure, with books providing knowledge and giving children the tools and confidence to think originally, play with concepts, and express their creativity in unique ways.

 This year’s ‘Marvellous Makers’ theme will inspire children’s inner storytellers, motivating them to be curious and to tell their own stories through various creative outlets. The partnership with Create aims to allow children to understand and appreciate creativity through reading. The partnership will provide a range of exciting activities and resources that bring reading and creativity together, empowering children to become ‘Marvellous Makers’ themselves

How it works:

The children need to come to their local library with their library membership card to enrol in the Summer Reading Challenge.

Their parents/carer/guardian can join the child at the library for free if they are not already a member, the adult will need to bring proof of name and address (a driving licence or utility bill is fine), or they can join the library online.

 The child will be given a colourful pack with the Marvellous Makers characters and space to keep a record of the books they’ve read.

Start reading:

The children can read anything they would like – stories, fact books, graphic novels, poetry, audio books – it’s up to them.

Read just six books over the summer and every time they finish a book they will write it down on their score card.

Collect stickers:

Each time they finish a book, they will need visit the library to collect special stickers to add to their score card.

Collect all six stickers to complete the obstacle course!

There is also a medal and certificate for finishing the challenge.

 For more information, fun and games go to www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Just a reminder that all the junior children have a play rehearsal again on Monday morning so drop off on Monday is at the Cavendish Hall. 

Junior trip to Derby Open Centre

Class 3 and Class 4 had a wonderful day exploring different faiths and religions as part of their visit to Derby Open Centre. The children have been writing about their experiences and what they learnt about during their trip. We hope to create a new display in school of all their work during the coming weeks. 

Class 3 trip to Manchester 

Class 3 had a wonderful time in Manchester on Tuesday! After 30 weeks of musical tuition, we played our clarinets alongside the world famous Halle orchestra at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. It was an incredibly inspiring experience and the children were fascinated by the sound of the orchestra and the skill of the musicians. After the concert, we went to the Runway centre at Manchester airport for a picnic lunch. Whilst we were there, we went to go and see Concorde which was the icing on the cake after a great day out!  

Sports Day

We are all looking forward to an afternoon of sports on Thursday down at Chatsworth cricket ground. There is parking available at the cricket ground for around 30 cars but if people could car share, that would really help! We are in the process of liaising with the estate over parking for this event and will update you further as soon as we have more information.

We anticipate that Sports day will start at 1.30pm but as we are taking all the children down to Chatsworth on the school bus after their lunch, we will start the races as soon as everyone is settled.  

We are really excited to be using the cricket ground as a venue this year for sports day but there are some health and safety considerations to be aware of for this location. The cricket ground is very close to the river. During sports day, the children will be supervised by school staff (with the exception of the nursery children who will be supervised by their parents). At the end of sports day, we will hand the children back over to their parents/carers who will then become responsible for their supervision. 

For those staying for the Pilsley Bake Off event, which is being run by the PTA, judging will start at around 3pm. If you aren't staying for the Bake Off event, you are welcome to take your child/children home straight after sports day.   

Class photographs

There is still a discount available for ordering class photographs until Sunday. Codes are in the emails sent out last Friday. The link to see and order is https://starvisionphotography.co.uk . Photographs will be delivered into school next week.

Junior snack at morning break

Please can we remind parents and carers that if your junior child brings in their own snack at playtime, we request that this is a healthy option. The children love their tuck shop treat at school once a month, but we do ask that either fruit, vegetable sticks, crackers, cereal bars or other healthy options are brought in for breaktime rather than sugary snacks or crisps. All snacks brought into school must be 'nut free' too. Thank you for your support with this. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

Welcome back to the final and busiest term of the school year! We hope you all enjoyed a break over half term.

The junior children have been excited to start their rehearsals for 'Matilda the Musical' this week and it all seems to be going well so far. 

The school photographer came in on Wednesday and took the class photos but is returning later in the month (on a nicer day!) to take a whole school photograph. Details will follow next week about how to place an order for the class photos. 

Mr Sutton, who has been working in our infant class for the last couple of months, will be leaving us today as he has now completed his teaching placement. Mr Sutton has been hugely popular with the infants, and we will all miss his presence in the classroom. We wish him all the very best as he continues in his teaching career. 

Class 3 clarinet concert for parents- Monday 10^th June at 2.30pm

Just a reminder that Class 3 parents and carers are warmly invited to come into school on Monday afternoon at 2.30pm for a short clarinet concert. The children are busy preparing songs and pieces for their trip to Bridgewater Hall in Manchester where they will play alongside the Halle orchestra on 18^th June. We're also teaming this experience with a visit to the Runway centre at Manchester airport on the way home to see Concorde! Exciting times!!

