Recent Letters
2024 Achievements Letter
Friday 10th January 2025
Dear Parents/Carers
Re: Our 2024 Achievements
Welcome back to Term 3! Although it’s also known as the spring term this doesn’t feel particularly apt given the very chilly weather we’re having! It’s been a great first week and the children have settled back into their routines brilliantly.
As we start 2025, I wanted to take this opportunity to look back on the year just finished and reflect on the huge range of successes and achievements that the school and in particular the children who attend Filton Avenue Primary have accomplished. To be fair, I could many pages but I’m choosing to focus on 6 key areas, which paint a really clear picture of what the school is all about.
Before I get into the details, I think it’s really important to let you know that we welcome a lot of visitors to our school every year. Whether they’re from our Trust, other trusts or schools, or local authorities, wherever they’re from, they are either purposefully coming to see the fantastic practice here or they’re visiting for another reason and notice it. What comes below provides an insight into why they come and visit. I’m sure you’ll recognise some of this from your own personal experiences of Filton Avenue Primary School.
Academic Outcomes
In July, I wrote to you all and shared the statutory academic outcomes of the children at our amazing school. As you know, two of our core values are Aspiration and Endeavour, and what your children achieved exemplifies these perfectly. From Reception, through Year 1 (Phonics Screening Check) and Year 4 (Multiplication Tables Check), to Year 6 SATS, our results consistently match or exceed both local and national benchmarks. At the end of Year 6 last year, 69% of our children reached the expected standard or higher in all three subject areas combined (reading, writing and maths). For the same combined subjects, our Higher Standard outcomes were 17% which place us in the Top 10% in England. In the last week of term, I received notice that we’d been listed in the Bristol World’s Top 27 highest performing schools in Bristol – Bristol’s 27 best top-performing primary schools according to 2024 SAT scores and Ofsted reports – naturally, we’re very proud of all of this, as it clearly outlines the culmination of the children and teachers’ hard work throughout their journey through the school and reflects extremely well on our curriculum and the quality of teaching. All our statutory outcomes are available to view here –https://filtonavenue.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Statutory-Assessments_2023-24_validated.pdf
Curriculum,
Our rich curriculum is the product of many years of detailed planning, which continues today. We have created a culture of enquiry, curiosity and challenge and the curriculum provides our children with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. However, it is also about more than this and the experiences we offer the children are a key part of our curriculum offer. From visits to places of worship, the SS Great Britian and Noah’s Ark Zoo, to the visitors we invite to school, like the Explorer Dome, the Viking Workshop and our Enrichment Days, these all enhance the learning. Two long-term partnerships that bring a great deal of value to the school are with Bristol Beacon and Bristol Sports. Through Bristol Beacon we have children in Year 3 learning the ukelele and the steel pans in Year 5, alongside the offer of individual music lessons for those are keen. A musical highlight of the year was our choir joining other schools for the Bristol Beacon’s Big Winter Sing – this was truly wonderful evening and will be a fixture in our calendar going forward. Our Bristol Sports partnership offers the children professional coaching as part of the curriculum, alongside a wide range of clubs that they can partake in. Since September, we’ve been involved in their inter-school competitions – these have included, gymnastics, basketball, dance and next up is netball. It’s worth noting here that roughly half of all our children attend either a lunchtime or after-school extra-curricular club that the school either hosts or runs itself!
Oracy
Our oracy provision continued to go from strength to strength in 2024, and we are excited about having our status as a Voice 21 Centre of Excellence reconfirmed later this year. Oracy is key part of our curriculum offer, and each and every day your children expertly display their speaking and listening skills. As a Centre of Excellence, we host regular Oracy Showcases, where visitors from other schools in Bristol, and as far away as Wales, Birmingham and Manchester, come to see the teachers, LSSs and most
importantly the children in action. I’ve shared some of the comments we’ve received with you before, but here’s a few of the very best…
“The quality of discussion, confidence of the children and your high expectations were a privilege to observe.” “The eloquence, confidence and happiness of your students shone through. What an amazing gift you are giving to your children.” “The culture you have created is beautiful to observe! Your learners must love coming to this school.”
