Living Our Vision and Values

On Thursday, I was having one of those days; the rain was coming down, I had a long day ahead with a late Governors meeting, it was getting dark early as I drove towards Bramley from Whitewater at 4pm. My spirits were soon lifted as I walked into my office and found a selection of drawings and crafts with notes on them saying ‘To Mr Moore’. I went on to find out that our Year R pupils had been spreading happiness by ‘filling up the buckets’ of other people. What a wonderful way to spread kindness!

 

Children In Need…

On Friday 17th November, we had the pleasure of supporting Children in Need, which gives our children a chance to contribute to the charity and show compassion and kindness to all whilst making a difference. The school was a sea of vibrant colours and patterns as our amazing children came dressed in their pyjamas or spotty clothes. It was heart-warming to see the joy and enthusiasm radiating from each and every child. Together, we raised an impressive £572 for this worthy cause. Thank you to all who contributed and helped make a difference.

 

Anti-Bullying Week…

Week commencing Monday 13^th November, our school community has come together wonderfully during Anti-Bullying week. It has been heartening to witness the children engaging in thought-provoking discussions, activities, and assemblies centered around showing kindness to all, as well as our values of respect, and friendship. Our pupils have truly embraced the importance of standing up against bullying, and their empathy and compassion towards one another has been truly inspiring.

 

Bramley Remembers...

Throughout the start of November, we were supporting the British Legion Poppy Appeal by selling poppy items at break time. 

As a school, we showed compassion and respect whilst reflecting and on the meaning of the poppy and Remembrance in their classes throughout the week and before gathering together as a school to have a special Remembrance Worship on Friday 10^th November. After our service, our Equality And Rights Advocates (EARA) went go to St James Church to meet Reverend Mark and to lay a wreath on behalf of the school. It was a very poignant occasion.

 

Celebrating Black History and Diversity - October 2023...

In October the children were very busy showing kindness to all and reflecting all 3 of our new Christian Values (compassion, friendship, respect) by celebrating Diversity and Black History Month. Black History Month was launched on the 2^nd October with a whole school Collective Worship. Across the classes, children have been engaging in a range of activities and learning about the cultures of children in our Bramley School community.

The EYFS children listened to stories such as Handa's Surprise, The Proudest Blue, Mae Among the Stars and All are welcome. They enjoyed making art work inspired by the artist Alma Thomas, as well as creating African inspired necklaces. The children explored the different cultures within their own classes by looking at a world map and discussing the culture and traditions of their peers and their families, such as Hungary, Pakistan, Poland, Italy and more. 

In Key Stage One, the children have been reading a range of stories every afternoon that have included some autobiographies in fiction form. They have enjoyed reading 'Coming To England' by Floella Benjamin during our reading lessons. The children subsequently learnt about the Windrush generation through the true story of how Floella's family came to England and later became a Dame because of her successful career dedicated to the education and entertainment of young people.

Across Key Stage Two the children have been discussing the successes of famous black British sportspeople, one of whom being Marcus Rashford. They discussed his accomplishments on and off the pitch, especially the support he provided to many families during the pandemic. They reflected on how, despite the good he has done, he and many other players still receive racial abuse and how it is still a huge issue not only in football but also in our wider society as well.  

What an amazing month with Diversity Day Collective Worship on the last day of the term showing a presentation of the Australian Indigenous people. The children learnt about the importance of the Dreamings in this culture and how taking care of the land was an essential part too.

 

Suporting YoungMind and 'Being Confidently Me' - Friday 13th October...

We showed friendship and compassion by supporting a new charity for us - children’s mental health charity, YoungMind. The school was awash with yellow hairbands, T-Shirts, socks and even an adult sized banana! During the week we looked at how we can stay mentally healthy by regularly exercising, using breathing techniques and socialising. We also spoke how all emotions are important, even the negative ones. It’s okay to feel anxious or sad, but it’s important to understand that we should talk about these times and seek help if the negative emotions get too much. The children were excellent at engaging in such a complicated topic. We raised an amazing £220 and would like to thank everyone who donated.

 

 

Harvest Service and Foodbank Donations - Monday 25th September...

The sun was shining and the sky was blue as we made the long walk to St James’ Church to celebrate Harvest. The service was led by Rev’d Mark and included wonderful readings, thoughtful reflections of thanks, poignant prayers and inspiring singing. It is always an important part of our school calendar, an opportunity to be grateful for what we have and to offer our support to others.

As part of the celebrations, we asked for donations for the Basingstoke Foodbank. The House Captains joined Mrs Hanson in delivering the donations in person on behalf of the school. We would like to say a HUGE thank you for raising the equivalent of over 700 meals. Well done Bramley!

 

Reviewing our Vision and Values - September 2023..

Our values of Love, Respect and Courage have sat at the heart of every aspect of school life and we believe are ingrained within our school community. However, over the past few years, we have all experienced lots of change and as a result, we have decided to review and refresh our values to meet the current needs of our school, children and community. This is not to say that we suddenly forget about Love, Respect and Courage, they will continue to be woven into the fabric our Bramley.

