Newsletters

Dear Parents and Carers,

Maths in Year 6

As our Year 6 children complete their SATs this week, it is a fitting opportunity to celebrate the exceptional mathematical journey they have experienced throughout their time at St Bernard’s. Mathematics is a real strength within the school, and our children benefit from a rich and highly challenging programme that extends far beyond the National Curriculum. Right from Early Years, children are given opportunities to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills, building the strong foundations they need to flourish as confident and capable mathematicians.

Throughout the year, our children take part in a number of prestigious national competitions, including the Primary Maths Challenge in November, the Bonus Round in February, the Primary Kangaroo in March, the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge in April and the Junior Kangaroo in June. These competitions provide opportunities for the children to apply their mathematical thinking in creative and demanding ways and reflect the breadth and ambition of our mathematics provision across the school.

We are especially proud of our Year 6 children for their outstanding performance in this year’s UKMT Junior Maths Challenge, a competition aimed at Year 8 children. Our children achieved an exceptional set of results, earning 5 Bronze Awards, 5 Silver Awards and 6 Gold Awards. In addition, 6 of our children have qualified for the Junior Kangaroo round, which will take place on 9th June. We wish them every success as they take on this next exciting challenge.

In addition to preparing thoroughly for the Year 6 SATs, our children also sat the Level 6 extension paper following the SATs. This year, an impressive 19 children successfully passed this demanding assessment. They are now preparing to sit an internally administered GCSE Foundation paper, giving them the opportunity to experience mathematics at an even higher level and to continue stretching their abilities.

Mrs Whittaker’s enthusiasm, expertise and unwavering commitment as our Head of Maths and Year 6 teacher inspire our children to aim high and to embrace every mathematical challenge with confidence and determination.

Trans K Assembly – The Talents We Hide

Today, Trans K delivered a thoughtful and inspiring assembly based on the Parable of the Talents, reminding us that God has given each of us unique gifts to share with the world. In a wonderfully creative touch, the children transformed the stage into their classroom by bringing their desks on stage, helping to bring the message to life in a meaningful and engaging way. Through their confident acting and reflective words, they encouraged us all to be brave, believe in ourselves and use our talents to help others and follow Jesus. The assembly concluded with a beautiful performance of Dream Big, which perfectly captured the theme of having courage, taking opportunities and trusting in the gifts God has given us. We were incredibly proud of the children for delivering such a heartfelt and memorable assembly.

Achievements

We are delighted to celebrate some wonderful sporting achievements outside of school. At the Slough Junior Hockey Awards, Faris, Y4, was awarded Most Coachable U10 Boys Player of the Season, while his sister, Jannah, Y6, was named U12 Girls Player of the Season. These are fantastic accomplishments and reflect their hard work, dedication and love of the sport. We are incredibly proud of both children and congratulate them on their well-deserved success.