Play
2024 was the year we became a Double Platinum school and one of only a handful of Honours schools in the country. As wonderful as the awards and our trip to the House of Commons were, our commitment to providing your children with the best playtimes possible won’t stop here. It is about the vision for making and keeping creative, risk taking, child-centred play at the heart of childhood experience. It is a reflection of the high expectations we have for our school and is also a great example of our four school values in action – Collaboration, Aspiration, Respect and Endeavour.
Inclusion
One of the key aspects of the school’s ethos is inclusivity and the diversity within the school is one of things that makes it such a special place to learn and work. Filton Avenue Primary School has long been recognised for our support of children with SEND, and this year in particular we have regularly received feedback from outside agencies and professionals who work with us about the quality of our offer and the forward-thinking nature of our provision, whether that’s in-class, through interventions or our two Nests. Last year we also received two awards that recognise the work that the school does to enhance inclusion. In March, we received the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s, United Against Bullying Gold Award, which was followed in September by the Young Carers in School Award. Being recognised for our excellent excellent practice is something we are rightly proud of.
Community
The final area I’m going to mention is arguably the most important of all. Serving this wonderful community is the very reason the school exists, and, as I say regularly, we couldn’t do what we do without your support, each and every day. Our annual survey of you always brings us much joy, as you are very clear about all the things we do well. You can find the highlights of the survey here – https://filtonavenue.com/together/parent-questionnaire-latest/ – and later this term I’ll provide un update on how we’re doing in addressing the areas you suggest we can improve on. Special mention here needs to go to the FFA (Friends of Filton Avenue) for all the work they did in 2024. From the regular fundraising events to the big occasions like the superb Summer Fair and the fabulous Festive Fun, the team have taken things to another level. Every year, I have the pleasure of welcoming parents and carers into our school as they try and decide which school to send their children to the following September, and I’m very ably supported in this endeavour by our Pupil Advocates. I want to share the comments of one parent, as I believe it encapsulates what we are aiming for perfectly,
“I was so impressed with your amazing tour guides – they were so articulate, knowledgeable and wonderfully polite. The warmth and love I felt by the staff in the school was palpable. I’m really looking forward to applying for my son’s school now!”
As well as going out into the community, we love bringing the community into school and we will be holding our second We Belong event later this year. We can’t wait to celebrate our community and everyone’s heritage on March 12th 2025!
So, lots to reflect on and there’s even more to look forward to in 2025. Thank you for your support and partnership, and of course for lending us your amazing children every day. It is their kindness, sense of fun and enthusiasm for learning that makes all of the above possible.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Headteacher
Mid-year Attainment and Progress Reports (for Year 1 – 6 children)
Monday 21st October 2024
Dear Parents/Carers,
Before the February parent/carer consultation meetings, we published a mid-year attainment and progress report for each of the children in Years 1 – 6, for the first time. Whenever School Surveys are circulated, a number of you said that you didn’t feel well enough informed of your child(ren)’s attainment and progress throughout the year, and we believe the information contained in these reports will support you with this. They are designed, using our assessment tracking software, Insight, to provide you with simple, at-a-glance attainment information, which will also give you an idea of the progress your child has made from the end of the last academic year.
In order for you to fully understand these reports, there is a table on the following page that explains what the different terminology and abbreviations mean, as well as making it clear when exactly the assessments were made/taken. Some of the language you’ll recognise from the Annual Records of Achievement you receive in July, and you will have heard teachers use it during your consultation meetings with them.
Aside from keeping you better informed, we hope these reports support your conversations at the consultation meetings this week. Please can we ask that any questions you do have about the reports are saved for the consultation meetings and aren’t sent via Dojo. If you can’t make either of the consultation dates this week, please get in touch to arrange an alternative date.
A couple of key points for you to consider when you’re looking at the reports. Progress isn’t always consistent, and you may see that your child has a different outcome than they did previously. This could be for various reasons, for example, the change in curriculum demands as you move from one year group to another. Also, the assessment outcomes are just a snapshot and obviously don’t tell the whole story of your child and their learning. Their teacher will be happy, and able, to talk these and other things through with you later this week.
For some children, we need to provide assessment information based on their stage of learning rather than their age. These families will be contacted directly.
You will receive another one of these mid-year reports for your child(ren) in February, as well as the Annual Record of Achievement at the end of the year, which provides you with a more complete picture of your child and their learning throughout the year.
