The End of Another Successful School Year

It's been another fantastic school year at Hacton. There have been so many highlights: the outstanding progress of our pupils; brilliant school trips; impressive fundraising for charity; spectacular school productions; happy children who clearly love coming to school. The list goes on...

As the summer term came to a close, children and staff gathered in the hall for the final assembly of the year. Amongst laughter as we reminisced about life at Hacton there were tears of sadness and pride as our Year 6 leavers received certificates and awards in recognition of their achievements. We are very proud of the progress they have made both academically and socially and we feel confident that they are ready for the next exciting chapter of their school life. As well as saying goodbye to our Year 6 pupils, we also said a fond farewell to some members of staff who are retiring or moving on to pastures new. We wish our Year 6 children every success as they venture on to secondary school and we look forward to welcoming back the rest of our pupils in September. We hope you all enjoy a restful, fun-filled and sunny holiday.

Annual Caring and Achievement Awards

Proud parents and teachers joined our pupils in the hall for Hacton's annual caring and achievement assembly. Carefully selected children were presented with awards for both their academic achievement and their kindness throughout the year. At Hacton, we are incredibly proud of each and every one of our pupils and the way in which they represent the values of our school in the classroom, around the school and in our local community. It was an almost impossible task to select only one child per class, but all of the children chosen have displayed outstanding kindness or impressive progress throughout the year. Congratulations to the wonderful children who were presented with this year's caring and achievement awards.

Information for Year 5 Parents: Transferring to a Havering Secondary School

London Borough of Havering School Admissions have made a booklet containing important information for parents of Year 5 pupils available for download. The brochure - Transferring to a Havering Secondary School (September 2016) - forms part of the application terms and conditions so it is vital that parents read the documentation prior to submitting an application. The brochure is available to view / download from the Havering website www.havering.gov.uk/admissions or by clicking on the image below.

Football Tournament Winners

Pupils in year 1 and 2 are celebrating after winning some silverware. The team won a six-a-side football tournament where they faced Scotts, St Albans, RJ Mitchell and Elm Park Primary. The Hacton boys put on an impressive performance scoring 17 goals and coming top of the table, winning 3 out of 4 games and drawing 1.

The final saw our fabulous footballers face strong opponents: St Albans. After a tense game that resulted in a 2-2 draw, it was down to penalties. The dramatic sudden death penalty shoot out resulted in a well-deserved victory for our talented team. Well done to all the boys involved.

Pupil Spotlight: Super Singer

When we heard our talented Year 6 singer perform his captivating version of 'A Whole New World' we had to grab our camera and share it with you. We hope you enjoy the sound of his wonderful voice as much as we do.

"I've always liked music but I started to really sing in Year 5.  I go to a theatre school where I have a singing teacher. At the moment, we're learning 'Where Is Love' from Oliver. Mum and Dad encourage me to sing and help me with advice if I struggle. When I sing it makes me feel like I could do anything - I feel powerful."

Fantastic SATs Results

Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils for a fantastic set of SATS results. Through hard work, determination and an admirable thirst for learning they have achieved the following:

Reading

• 94% level 4+
• 72% level 5

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

• 96% level 4+
• 81% level 5+
• 9% level 6

Maths

• 98% level 4+
• 83% level 5+
• 21% level 6

Our results were well above the national average in all areas and improve on last year's already impressive performance. Some individual results were really jaw-dropping: Katie, George and Emily scored 100/100 in the Maths papers; Emily was awarded a Level 6 in Writing - this is the expected level for a Year 9 pupil and a rare achievement for an 11 year old. We are so proud of the progress made by every one of our pupils. Well done Year 6 - all that hard work paid off!

Early Years Sports Day

The children from Early Years dressed in their team colours to take part in our fun-filled Sports Day. With smiles on their faces, the budding athletes hurdled, balanced and ran with encouraging cheers in their ears. After the fun of the children's events, the serious competition began! Mums and dads did their little ones proud by taking part in good-natured parents' races; we can see where the children get their competitive spirit! Thank you parents for joining us and for making it such a special occasion for the children.

KS1 and KS2 Sports Days

It was pleasing to see so many family members turn out for our sports days. With events testing skills in running, throwing, jumping and agility, this year's Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 sports days were full of energy and fun. Our pupils were determined to do their best for their teams, but also to enjoy themselves. After giving it their all, our amazing athletes were on tenterhooks waiting for the results. Cheers erupted as Mr Emes announced that Blue team were the KS 2 winners while in KS 1 the trophy was lifted by Red team.

We would like to thank parents for attending this year's sports days. The smiles on our pupils faces made it clear that they really appreciated your encouragement and support.

Hacton Summer Fayre

With the sun smiling down and a cool breeze blowing, the joyful sound of children playing could be heard across the school field as adults soaked up the rays on their picnic blankets. Everyone tucked into food from the barbeque, popcorn, sweets and ice cold Jubblys. The wonderful, creative cakes made by the children for the cake competition were also on sale. Many adults enjoyed strawberries accompanied by a refreshing Pimms while they basked in the glorious sunshine.

Children enjoyed bouncing on the inflatables, especially the mysterious Rocket Maze. Some entertained themselves on the Peg game, coconut shy or practised their circus skills. And what summer fayre would be complete without face painting, tombolas and raffles? The Hacton Summer Fayre had it all!

A massive THANK YOU to those parents who gave up their time to help ensure the success of this event and for their continued support which helped raise over... £2,000. Absolutely amazing! This money will, as always, be used for the benefit of our children and others to come.

Hacton Parents' Association

Year 4 Visit the Natural History Museum

Year 4 visited the Natural History Museum to learn about the human body, mammals of the world and their habitats. In preparation for their science topic about the reproductive system, Year 4 explored an amazing interactive exhibition that recreated what it was like inside the womb and explained how babies grow and develop. Our pupils were amazed to see the giant blue whale on display in the mammal zone and they discussed and shared their understanding of all the different mammals and their habitats. The children also experienced what it was like to travel through the Earth's core and how it felt during an an earthquake.

We are so lucky to have this world-class museum just an easy train journey away. The inspiring day out was clearly enjoyed by our pupils who discovered so much about the natural world.