Weekly Blog Friday 15th May 2026
Date: 13th May 2026 @ 1:09pm
Attendance
Every week in our Celebration Assembly, we celebrate the class who has achieved the highest attendance for that week. This week Miss Dunn's class had the highest attendance with 99.52%. Well done Year 6!
Please see below the attendance figures for this week. The target attendance for all children is currently set at 97%.
Nursery - 94.67%
Reception - 93.94%
Year 1 Mrs Davies - 93.70%
Year 2 Mrs Ward & Mrs Walker - 98.55%
Year 3 Mrs Ronan & Mrs Wood - 98.41%
Year 4 Mrs Parkes - 98.96%
Year 5 Mrs Pickersgill - 94.44%
Year 6 Miss Dunn - 99.52%
Celebrating fantastic attendance!
Each week, each class with 100% attendance on a particular day will receive one letter from the word MAYFLOWER to put on their classroom door. Once a class has spelt out the word MAYFLOWER, a member of the class will bring all their letters down to the office to claim their prize from our box of Awesome Attendance Activities!
Please see below where each class stands at the end of today:
Nursery - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O
Reception - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R
Year 1 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W
Year 2 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F LO W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R
Year 3 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L
Year 4 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E
Year 5 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F
Year 6 - M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F L O W E R M A Y F
Stars of the week
Each week in our Friday Celebration Assembly, we celebrate our stars of the week. Each class teacher chooses 2 children from their class each week who have really impressed them. Here are the children who have been chosen this week.
Nursery
This week’s Star of the Week theme is all about taking positive steps to look after our mental health and wellbeing.
Archie has been a wonderful example of this! He has shown real courage by using his voice to ask for help, especially when working with other children. We have loved seeing him take these steps to build stronger friendships and connections with those around him. Well done, Archie — we are so proud of you!
Eliza is a fantastic example of taking positive steps to look after ourselves! She consistently shows such independence, creativity and resourcefulness in everything she does. She has a lovely ability to take ownership of her own learning — setting her own goals and feeling a real sense of pride and satisfaction when she achieves them. Well done, Eliza — we are incredibly proud of you!
Reception
Our first star always really impresses us with the way he takes action in Reception. When he sees something that needs doing, he doesn't wait to be asked, he jumps straight in and gives it a go. Whether it’s tidying up, helping a friend or starting his learning independently, he shows brilliant initiative and responsibility. He is such a fantastic role model to his friends showing them how to do things the Mayflower way. He has shown us that he is always ready to learn, ready to help, and ready to make great choices. He is always polite and loves to share his knowledge and stories with us which make our days a little brighter. Well done Uzayr 🙂
Our second star has taken action just like Sir David Attenborough. After learning about him and how we can help our planet last week he has been on a mission to make positive changes in our classroom. He has reminded his friends to recycle, helped pick up rubbish around the classroom and put it in the correct bins and talked about ways we can care for animals and nature. His enthusiasm for protecting our world has inspired us to make sure we turn off the lights and taps when we aren't using them. We are so proud of the thoughtful choices he makes and the caring heart he shows for our planet. Well done George 🙂
Year 1
This week we have been celebrating Mental Heath Awareness Week and this year's theme: 'take action'.
Jaycee has taken action to develop her own self-confidence. She has tried really hard to learn lots of new sounds, resulting in improved confidence in reading and writing words. She has used this newly found self-confidence to make huge leaps forward in other areas of the curriculum too - especially arithmetic! We are really proud of you, Jaycee!
Junie has taken action to develop her own self-confidence. She has tried really hard to learn lots of new sounds, resulting in improved confidence 'Fredding' and blending words. She has used this newly found self-confidence to improve her writing. It has been lovely to see her happily playing with a much wider circle of friends too. Well done, Junie!
Year 2
Stars of the week this week are for those who take action around Mental Health.