A translatable version of the letter is available here – LINK
I am also happy to answer any questions you have, but naturally won’t know detailed information about the assessment outcomes.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Headteacher
Assessments:
| Subject | Last year | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Reading – Teacher Assessment Writing – Teacher Assessment Mathematics – Teacher Assessment These are made by teachers using their professional judgement, based on our Trust’s key performance indicators (KPIs). | Working Towards (WTS) -Working Towards the Expected Standard: pupils are not secure in the age-related, end of year key performance indicators. Working At (WA) – Working At the Expected Standard: pupils are secure in all the age-related, end of year key performance indicators. Greater Depth (GDS) – Working at Greater Depth, within the Expected Standard: pupils are secure in all the age-related, end of year key performance indicators, and will be deepening and broadening their knowledge and understanding of these expectations. For Year 1 pupils you will see the word ‘Emerging’ or ‘Expected’ – these are the assessments they receive at the end of their Reception year, relating to the Early Learning Goals. | These assessments are made at the end of Term 1. Not on-track for EXS: currently, pupils are not going to meet the end-of-year age-related expectations. On-track for EXS: currently, pupils are going to meet the end-of-year age-related expectations. On-track for GDS: currently, pupils are going to exceed the end-of-year age-related expectations. | These assessments are made at the end of Term 3. Not on-track for EXS On-track for EXS On-track for GDS | These assessments are made in Term 6. Well Below EXS Just Below EXS EXS GDS These new assessment bands will be used for the first time at the end of this academic year, replacing the three assessment bands explained in column 2 of this table. We believe they will provide a bit more nuance to the end of year assessments and will explain them in more detail when we send out the Annual Records of Achievement in July. |
| Reading – Test Performance Indicator (TPI) Mathematics – Test Performance Indicator From the tests, children are given a TPI, which is a projection of end-of-year outcomes. | These TPIs are new this academic year and are used for Year 2 – 6 children at all assessment points and for Year 1 children in Term 6. | These tests are taken at the end of Term 2. WTS – Working Towards the Expected Standard EXS – Working At the Expected Standard GDS (or HS for Year 6) – Working at Greater Depth, within the Expected Standard | These tests are taken at the end of Term 4. WTS EXS GDS | These tests are taken at the end of Term 6. WTS EXS GDS |
End of Academic Year Letter (July 2024):
Friday 19 July 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
We’ve reached the end of another hugely rewarding year and I want to say a massive thank you to you all, as well as share some information for September.
Your support has been invaluable, as ever, and your children have done brilliantly well. Once again, they have made amazing progress, and you should be hugely proud of their efforts this year – we certainly are. The way they consistently demonstrate our school values – collaboration, aspiration, respect and endeavour – is wonderful to see.
Although, your children’s education is about much more than statistics, the headline attainment outcomes (see attached document) for the statutory national assessments do show how well they’re doing here at Filton Avenue Primary School. We all have a lot to be very proud of, though naturally we won’t be resting on our laurels.
The children return to school on Wednesday 4th September 2024. School staff will be in on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd for INSET days, and we’ll be in touch with you again then, to remind and update you. The start and end times of the school day – see the table below – will remain the same as this year.
| Year | Gate open | Doors open | Registration | Gate closed | Pick-up | Entrance | Door |
| 6 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:25 | Main gate | Phase 3 North |
| 5 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:25 | Main gate | Phase 3 South |
| 4 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:20 | Main gate | By school library |
| 3 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:20 | Main gate | Phase 2 North |
| 2 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:20 | Main gate | Phase 2 South |
| 1 | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:15 | Main gate | Classroom |
| R | 08:35 | 08:40 | 08:45 | 08:50 | 15:15 | Main gate | Classroom |
Thank you, to the many of you (141 to be exact), for taking the time to complete our parent/carer questionnaire – the outcomes are really positive, and we will respond in detail in Term 1.
A few key headlines for you:
- 96% of you say that your child’s experience of school is positive (up 1% on last year).
- 85% of you say that the school is inclusive for people from my culture (though 10% of you say you ‘don’t know’ – we need to find out more about you!).
- 93% of you think that the school is well led.
