Welcome to the Autumn Term!
It has been wonderful to see so many familiar and new families this week. The children have settled quickly with their new teachers, and it’s been a joy to watch their confidence grow.
Last week, we were delighted to welcome 73 children to Year 3. We also warmly welcomed several new members of staff to our school community:
- Mrs Pickering, Year 5 Teaching Assistant
- Mr Wilkie, Teaching Assistant and HLTA
- Miss Kaur, Year 3 Teacher
I’m pleased to share that all children have settled well into their new classes and have begun forming positive relationships with their teachers.
This week we are preparing the children to complete their homework. Please remember to read with your child at least four times a week. Every child who reads four or more times will receive a raffle ticket as part of our reading incentive programme.
In addition, to support the children with developing their mathematical knowledge, we are going to be sending home homework booklets for children to complete alongside their learning in school – this will help children to reinforce and embed the new knowledge they are learning in school. They will also need to complete 15 minutes a week of multiplication work on TTRS. The login details are in your child's reading diary. Children who complete their homework will receive 3 house points, which will contribute to their team's score. If your child is struggling with the homework, we will be offering a break time homework club whereby children can come and be supported to complete their homework. This isn't a consequence of not completing their work but as a supportive measure for those that are finding it difficult and need some support. However, we hope that you will encourage your child to complete their work or attend the homework club as it will really benefit them in class and enable them to have a much deeper understanding of mathematics.
School Values
We are going to re-launch our vision and values with the children over the coming weeks. This is PRIDE
Perseverance
Respect
Inquisitiveness
Determination
Enthusiasm
We are starting with RESPECT, which will run alongside our behavioural expectations.
Parent Feedback
Following feedback from parent surveys and conversations, we’re making a change to how we share information. Many families have said that receiving messages from multiple sources can be overwhelming and makes it difficult to find what they need. In response, we’re streamlining our communications.
From now on, all updates will be shared in a single weekly newsletter, sent out every Friday. This newsletter will include general school news, celebrations of children's work, upcoming workshops and events, and club or class-specific notices. A copy will also be saved to the school website for easy reference.
We hope this makes it simpler for everyone to stay informed. Please remember to check the Friday newsletter each week, as it will replace daily reminders.
Family Engagement and Partnership Opportunities
Mrs Williams and Mrs Davies have been thoughtfully planning ways to welcome more families into school life this year. We believe that by working together, we can offer the very best education for our children—and build meaningful connections along the way.
Throughout the year, we’ve arranged a variety of workshops, events, and visits to help parents stay involved. We’re also creating more opportunities for you to view your child’s work. If you’re unable to attend in person due to work commitments, we’ll send their books home so you can still see their progress. We simply ask that these are returned the next working day, as your children will need them in class.
In addition, we’ll be hosting informative sessions to explain how we teach certain subjects. Some of these will be recorded as mini-videos so you can watch them at your convenience. Miss Paskin will be kicking things off with videos focused on mathematics. She will also hold an interactive session on how to use Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS). The children love turning their charts green—come and find out how to help them do it!
When your child has an Outdoor Learning Day, we invite you to join us for the final 30 minutes of the session. If your child also attends Heathfields, don’t worry—you’ll be able to leave during tidy-up time. These sessions will give you a chance to see the children's learning firsthand and contribute to their exciting projects.
Finally, we will be holding class assemblies throughout the year. These special events give children the chance to showcase their talents, build confidence, and develop their speaking skills in front of an audience.
Please visit the website calendar and scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for details of when you are invited into school.
Year 6:
Can all year 6 children please bring a glass jar into school for their learning on 3rd October. Please ensure that the jar is clean and hasn't had orange or nuts inside due to allergies.
Earrings:
Please remember that children should only wear a single stud earring to school. Hoops earrings are not permitted for safety reasons. If your child is unable to remove their earrings independently, please ensure that you provide tape or plasters so that they can be covered for PE lessons.
Parking:
We kindly ask that you do not park on private garages, driveways or the health centre when dropping off or collecting your children. These are private property and must remain accessible to their owners and users at all times.
Parent Workshop schedule:
10th September 2025 – Getting to know you, meet some of the inclusion team, exploring art journaling and discussing personal wellbeing
12th November 2025 – Emotionality, with a focus on anxiety.
7th February 2026 – Emotion coaching (part 1)
4th March 2026 – Emotion coaching (part 2)
6th May 2026 – topic to be announced
1st July 2026 - topic to be announced
The overview of the school year can be seen via the calendar or scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the most recent events.