After much discussion, considering everyone’s thoughts and in light of the parent survey response, there are 3 Christian Values which are clearly ahead of the others. I’m delighted to share that our new values are:

 

It was fantastic to see so many responses and so lovely to read your comments. Respect was the most popular value amongst the parents which is the only Christian value which remains one of our big three.

The staff and Governors rated compassion the highest, whilst the children wanted friendship to become one of our new values. Both of these are specific elements of our previous value of love.

Each of the other values selected were also rated highly by each group of stakeholders. Overall, it is clear to see that the emotional, moral, social and spiritual wellbeing of our children remains at the heart of what we do as parents, as educators and as a community.

With the new values decided, our school vision is amended to reflect the change of values and needs to embrace our standing as a Church of England school. Our vision is broken into three key areas which I have listed below.

Our Vision:

At Bramley, we are a COMPASSIONATE, nurturing school which enables everyone to flourish feeling confident in their uniqueness, being FRIENDS with others and showing RESPECT for all, whilst making a positive contribution to God’s world.

Our vision is summarised as:

• Being confidently me
• Showing kindness to all
• Making a difference

Summer Term Role of honour - 14th July 2023

On Wednesday morning, it was an absolute pleasure to celebrate the Values Award winners. The teachers gave so many examples of the wonderful ways the children demonstrate our school values of Love, Respect and Courage all of the time. In recognition of their continuous high standards, the children get a Values Award badge as well as a certificate. Next week, the winners also have a special treat of going bowling for the afternoon.

This term’s Values Award winners are:

 

Puffin – Oscar A Ladybird – Julianna L Donaldson – Grace L Rosen – Maxwell M Jeffers – Olivia N

Gravett – Lacie V Dahl – Lena N Lewis – Marceyanna J Riddell – Ted P Morpurgo – Grace M

Cowell – Kasey C Ibbotson – Harry Q Kipling – Isobel L Collins – Anabelle W Rundell – Leila D

 

Diversity Week - 19th May 2023

Just before half-term, our school celebrated ‘Diversity Week’. This exciting and fun filled week began with children discussing the meaning and importance of celebrating a range of cultures from our school and around the world. The EYFS children explored cultural and physical diversity. They learnt all about hearing aids when reading the book ‘Can bears ski?’ and decided to have a go at making their own hearing aids. It was lovely to hear their discussions based on what they had learnt from the book and our visitor. Throughout the school, the children listened to music from the Caribbean, drew Mehndi and Rangoli patterns, created African masks and tasted a variety of different foods. Some children researched different cultures and designed meals using the traditional foods from their chosen country. We all really enjoyed listening to the visitors who came in, and our children, talk about their own cultures and traditions. We would like to invite more people to do this so please see your child’s class teacher if you would like to share your experiences with us. What a week to end the Half Term!

 

Spring Term Role of Honour - 31st March 2023

We’ll start with this morning. On the final celebration assembly of each term, we ask staff to select one child in each class for a ‘Values Award’. This is a very special award for a select few children who demonstrate our school values of Love, Respect and Courage without fail. In recognition of their achievement, the children get a Values Award badge as well as a certificate. The children will also have a special treat after Easter.

The winners of the Values Awards are:

Puffins – Ivy P Ladybirds – Clark T Donaldson – Ivy S Rosen – Flora R Jeffers – Abigail S

Gravett – Ava G Dahl – Zoe D Lewis – Lucy F Riddell – Anna W Morpurgo – Charlotte J

Cowell – Erin W Ibbotson – Danyl B Kipling – William N Collins – Freddie N Rundell – Karthik G

 

Helping the Community - Food Donations - 24th March 2023

We would like to let you know that as a result of the impact of the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’, we will once again be placing food donation boxes outside the main entrance of school. Each week, the food donations collected will be offered to members of our school community, in addition to the donations given from the Church. Any donations given will be very much appreciated. If you feel that you need help in anyway, please come in to school or call to let us know, as these are particularly challenging times.

 

Comic Relief - 24th March 2023

Last Friday was Comic Relief. At school, we marked the day with the children coming to school in red and with a Mile Run. The children looked great and as always, their enthusiasm on the running track is brilliant! As a community, we raised £467 towards this cause. That’s a total of nearly £6000 we’ve raised this term for charities. That’s an incredible amount which will help so many people across the world.

 

Sponsored Read - 10th March 2023

After our wonderful reading week, we launched the fundraising event of a sponsored read. During assembly this week, we caught up with the children to see how they had enjoyed completing the different challenges. Clearly reading upside down, in pyjamas and in a den were highlights! Some children were also very inventive for their ‘crazy’ places to read!!

Aside from all of the reading fun, it was important to us that we are able to support those who are in need across the world. So far, we have raised over £5000 towards those who have been affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria – this is a truly staggering contribution from our community! Thank you!

