Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Woodhall Wapentake Article December 2023

  Mon 04 Dec 2023

  On Sunday 12 November, our 4 School Ambassadors attended the Service of Remembrance at St Peter’s Church and proudly carried the School Standard and Friends of 617 Squadron Association Standard, as part of the Woodhall Spa Remembrance Parade.  A big thank the children for representing the school at this important community event and laying 2 wreaths on behalf of the school. 

   

  The St Andrew’s School Council have held their first meeting of the academic year, at which they debated and voted on how to support the BBC Children in Need Appeal this year.  As well as a non-uniform day on Friday 17 November, the School Council decided to run a ‘Create a Menu for Pudsey’ competition for the whole school.  A menu template was sent out and children were invited to design a healthy lunch for a very busy Pudsey to enjoy on Children in Need Day.   We had some fantastic entries showcasing some wonderfully creative healthy food and drink choices and beautifully decorated menus (see photo of an entry from one of our Reception children).  Congratulations to our winners in each year group category who received some fabulous Children in Need prizes and well done to everyone who took part.

   

  Meanwhile, children who attend our Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs have been very busy painting a train which will take pride of place as part of the Woodhall Spa Christmas display in the Millennium Garden.  All the children who attend Breakfast and Afterschool Club at St Andrew’s have taken part in decorating the train and they have done an amazing job – even our nursery pupils who attend Breakfast Club have got involved and used their thumbprints to paint baubles on the Christmas trees which feature on the train.  The train will be adorned with lights and we are very much looking forward to seeing it all lit up and on show.  The children and staff have really enjoyed planning and painting the train and the school would like to thank the Woodhall Spa Rotary Club for inviting our children to get involved with this wonderful project.

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article November 2023

  Tue 31 Oct 2023

  During our Autumn Term, we were treated to a wonderful Harvest Festival Collective Worship presented to the whole school by Class 2EM.  The staff, children and their families had been invited to bring in items of food which would be donated to the Woodhall Spa and Kirkby on Bain Food Bank.  The school was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown through their donations … we even needed an extra table to display all items at the front of the Hall!  During the Collective Worship, the children spoke clearly and eloquently about the meaning of Harvest, gave thanks for the crops, food, farmers and their families and acted out the story of ‘The King and the Seed’ wonderfully.  All members of the class participated in the Collective Worship and the whole school joined in to sing two beautiful songs, ‘One in a Million’ and ‘Harvest Samba’, which sounded fantastic.  A big thank you to our school families for their donations which were very gratefully received by the food bank and to 2EM for a wonderful Collective Worship. 

   

  With Term 1 well underway, the school’s extra-curricular clubs are also up and running.  This term we have 9 different clubs being offered to KS1 and KS2.  Our clubs continue to be very popular and the 7 clubs delivered by our own staff continue to be free to families.  The clubs offer a wide range of choice from Football, Netball and Tennis to History Club, Book Club and Choir.  These clubs provide amazing enrichment to the curriculum education offered by the school. 

   

  St Andrew’s also offers it’s pupils amazing opportunities to represent and support the school.  Following applications, our 4 Year 6 School Ambassadors were selected; a School Council representative has been elected by each class; our newly appointed Wellbeing Champions are focusing on diversity and the importance of being unique; House Captains for our 4 houses, Ash, Birch, Sycamore and Oak are in place and a catalogue of Librarians are ably assisting in our School Library.  We look forward to seeing their work and representation both in and outside the school and wish them every success during this academic year.

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article October 2023

  Tue 03 Oct 2023

  WELCOME! to all the new starters who joined our Nursery and Reception Classes this September 2023.  The sun shone brightly as we welcomed 43 reception children to St Andrew’s CE Primary School in their two Reception classes and 18 children into our Nursery.  It’s been a busy first few weeks in both Nursery and Reception classes as the children settle in, make new friends and meet their class teachers and support staff.  They have all loved exploring our 2 fantastic outdoor classrooms, outside Reflection Area and wooden amphitheatre!  The children have had some wonderful adventures already, both in the classroom and outside in the school grounds. 