- 91% of you say that your child is happy at this school (though 4% of you say you ‘don’t know’)
- 92% of you would recommend this school to another parent/carer (up 1% on last year)
- 91% of say that your child can take part in clubs and activities at this school (up 3% on last year)
Naturally, we’ll strive to improve on these figures next year. The huge number of positive comments are gratefully received and mean a lot to the team – I’ve shared some of them below. However, it’s the areas that you think we could be better at that provide us with the information we need to keep on improving.
“You provide a rounded education with opportunities for the children to learn, enjoy and express themselves in different ways and feel a sense of community.
Really good communication. Play times are also really good.
Looking after child’s happiness, not too much pressure, kind teachers and lovely environment for teachers, parents and children. We feel very lucky esp. with such a diverse amount of kids and their needs.
Our child’s grasp of phonics, reading and writing has been incredible to see. Any incidents of bully-like behaviour have been swiftly nipped in the bud with support for families on both sides. There is a culture of belonging and respect. Teachers and TAs are lovely.
The school does inclusion and diversity really well.
I think it’s great that there’s always a member of the Leadership Team that I can speak to any morning. The SEN and After-school Club team are also amazing.
After being offered 0/3 of our preferences, we could not be happier that fate brought our child to this school. Despite a few staff shuffles, there is a lovely, stable and encouraging atmosphere, and kids are evidently happy. Our kid is happy, and so are we. Happy count: 3!
I’m extremely happy with the school, I love that any issues I have are always dealt with in a timely manner and with great attitude. The school always has a happy feeling about it.
Filton Avenue is an amazing school, and my girls love it.
Keep up the good work, we’ve been sending our kids for nearly 9 years now and you’ve really gone from strength to strength. I’m very proud to say my kids are or have been at Filton Ave.
You have surpassed all my expectations. Every single day she walks into & out of school with a smile on her face. And she learns so much! Thank you all, you are doing a wonderful job.
A big thank you to staff and leadership at the school. My children are thriving at Filton Avenue, teachers encourage them to work hard and challenge themselves. It is a very supportive environment, and the Opal project and outdoor space is brilliant.
We love school!”
Also attached to this email are the term dates for 2024-25. More detailed Diary Dates will be shared with you in September.
If you have any questions about the above, please contact the school.
Finally, I’d just like to take the time to wish you all a lovely summer and look forward to seeing you all again in September.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Headteacher
SEND Provision Letter (July 2024):
Dear Parent/Carer,
Re: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Provision at Filton Avenue Primary School
I’m writing to explain to all parents/carers our new plans for SEND Provision at Filton Avenue Primary School, starting in September 2024. Over the past year, we’ve engaged with research into how we can more effectively deploy adults to provide the best possible provision for our SEND children. Currently, we use what’s traditionally termed the 1:1 model (pairing one adult with one child) and, whilst it works in some ways, we know that in others it doesn’t. One unintended negative impact is that it can hinder a child’s independence when they are working closely with just one adult. We are therefore moving to a ‘teaching team’ approach. This approach will allow each child with SEND to build independence but also have the support they require, when they need it. The child can then be successfully supported by a number of adults, in and out of the classroom, and will not be reliant on the presence of a 1:1 to be successful. It will also allow more opportunities for the class teacher to work with the children with SEND and Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs), while the teaching assistants (TAs) can support other members of the class.
What will the ‘Teaching Team Model’ look like at Filton Avenue?
We will build a team around each child with an EHCP, who all know the child, and can offer support to them in different ways. Where possible, children with an EHCP will stay in the classroom. The team (including teachers and TAs) will work together to enable the child to fully access learning and progress. Where applicable, children with a Provision Plan, will also receive this support. Each child will be assessed to ensure their needs are met in the most effective way.
Interventions will also take place and will tend to be delivered by teaching assistants, trained in specific programmes. By using different TAs to deliver different interventions, we will increase children’s teaching teams and enable each TA to develop expertise in a specific area of SEND. Rather than having a 1:1 deliver a number of differing interventions, children’s EHCP and Provision Plan requirements will be met by TAs who have received specific training in an intervention. 1:1 adults will only be provided for our children who are in receipt of additional funding, where medically necessary.
What does the research say?
