Oxford Grove's Blogs

Today, we had a lady come to visit us to talk to us all about Football vs Homophobia. We started off by looking at a football which was the colours of the rainbow which represented that everyone can be included in football. We talked about the word inclusion and discussed what we think it means. As a group, we identified that football should be fun, playful, it should make us laugh and feel like we belong.

Next, we thought about what is great about sport. We highlighted that it makes us feel: a sense of belonging, valued, respected and supported to be your best. The lady told us about a problem that had been happening within football – naming calling. She discussed how her campaign is promoting stopping name calling within football making it more of an inclusive sport. We talked about the word homophobia and how it means making fun of people or being mean because you think they’re gay or using the word gay to mean something bad and then calling things or people gay in a negative way. We saw images of famous footballers like Harry Kane who support this campaign by wearing T-shirts before matches.

Today our Year 1 families found out about how to keep children safe online. We looked at screen time and how this can impact children’s wellbeing. We also looked at parental controls and how these can be used to support keeping children safe, particularly in terms of the content that they can see. We looked at how to make decisions on what supporting children’s online lives  and choosing what works best as a family.

Today we have held workshops for our KS2 families and governors on how we teach Computing and Online Safety.

At the start of the morning, we enjoyed a workshop by Ruth from Smoothwall on how families can keep children safe online, covering areas such as parental controls, apps, risks online and making sure screen time is balanced.

Then families had the opportunity to visit classes for a Computing lesson. Children covered some online safety topics in more depth. Afterwards, they had an overview of Computer Science in each year group and what our computing curriculum looks like.

In the afternoon, our EYFS and KS1 families were also invited to school to learn about how to keep children safe online.

Thank you to all of our families and governors who were able to attend!

This week our Year 2 families learned about lots of different aspects of online safety at the start of the class assembly. They looked at a good balance of technology and screen time at home, alongside supporting children’s online use with parental controls. We talked about how to help children to enjoy their online life whilst also keeping them safe and what this might look like for different families. We looked at how AI can be a risk for children, and also how families can report issues and access help online. 

Today our Year 3 families learned more about online safety before the RRR assembly. We talked about online gaming and different parent controls that we can use to help children do this safely. We looked at AI including the risks to children and how AI can increase misinformation and disinformation. We also reviewed the new age ratings for social media and how families can filter their internet at home. Finally we learned about having a healthy screen time balance and ensuring children have screen free time.

Our Year 4 families today took part in an online safety workshop before the children’s assembly. Parents learned about some of the dangers of AI and how children can be supported with this. They also listened to information about the risks of gaming, especially on platforms such as Roblox and how parental controls can support children to do this more safely. They also learned about different resources where more support can be given, such as our school Parent Area and CEOP.

Our fantastic School Council led an assembly on anti-bullying today. They did a fantastic job at using their physical oracy skills as they spoke loudly, clearly and confidently- using their voice and face to share ideas with a good pace! They discussed how children at Oxford Grove are happy and kind and that our initiative of being a bully-free zone is very successful. Our STOP posters around school highlight that bullying is something that happens Several Times On Purpose. School Council emphasised that whilst something like an argument at playtime can definitely be upsetting, it is not bullying. Remember, if you are ever feeling upset, you can talk to a trusted adult, a teacher or any member of staff so that we can help keep our school a happy place to be! 

Today our Year 5 families have attended our RRR assembly starting with an online safety workshop. Parents and carers learned about safety on different devices, screen time limits and the upcoming social media lower age ratings. We also found out about some of the risks to our children surrounding AI.

The importance of having conversations about children’s online world and supervising children when they are online is crucial to ensuring we keep our children safe. Open discussions alongside parental controls support a safe online experience.

Today, our Year 6 families were invited to their class assembly. At the start of our assemblies, we are holding a short online safety briefing while the children are getting into school. During this time, our families learned about the potential risks of AI, parental controls for devices and how to strike a healthy balance on technology, as well as the harms of social media and the new age ratings. 

Thank you to everyone who attended.

We are excited to welcome all of our children back to school! We have an action-packed half term with so much exciting learning going on across the curriculum! Coming up this week is Design and Technology and Sports Afternoons – make sure you are in school for 8:30am every morning!