   

  The first topic for the Reception classes is ‘Colours of the Rainbow’ and the children have been on a colour hunt throughout the school grounds, creating collages and enjoying the book, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.  Shortly, they will move onto ‘Autumn’ as their topic, where they will discover and learn about all the changes that the season brings.  The staff in both our Reception classes and Nursery are all looking forward to a really exciting year full of stimulating activities and learning opportunities.  We wish all our new starters all the best as they start their journey at St Andrew’s.

   

  We were also really delighted to welcome back all our wonderful children returning to school after the summer holidays, as well as children joining us for the first time within other year groups.  We know they will continue to amaze us with their hard work and support for each other, making us incredibly proud of their achievements, attitudes and kindness. 

   

  Our Breakfast and Afterschool Club continues to be extremely popular, supporting families throughout the school on a daily basis.  The experienced staff have lots planned for the year ahead, including cooking, artwork, sewing, craftwork and outside fun and games.

  We’re all looking forward to another wonderful, fun-packed year of learning with the children!

  

• St Andrew's calls for customer votes for Tesco Stronger Starts Grant

  Mon 11 Sep 2023

  We are really pleased to announce that our application to the Tesco Stronger Starts  Grant Scheme has been successful and our project will be put forward to a customer vote at Tesco (Horncastle store).  

   

  Voting is open from the first week of October 2023 until Mid-January 2024 and you can cast your vote using a token given to you at the check-out each time you shop.

   

  The scheme gives community projects like ours, grants of up to £1,500 – the amount depends on the number of votes we receive.  So, during the voting period, please support us every time you shop at Tesco Horncastle! 

   

  Look out for our project in store:

  St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School : Outdoor & Indoor Activity Equipment to enhance break time play and our extended provision.  This equipment will help to improve children’s social, physical and team building skills and enhance their mental wellbeing.

   

  We would like to purchase a range of large scale indoor and outdoor games equipment which will be available to KS1 and KS2 children.  This will be used to enhance children’s activity, strengthen team-building skills, build self-confidence and develop friendships through play, both during the school day and as part of our Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs.

   

  More information about the Stronger Starts scheme can be found at

  https://www.tescoplc.com/strongerstarts

   

  Thank you in advance for all your support

• Woodhall Wapentake Article September 2023

  Mon 04 Sep 2023

  What an amazing Aylmerton adventure our Year 5 and 6 pupils had during the summer term 2023!  Since 2011, our pupils have been visiting the Aylmerton Field Study Centre in Norfolk for a fabulous residential trip of learning, group activities and fun.  This year 64 children bounded onto the coach, along with their terrific team of staff and volunteers and buckled in for four days of making the most fantastic memories.

   

  During their stay, the children took part in pirate activities (including dressing up as pirates) and were taught bush craft skills;  they also took part in a twilight safari and hunted the coastline for fossils and gemstones.  They learnt lots of facts about all sorts of birds and reptiles at an evening talk and were even able to hold some of the reptiles!  They enjoyed a great visit to Cromer Museum and whilst walking along the shingle beach and sand dunes, they gained knowledge about the seaside creatures that lived there and their habitats.  They even had time to build some very creative sculptures in the sand.  The children gathered lots of information about the nature and history of the local area during guided walks through the beautiful countryside and, squealed with excitement, as they waded through the mud flats at Blakeney Point.  On the final day, all the children donned their lifejackets and set off on a boat trip to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Norfolk Broads.  In between all their activities and adventures, the group were looked after by the staff at the Aylmerton Field Study Centre, where they enjoyed the most wonderful hospitality and delicious meals together.  Finally, on their last night, the children (and some of the adults) let their hair down at the end of trip disco! 

   

  The staff and volunteers were very impressed with how the children developed their self-confidence and team working skills during the stay and were delighted to share some of their stories from the trip with parents and carers at an Aylmerton Awards Service held back at school.  There was a host of prizes and awards handed out to the pupils and everyone really enjoyed watching the slide show of photographs taken during their stay.

