Student Teachers

At Howe Dell we like to support those who are studying to be teachers of the future. We often host BEd students from the University of Hertfordshire, sometimes for day visits but also for longer placements. Recently Georgia Mae (a Year 2 student) spent a total of 6 days in school with us; she wrote to us following her placement:

Dear Mr. Mason,

I would like to thank you for your warm welcome to Howe Dell Primary School, I felt really comfortable. The placement experience has opened my eyes to a lot of new learning from nursery to year 6 and I am very appreciative for the chance to see how Howe Dell works. All the teachers were lovely and each child individually was wonderful to work with. The placement has really helped me for my assignment and it was a joy to be able to use Howe Dell to help me.

It was an absolute joy and I would love to come back if I ever had the chance. I finish my studies at the end of April beginning of May, so if you would like an extra pair of hands to help around the school during the summer term, it would be my pleasure to help out wherever it is needed. It would also be another great experience for me before going into my final year at the University of Hertfordshire.
 

Assembly Themes

Each term at Howe Dell has a different set of assembly themes running through it, whether it's the natural world, our heritage, teamwork, religious festivals and celebrations, traditional tales and myths, the wonder of words or the wonderful world of Maths, our themes cover a full range of interests and topics, showcasing British values, whilst always encompassing a Pupil Forum.

Below you will find our assembly themes for the last three terms. Remember that our Sharing Assemblies, where everyone is welcome, take place every Friday.

Howe Dell School provides a unique and caring environment where children are given the opportunity to develop as confident and independent people who feel valued and at ease.  We encourage children to work to achieve the highest standards which they are capable of in all areas of the curriculum.  The hard work and enthusiasm of the staff, governors, parents and friends ensures a lively and positive atmosphere for the children's education.

Howe Dell is a primary school for children between the ages of 4 - 11.  Each year group currently has two classes with up to 30 children.  We also have a nursery on site for children aged between 3 and 4 and a Children's Centre which provides services for families with children under 5.

We always welcome visitors to the school and even hold a Visitors' Assembly every Friday morning. If you would like to attend, please contact the school office.

Howe Dell's Mission Statement

Healthy Lifestyle: What can I expect as an integral part of the Howe Dell experience?

This is  a key feature of the Howe Dell experience as demonstrated through:

a) Food

• Induction for new parents includes an invitation to school lunch; the impact has been an increase from 93 to 155 pupils now having school meals with this number increasing on Wednesday and Friday when ‘special’ meals are on offer.

• Cooking opportunities are planned for as a Club and within lessons as are opportunities to understand where food comes from (eg International Skype tour of a bean factory in Naples).

• Reinforcement of healthy food choices via MSA sticker system and extended Free Fruit & Veg as well as termly MSA Awards. Staff regularly eat alongside the children as role models, Y6 have pastoral dining room duties.

• Extended services have pupils making choices on menu and creating sandwiches and snacks.

• Adult courses for healthy cooking have also been organised by the school.

• We welcome Free School Meals at KS1 for all children from September 2014 and plan to be a training kitchen for  Hertfordshire County.

• The governors have elected to pay for KS2 milk from 2015 for pupils who come from low income families, funded by Pupil Premium, but with an encouragement for any child to access this free or otherwise..

   

  b) SMCS (Social, Moral, Cultural and Spiritual input)

• Workshops to raise fitness, confidence and co-operation plus anti bullying and anti-racism projects have been built into the curriculum. SMCS is driven by pupil need and supported via Pupil Premium Grant.

• Assemblies are themed and often focus on PSHCE issues. Sharing Assemblies reinforce our Healthy Schools focus and welcome 60-70 visitors per week.

• Funded places for Play Schemes are made available for key families in need of support.

• ECO Curriculum enables growing and harvesting our own fruit and vegetables. Also researching/learning about sourcing of food and global impact.

• Drugs and Sex and relationships Education are reinforced by multi agency visits and Theatre in Education. This work has been shared with other schools. Parental engagement is actively encouraged.

   

  c) PE

• 2 hours high quality curriculum PE is the minimum, further extended by opportunities beyond school (including grants to support vulnerable groups, all of which has been analysed to review impact).

• Travel Plan includes walking to local events and plans sourcing of school bikes to encourage safer routes to school. Howe Dell is represented at local Business Forum to ensure communication and projects include our wider community.

• Diversity has been celebrated Bollywood Dance Evening, using skills from within their community and many community events with hundreds of visitors to site.

• We have hosted Hindu and Muslim weddings on site and utilised these as an opportunity to inform and educate our wider community..

• We are actively supported through our Sports Partnership, including a Teaching Assistant achieving L5 coaching, this is monitored by a member of the Senior Leadership Team.