Sports day- Thursday 27^th June

Unfortunately, we have been having real issues with our school field this winter. The moles moved in and the ground itself has never really recovered from all the heavy rain this winter. Consequently, the flatter section of the school field has become very uneven and bumpy. Rather than having the children run their races for sports day on a potentially quite dangerous surface, we have been granted kind permission by the estate to use the cricket ground at Chatsworth for our sports day this year. 

As planned, we will still continue with the 'Pilsley Bake Off' after sports day but this will take place at the cricket pavilion instead. Fingers crossed for some sunshine as the cricket ground will be the perfect setting for our afternoon of sports! 

Junior trip to Derby Open Centre- Thursday 13^th June

A reminder that the junior children are visiting Derby Open Centre on Thursday. Please remember to send a drink and a packed lunch for your child and they need to be at school for 8.20 please. We will be leaving school promptly at 8.30am so do please arrive on time- thank you 🙂 We should be back at school by 3.15pmbut it may be wise to make alternative arrangements if your child usually goes home on the school bus in case we are running late. 

Cavendish rehearsal dates for Matilda the Musical (previously sent out earlier this week)

Monday 17th June- all juniors to be dropped off at the Cavendish Hall at 8.45am  

Monday 24th June- all juniors to be dropped off at the Cavendish Hall at 8.45am

Monday 1st July- all juniors to be dropped off at the Cavendish Hall at 8.45am 

Wednesday 3rd July- all juniors to be collected from the Cavendish Hall at 3.15pm

Monday 8th July- all juniors to be dropped off at the Cavendish Hall at 8.45am 

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher

Pilsley Proms!

On Monday 20^th May, we are hosting our own Pilsley Proms with a musical coffee morning in the school hall starting at 9am. We will be serving hot drinks in the hall from 9am and Mrs Townsend will be leading the musical element of the morning. If your child has music lessons at school, they will have been asked already if they would like to play something at the Proms. There is no pressure for the children to play if they would rather not. Likewise, if your child plays an instrument outside of school and would like to join in with the Proms, please contact news@pilsleycofe.derbyshire.sch.uk with your child's name, the name of their instrument and the title of the piece that they would like to play. We anticipate that the Proms will last for approximately one hour. Everyone welcome 🙂

FOPS Events:

• Freeze Pop Friday – today after school- all ice pops 50p
• End of Term Thursday 23rd May - non school uniform day £1

Sweets/ cakes/ ice pops available and a play on the green to celebrate the end of term! 😊please pay via the PTA link

• Paint a pebble for a Garden Snake £2

If there’s anyone who didn’t get chance to buy a pebble at the uniform sale these are still available. All enquiries to Bex Vardy / Mrs Allinson. Bex will be selling stones after school again today.

All decorated pebbles to be returned by Thursday 23rd (last day of term). All proceeds raised at this event will be re-invested into the school garden to create a sensory area/ water feature.

• Bags2school Collection - Thursday 6th June
• ‘The Great Pilsley Bake Off / Decorate A Cake Competition’ - This was a great event last year; the children loved this event and made some fabulous creations. This year, the theme will be the ‘Olympics’, £2.50 an entry. Please support well again, we will be running the following sections – Nursery/ Reception, Year 1 & 2, Year 3 & 4, Year 5 & 6. There will also be an ‘open section’ for adults too, so please do get involved… any star bakers out there? Please get your grannies, friends, etc, involved! There will be some fantastic prizes once again kindly sponsored by Chatsworth Farm Shop.  Who will take the 'Pilsley Star Baker' Award this Year? We cannot wait to see your fabulous creations!  Date: Thursday 27th June, following on from Sports Day.
• Fashion Show – Save the Date…Thursday 20th June. This is going to be a great evening event held at the Cavendish Hall, aimed at all parents and carers, please feel free to bring along relatives/ friends too for a fun night out! A high street fashion show, items available to purchase/ order on the night. £10 per ticket to include entry & a glass of fizz on arrival. This event is very kindly sponsored by Yorkshire Crisps. Further refreshments and snacks will be available to purchase on the night. Tickets available soon. Please come along and support…and save the date! Further details to follow😊
• The Summer Fair – July Date TBC. If there’s anyone out there that feels they could help/ run a stand please do get in touch with a FOPS team member. We need helpers to make this event happen! Thank you 😊 All proceeds raised from this event feed directly back into the classroom.

