School News

December 2025
Christmas Music Video for Yorkshire Cancer Research

This Christmas, our Digital Leaders and House Captains worked incredibly hard to bring a festive music video to life and my office became their daily planning studio and festive fancy dress storeroom! They did all of this with a very special purpose: supporting Yorkshire Cancer Research, a charity dedicated to funding lifesaving research to prevent cancer, ensure early diagnosis, and provide the best treatments in our region.

The children spent their lunchtimes brainstorming creative ideas, scouting locations, planning shots, and persuading adults to dance (I’m certain Strictly Come Dancing may call any day now!) All their hard work meant the children achieved their first aim: to make people smile this Christmas.

Thanks to the children’s creativity, dedication, and the generosity of our school community, we have currently
raised £765 – far exceeding our original target of £100! When the children heard the total,
their faces lit up, and their first words were simply: “Thank you!”

A huge thank you to everyone who watched, shared, or donated. To watch the video please follow the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kirbyhillchristmas

Santa Visits Kirby Hill

Christmas Dinner and Jumper Day

Huge thanks to everyone involved, with extra special appreciation for Ronnie, Sue and Michelle in the kitchen for all their hard work and festive magic. 

EYFS/KS1 Nativity and KS2 Christmas Production

The Christmas productions across the school were wonderful occasions. EYFS and KS1’s nativity, brought so much joy to everyone.  They performed a wonderful story all about Christmas and the small light that came to the word. Special visitors were looking for a sign (or a very big star) to guide them to a very important new-born in Bethlehem. 

Our KS2 School Choir led KS2 in a Christmas show searching for the real reason for the season. All KS2 children sang brilliantly performing a selection of catchy Christmas songs alongside Choir's excellent (and comedic) acting and narration. 

Choir Performance at St John's House Care Home

Choir had a very busy week with performance number two at St John's Care Home in Green Hammerton. The children sang brilliantly and with great passion. They loved interacting with the residents (and the cake) and we were all especially moved by one resident's speech of thanks which reminded us all about how small acts of kindness and giving of your time are so important. Thank you to Jen Clements - one of our governors - for supporting with this visit. 

Boroughbridge Lights Switch on - KS1 and KS2 Choirs

Our Choirs (KS1 and KS2) were very excited to be singing at the local Christmas light switch on and late night shopping event. Well done to all the children in our choirs who truly sang their hearts out at the Boroughbridge Christmas light switch-on this evening - we couldn’t be prouder. You were absolutely fantastic!

Merry Messy Church - Christingle

Rev. Claire visited our school this Wednesday to teach the children all about the meaning of Christingle. After the special collective worship, the children split into their house teams and got hands-on, creating their very own Christingles. It was fantastic to see them working together so enthusiastically while remembering the symbolism behind each part. A big thank you to Jenny Widdows from All Saints Church for organising all the oranges and materials needed for this activity - it wouldn’t have been possible without you! And a special well done to the children for resisting the very tempting sweets - a true display of self-control!

Whole School Visit to the Pantomime

On the 5th, we had a wonderful time at the pantomime (oh yes, we did!). The children were an absolute credit to the school and behaved impeccably throughout - it was truly wonderful to see their faces lit up with pure joy and wonder. I was with year 2 who were especially curious, asking how they managed to get a real cow on stage!

The children joined in enthusiastically, shouting all the classic panto lines with great gusto, booing the baddies and cheering the goodies (we even got to hi-five Silly Simon who ran through our seats!).
Thank you to Kat Hartley - one of our governors - and to Miss Lee and Mrs Spence from the PTA for supporting with this visit. 

Thank you once again to the PTA for booking this fantastic experience for the children, and thank you to the parents and wider family members who support PTA events - your support makes trips like this possible. For many children, this was their first visit to a pantomime, and I had pupils from Nursery  through to Year 6 tell me it was the best day at
school ever!

Christmas Tree Festival - St James' Church, Boroughbridge

Created and decorated by children from our Before and After School Clubs, our children proudly entered their tree into St James' Church Tree festival. A big thank you to the children and staff for their creativity and enthusiasm, and to Mrs Spencer for leading the project.

