Dear Parents and Carers,
What an exceptionally busy—and brilliantly sunny—week it has been in school. The energy across the classrooms and corridors has been fantastic and I’m delighted to share just some of the highlights with you. It also really feels as though the summer term has arrived in style. The field has been freshly cut, the athletics tracks are marked out and, as I sit writing this, Year 6 are out enjoying a games lesson, making the very most of our fabulous grounds. There’s something about this time of year—the sunshine, the buzz, the sense of possibility—that brings the whole school to life.
We began the week with a real treat: a visit from the incredible author Kirsty Applebaum. She spent Monday working with our Upper KS2 pupils in writing workshops and led a KS2 assembly. Having authors in school is always powerful; it strengthens our children’s connection to books, reading, and the idea that writing is a skill—and a career—open to everyone. And as the saying goes, there’s a book in everyone… I just need to find the time to write mine!
Author Visit: Kirsty Applebaum
On Tuesday, we welcomed back Faye Hemming, our School Improvement Advisor. Faye worked with the wider leadership team to carry out a Teaching and Learning Review. Days like this are invaluable—they allow us to celebrate what is working well in our school improvement journey, while also identifying areas we can refine further.
Wednesday brought an exciting whole school STEM Day, led by an inspiring team from Spirax Sarco. The hands on activities were a joy to see—making rockets was certainly a highlight for me—and the day was a huge success. My thanks go to Mrs Catchpole for organising another memorable experience for our children.
Inspiring STEM Day with Spirax Sarco
On Thursday, we had our annual visit from the Local Authority, with Sara Vestey joining us for a productive and positive meeting. We were able to share the progress we’ve made, review aspects of our self evaluation, and discuss our ongoing work towards school improvement targets. Our Chair of Governors, Lynda Dineen, and James Antonious were also present. It was encouraging to receive such affirming feedback across the board.
This time of year always brings a real sense of excitement and change. While we support our Year 6 pupils as they take their next big step towards secondary school, we are also busy preparing to welcome our new Reception starters,
We were allocated 60 reception pupils, of which 56 were first choice preferences, and I’m delighted to share that our September intake is now just one place short of being full — a wonderful reflection of the trust our community places in the school.
As many of you will know, lower birth rates in the area mean that lower admission numbers have a direct impact on school budgets. We are also currently managing a £40,000 reduction to our school budget following the changes to funding formula. It has made things incredibly tight, so your contributions towards school trips as well as support for PTA events genuinely make a difference.
With that in mind, we’re very much looking forward to the Colour Run on Friday 15th May – a brilliant, joy-filled event that not only brings our community together but also helps raise vital funds for the school. Thank you, as always, for everything you do to support us.
Today, I had the absolute pleasure of stepping into the role of Mystery Reader for both Reception classes, and what a joyful experience it was. Our youngest learners never fail to amaze me—their enthusiasm, curiosity, and the incredible progress they are making filled the room with such energy. Moments like these truly brighten my week!
I’m also delighted to share some wonderful news from one of our Year 6 pupils. Millie has already completed an impressive 50 miles as part of her fundraising challenge and plans to finish the final 800 m in Bristol alongside her dad, Mr Antonious. At the same time, Mr Antonious will be running an extraordinary 57.6 miles with friends—from his home to Bristol Hospital—to raise money for the hospital that supported their family. If you would like to read more or support their cause, you can visit their JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-antonious-1?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL
And finally, a very important announcement: the Winstones’ delivery van rolled up today, which can only mean one thing… Ice Cream Fridays are back!
Ice Cream Fridays
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine.