A warm welcome from our
Headteacher
St Botolph’s Church of England Primary School aims to provide a stimulating and varied programme of education to enable children of all abilities and backgrounds to acquire confidence, knowledge and skills within an environment of the Christian faith and practice, respecting also those from other faiths. Staff, children, parents and governors work together for the care of the school within the community, committed to the spiritual, social, moral and intellectual welfare of the pupils.
Aletheia Academies Trust
In 2014, with Shorne C of E Primary and Saint George’s C of E School, St. Botolph’s C of E Primary School formed the Aletheia Academies Trust.
Aletheia is committed to sustaining high-quality schools and supporting schools in need of specific improvement in some of the more challenging wards in Kent. Our focus is to provide school improvement services that draw on the wealth of practice from across our trust, broaden the expertise available to schools through flexible working arrangements and increase our capacity to quickly respond to the needs of individual schools. Pedagogical excellence is at the heart of all we do with a sustained focus on collaborative and mastery learning.
Latest News
Trust Speaking Competition | Overall School Winner
In the last week of Term 5, Mr Dockrell, Mrs Flynn and four members of our School Council had the pleasure of listening to nine children from across Key Stage Two perform their speech for...
Term 5 Governor Awards
At the end of Term 5, Governor Awards were handed out during the final worship. Children received certificates and badges for living by our three values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility. All children should be...
Cooking Club Make Sausage Rolls
In cooking club this week, we made sausage rolls and a vegetarian version too. We had to put sausage meat in two lines and fold the pastry over. We then cut them into snack size shapes...
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At the end of Term 5, Governor Awards were handed out during the final worship. Children received certificates and badges for living by our three values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility. All children should be proud of their achievements and a very big well done from all at St Botolph`s.
At the end of Term 5, Governor Awards were handed out during the final worship. Children received certificates and badges for living by our three values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility. All children should be proud of their achievements and a very big well done from all at St Botolph`s.
In the last week of Term 5, Mr Dockrell, Mrs Flynn and four members of our School Council had the pleasure of listening to nine children from across Key Stage Two perform their speech for us to determine our overall school winner.
Competition was very tough! All class winners had prepared, rehearsed and spoke with confidence and real passion about their chosen topic. We had speeches ranging from Guinea Pigs to Gymnastics and Wildlife to the Eiffel Tower. We were so impressed but it made our job even more difficult to choose a winner.
A huge well done to all of our class winners for getting this far.
Following deliberation and looking at the criteria set we chose Violet (Maple class) as our overall St Botolph`s winner. Her speech on Gymnastics blew us away whilst maintaining eye contact and holding our interest during her speech. We didn`t inform Violet until our Eucharist Service on Friday and we invited Violet`s parents in as a surprise. Violet`s prize was a selection of books along with some sweets to enjoy whilst reading her favourite books.
Violet and Mrs Pollard are looking forward to joining all of the other school winners from across our Trust and heading up to the Houses of Parliament before performing once more to determine the overall Trust winner.
We`re all very proud of you Violet - what a great achievement!
In the last week of Term 5, Mr Dockrell, Mrs Flynn and four members of our School Council had the pleasure of listening to nine children from across Key Stage Two perform their speech for us to determine our overall school winner.
Competition was very tough! All class winners had prepared, rehearsed and spoke with confidence and real passion about their chosen topic. We had speeches ranging from Guinea Pigs to Gymnastics and Wildlife to the Eiffel Tower. We were so impressed but it made our job even more difficult to choose a winner.
A huge well done to all of our class winners for getting this far.
Following deliberation and looking at the criteria set we chose Violet (Maple class) as our overall St Botolph`s winner. Her speech on Gymnastics blew us away whilst maintaining eye contact and holding our interest during her speech. We didn`t inform Violet until our Eucharist Service on Friday and we invited Violet`s parents in as a surprise. Violet`s prize was a selection of books along with some sweets to enjoy whilst reading her favourite books.
Violet and Mrs Pollard are looking forward to joining all of the other school winners from across our Trust and heading up to the Houses of Parliament before performing once more to determine the overall Trust winner.
We`re all very proud of you Violet - what a great achievement!
Earlier this term, Year 2 hosted a fantastic charity day in support of Marie Curie UK, raising both awareness and much-needed funds for the invaluable work they do.
We were thrilled to welcome Laura Hill from Marie Curie to our school yesterday. It was a pleasure to present her with a cheque for an impressive £506.28 and to hear more about the incredible support Marie Curie provides to those in need. Thank you, Year 2 and the entire St Botolph`s community, for your generosity and enthusiasm in making this event such a meaningful success.
Earlier this term, Year 2 hosted a fantastic charity day in support of Marie Curie UK, raising both awareness and much-needed funds for the invaluable work they do.
We were thrilled to welcome Laura Hill from Marie Curie to our school yesterday. It was a pleasure to present her with a cheque for an impressive £506.28 and to hear more about the incredible support Marie Curie provides to those in need. Thank you, Year 2 and the entire St Botolph`s community, for your generosity and enthusiasm in making this event such a meaningful success.
All the children in the school took part in our Maths Day yesterday. Key Stage 2 began with an assembly led by Sarabjit Mann, who spoke about how she uses mathematics both in her profession and in everyday life. Following the assembly, Year 6 participated in a workshop featuring a carousel of activities exploring the role of maths in various careers.
Throughout the day, pupils engaged in a wide range of mathematical activities, including:
• Collecting data using Smarties
• Taking part in a maths-themed treasure hunt
• Estimating and measuring capacity to determine the volume of liquid in a box
• Designing structures or shapes using jelly beans
• Competing in a times table relay
Additional maths activities took place in classrooms across the school. The children were enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed the day.
All the children in the school took part in our Maths Day yesterday. Key Stage 2 began with an assembly led by Sarabjit Mann, who spoke about how she uses mathematics both in her profession and in everyday life. Following the assembly, Year 6 participated in a workshop featuring a carousel of activities exploring the role of maths in various careers.
Throughout the day, pupils engaged in a wide range of mathematical activities, including:
• Collecting data using Smarties
• Taking part in a maths-themed treasure hunt
• Estimating and measuring capacity to determine the volume of liquid in a box
• Designing structures or shapes using jelly beans
• Competing in a times table relay
Additional maths activities took place in classrooms across the school. The children were enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Year 3 have been working on their skills in designing and researching building up to a `Big Bread Bake Off`!
They had to work as a team to create their dough, knead it and divide it. They had to pick a key ingredient (chocolate was the firm favourite) and wait for them to prove. They were baked and are ready for tasting!
Well done year 3.
Year 3 have been working on their skills in designing and researching building up to a `Big Bread Bake Off`!
They had to work as a team to create their dough, knead it and divide it. They had to pick a key ingredient (chocolate was the firm favourite) and wait for them to prove. They were baked and are ready for tasting!
Well done year 3.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) day, St Botolph`s pupils were issued evacuee labels and relocated to a different `county` (different classroom) within the school to take part in a range of different activities and learning. All of our classes mixed and it was wonderful to see our older pupils supporting younger pupils and sharing their learning and skills.
Children enjoyed activities such as making medals, and pinwheels to decorating teapots and bunting and creating Spitfire pegs along with spending time learning about the importance of VE day before heading back to their home counties (own classes) to share their creations.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) day, St Botolph`s pupils were issued evacuee labels and relocated to a different `county` (different classroom) within the school to take part in a range of different activities and learning. All of our classes mixed and it was wonderful to see our older pupils supporting younger pupils and sharing their learning and skills.
Children enjoyed activities such as making medals, and pinwheels to decorating teapots and bunting and creating Spitfire pegs along with spending time learning about the importance of VE day before heading back to their home counties (own classes) to share their creations.
In cooking club this week, we made sausage rolls and a vegetarian version too.
We had to put sausage meat in two lines and fold the pastry over. We then cut them into snack size shapes and waited for them to cook.
In cooking club this week, we made sausage rolls and a vegetarian version too.
We had to put sausage meat in two lines and fold the pastry over. We then cut them into snack size shapes and waited for them to cook.
We started our term with a visit from Buddhist monk, Ven.Quang That, who shared his knowledge of Buddhism and the importance of the Buddhist festival Vesak. The children enjoyed asking questions and deepening their understanding.
Vesak, also known as Wesak, is a celebration of Buddha’s birthday and marks his enlightenment (when he discovered life’s meaning). It is also a time to reflect on his teachings and what it means to be Buddhist. The children reflected on the importance of gratitude and being appreciative for the everyday things, which we can take for granted. Across the school community, classes took part in craft activities to further explore mindfulness and meditation.
We started our term with a visit from Buddhist monk, Ven.Quang That, who shared his knowledge of Buddhism and the importance of the Buddhist festival Vesak. The children enjoyed asking questions and deepening their understanding.
Vesak, also known as Wesak, is a celebration of Buddha’s birthday and marks his enlightenment (when he discovered life’s meaning). It is also a time to reflect on his teachings and what it means to be Buddhist. The children reflected on the importance of gratitude and being appreciative for the everyday things, which we can take for granted. Across the school community, classes took part in craft activities to further explore mindfulness and meditation.
In Cooking Club yesterday, we made rice crispy chocolate cakes. We made a Bain-Marie to melt the chocolate, and mixed in some butter. We then stirred the Rice Crispies in and blinded it with golden syrup. Finally, we decorated with some sprinkles before eating them.