There is an increasing amount of research now being done that focuses on how to best deploy teaching assistants. The following are the studies and texts that we’ve drawn upon in shaping these plans.
- Daniel Sobel and Sara Alston (2021), ‘The Inclusive Classroom: A new approach to differentiation’, Bloomsbury Education.
We have also been led by Parson Street Primary School, one of the other schools in the Trust, as they successfully implemented this model last year. We have worked alongside the team at Parson Street, with advice from Emma Lloyd (former Director of SEND at TiLA, and now Bristol City Council’s Head of Service for SEND and Inclusion) to develop this model of TA deployment, and we’re very excited about how it will translate to Filton Avenue.
There are a few more linked pieces of information to share with you:
- The Reflection Room is moving and evolving. From September it will be in the current 3K classroom. We need the bigger space as it will offer children re-set stations, specific to EHCP need, as well as being our centralised behaviour point. Having easy access to the small garden area is another positive reason for moving.
- The Nests will continue to operate. Arguably, this was a precursor to the plans laid out above, as it already offers specific provision according to need.
- Teaching Assistants will be renamed Learning Support Specialists, as this links well with the plans outlined in this document, and the role of teaching assistants has changed so much recently it feels appropriate.
If you’d like to discuss any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or Miss Read (SENDCo).
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Headteacher
Ramadan Letter (March 2024):
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Dear Parents/Carers
Re: Ramadan
Filton Avenue Primary School embraces the diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds represented in the school community – it’s one of the things that makes this school so special.
As many of you are aware, Monday 11th March sees the start of Ramadan. For those of you who didn’t know, Ramadan is observed across the Muslim world and is a 29 to 30-day period of prayer, fasting, self-control, charity-giving and goodwill to others. Ramadan is a time of self-reflection, increased religious devotion and self-control over the need to eat and drink during daylight hours.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and although children of primary age are not required to fast, we recognise that some of our children may want to, even if partially. We are also conscious that they may wish to pray during the school day.
With both in mind, we wanted to let you know that we are able to offer a supervised, quiet space, where children who wish to pray, and/or who are fasting, can spend their lunchtimes. This will be in the 3K classroom, with Mrs Khan.
If your child does wish to fast and/or pray, please could you let us know. Having this information from parents/carers will help us support the children, as best as possible, during this period.
We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you Ramadan Mubarak!
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Head Teacher
Mid-Year Attainment Letter:
Monday 5th February 2024
Dear Parents/Carers,
Re: Mid-year Attainment and Progress Reports (for Year 1 – 6 children)
Today, we are publishing, for the first time, a mid-year attainment and progress report for each of the children in Years 1 – 6. In the School Survey you answered in June/July, a number of you said that you didn’t feel well enough informed of your child(ren)’s attainment and progress throughout the year, and we believe the information contained in these reports will support you with this. They are designed, using our assessment tracking software, Insight, to provide you with simple, at-a-glance attainment information, which will also give you an idea of the progress your child has made from the end of the last academic year.
In order for you to fully understand these reports, there is a table on the following page that explains what the different terminology and abbreviations mean, as well as making it clear when exactly the assessments were made/taken. Some of the language you’ll recognise from the Annual Records of Achievement you receive in July, and you will have heard teachers use it during your consultation meetings with them.
Aside from keeping you better informed, we hope these reports support your conversations at the consultation meetings this week. Please can we ask that any questions you do have about the reports are saved for the consultation meetings and aren’t sent via Dojo. If you can’t make either of the consultation dates this week, please get in touch to arrange an alternative date.
A couple of key points for you to consider when you’re looking at the reports. Progress isn’t always consistent, and you may see that your child has a different outcome than they did previously. This could be for various reasons, for example, the change in curriculum demands as you move from one year group to another. Also, the assessment outcomes are just a snapshot and obviously don’t tell the whole story of your child and their learning. Their teacher will be happy, and able, to talk these and other things through with you later this week.
For some children, we need to provide assessment information based on their stage of learning rather than their age. These families will be contacted directly.
You will still receive the Annual Record of Achievement at the end of the year, which provides you with a more complete picture of your child and their learning throughout the year.
I am also happy to answer any questions you have, but naturally won’t know detailed information about the assessment outcomes.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rodeck
Headteacher