Lucy and Evie always show wonderful kindness and care for others. They always look out for their friends, and this week they have really taken action to support them. When they noticed their friends were struggling with their work and felt like giving up, they offered encouragement, patience and reassurance. They helped them to keep going and believe in themselves, which has been wonderful to see. They have also helped others talk about their feelings by being open about their own emotions in a calm and honest way. Lucy and Evie, you should both be very proud of the amazing difference you make every day. Well done!
Year 3
Esmé is always kind and supportive to her friends, and is always respectful to the people around her. She always tries her very hardest with her learning and supports the people around her when they need it. She is a joy to have in the classroom as she is constantly positive and has a smile on her face. Keep making everyone’s day brighter, Esmé.
Avaley has a positive attitude, both towards her learning and her peers. She always tries her hardest with her learning and has become a lot more focussed in class. She is polite, happy and settled and she always spreads a smile in the classroom. Keep this up, Avaley!
Year 4
This week, Miss Osmond one of our student teachers who joined us for her teaching placement this term, has chosen the stars of the week. as it is her last week with us.
Tommy has really impressed me this week and throughout my time at Bawtry Mayflower. He is a hard worker and always produces great work. He is also kind and respectful to everyone in Year 4. Well done, Tommy.
Jagoda has been kind and welcoming since my first day at Mayflower. She always helps other children with work and is a supportive friend. She has impressed me with the compassion and care she shows to everyone in this school. Well done, Jagoda.
Year 5
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." Dr. Seuss
This week we have been celebrating Mental Heath Awareness Week and this year's theme: 'take action'.
Olivia has taken action to develop her skills as a writer. She has made noticeable improvements in her writing, making a conscious effort to use the resources available to support her with her work. She is beginning to listen carefully to feedback and apply suggestions to improve her vocabulary and sentence structure. Well done Olivia, keep it up!
Mason has taken action to develop his confidence and resilience. Mason is becoming more confident in asking questions to clarify his understanding and demonstrates a willingness to try different approaches before giving up. When faced with challenges, Mason now seeks support appropriately and shows increasing resilience when work becomes difficult. Well done Mason, keep it up!
Year 6
It was impossible to choose just two Stars of the Week from Year 6 this week as each and every one of them have made all staff in school immeasurably proud. Their resilience, determination and the attitude that they have shown towards SATs this week has been commendable and this is what will ensure that they will be successful life-long learners moving forwards.
Year 6, you are all superstars and we hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend as a reward for all of your hard work. We could not be any prouder of you.
Headteacher Award & Shout Outs
Each week in our Celebration Assembly, Mrs Powell chooses someone who has really impressed her during the week and presents them with her Headteacher Award. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness month, our Stars of the Week are celebrated for those who ‘Take Action’ to support their own mental health. My Superstar award winner this week brings energy and kindness to all of us each day in school. She is a true hero in my eyes in everything that she does! Well done Natalie, we are all so proud of you and the amazing person you are!
My ‘shout-outs’ for giving 100% to the MAYFLOWER WAY this week go to Evie (Y2) and Logan (Y4) for writing and James (Y5) for his kindness.
Makaton Sign Of The Week
The children are continuing to learn Makaton's 'Sign of the week' each week. Each Monday, the children learn the new sign for that week. We thought it would be useful to share the following week's sign with parents/carers on our Friday blog so you can get involved too if you wish.
Spreading joy!
Rose in Year 5 joins our Year 1 children every Friday afternoon to read them a poem. She takes home Mrs Davies' poetry anthology, learns a poem and then reads it to the Year 1 children. Recently, Mrs Davies asked Rose if she would like to write a poem and Rose was definitely up for the challenge. We wanted to share Rose's poem with everyone, as it really made our Year 1 children smile. Rose, thank you for spreading joy and sharing your love of learning with our younger children. You have always made a real difference in our school and inspiring our younger children with your love of learning is so very special.
PTA grant application
We are delighted to share that our PTA's application to the Tesco Grants Programme has been successful and their project will be put forward to a customer vote in Tesco stores. Voting will take place in store from Tuesday 28th April 2026 until the end of July 2026.