Rotary ShoeBoxes

Thank you to everyone who part in this year’s Rotary Shoebox Appeal. This year, Peter Thompson who represents the club collected them with thanks and let us know he is hoping to send them to Ukraine. We had a total of 18 shoeboxes and these will be given directly to children in need. Thank you once again for your generosity and thank you to Mrs Williamson for organising this in school.

Year 6 Business Challenge Fair

In early December, Year 6 held their first Business Fair. The children worked very hard to make their businesses a
success during the Autumn Term. The sales from their businesses are going to be split and shared between a
local cause, something for school, a charity of Y6s choosing and a treat for all business entrepreneurs.

November 2025

Year 5/6 Crucial Crew Visit

Einstein Class visited Crucial Crew at Carlton Lodge to learn about keeping themselves and others safe with the help of the emergency services and Carlton Lodge staff. In their busy afternoon, they learnt so much! They found out how to look for fire risks in their homes and what to do if there was a fire; they learnt how to rescue someone who had fallen into cold water; they looked at the dangers of illegal drugs (and how to say no!); as well as how smoking affects your health; and last but not least, they learnt how to safe online. Throughout the afternoon, the children were really enthusiastic and offered lots of answers as well as being great role behaviour role models for school too!

Intra Sports Competition

On 19th November, Mr Vitali (Our Sports Coach) led a morning of sports with a focus on teamwork. The first games commenced with EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 competing in a dodgeball tournament followed by Years 3-6. The children showed fantastic teamwork and lots of children were commended for their encouragement of each other. Well done!

A message from Mr Vitali:

I really enjoyed the morning and it looked like the children did too. Despite the chilly weather, the children were fantastic and so were their Dodgeball skills. There was so much determination, encouragement and sportsmanship shown throughout the morning along with some amazing dodging, fantastic catching and throwing skills. It really was fantastic to see. 

The children can also be complimented on the progress of their dodgeball skills throughout the games.
Thank you to Mr Vitali and Mrs Houghton for organising this event. 

Remembrance

During this month of Remembrance, our children have been taking time to pause and reflect in our Faith Garden. The iron “Tommy,” kindly loaned by Mrs Robinson, provides a powerful focus for their thoughts and prayers.

Despite the cold and rainy weather on November 11th, the children showed outstanding respect and maturity at the Cross Memorial in the village. It was especially moving to see some of our service and previous-service children presenting the readings and laying the poppy wreath. The range of uniformed groups represented in school was wonderful to see, and all the children should feel incredibly proud of how they represented both the school and the wider community. Thank you to our older children who have spent time this month selling poppies too.

Anti-Bullying and Odd Socks

In school we marked the start of Anti-bullying week with an Odd Socks Day. All classess did work on this very important topic thoughout the week from creating posters, to having circle time and talking about what an upstander is and why it’s important that we always tell an adult. Our new pupil wellbeing champions received special training to help them in their roles as peer mentors to help support this work in school.

Children in Need Bun Sale: Year 4

Well done to the children in Year 4 for their baking and selling efforts for our Children in Need bun sale in the hall after celebration assembly. The children then sold after school to help raise as much money as possible for this fantastic cause. Well done and thank you, Year 4!

Dark Night Presentation: North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS)

Jason from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) visited our school to deliver a presentation to KS2 children.  
He highlighted the importance of being seen as the nights draw darker, and staying safe around bonfires
and fireworks.

The children listened really well and thought carefully about the ways to keep safe and the extra things they could do
such as wearing  hi-vis and not touching fireworks they see on the ground.

Autumn Craft Competition

Well done to everyone for their amazing autumn entries!
There were so many wonderful examples of DT and Art skills on show, and such creativity throughout — it was fantastic to see. We’ve even been fortunate enough to keep some of the entries in school!

We had fabulous animated leaves, bird feeders, centrepieces, pumpkins, fairy accessories, stick crafts, and self-portraits.

A huge thank you to the PTA for providing the prizes, as well as a little something for everyone who entered.

October 2025

YEAR 3/4 Residential – Bewerley Park

What a wonderful time the children (and adults!) had at Bewerley Park at the end of last term! For many, this was their first residential, and they were all absolute superstars. We were very lucky to stay in the new accommodation, and the children were excellent both at nighttime and throughout the three days.

