BlueCoat Primary School News

Each year, Blue Coat's eldest pupils attend Gloucester Cathedral for the Diocese's annual Leavers' Service. This year our pupils were invited to perform at the service and so we jumped at the chance to showcase our pupils' singing talent in the form of iSingPop.

The children's performance was breathtaking, first leading all schools through 'Imagine This' and then finishing with a moving rendition of 'Only Love'. School staff in attendance were incredibly proud of how our pupils represented the school.

It only seems fitting with the flurry of performing arts going on in school this year that our children find a place on the big screen! We were lucky enough to be selected for a TV programme filming by E-Bop TV where a selection of our Year 2's formed an audience for Bear's Rhyming Adventure.

The experience gave them some insight into the world of TV media... and we think they make for a great TV audience with their sparky engagement, laughing, singing along and even a bit of bear wrestling, for good measure! Well done to all for taking part, and thanks to Miss Price for organising.

You can watch the full programme here.

Blue Coat children recently made their second annual visit to the Cheltenham Performing Arts Festival... and returned buoyed by praise, recognition and even some silverware for the school!

There were 2 distinct categories: Poetry and Dance. Blue Coat submitted a range of ages to take part, competing with some of the finest school competition from around the county.

We welcome the opportunity to gain an external perspective on our school. This always helps us to re-evaluate what we're doing and seeks to put our achievements in the context of what other schools are doing and achieving.

The Bishop's Visitor is one such person's perspective that we value and trust, such is her experience across a large number of schools within the diocese. 

Her annual visit seeks to report (and celebrate) the ways in which we're developing our distinctive Christian character, and this therefore informs the school's  process of Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) - of which Blue Coat achieved 'Oustanding' judgements in all areas (June 2014).

It is with great pride that I write this article's title and announce the South-West Regional Girls' Football Champion of 2015-16 is Blue Coat!

Last Saturday, Blue Coat girls' football team visited Odd Down Sports Centre Bath to take part in the Danone sponsored regional championships. The grounds accommodated several high profile competitions (and a men's rugby match, just for variety!) so the occasion felt BIG as soon as you stepped into the crowded grounds.

Following the success of last year's cross country 'clean sweep', our children have taken to the fields over the past weeks and months in an attempt to uphold the school's title of District Champions. However, we didn't do quite enough this year, despite best efforts, and finished as runners up.

Most recently, successful finishers from the district races qualified for the regional finals in Newent. 3 (senior) children from Blue Coat qualified and did brilliantly. What follows is a short report from 2 of our participating pupils - well done all of you!

On Monday 14^th March eight of our girls took part in the Len Hutton Millennium Football Tournament at Inside Football in Stroud.

The team got off to a fantastic start by winning 5-0 to Leonard Stanley Primary School.  Impressively, they went on to win the next 3 matches without conceding any goals.  Their final match was the toughest which was against Woodchester Primary with whom they drew 0-0.  It was a tense time as we waited to find out which team would go through to the semi-finals, as the decision had to be made on the difference in goals scored. 

Blue Coat went on to play Minchinhampton in the semi-finals scoring 2-0 and The Rosary School in the finals.  Blue Coat won 3-0 therefore winning the Len Hutton Millennium Cup. The girls showed amazing skill and determination throughout – well done! 

The same team now eagerly await to achieve further through their participation in next month's regional final event in Bath. 

We are thrilled to announce we have been awarded a National Playwork award at the 7^th Annual Playwork Awards.

The category Playwork in other contexts celebrates organisations that are not primarily playwork settings, who are using playwork innovatively, and with strong benefit to young people.

Our Play Coordinator, Mrs Murray, collected the award at a glitzy ceremony on Eastbourne Pier, as part of the National Playwork Conference. [Even, 'Stroud Life' managed to catch light of the fact in a recent article!]

World Book Day is an annual event whereby schools celebrate the value and importance we all place on books. Today, children came to school dressed as the characters they know and love through their time spent reading. The response was amazing with obvious time, effort and care put into carefully crafted costumes ranging from Harry Potter chracters through to the Mr Men!

We are very excited to announce that Blue Coat will be getting a brand new outdoor play area, supported by funding from the new Tesco Bags of Help initiative! This new fund has been generated by the 5p carrier bag charge.

Blue Coat’s Play Beach will be a massive 60 tonne sand pit and outdoor play area located on the school field. It will be accessible to Blue Coat children during school hours, but also will have extended access to local community groups through a programme of special events.

The public (that means you!) will now vote in store from Saturday 27th February until Sunday 6^th March on three local projects, deciding which project will win the £8,000, £10,000 or £12,000 awards.