Today our Year 6 children have performed their amazing Leavers Assembly! They have worked incredibly hard over the last few weeks to create a wonderful performance. Their assembly included amazing songs, funny sketches of their time at Oxford Grove and even some djembe drum performances! 

At the end, families went onto the Key Stage 1 playground to receive the children’s records of achievements and say a final goodbye.

Thank you to all of our families who attended and all the very best for the future!

Today we held a very special assembly for Mrs Hart! Mrs Hart has worked at Oxford Grove since 1980 and for the last 46 years, she has helped countless children to learn and grow as they have come through our doors. 

She was treated to some very special performances:

• Year 1 and Year 6 drummers
• Year singing ‘I’m On My Way’
• Year 4 singing ‘Count On Me’
• Year 5 singing ‘Rather Be’
• Year 6 singing ‘The Climb’

Our amazing KS2 choir also performed a variety of songs for her.

We all wish Mrs Hart the very best for her retirement and we will miss her greatly!

This morning Mrs Bain held a whole school assembly all about water safety. As we break up for summer, lots of us are going to be going on holiday and exploring, which could lead us to being near water. It is very important that we know what to do if we are ever in a situation where we could potentially be in danger. We must never go near water by ourselves, we must always be with an adult. We also recapped the water safety code, where we must stop and think, stay together, call 999 and float. Our swimming lessons have helped us learn more about the water safety code as we have been practising how to float and how to clearly and loudly call for help if we are in danger! 

We’re changing the consent process for school vaccinations

Dear parent or guardian,

We’re writing to let you know about a change to how you’ll be asked to give consent for school vaccinations.

From August 2026, our local NHS school age immunisation service will contact parents and guardians directly to ask for consent.

You’ll receive an email or text message from the NHS with a link to an online consent form.

You can use the online form to:

• give consent for your child to be vaccinated
• say you do not want your child to be vaccinated
• update your contact details if needed

Filling in the form will be quick and easy. It’s important to respond, even if you do not want your child to be vaccinated.

What information we will share

To allow the NHS immunisation team to contact you, we will give them:

• your child’s name, date of birth, postcode and school class
• your email address and mobile phone number

These details will only be used to send messages about your child’s vaccinations.

You can find more information about the school age vaccination schedule on the NHS website.

Keeping your information safe

Your personal data will be stored securely in line with NHS data security standards. Only authorised members of the immunisation team and the digital service team can access your contact details.

If you have any questions

If you have questions about vaccinations or the consent form, please contact the immunisation team at buryimms@intrahealth.co.uk or call our office on 0333 358 3397, opt 1than opt 2.

If you have questions about how the school shares information, please contact us.

Today, the School Council were delighted to welcome Dave from Bolton Dementia Support! We were able to present him with the money that we have raised for this charity – £451.14!

Today, the School Council were delighted to welcome Dave from Bolton Dementia Support! We were able to present him with the money that we have raised for this charity – £451.14!

Thank you to all of our families who have donated money and helped us to raise funds for this excellent cause.

A huge well done to our Earth Day competition winners! It was such a hard choice that we ended up choosing a winner from KS1 and a winner from KS2. Well done to everyone who entered and worked so hard on these beautiful creations!

We are delighted to welcome parents and carers into school for our Family Learning Course on Digital Skills! It was fantastic to see families learning together today —building confidence with technology, exploring new skills, and supporting children’s learning in a fun and engaging way, all supported by a tutor from Bolton College. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it such a positive experience! 

The course continues for the next three Tuesdays – please speak to the School Office if you would like to attend one of the sessions.

A huge well done to our Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 blog competition winners! These children left the most high-quality blog comments across all of our school blog sites over the last few weeks. As well as the quantity of comments, we were also looking for comments that had detail and depth, and where children had demonstrated applying their writing knowledge well. Both of these superstars have won themselves a laptop each!

Bolton Schools ICT are hosting their annual Safer Internet Day competition!

All entries must meet the Safer Internet Day theme: “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI.”

Art: Children can make a piece of artwork, such as a 3D model or canvas. Bring these in to Mrs Thompson.

