Tuneful Toys

UJS pupils were proud of the 'Desktop toys' they made at a day of design and technology at Royal Manor Arts College. Each toy played a tune which the child had downloaded onto a microchip in a circuit they had soldered together. This was a successful pilot project which we hope to roll out to other classes.

Iron Man

A dramatic performance of the 'Iron Man' was very well received by the invited audience of families of the cast. Children from the after-school literacy clubs at Underhill and Southwell schools worked jointly on the dance and drama with staff at Royal Manor Arts College. The presentation was the climax of this term's project based on a study of 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes.

Above Average Again

For the second year running, UJS pupils made above average progress compared to schools in Dorset and across the country. On this measure, as you can see from this link to the BBC News website , we are the fourth ranked school in Weymouth and Portland and nearly two-thirds of Dorset primary schools had lower progress figures than UJS. Unfortunately, this information was not included in the version of SATs results for Dorset primary schools printed in the local paper. The missing figures are vital because they're a much fairer way to compare the results of schools (as well as our own results from year to year). Each school is given a "value added" (VA) measure which shows the progress made by that group of children from the SAT tests they took at age 7 to the ones they took at age 11.

Our 2006 results were lower than our 2005 ones but that's because our 2006 leavers were quite different from our high-flying 2005 group. The 2006 group was made up of 20 boys and 10 girls and half of the children had special needs. Nevertheless, these children still made good progress as shown by the above average "value added" figures. They also set the following records:

• Best ever girls' English results with 90% at or above the expected level 4.

• Best ever girls' writing results with 90% at or above level 4.

• Best ever overall results for writing.

Shipwreck Detectives

Diving expert, Duncan Cameron, dressed up two Year 6 pupils in his diving gear at Portland Museum. The event featured Duncan's book 'Shipwreck Detective' and was recorded by BBC Radio 4. Both girls were interviewed for the programme and found the whole experience challenging and exciting. The broadcast is due to go out early in December.

Pupils Get Street Wise

On their safety tour of 'Streetwise', a full sized village inside a warehouse, our pupils learnt how to cope with hazards in a wide range of scenarios, including a high street, a park, a farmyard, a railway track, electricity sub station, a heath, a beach and a building site. www.streetwise.org.uk/

The children also visited the Bournemouth Islamic Centre as part of their RE work.

Mayor Captivates Children

Weymouth and Portland's Mayor, Councillor Howard Legg, captivated children in assembly talking about his role and his regalia.

A highlight for some of the children was the chance to have their own mini procession at the front of the hall. The Mayor found the children to be 'very interested and attentive'.

Harvest Festival

Children from each class presented a harvest assembly to parents and the rest of the school. They used the letters of the word HARVEST help the audience think about the meaning of harvest. They thanked everyone for their donation of harvest gifts which were later given to elderly people in the community.

Lovely Leeson

Even long walks in the rain and mud couldn't dampen the spirits of children on the residential trip to Leeson House Field Studies Centre near Swanage.

They enjoyed the whole Leeson experience: comforting food; lovely grounds; helping in the dining room and kitchen; and tiredness and excitement of two nights in shared bedrooms.

Out and about the day completing their geography work in the stunning Purbeck scenery, they had fun with activities like orienteering in the evening. Tired teachers were delighted with the success of the visit but looked forward to a good night's sleep back home!

School Improvement Plan (SIP) Review

School Improvement Plan (SIP) Priorities and Projects for 2005 - 2006	Date Due	Review Comment
To maximise value added for maths and English for 2006 SATs, given that attainment will be lower than exceptional 2005 results	July 06	Initial Value added close to top 25% of schools nationally
Continue to raise standards in Years 3/4 by - Introducing ‘learning partners’ for speaking & listening (Literacy across the curriculum) installing Interactive Whiteboards (Enriching the curriculum)	Oct 05 Sept 06	Successful . Introduce learning partners in Y5/6 from Sept. 06. Whiteboards ordered
Projects to Secure Long-term Improvement
Accelerating Progress To raise standards and accelerate progress throughout the School Take part in Dorset’s Primary Strategy pilot based on the Intensifying Support Programme Continue to embed good practice from ISP through relevant whole staff professional development and accountability	Ongoing	Membership of Dorset's network for Schools in challenging circumstances includes £4,000 for an intervention project. Portland Pyramid have secured further funding for a literacy intervention.
Emotional Health Continue to embed teaching of Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) Continue to promote good behaviour & eliminate bullying (OFSTED) Healthy Schools Scheme		By the end of this term we will have completed a full cycle of SEAL units. 92% of parents viewed behaviour as 'good' in a survey.
Attendance (OFSTED action plan)		Review needed, following recent figures.
Enrichment Enrichment of Curriculum (Whole School Review Day) Literacy & numeracy across the curriculum (OFSTED) Community Partnership to create a quiet garden area in the main playground		Draft policies reviewed on training day Awaiting outcome of lottery bid for £10,000
Non-Curriculum Priorities
Governors Governor Effectiveness (OFSTED action plan)		Audit at on 11 July will give useful feedback on progress with procedures etc.
Remodelling the Workforce Statutory review of Staffing Structure Completion of major remodelling of staff room and administrative areas to create effective working spaces for staff.	Jan 06 Sept 05	Completed and published Achieved

World Book Day

Children from all classes marked World Book Day by dressing up as book characters. During a special assembly the characters introduced themselves and staff shared some of their favourite books. Each class also did activities throughout the day to help bring home the enjoyment that can come from books and reading.