   

  It was sad for the 2023 Aylmerton Team to say goodbye to everyone at the Field Study Centre this year, but plans are already underway for Aylmerton 2024!

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article August 2023

  Wed 23 Aug 2023

  What a very busy final term to the year!  St Andrew’s CE Primary School was full of enthusiasm and amazing sportsmanship during our 3 sports days this year; the 3 sports days for different year groups, allowed the children to participate in lots of races and demonstrate and celebrate their sporting progress and abilities.  We enjoyed some glorious sunshine, with the children taking part in individual sporting challenges in the morning and more traditional races in the afternoon.  Scores were totalled from the morning activities and bronze, silver and gold medals were awarded to the highest scoring pupils from each year group (some of our Year 5 and 6 medal winners are photographed).  Ash house were announced as the overall winner from all 3 days and the House Captain was presented with the Sports Day trophy, adorned with house colour ribbons, at our Collective Worship.

   

  Hartsholme Country Park was the destination for the children in 3 of our Year 4, 5 and 6 classes, where they had an enjoyable and informative day trip.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the children had a fantastic time exploring the park using their orienteering and teamwork skills, discovering the wildlife whilst pond dipping and learning lots of facts about the natural environment from the Education Ranger.  

   

  Meanwhile, the children in 2 of our Reception and Year 1 classes, enjoyed a day learning all about the wonderful world of marine life at Skegness Aquarium, which enhanced their ‘Under the Sea’ learning.  The Aquarium staff talked to the children about the many different fish and sharks living there and the children also learned more about the importance of keeping our seas clean and rubbish free.  Then, the children had a super time excavating dinosaur bones and Mrs Ruddock was very impressed with how much the children could remember from their dinosaurs theme, earlier this year.  The visit went swimmingly and everyone had a great time.

   

  Finally, the school was really pleased to be able to run our annual swimming sessions at Jubilee Park again this year, with over 150 children across Reception, Year 3, 4 and 5 all participating in weekly sessions.  In additional to this, the whole school took part in a Get Safe for Summer session, during which the children gained key swim safety knowledge both in the pool and on the poolside.  The Year 6 children also had a wonderful time at their annual fun swim session, where they celebrated the end of their time at St Andrew’s with their school friends.  Huge thanks go to all the staff at Jubilee Park Swimming Pool for their wonderful help and support in preparing and running these sessions.

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article July 2023

  Tue 04 Jul 2023

  St Andrew’s CE Primary School’s Netball Club squad were delighted to take part in their first tournament this year: the Lincolnshire Schools County Netball Finals at Skegness Grammar School.  The children had been practicing hard during their weekly after-school club sessions and the squad included 8 representatives from Year 6.  The team won their first five matches which put them through to the semi-finals, where they were only narrowly beaten by 2 goals to 1.  Overall the squad came third – a great result for their first tournament together and one which they all thoroughly enjoyed.  As an added bonus, it was wonderful to receive a lovely comment from a teacher from another school on their performance and how friendly and polite the squad were.  Well done everyone involved!

   

  On the last day of term, the school PTA held a non-uniform Crazy Hair Day.  The children looked fabulous, had great fun and raised an amazing £208.45 for the PTA.  The PTA’s events and fundraisers are a much-valued part of school for our children, staff and the wider community and their financial support is greatly appreciated, enabling the school to fund the ‘special extras’ the school would otherwise be unable to support.  Thank you to our amazing PTA.