 

Safer Internet Day - 9th February 2023

This Tuesday, the children of Bramley joined learners from over 170 countries in celebrating Safer Internet Day 2023. It was a day when we celebrated all the great things about being online and reminded ourselves how we can stay safe. This year’s theme was “Want to Talk About it? Making space for conversations about life online” and focused on sharing and discussing the use of technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they learnt about personal information, the different experiences that they can have online and who they can talk to about their online lives, good or bad.  We feel that staying safe online is a very important message for our young people and ask that you continue the conversation with them at home by following this link to find out more. https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2023/parents-and-carers

 

 

Autumn Term Role of honour -16th December 2022

On the final celebration assembly of each term, we ask staff to select one child in each class for a ‘Values Award’. This is a very special award for a select few children who demonstrate our school values of Love, Respect and Courage without fail. In recognition of their achievement, the children get a Values Award badge as well as a certificate. In addition, we will take the children out for the afternoon when we return from the Christmas break.

The winners of the Values Awards are:

Donaldson – Ben P Rosen – Erin B Jeffers – Henry H Gravett – Frank T Dahl – James W

Lewis – Sonny P Riddell – Chloe C Morpurgo – Josie L-F Cowell – Logan H

Ibbotson – Freddie S Kipling – Amelia H Collins – Finnian L Rundell – Fred T

 

Tadley Community Food Pantry - 18th November 2022

We would like to pass on some important information about the new Tadley Community Food Pantry. The principle of the pantry is to give those in need the opportunity to have a ‘helping hand’ by getting food for a small membership fee per visit.  The pantry provides a wide range of fresh, frozen and ambient food.  If you need, or know of someone that may benefit from joining the pantry, then please go along on a Wednesday or Friday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Please see the poster below the key dates.

    

Children In Need - 18th November 2022

Thank you all for supporting Children in Need today. It’s a very worthy cause and something that we are all passionate about. The children of Bramley are loved and looked after, fed and watered. They have the opportunity to attend school where they learn and grow. This is not the case for all children for a wide variety of reasons and Children in Need gives us the chance to show love and help us do our bit to ensure other children have the same life opportunities in the future.  We have great pleasure in confirming that, to date, we have raised just over £345. The Just Giving page will still be open over the weekend if you’d like to donate.

 

Anti-Bullying Week - 18th November 2022

At Bramley, we have thrown ourselves in Anti-Bullying week and have learnt all about this year’s theme; Reaching Out! In Collective Worship, we spoke about reaching out by reflecting on how we can do this, why it’s important to do this and who we can do this with. Following this, the children have taken part in a range of learning activities across the school in making a stance against bullying. The fight against bullying is something that requires all three of our values of Love, Respect and Courage and we are proud to stand together on this.

 

Remembrance -18th November 2022

Last Friday saw Bramley remember. Poppy sales throughout the week enabled the children to show their respect towards those people past and present who have fought in an attempt to keep peace and keep everyone safe. We marked the occasion with a Remembrance Service in the morning and the 2 minute silence at 11am. During the Service we shared the poem: What are we Fighting For? by Brian Moses and children across the school shared a range of work they have been creating includi

ng acrostic poems, Remembrance prayers and some children reading In Flanders Field by John McCrae. Remembrance is an occasion which reflects all three of our values: Love, Respect and courage.

 

Poppy Appeal - 4th November 2022

Next week, the children will be learning in Worship and in class about the importance of Remembrance through a range of activities. As a school, we are supporting the Royal British Legion by selling poppy related items. These will be sold by the school office at breaktime every day for the next week. For speed and ease, please can you ensure children have the correct money.

 

Shoe Box Appeal - 4th November 2022                                                                                                                                                                           

 We are also supporting the Basingstoke Rotary Club’s shoe box appeal this year. The donations we have received are in the entrance hall and look fantastic – thank you so much to those who have been able to support so far. We have extended the deadline until Thursday 10^th November, if you are able to donate, we are certain that the recipients would be grateful!

Details have been sent out via parent mail and included forms with ideas of what to include in the boxes as well as the form to attach to the box. More forms are available from the school office if needed.

 

Swap Shop – 14^th October 2022

As we have previously communicated, our next Swap Shop will be on Tuesday 18^th October. On this occasion, we hope to have on offer:

*Winter Coats     *Halloween Costumes     *Trainers      *Wellies

If you are able to donate any of these items to the Swap Shop, please send them into school before Tuesday 18^th - either to the office or your child's class teacher.

 

Harvest – 14th October, 2022

On Wednesday, we welcomed Reverend Mark to school to lead our Harvest Worship. It was a lovely assembly of thanks giving, helping to think about the different people involved in supply chains so we have food and clothing. Children from across the school took part by sharing some of their learning about harvest. Year 2 children shared wonderful paintings of fruits, vegetables and farmers. Year 4 children shared a range of harvest poems while Year 5 children had written prayers linked to giving thanks and remembering the importance of sharing. Year 6 children presented information about harvest around the world, it was fascinating to hear the different times of year that harvest is celebrated and the foods shared.

We are amazed each year at the generosity of our community to support others. This year, we collected 257.5kgs of donations. This is an incredible amount and will create over 700 meals. It was extra special this year as the House Captains represented the community as they helped deliver the goods to the foodbank in person.

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to donate, the Basingstoke Foodbank will be able to support many local families thanks to your kindness.