This project will help support children that have lost loved ones by providing a safe and comfortable area for reflection in an outdoor classroom.
The project with the highest number of votes across our region will receive £1,500 (or the amount that was requested up to this value), the second placed project £1,000 (or the amount that was requested up to this value), and the third placed project £500.
We ask all parents and carers that can, to pop into the Tesco Esso Express store in Bessacarr and vote using a blue token.
Upcoming PTA events
We wanted to remind everyone about the upcoming PTA events. Further details will follow after half term regarding tokens for the summer fair and how to sign up for the colour run.
Thank You!
We recently asked for your help with some compost for our allotment. Thank you to the person who donated 4 bags of compost this week. Mrs Wooldridge, one of our teaching assistants, has taken charge of the allotment and, with the help of the children, is doing an amazing job with making sure the allotment is all ready to ensure that we have lots of lovely plants growing in the coming weeks and months. So far, they have planted radishes, carrots, spinach, lettuce, garlic, coriander, peppers, tomatoes and sunflowers (the sunflowers were a special request from Archie in Year 1)!
We would also like to say a massive thank you to Sainsburys Bawtry, who recently gifted us the funds to enable us to purchase another trampoline to use as part of our sensory circuit sessions. We are extremely grateful for this, as the trampolines are the favourite pieces of equipment during these sessions and help the children set themselves up for some super learning each day.
Congratulations!
Last weekend, Rosa in Year 1 completed a 5k run/walk with her nana to raise funds for Cancer Research. They raised £300 in total, which is amazing! Well done Rosa and nana - that's a long way for someone who is only 5. We are sure the charity will be very grateful for your donation and both your family and everyone at Mayflower are extremely proud of you.
Also last weekend Rory (Year 6) and his team, Wheatley Wanderers, were celebrating after winning the Doncaster 11s League cup in a fantastic season for the squad. The team showed great determination and teamwork throughout the competition. One of the stand out moments came in the semi-final, where Rory scored a hat-trick to help his team into the final. The final was a brilliant team effort with every player giving their all to bring home the trophy. Well done Rory to you and your team!
This week seems to have been the week of great achievements, as Ronnie in Year 1 received 2 certificates this week. He achieved 'star of the class' in kickboxing and moved up a level in swimming. Well done Ronnie, keep up the hard work!
Last, but by no means least, for this week is Olivia in Year 5. Olivia took a huge step into advanced in Taekwondo, becoming red belt in April. She had her first advanced competition last Sunday winning both rounds 2-0, which led to her winning her first gold as an advanced player. Everyone is incredibly proud of Olivia; she always shows determination and professionalism at every event and this is showing in her confidence. Well done Olivia!
Bawtry Festival 2026
We hope everyone is looking forward to this year's Bawtry Festival which takes place from Monday 15th June to Sunday 28th June. The full programme of events is now available. Please click on the link at the bottom of this page to view the programme. We will have this as a weekly item on our blog until the festival has finished, so that you can always see which events you would like to attend. We will also share any individual flyers for events as the organisers send them to us.
Support from 'Your Place'
The 'Your Place' team, part of Doncaster Council, wanted us to remind our parents/carers that they are always available for a chat and to provide a wide range of support for families.
Doncaster Family Hubs Half Term Timetable
The Doncaster Family Hub team has asked us to share their half term activity timetable with our families. Please click on the link at the bottom of this page to view the timetable.
Lunch Menu for week commencing 18th May 2026
Please see the menu below for next week. As always, Mrs Stanfield our School Cook will continue to monitor the children's likes and dislikes and there may be changes to these menus in light of these.
The vegetarian option for Wednesday on the Week 2 menu has been changed going forward from Mexican Rice to vegan sausages. We are just awaiting an updated menu from Doncaster Council Schools Catering team for this and will then add this to our website and future blogs.