Please come along, support and attend the events, the FOPS are raising funds to enhance our outdoor spaces and hope to have raised enough funds for the start of a trim trail soon. We would love to reach at the least the £2024 mark this year to get this project off the ground!

Your attendance, help and support with these events will hopefully make them a success! 😊

Thank you from the FOPS Team

Wishing you a lovely warm and sunny weekend,

Mrs E Bond

Headteacher 

Duckling updates!

The children have really enjoyed watching each stage of the duckling hatching experience in school over the last ten days. From seeing the first crack in the eggshell,  to watching them hatch and then giving the ducklings their first experience in water, have all been inspiring for some of our children....so much so, we've heard lots of talk already about incubators and eggs going onto Christmas lists this year!! Our youngest children in particular, have loved seeing them every day and taking an interest in cleaning out the cage, feeding them and changing their water regularly. In line with the guidelines from the company around adoption, Miss Davison and I have agreed to adopt the ducklings and give them happy homes alongside our hens and chicks. We will be providing updates for the children as the ducklings grow and will try to bring them in to visit soon! In the meantime, if this experience has inspired your child to think about keeping ducks, you can find lots of information about what is required here... Keeping Ducks & Geese As Pets | RSPCA - RSPCA - rspca.org.uk

Y6 SATs week

On Monday 13^th May, our lovely Y6 children will begin their KS2 SATs. We have all been incredibly impressed with their hardworking attitude, determination and willingness to persevere throughout their Y6 year.  

We always consider the well-being of each of the children and approach the tests in a calm and confident manner.

During test week, it is important that the children are as relaxed and calm as possible - early bedtimes and good food are recommended!  We are so proud of them all and as we always say to them at this point, they have worked hard throughout their whole time at primary school so this is a time to shine and to show everything that they have learnt along the way.  

Sheep service- St.Peter's church, Edensor

This Sunday, St.Peter's church in Edensor are having their annual sheep service at 10.45am. The new Priest in charge, Reverend Mark Griffin, came to visit us at school on Wednesday and to meet the children. Reverend Mark will be coming into school soon to lead regular assemblies and we very much look forward to welcoming him into our community. 

Our school garden- can you help?

We would be so grateful if anyone is able to spare an hour or so at some point to help with some jobs in our school garden. If you can help at all, please speak to myself or Mrs Allinson. Also, if anyone has any bark chippings or mulch they would be willing to donate (to help keep the weeds under control in the borders), please let us know. We're also asking for any donations of compost or small toys etc to help build a miniature 'fairy garden' which we'd like to start working on very soon with the children. 

PTA meeting- today

There is a PTA meeting tonight at the Cavendish club straight after school at 3.30pm. All welcome. 

Class photographs

On Wednesday 5^th June, Star Vision photography will be in school to take class photographs as well as a whole school photograph (weather permitting!). Details of how to order these will follow.

KS2 trip to Derby

Just a reminder that if you haven't already returned your consent form for the KS2 trip to Derby, please could you do so by Friday 10^th May. Thank you.

Class 3 trip to Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Please look out for a letter in your child's bag which will be coming home on Tuesday. 

Y6 transition days

Those Y6s transferring to Lady Manners in September have been invited to school for their first transition day on Friday 21^st June. Lady Manners and Hope Valley college have another transition day booked for Thursday 4^th July. 

Dates

• A reminder that our final INSET day of this academic year is on Friday 24^th May. Therefore, the children break up for the May half term break on Thursday 23^rd May and return to school on Monday 3^rd June.

• Sports day is taking place on Thursday 27^th June at 1.30pm. 

• The Junior summer show is taking place at the Cavendish Hall on Wednesday 10^th July (afternoon) and Thursday 11^th July (evening). More details to follow soon!

• Dukes Barn residential- 15th-17^th July (1 night for Y2 and Y3, 2 nights for Y4-Y6)

• Y6 Leavers' service- Tuesday 23^rd July at 2pm

Wishing you a lovely bank holiday weekend and we look forward to seeing the children back at school on Tuesday.

Very best wishes,

Mrs E Bond
Headteacher 

There is so much to learn from the five smallest members of Class 3 and learning to care for a pet is an excellent life skill. The week then got even more exciting when the Pilsley Duck egg incubator arrived. We are enjoying being visited by the other classes and there are already many 'chirpy' noises coming from them. 

We are looking forward to seeing the new ducklings very shortly. 

Mrs Dey
Year 3/4 Class teacher