School Letters & Blogs

Industrial Strike Action – Letter from Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers, As you will be aware from recent press information, the National Education Union, representing teachers in England, has announced its intention to take strike action which affects schools in the West Midlands on the following dates: Wednesday 1stFebruary Wednesday 1stMarch Wednesday 15thMarch Thursday 16thMarch All teaching unions were balloting for strike action, however did not meet threshold for returns and therefore at present are unable to engage. This does not mean that they will not re-ballot and strike in the future. Teachers will be striking as a result of disputes over pay, working terms and conditions and funding for schools. I have to be clear; the strikes are about more than just pay and sadly this message gets lost in the coverage by the press and social media. There are significant issues with recruitment and retention of teachers. Teachers are not required to tell the school in advance if they intend to strike but at The Pines, the majority of teachers have volunteered this information, knowing that for our children, announcing any changes without notice, can have a greater impact on them and their families again showing their commitment to the children and the school. The number of teachers at The Pines who have shared their intention to strike on the 1st February will mean that we will be able to adequately maintain the health and safety of the pupils in school, however the school day may look slightly different and the curriculum will be heavily modified and adapted to meet the changes in staffing. Health and safety remains our priority. Taking industrial action is not an easy decision for teachers. The decision to strike is not a reflection of their commitment to the school or their commitment to your child and we, along with the governing body support all of our colleagues who have taken the decision to strike. The situation may change on the dates following the 1st February depending on the negotiations and status of the other unions. I will keep you posted. If you have any queries or specific concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your understanding. Best Wishes, Emma Pearce   Please click the link below to download a copy of the Industrial Strike Action letter: Industrial Strike Action Letter

The Pines Autumn Newsletter 2022

Dear Parents and Carers, The Pines School Newsletter – Autumn Term Edition is now here! Please click on the PDF document to download a copy. A paper copy will be sent home today. In this term’s edition: Headteachers Message Class News Attendance Speech and Language Therapy Occupational Therapy Mental Health Chair of Governors Message Pines Parliament Class of 2022 Awards Evening Other News School Calendar Dates - Spring Term School Lunch Menu School Website and Social Media Term Dates 2022 – 2023 We hope you enjoy this term’s newsletter. Please click on the link below to download our latest newsletter: The Pines Autumn Term Newsletter 2022 Have an enjoyable Christmas

Anti-Bullying Week

14th - 18th November 2022 It was anti-bullying week at The Pines this week. Anti-Bullying Week helps raise awareness of bullying amongst children and young people and helps schools to tackle bullying taking place both online and face to face. On Monday we took part in 'Odd Socks Day'. Children and staff came into school wearing odd socks to help raise the awareness of bullying. We also decorated and design our own odds socks for our anti-bullying awareness display in school. Let's have a look at some activities our pupils took part in... Designing Our Own Odd Socks   Class 1A 1A took a stand against bullying and we pledge to always be kind and caring!   Class 1M 1M throughout about compliments and what they liked about their friends in class. The posted their likes / compliments into a thank you box. 1M also went to the local park and thought about kind actions. We pushed our friends on the swing, took turns, use signing and symbols to say please and thank you.         Class 2B For anti-bullying week, 2B shared the story The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. We explored the importance of being kind to our friends. In our Attention Autism session, we enjoyed making a rainbow to introduce our story. The main theme of the story is the importance of sharing and being kind to others. We practiced sharing stickers to make our own Rainbow Fish. We took turns with our friends to place a sticker on our work. We really enjoyed being able to share an activity with each other. 2B also wore odd sock's on Monday and decorated odd sock's for our school display. 2B's Attention Autism Activity: Making A Rainbow Sharing Stickers   Class 3S In 3S we made anti-bullying posters on the computer using Microsoft Word. Take a look at our talented artists! For more information about anti-bullying week, please visit the anti-bulling alliance

Local Area – SEND Newsletter – November 2022

Please click on the link below to read the SEND Newsletter – November 2022. SEND Partnership Newsletter November

Determination Letter: Permanently increase the number of places

Dear stakeholder, I am writing to advise you that on 22nd August Birmingham City Council, as the Local Authority, in exercise of the powers conferred on it, has determined to implement the proposal, as detailed: Permanently increase the number of places the School can offer to pupils, from 230 to 260 by September 2022. Permanently increase the number of places the School can offer to pupils, from 260 to 270 by September 2023. Full details of the proposal and link to the decision report can be found via the consultation webpage: https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/pinessot10186 Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Education Infrastructure - Property Management Team using the details below. Yours sincerely, Jaswinder Didially Please download the full letter by clicking on the following link: Determination Letter The

Local Area – SEND Newsletter for Parents and Carers July

Please click on the link below to read the SEND Newsletter – July 2022. Local Area SEND Newsletter July

The Pines Summer Newsletter 2022

Dear Parents and Carers, The Pines School Newsletter - Summer Term Edition is now here! Please click on the PDF document to download. A paper copy will be sent home today. In this term’s edition: Headteachers Message Class News Whole School Events Other News Pines Parliament School Website and Social Media Term Dates 2022 - 2023 We hope you enjoy this term's newsletter. Please click on the link below to download our latest newsletter: The Pines Summer Term Newsletter 2022 Have an enjoyable summer

SEND Newsletter – May 2022

Please click on the link below to read the SEND Newsletter - May 2022. SEND Newsletter May

Forest School Tidy and Makeover

SEND Newsletter

Partnership SEND newsletter Feb 2022