Diary Dates
Please see below our current diary dates. It may be that there are dates on here that involve your child that you haven't had any information for yet. Please don't worry, information will come out in plenty of time prior to the date concerned. Dates that have been added since the last blog are shown in bold.
2025-2026 School Year
2026
Monday 18th May - Year 4 pedestrian training
Tuesday 19th May - Year 3 parents meeting for Austerfield residential - Year 3 classroom 3.10pm. Please wait on the upper playground for a member of staff to let you in to the classroom.
Tuesday 19th May - Year 4 pedestrian training
Wednesday 20th May to Friday 22nd May - Year 6 London residential
Friday 22nd May - last day at school before half term
Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May - half term
Monday 1st June - Training Day - school closed
Tuesday 2nd June - first day back after half term
Tuesday 2nd June to Friday 12th June - Year 4 multiplication checks
Tuesday 2nd June - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked ***change of date***
Wednesday 3rd June - class photos
Friday 5th June - non-uniform day - requested donations of chocolate/sweets for the tombola stall at the PTA Summer Fair
Monday 8th June to Friday 12th June - Key Stage 1 Phonics screening week
Monday 8th June - visit to Nourish Group - parents/carers of those involved will be notified
Tuesday 9th June to Wednesday 10th June - Year 3 residential to Austerfield Study Centre
Wednesday 10th June - school office closed from 3.10pm in addition to the normal Tuesday for this week only for IT upgrade
Friday 12th June - Reception visit to Boston Park Farm - parents to drop off and collect from Boston Park Farm
Monday 15th June to Sunday 28th June - Bawtry Festival
Tuesday 16th June - Rail safety workshops with Volker Rail
Wednesday 17th June - choir taking part in Sing Out concert
Thursday 18th June - Sports Day - times to be confirmed
Friday 19th June - PTA Gifts for a loved one shop during the school day
Monday 22nd June - Year 3 class assembly 10.45am - parents/carers invited. Please ensure you arrive at school ready for the assembly to start at 10.45am please. ***CHANGE OF TIME***
Tuesday 23rd June - Year 2 visit to Cleethorpes
Wednesday 24th June - Rocksteady & Guitar/Woodwind/Brass concert 2pm - for those taking part in Rocksteady sessions and/or music lessons with Doncaster Music Service
Wednesday 24th June - performing arts on the school playground as part of the Bawtry Festival 3.10pm - further details to follow
Wednesday 24th June - PTA Summer Fair
Monday 29th June to Wednesday 1st July - Year 4 Hollowford residential
Tuesday 30th June - Inclusion Open Morning - places to be pre-booked
Monday 6th July - Year 6 transition evening at The Hayfield School for parents and children
Tuesday 7th July to Wednesday 8th July - The Hayfield School transition days
Tuesday 7th July to Wednesday 8th July - Queen Elizabeth's High School Gainsborough transition days
Tuesday 7th July to Thursday 9th July - XP Secondary School transition days
Wednesday 8th July - New Parents Evening at Queen Elizabeth's High School Gainsborough
Wednesday 8th July - move up day - children move to their new classes for the day to spend the day with their new teacher
Monday 13th July - Year 4 class assembly 10.45am - parents/carers invited. Please ensure you arrive at school ready for the assembly to start at 10.45am please. ***CHANGE OF TIME***
Tuesday 14th July - Big Talk Education in school - further details to follow
Wednesday 15th July - PTA Colour Run
Thursday 16th July - 'Break the rules' non-uniform day - further details to follow
Friday 17th July - Year 6 leavers assembly AM - breakfast and then assembly
Friday 17th July - last day at school before Summer holidays
Monday 20th July - Training Day - school closed to pupils
2026-2027 School Year
2026
Tuesday 1st September - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Wednesday 30th September - individual/sibling photos
2027
Wednesday 2nd June 2027 - class photos
Monday 7th June - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Monday 19th July - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Tuesday 20th July - Training Day - school closed to pupils
Wednesday 21st July - Training Day - school closed to pupils
