Dear Parents,

It is eerily quiet in school this week with so many of our pupils away on residentials and visits but, as always, this is the week of calm before the summer term events kick into high gear.

Year 1 and 2 in their topic of ‘Off we go’, following their superb concert, went on a local journey this week around Saffron Walden to help develop their mapping skills and along the way took time to appreciate their beautiful town, from the green spaces to the unique architecture. This term, across the school, we have been taking time to reconnect with our community, not least through our support of Bridge End Gardens through the volunteering club and the appreciation of this local amenity as the venue for the highly successful create, design and engineering exhibition ‘Full Steam Ahead’.

One disadvantage of not being a city centre school is the limited choices for good public transport connections when it comes to helping our children understand that making a choice to use public transport or walk or cycle to school can have a positive impact on our climate and their own wellbeing. Throughout this term we have been supporting  Saffron Walden Action for Climate Change and joined a number of other schools in the locality in empowering our children to make small, individual, contribution towards sustainability, but in a way that the cumulative effect is significant and meaningful. Thank you for your continued support with this initiative. We appreciate that when you are adding an extra thirty minutes to your journey or participating in some extreme cycling it feels like a tough choice.

As we approach the Festival of Learning on 9 July we are continuing to build opportunities for our pupils to make decisions that will support the preservation of the biosphere. This hasn't just been limited to understanding their contribution to climate change but also understanding how their actions can impact on biodiversity. Early Years from across the Foundation joined together to visit Shepreth Wildlife Park and learnt about the challenges facing species from across the globe but left with practical ways in which they can contribute to the slowing of the decline in species. At the Festival of Learning Years 3 and 4 are going to be studying the life of the oceans and again make links to their ability to make decisions and take action, such as reducing their use of plastics, using their own water bottles in school and on trips, not picking up straws for soft drinks and thinking about the packaging of items in the supermarket that they buy. The Inspire Me talks from our parents and friends are incredibly powerful in helping our pupils to understand the positive impact they can have on the future of the biosphere and if you feel that you can contribute to a talk or know someone who you would recommend please contact the school office.

As a school community, led by our dedicated PTA, the Fun Run at Carver Barracks gave us yet another opportunity to come together and give of our time and do something a little bit difficult but fun in order to raise awareness of the challenges facing others. The money raised for East Anglian Children’s Hospice totalled approx £1000 and the sponsorship for Cancer Research is approaching £3000.

Finally, please do keep an eye on the calendar and schoolpost for information regarding the events for the remainder of the term.

All best wishes,

Tracy Handford

Head of Dame Bradbury’s and Vice Principal, 3-11

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