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

• Red Nose Day crazy hair and cake sale

  Fri 15 Mar 2024

  The children had a great day in school today raising money for Red Nose Day. There were some amazing hairstyles for the 'crazy hair' theme and we also made cakes with their own 'red noses' for a cake sale after school. Thanks to everyone who donated and took part.

  

• World Book Day Crafts and Costumes

  Thu 07 Mar 2024

  The children had a great time celebrating World Book Day. There were lots of amazing costumes and the children also had the chance to spend time reading with their peers and listening to different teachers reading stories. In the afternoon we made shoebox scenes from some our favourite stories.

  

• Class 2 visit Derby Museum

  Thu 29 Feb 2024

  Class 2 had a fantastic trip to Derby Museum and Art Gallery today. We encountered a time-travelling Roman, who told us all about his life when Derby was the site of a Roman fort, looked at stone age artefacts and animal remains and even managed a quick glance at the Ancient Egyptian mummies before we had to head home.

   

  We also made some pots, took part in a Roman funeral procession and linked to our science topic by looking at animal skeletons. All in all, a fun and very educational day out!

  

• Cold weather

  Thu 08 Feb 2024

  Dear Parents/carers,
  
   As you will be aware, an amber weather warning has been issued for the wider area. We thought it would be useful to update parents about our planned arrangements in case of bad weather.
  
  It is the aim of our school to remain open during adverse weather conditions, when safe and practically possible. This is dependent on us having enough staff to safely open. We’re continuing to use the safety cameras provided by Derbyshire County Council to monitor weather in the wider area as our staff travel from across the county. (https://apps.derbyshire.gov.uk/applications/traffic-cameras/traffic-cameras.asp)
  
   We are opening school this morning and will continue to monitor the weather (and traffic conditions) and remain in contact with yourselves during the day. In the the event of a school closure the following steps will be taken to notify parents and carers:

   

  • A message will be sent to inform staff, parents and carers via Teachers2Parents and Parentpay.
   • A message will also be displayed on the homepage of our website.
   • The school will contact the School Closure page of the DCC website.
   • We will provide an update via our Facebook page.
  
   Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming the children into school this morning (wrapped up in coats and hats as it’s very cold!).

   

  Kind regards

   

  Tom Lloyd

  Head of School

• Family support team visit

  Fri 08 Dec 2023

  On Thursday 14th December our family support team will be running a coffee morning to give parents the opportunity to come in for a hot drink and a chat. This is a great chance to meet the team and get tips on ways to make family life run smoothly.

   

  We intend to establish these as regular sessions so this first meeting will also be a chance to help set the agenda for future meetings.

   

  In addition, the team will also be running a 'late gate' that morning, offering children who arrive on time stickers to reward their punctuality and also perhaps some reminders for any that arrive late.

• Fun and fundraising for Children in Need

  Sun 19 Nov 2023

  The children had a great time on Friday raising money for Children in Need. We asked for donations for a spotty-themed non-uniform day and also took part in a lovely 'welly walk' around the Church field - enjoying the wonderful Autumn sunshine. Class 3 finished off the day with a very popular cake sale.

  

• November open days

  Thu 09 Nov 2023

  We are running a series of open days in November for parents who have children due to start school in September 2024. We'd love the opportunity to show you round our wonderful school and explain how our 'small school, big opportunity' ethos allows us to offer a nurturing, child-centred environment with a wide range of extra-curricular and enrichment experiences.

   

  The dates for the open days are:

   

   - Monday 13th November, at 9.30am

   - Monday 20th November, at 9.30am

   - Thursday 30th November, at 2.30pm

   

  There is no need to book if you wish to visit at any of these times, just turn up and we'll show you round and answer any questions. If you'd prefer to visit at another time then please arrange this through the school office by emailing info@darleychurchtown.derbyshire.sch.uk or calling 01629 732236.

   

  

• Improvements to school site

  Tue 07 Nov 2023

  Over the half term break we’ve had some new doors and access controls fitted. This has been done to improve the security of the school site and, along with the fencing works around the back of school that were completed over the summer, represents a significant investment from our academy trust.

   

  To make best use of the new systems there are a few changes to note:

   

  From tomorrow (8^th November), we will only open the main gate by the infant playground in the morning. Children in Class 1 should then enter school through the door at the far end of the playground, as before, and children in Classes 2 and 3 should enter through the door by Class 2 that leads into the library. Both gates will be opened at the end of the day.

   

  If you need to visit school during the day, then please use the buzzer on the main gate as before. There is currently no buzzer on the front door to the school so please knock if you need to get in to see staff in the office.

   

  We have removed the gate release button that was on the front of the school building so if you are in school for any reason after the gates have closed then you will need to be let out by a member of school staff.

• Nursery consultation launched

  Fri 13 Oct 2023

  Following a well-received informal consultation on the development of nursery provision at Darley Churchtown, we have now begun the formal consultation process.

   

  All respondents to the informal consultation indicated their support for our plans to extend the age range of the school from 4-11 to 3-11. If the plans go ahead, this would allow us to expand our early years provision to cater for younger pupils in a teacher-led nursery environment.

   

  We are now moving to the next phase of the proposals through a formal consultation. A consultation document has been issued along with a draft admissions policy. Responses can be provided through an online survey or by email to nursery@matlockanddales.derbyshire.sch.uk. The consultation will close on 22nd December 2023 and we will then review the feedback we have received and decide how best to proceed.

• October Newsletter

  Fri 06 Oct 2023

  The October Newsletter is out with information on all that is happening, has happened or is about to happen in school: october-newsletter.pdf (primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com)