   

  Finally, this term Year 6 pupils have been busy on their bikes.  The school ran a free Bikeability Cycle Training Course across 4 days.  The course was delivered by Outspoken Training to 30 children who attended the course, with all of them achieving their Level 1 & 2 which prepared them to make short journeys safely on the roads.  The course was enjoyed by all the children and at Collective Worship they shared their experience with the rest of the school and commented:  

  “My favourite part of bikeability was turning into a junction, and then safety stopping next to the curb. It’s my favourite bit because I’m quite confident on my bike, even though it was a challenge”.  Olivia

  “On day 2 it was our first day of the bikeability where we went out of school. Our instructors taught us lots of new things.  First, we learnt how to start and stop correctly, this was the easiest part of the day.  Secondly, we learnt how to pass a T-junction and how to use the control and sharing positions”.  Luke

  “During bikeability, we learnt some top tips. Here are some: get pedal ready and always check your bike over before getting on it”.  Riley

  “The instructors were really kind and encouraging and helped us learn all we needed.  The most important thing I learnt was how to signal”. Demi

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article June 2023

  Thu 01 Jun 2023

  On Friday 5 May 2023, St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School marked the coronation of King Charles III with a Coronation Picnic for the whole school.  The School Hall looked fabulous, festooned with union jack bunting and coronation bunting coloured in by the pupils from across the school.  Before they ate their lunch, the children sang coronation themed songs they had learnt together and the younger children looked wonderful in the crowns they had made in class.

  In the Nursery, our talented pupils created lollipop stick King’s guards complete with black pompom headdress and bright yellow buttons on their uniform.  In Reception, the children made a beautiful suncatcher showing the profile of King Charles III, based on the new postage stamp silhouette and infilled with different shades of blue tissue….it looks fantastic as it catches the sunlight.  Reception class also made some amazing Kings and guardsmen from tubes and brightly coloured paper, finished off with gold crowns and jewels.  Wonderful work everyone.

  In Breakfast and Afterschool Club, the children baked King’s guard biscuits decorated with edible gold stars and silver balls – they looked delicious and almost too good to eat!   ….and finally, 8 of our regular Breakfast and Afterschool Club attendees made a stunning piece of felt and bead work commemorating the occasion.  This was hung in pride of place in the School Hall for the whole school to enjoy.  A beautiful piece of collaborative work – well done and thank you to all the children involved.

   

  For more information, news and photographs please visit the school website:

  https://www.standrews-woodhallspa.org.uk/

  

• Woodhall Wapentake Article May 2023

  Mon 01 May 2023

  Saturday 18 March 2023 marked the centenary of the unveiling of the Woodhall Spa war memorial and St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School wanted to mark this event in a special way.  Pupils from our extra-curricular History Club carefully cross referenced the official war records with our old school register to find the names of the old boys from St Andrew’s School who tragically died fighting in the First World War.  They discovered the names of thirteen boys and then went about researching a little about each one.  Supported by the Parish Council, the school has created a beautiful memorial garden which contains a plaque, designed with the help of local artist, James Arden.  On 20 March 2023, we held our whole school service of remembrance attended by representatives of the Parish Council and The Royal British Legion. The service was led by Father Joseph and pupils from History Club spoke eloquently, telling the story of each soldier.  We would like to thank everyone who contributed to make the service and garden of remembrance so special.  

  As part of their Farming topic in Geography, Lower Key Stage 2 children shared a really informative and enjoyable day at Rand Farm Park.  The children were able to find out about all the animals and learn about farming techniques.  The goats, in particular, seemed pleased to see the children! The children watched a cow being milked and, the highlight for many of our children, was bottle feeding some of the recently born lambs that are being hand reared.  The children laughed and held on tight to the bottles, as the lambs were very eager to be fed!  The tractor ride, to see the older lambs outside in the fields, was another favourite part of the trip.  It was a fantastic day and children returned to school excited and keen to share their experiences.

  ….and finally, this month, 6 of our pupils had an amazing day out in London to receive a National Crimebeat Award on behalf of the school, for a second, consecutive year.  This year, the school won a special award for Lincolnshire, acknowledging their impact on crime prevention in Woodhall Spa, through the school’s Knight Award scheme.  The children spoke as part of a presentation to the High Sheriffs, other project representatives and police officers from across the country.  This was a wonderful opportunity and many congratulations to all the pupils who have participated in our Knight Award scheme.

   

  For more information, news and photographs please visit the school website:

  https://www.standrews-woodhallspa.org.uk/

  

• Woodhall Wapentake April 2023

  Wed 01 Mar 2023