Video: Make a video about online scams, such as a song, play or rap.
No longer than one minute.
Please email the video to the School Office (office@oxford-grove.bolton.sch.uk) and write Mrs Thompson in the subject.

Computer Science: Use Scratch online (make a free account) or Purple Mash.
Make a quiz asking different questions about online scams.
Speak to Mrs Thompson when you have finished and she will explain how to submit this.

There are lots of prizes to be won! 

Get your entries into Mrs Thompson by Monday 16th March!

Oxford Grove has taken part in Safer Internet Day! 

Visit our Digital Leader blog or our class blogs to see what we have been up to.

Oxford Grove are very proud to have received a letter of commendation from the Secretary of State for Education for our hard work and achievements in supporting the outcomes of disadvantaged children.

Today our amazing Sports Crew led a whole school assembly! They talked about why PE is important, the great after-school clubs we’ve had and the ones coming up, our PE award for all our hard work, and fun activities we can do at home with Get Set 4 PE Active Families.

Well done to our Sports Crew for inspiring us all to stay active!

Today, in assembly, the times table tutors came to tell us all about their ambassador role within school. They explained that they buddy up with younger children to support them in learning their times tables and division facts up to the 12 times tables. Would you like to be a times table tutor? Are you confident with your times tables? 

We have lots of learning platforms in school to help us with these facts too like TT Rockstars and MyMaths . 
 Thank you for telling us all about your role. 

On Monday, the whole school enjoyed a pantomime as their smiley reward! They had a brilliant time watching a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk. The show even had some songs to help the children to learn their times tables.

See pictures below:

Today we have had a very special assembly led by Emma from Bolton Hospice, who are one of our School Council chosen charities for this year. We learned all about how Bolton Hospice support people who are poorly and need help.

Emma said: “Thank you so much for allowing me to present to the students and your team today. The students are delightful and what a beautiful school.”

We were so proud to be able to present Bolton Hospice with the money that we raised from our non-uniform day – £501! Well done and thank you to everyone who contributed.

Bring in £1 for Bolton Hospice and you can wear your own clothes for the day!

1 Grove had an amazing time today on their attendance reward trip – seeing ‘High School Musical Jr’ performed at Smithills School! They won this trip because their class had the highest attendance last half term.

The children were really lucky to enjoy some juice and a biscuit during the interval, and meet some of the stars at the end of the show, particularly some older children who we remember from when they were at Oxford Grove!

On Friday afternoon 3 Grove and 6 Grove enjoyed their reward for amazing punctuality for last term. Well done!

A huge well done to the competition winners for this week 🙂 

Oxford Grove is proud to announce our latest award – Online Safety Certified School 2025-2026!

This award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to online safety, both in school and in our community. We have achieved this award through keeping online safety high profile throughout the year, and ensuring our children have the knowledge to keep themselves safe online.

Well done to all of our staff for their hard work!

Oxford Grove School Council need your help! We are so lucky to have lots of exciting things to do at play time and dinner time, including activities for everyone to join in with. We have lots of equipment that we can play with and share with our friends.

School Council are looking to update some of our equipment. KS2 children, what would you like to see on the astro turf? Put your ideas in the comments below.

Over the last few weeks, we have been collecting food at school for our harvest festival. The harvest festival celebrates the gathering of crops after they have germinated over the summer period. It is tradition at Oxford Grove that we support charities during this time who help families who may not have enough food to feed their families. 

We would like to thank everyone that contributed by donating various foods. An amazing contribution – well done everyone! 

Today we had our Year 6 SATS parents’ meeting. Miss Jarvis and Miss King explained to parents how the SATS work, what is tested and how Oxford Grove will help children get ready for them. We discussed the SATS timetable and what each paper tests and how the papers are structured. Also, we discussed how Oxford Grove prepares children for these papers including time spent in lessons, boosters and online learning. 

Today our School Council delivered an assembly all about anti-bullying. They talked to us about the definition of bullying and what this might look like in real life. They explained the difference between bullying and falling out with our friends. We know that bullying means several times on purpose – when somebody is trying to upset you and it happens more than a few times.

Then they talked about what we need to do if we have any problems at all in school and especially if we think we, or someone we know, is being bullied. We know how important it is to speak to adults in school straight away so we can keep Oxford Grove a happy place to be.