The children faced weaselling and scrambling challenges at Brimham Rocks, went on a river walk at Trollers Ghyll, completed a nighttime walk to see the ice house and some endangered species of spiders, took part in an orienteering task searching for aliens, and, of course, spent all their pennies in the tuck shop! There was also lots of enthusiasm for their first canoeing activity and the children had a fantastic time on the water.

A huge thank you to the staff who gave up their own time to support on this trip with Miss Welburn: Miss Lowther, Mrs Robinson, Mrs Adkin and Mr Richardson.

UK Parliament Visit

We were delighted to welcome Mikey Collinson, representing UK Parliament, into school for a special assembly all about democracy and how Parliament works.

The assembly was engaging and inspiring, giving our children a real insight into how decisions are made in the UK and how they themselves can get involved. A huge thank you to Mikey for visiting and answering our pupils’ questions.

Ryan Swain – You, Me and ADHD

To mark ADHD Awareness Month, we were delighted to welcome Ryan Swain a DJ, professional skateboarder,

motivational speaker, and TV & radio presenter to school on 6th October 2025. We were also joined by our

Governor, Mrs Cowling, and pupils from Bishop Monkton Primary.

Ryan spoke passionately about understanding ADHD, celebrating neurodiversity, and the importance of

kindness and empathy. Pupils learned that ADHD is about thinking differently, being creative, and using energy

in positive ways.

Ryan’s visit was truly inspiring and his energy and honesty captured everyone’s attention. His You, Me & ADHD

session reminded us that being different is something to celebrate, not hide and reinforced the importance of

ensuring every child feels seen, valued, and understood.

At Kirby Hill, we are proud to promote inclusion, equity, and understanding. Through pupil voice, it’s clear that

our children recognise that neurodivergent behaviours are not a ‘choice’, but differences that deserve

compassion and support. All children benefit from these important messages, developing as kind, respectful,

and empathetic individuals who value and include others.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have secured a visit from Ryan Swain as opportunities like this are rare. He is

currently touring schools across the country completely free of charge, to sharing his inspiring message:

“It’s OK to be different. Different doesn’t mean less.”

(ADHD: Achieving Despite His/Her Differences)

Thank you to Ryan for an inspirational session. 

First Aid Workshops

To enhance our PSHE curriculum, all pupils in Years 1–6 recently took part in First Aid workshops with Sporting Influence, learning essential skills to keep themselves and others safe.

Key Stage 1 focused on staying safe at home, understanding that household products and medicines can be harmful if misused, and learning about first aid kits and how to call for help.

Key Stage 2 explored making informed choices and learning basic emergency first aid procedures, including head injuries, asthma, cuts and bruises, choking, CPR, recovery position, and mental health first aid.

The instructor emailed school to say: “All classes were excellent and engaged in all of the content! They loved the practical activities and applied the theory really well.” Well done, to all the children for this excellent feedback!

We are thrilled with the children’s enthusiasm and the valuable skills they have gained, helping them grow as confident, responsible, and caring members of our school community.

September 2025

Harvest Festival

On 29th September, the whole school walked to church to lead a joyful and enthusiastic Harvest Service. It was wonderful to see each class take part through acting, poetry, and song, including beautiful performances from both our KS1 and KS2 choirs.

We would like to thank all our families for their generous donations. We also received a heartfelt message of thanks from Ripon Community House, who were truly grateful for everyone’s kind offerings.

A special thank you also goes to Rev. Claire, who led the children in prayer and blessed our gifts at the close of the service.

Einstein Macmillian Coffee Morning

As is tradition, this September, Einstein class led the school's Macmillian Efforts. The class raised £244 for this fabulous charity. 
Thank you to Einstein Class for all their efforts!  

All Saints Church Coffee Morning

Miss Welburn was delighted to take our four new House Captains to All Saints Church on their first ‘official business’,
representing the school at the Church’s Macmillan Coffee Morning. They were fantastic ambassadors for the school and,
as well as purchasing plenty of cake, raffle tickets (and even eggs!), they also engaged warmly with the church family and showed wonderful manners – well done House Captains!