West Malling After School Club launches

• COVID-19 and Coronavirus

  Wed 11 Mar 2020

  This advice was checked and updated on 11th March 2020.

   

  Parents will be aware that additional care is being taken at the present time to minimise the risk of the transmission of Coronavirus.  The school will be following the advice of the Department for Education and Public Health England in this respect.  School routines and expectations are continuing as normal, but we are encouraging pupils and teachers to wash their hands frequently and to exercise additional care in using tissues if sneezing or coughing.  Tissues should be binned after use.  Please ensure that pupils come to school with an adequate supply of clean tissues. Soap will be available in all pupil toilets and it is helpful if pupils are reminded to use it when washing their hands. We will also be reminding pupils of these sensible precautions at regular intervals over the weeks ahead.

   

  The government has set up a special hotline for any parents, pupils or staff who have concerns:

   

  Phone: 0800 046 8687
  Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
  Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

   

  Further guidance which parents and pupils may find useful includes:

  Updates on COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

   

  Guidance for educational settings:
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19

• New After School Play Active Club

  Tue 20 Aug 2019

  We are delighted to announce the launch of our after school provision which begins in September.  It will be provided by our friends at Premier Sports who many families will know from our holiday club provision and also from after-school clubs such as dodgeball and rugby.

   

  Please visit our dedicated page to find out more!

   

  https://www.west-malling.kent.sch.uk/after-school-play-active-club/ 

   

   

• West Malling - "outstanding"

  Wed 05 Jun 2019

  Our SIAMS report states that the distinctiveness and effectiveness of West Malling as a Church of England school is outstanding

  • Christian values are embedded into the life of the school.

  • Shaped by Christian values, pupils can grow in confidence and character.

  • The school is an inclusive school in which all are aware of their innate value and worth. Guided by these Christian values, school leaders have substantially improved achievement and attendance of pupils so that most achieve at or above national standards

  • Collective worship is an integral part of the life of school.

  • The incumbent (Reverend Green) provides invaluable Christian insights to support the work of the school.

  • The whole report can be found on the “Key Information” page

• Update from Ash at Kingswood

  Wed 13 Sep 2017

  We are all half-way through our Kingswood Adventure, and have enjoyed good weather and some brilliantly run, as well as challenging, experiences. All of the children are behaving brilliantly, and gaining so much from the activities.

  Mr Clark had the idea that the children would help write a daily update – but this is literally the first time he has stopped to even turn on the laptop, because every moment is filled with activity. From indoor climbing on Monday evening through to problem solving, laser challenges, tasks designed to develop teamwork, every one of the children has taken part and has risen to the challenges.

  Today the children are all taking part on skyclimb – which is a high ropes course, similar to the one you’d find at Go Ape. Each child spends time getting to understand the clip system and learns the importance of being locked into the high wires, and then begin to work their way up a spiral of rope bridges, logs, platforms and tyres all the way to the top from where they zipwire back to the ground. The “lower” zipwire is still taller than a two story house! Watching the children face the challenge, many conquering fears of heights and many succeeding because of the support of their friends is a privilege and we know that you will all get to hear the stories on Friday.

  The food is plentiful and of a high standard – many of us are enjoying a cooked breakfast every day, and even some cereal alongside! Appetites grow because of the active nature of what we are doing, along with the time spent outside. Sleeping is also running smoothly. Yesterday was a long day – over 13 hours from leaving our accommodation to climbing into bed. Unsurprisingly, waking up took a little longer today.

  We will try and write again – but perhaps we should stick to the old saying “no news is good news”! Do keep an eye on twitter - @westmalling CEP – as we are uploading tweets when we can!

• Helpful online safety advice

  Sun 20 Dec 2015
  Advice from CEOP - The Child Explotation and Online Protection Centre - is available at https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/  Further details are on our Community, helpful links page http://www.west-malling.kent.sch.uk/useful-links/.

• After School Care Survey

  Fri 27 Nov 2015

  Remarkably we are already thinking ahead to next September, and how we can enhance our after school care provision.  The Governing Body and the school are exploring the idea of hosting an after school care in school, but need to be sure that it is something that is both viable and that our parent community are interested in. 

  After-school clubs would continue, but having after school care could allow working parents to collect their children later.  We urge as many of you as possible to take part in the short survey, so that we can gain as wide a range of opinion.  The link to the survey is here, http://goo.gl/forms/Non4uxiopd   

  The survey closes on Friday December 4th. 

• Bishop James of Rochester's visit

  Thu 12 Nov 2015

  The pupils and staff at West Malling CE Primary School welcomed the Bishop of Rochester this week.  Bishop James Langstaff has spent the week visiting the Malling deanery.  On Tuesday he came to the school to help mark the beginning of a series of celebrations marking 60 years since the school moved to its current site by the Old Cricket Ground on Norman Road.  The Head Boy, Rhys Wenborn and Head Girl, Scarlett King,  led the Bishop on a tour of the school before he talked to the youngest students about the creation and the Lord’s Prayer.  The eldest children prepared a series of questions for the Bishop about his work and calling, welcoming him to “Bishop’s Question Time”.  Before leaving, Bishop James and Reverend David Green, led the school through an act of worship.  

  

• Parent Survey 2015

  Fri 02 Oct 2015

  We have launched our Parent Survey for 2015.  Please visit http://bit.ly/1OLeFda

   

  We are keen to hear your thoughts on what is great about West Malling, but also what we can develop going forwards.

   

  Thank you for your contributions.  We will report back on the outcomes in due course.

   

  The survey is open for one week until Friday October 9th.

   

• Send Our Friend to School!

  Thu 23 Jul 2015

  Members of our Young Language Ambassadors club have been leading the school's response to the "Send My Friend to School" Campaign.  

  In 2000, over 180 countries signed up to a set of commitments for a better world to tackle issues such as hunger and poverty. These Millennium Development Goals included a goal of education for all by 2015.

  But time is running out. 58 million children are still missing out on school. At the current rate of progress, it will be 2086 by the time every child is in school. So students from across 4000+ schools are lobbying their local MP to ensure that their voice is heard by the Prime Minister.

  West Malling has done its part by inviting our local MP Tom Tugendhat to visit the school.  He has taken away a box filled with pictures and models of children requesting that world leaders meet the commitment of education for all.

  
  As well as talking about the campaign, Mr Tugendhat took time to inspire the children further as leaders for our school and community.  

• On your bike!

  Tue 28 Apr 2015

  Year 4 Bikeability

   

  Our Year 4 students are on their bikes today!

  They have been busy improving their control around the playground as they endeavour to complete Level 1 in bikeability!

  The children have learned how to control and master their bike.

  Once they’ve completed  Bikeability Level 1 they will also be able to:

   

  • Fit their own helmet
  • Carry out a simple bike check
  • Get on their bike, start cycling, then stop and get off
  • Ride the bike using the gears
  • Make their bike go where they want it to, including moving around objects safely
  • Control the bike with one hand
  • Stop quickly if need be
  • Look all around when you’re riding, including behind, without wobbling

   

  Once this stage is complete, the children can step up towards level 2 and practice some road safety skills safely on the road.