We are excited to welcome all of our families back to Oxford Grove on Monday 1st September!

School opens at the usual time of 8:30am.

Over the past two days, year 6 have been on their end of year trip to the Anderson Centre where they took part in lots of outdoor activities. On day one, we started with archery and tree climbing. Many of the children were so brave climbing all the way to the top of the tree touching the white cone. In archery, we learnt how to hold the bow and place the arrow. As we practised more, we got better at hitting the target. I’m the afternoon, we went out on the reservoir paddle boarding on the XL boards. The children had to move the board across the water to get to the middle. Once we arrived, we played some games like bingo where you had to put a body part in the water which made a lot of them fall in.

On day two, we started off with low ropes where we had to navigate round the course working as a team in areas. Our teamwork skills didn’t stop there as we then took part in orienteering using maps of the centre to navigate around and find the different OS symbols. During the afternoon, it was time to go out on the water again but this time, we were kayaking.

Well done to our amazing Year 6s who performed a wonderful Leavers Assembly today! We will miss you all very much! Thank you to all the parents and carers who came to celebrate with us all. Have a look at your Leavers blogs for some of the videos from today’s assembly.

This morning, we had an excellent performance from our wonderful boys choir. Mr Martin led us in a warm up and then we were blown away by the incredible performances. Well done to all the boys involved and a big thank you to Mr Martin for putting it all together!

Today we received our final total for our Oxford Grove Spellathon. We raised an amazing £515 for The Book Trust. Thank you to everyone who took part and donated to help us raise this fantastic amount! 

Thank you to everyone who attended our Work Related Learning Summer Fair! We were so lucky with the beautiful weather! It is always so wonderful to see this event so well attended by all of our families. We hope you enjoyed the food and the games, as well as the products that our children worked hard to create. Thank you again to everyone who came along and supported this event.

This morning, we have launched our fundraiser for this term, a spellathon! We are raising money for The Book Trust UK. Today, your child brought home a sponsorship form, a list of their new target words to learn and a letter explaining the key details of the spellathon. On Wednesday 2nd July, your child will do a spelling test on their new target words to see how well they have learnt them. You can sponsor your child for every word they spell correctly, or for simply taking part in the spellathon. The sponsorship money needs to be brought into school on Wednesday 9th July. Good luck Oxford Grove, let’s do this! 

It is National Numeracy Day! At Oxford Grove we LOVE maths and are really pleased to be celebrating National Numeracy Day!

We have entered the number heroes competition where we had to draw ourselves in our chosen career and explain what impact numbers will have on our job!

Miss Jarvis is really excited to upload these entries to see if Oxford Grove can win!

What do you enjoy about Maths? What have you learnt this year? 

Can you solve this problem?

In our Whole school assembly today, we looked at VE Day and why this is an important celebration within History. This week marks the 80th Anniversary of VE Day and 80 years of peace since the end of WWII. We watched some of the celebrations that will be taking place and explored what peace means to us. Keep your eyes peeled on the news to see what celebrations are taking place over the next few days!

Here are some more resources and information to look at about VE Day!

What was VE Day? – BBC Bitesize

VE Day – BBC Bitesize

The Royal Family Celebrates VE Day 80th Anniversary | Full Highlights

Over the Easter break, pupils across the school took part in the ‘Bring a Book to Life’ Competition . They were asked to create a project to showcase their favourite book. We had fantastic posters, poems, shoe boxes and videos sent back into school. Thank you to all our families who supported their children to take part. Here are a few examples of the wonderful projects that were made and some of our winners! They won the chance to choose a book from Miss Harvey’s secret cave:

Today we have held workshops for our families and governors on how we teach Computing and Online Safety.

Lyndsey from Smoothwall delivered a presentation at the start of the morning on how families keep children safe online, which was very informative and full of useful guidance.

Then KS2 families had the opportunity to visit classes for a special lesson. Children covered some online safety topics in more depth. Afterwards, they had an overview of Computer Science in each year group and what our computing curriculum looks like.

In the afternoon, our EYFS and KS1 families were also invited to school to learn about how to keep children safe online.

Thank you to all of our families and governors who could attend!