In Cooking Club yesterday, we made rice crispy chocolate cakes. We made a Bain-Marie to melt the chocolate, and mixed in some butter. We then stirred the Rice Crispies in and blinded it with golden syrup. Finally, we decorated with some sprinkles before eating them.
On Thursday 1st May we took 2 groups of Young Carers to take part in a Laser Tag competition at Future Survivals, run by the School Games Organiser.
We had a year 3/4 team and a year 5/6 team. The year 3/4 team won their tournament and the year 5/6 team came 3rd. They all had a lovely day and really enjoyed the experience. The children all demonstrated our core values by showing their team members and the children from the other schools respect, they were resilient throughout the tournament and they were responsible by managing their own teams and making their own plans to be successful in the tournament.
On Thursday 1st May we took 2 groups of Young Carers to take part in a Laser Tag competition at Future Survivals, run by the School Games Organiser.
We had a year 3/4 team and a year 5/6 team. The year 3/4 team won their tournament and the year 5/6 team came 3rd. They all had a lovely day and really enjoyed the experience. The children all demonstrated our core values by showing their team members and the children from the other schools respect, they were resilient throughout the tournament and they were responsible by managing their own teams and making their own plans to be successful in the tournament.
Our Year 5 Flag Football team took part in the NFL South East Regional tournament last week after having successfully won the previous round. This time we headed to Portsmouth for the day to play against 6 other local area winning primary schools from across Kent. Flag football is a mix between Tag rugby and American football. The event was organised and run by the NFL with expert officials and equipment. We were assigned the Seattle Seahawks as our affiliated team, and we took to the field as the only all year 5 team. Defensively we were well organised and kept the opposition in their own half on many occasions, conceding never more than two or three touchdowns. Our offence (attack) developed the more we played and we gained greater confidence when going forward with the ball, just missing the finishing touches or being beaten by the clock. The children represented North West Kent and St. Botolphs to the highest level and the wining school commented on how we tested them the most. We look forward to challenging again next year and will be adding Flag Football to our sports list for clubs and team games with the hope of representing England next time in the finals- which are held in California! Well done Team Bots! We have year 4 Trust Football next and hope to bring another trophy to the `burgeoning` cabinet!
Our Year 5 Flag Football team took part in the NFL South East Regional tournament last week after having successfully won the previous round. This time we headed to Portsmouth for the day to play against 6 other local area winning primary schools from across Kent. Flag football is a mix between Tag rugby and American football. The event was organised and run by the NFL with expert officials and equipment. We were assigned the Seattle Seahawks as our affiliated team, and we took to the field as the only all year 5 team. Defensively we were well organised and kept the opposition in their own half on many occasions, conceding never more than two or three touchdowns. Our offence (attack) developed the more we played and we gained greater confidence when going forward with the ball, just missing the finishing touches or being beaten by the clock. The children represented North West Kent and St. Botolphs to the highest level and the wining school commented on how we tested them the most. We look forward to challenging again next year and will be adding Flag Football to our sports list for clubs and team games with the hope of representing England next time in the finals- which are held in California! Well done Team Bots! We have year 4 Trust Football next and hope to bring another trophy to the `burgeoning` cabinet!
Year 6 had an artist visit to guide us through making our own fabric squares to form part of a bigger tapestry.
She told us about Ecuador, a beautiful country straddling the equator on South America`s west coast. We were told about a derelict house whilst she was out walking one day and had a vision for creating a textile artwork about all the memories that were in the house.
We were asked to think about a memory we have and to sketch it out. Once sketched we chose a piece of fabric and started to draw our memory and used fine pens to add some extra detail. We were surprised by the small textile stamps that we pressed onto an ink pad and carefully pressed it onto our fabric - the detail was really clear.
It was amazing to see the different styles of art and all of our fabric designs came out beautifully. We`re excited that our pieces of art are going to be sewn together and displayed in the St George`s Centre Art Gallery for everyone in the community to enjoy.
This was an incredible experience and we`d like to thank Sonia for the time she has given to St Botolph`s.
Written by Emily -Year 6
Year 6 had an artist visit to guide us through making our own fabric squares to form part of a bigger tapestry.
She told us about Ecuador, a beautiful country straddling the equator on South America`s west coast. We were told about a derelict house whilst she was out walking one day and had a vision for creating a textile artwork about all the memories that were in the house.
We were asked to think about a memory we have and to sketch it out. Once sketched we chose a piece of fabric and started to draw our memory and used fine pens to add some extra detail. We were surprised by the small textile stamps that we pressed onto an ink pad and carefully pressed it onto our fabric - the detail was really clear.
It was amazing to see the different styles of art and all of our fabric designs came out beautifully. We`re excited that our pieces of art are going to be sewn together and displayed in the St George`s Centre Art Gallery for everyone in the community to enjoy.
This was an incredible experience and we`d like to thank Sonia for the time she has given to St Botolph`s.
Written by Emily -Year 6