Newsletter May 2026
- ehartley87
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Spotlight on Our Christian Value: Inspiration
This month we are focusing on the Christian value of Inspiration
“Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23
Headteacher's Update - Alison Story-Scrivens
As we move through a very busy and exciting May, I would like to take a moment to thank our wonderful school community for the support, energy and encouragement shown across a number of recent events.
Firstly, a huge thank you to our fantastic PTFA for organising the recent Slumber Party. The children had an amazing time and it was wonderful to see so much laughter, excitement and enjoyment throughout the event. We are incredibly grateful for the time, effort and enthusiasm that our PTFA volunteers continue to give to our school community.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who supported our Gardening Day. Whether you donated plants, equipment, time or expertise, your help made a tremendous difference. Thanks to the hard work of staff, families and volunteers, our outdoor areas are looking beautiful and ready to be enjoyed throughout the summer term. It was a wonderful example of our community working together to create something special for the children.
Finally, I want to say how incredibly proud we are of our Year 6 pupils as they completed their SATs this week. They approached the assessments with maturity, determination and resilience and have shown excellent attitudes throughout. We know how much effort they have put into their learning over many months and we hope they feel proud of themselves. Thank you also to our staff and families for the encouragement and support you have given the children along the way.
As we move towards the half term break, I would like to let you know that we have been liaising with the Local Authority regarding the provision of a Before and After School Club at school. Further details and plans will be shared next half term. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if this is something your family may be interested in accessing.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a restful and enjoyable half term break when it arrives. I look forward to seeing many of you at the exciting events planned throughout the remainder of the summer term.Highlights from this term from our classes
Here is a little insight from Dandelion, Silver and Speedwell for this term:
Dandelion Class
Dandelion Class have been enjoying learning about continents across the world this month. It has been fantastic to find out about countries where some of the Dandelion children have family. The children have enjoyed finding out about the different animals you might find on each continent.
Dandelions drew inspiration from the artist Megan Coyle to help create some textured pictures of African landscapes and animals. They are fantastic so far!
Alongside our core subjects, it has been lovely learning outside in our beautiful school grounds this month where we have been searching for wild flowers for our flower press. There are so many beautiful colours everywhere we go at the moment! We are looking forward to discovering how the flowers and leaves we collected have been preserved.
We have been taking good care of the seeds we planted in our garden and are looking forward to planting them in our well-weeded flower beds soon!
We were incredibly proud of Dandelion Class when we visited The Clere. The children listened beautifully to the students at The Clere and enjoyed exploring their library and listening to stories.
Silver Class
Silver class have been busy enjoying their topic on V.E day. They are currently learning how to sew as part of the "Make Do and Mend" campaign that ran during the war. Watch this space next month for photographs of the finished products. They have created their own Blitz composition in music and are having a V.E day party on May 22nd .
In P.E the children have been learning how to run with speed and agility and have developed their skills in throwing the javelin, vortex and soft hammer. They have become so powerful that one of the soft hammers is now up in a tree!
This half term has been super busy and we are looking forward to ending the half term with a trip to see the art work at The Base in Greenham and preparing for the party!
Speedwell Class
Speedwell have had a fantastic term and should be very proud of all their hard work. In History, they produced some excellent double-page spreads on rationing, The Blitz, the Battle of Britain and VE Day, showing great creativity and understanding of life during World War II. In PE, the children have enjoyed developing their skills in athletics and cricket, demonstrating teamwork, determination and enthusiasm throughout. They have also created some wonderful Blitz-inspired artwork and impressive DT Textiles projects based on the theme of “Make Do and Mend.” Well done, Speedwell, on a brilliant term!
Safeguarding Matters
If you are concerned then contact Hampshire Children Services:
Monday to Thursday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Phone: 0300 555 1384
Please remind your children about road safety. We have had a few children leaving school full of energy and forgetting that roads can be extremely dangerous.
Update from our Chair of Governors - Amanda Letch
Dear Parents and Carers,
At our May Governing Board meeting we were delighted to welcome Sam Rebbettes as Parent Governor on to the Governing Board at Ecchinswell & Sydmonton School. Sam is YOUR representative and consequently if there is anything you wish to ask the Governors to consider, please do so via Sam. Sam has one child in the school (in Year 1) and is very keen to get involved. He is currently looking at signage to the school from the A339!
Our May meeting is always about the budget for the year ahead and because we run a tight financial ship, the Governing Board have decided to trial a wraparound care service for our families, from September 2026. We recognise that working parents might need support with childcare and therefore we will be running a before school club and an after-school care service (probably up until 6.00pm but hours to be confirmed). We really hope that many of you will use this service to ease the juggling which parents have to do on a daily basis.
Lastly, I would like to thank Kathy Gordon (Vice-Chair of Governors) for organising a fantastic Community Gardening Day. I hope that you have all noticed the fresh and weed-free planters dotted about the school. Mrs Hartley and her team did the most amazing job, but special thanks particularly go to Esmae, Jaxson and Grayson - for superstar potting skills!
We still have a vacancy for one more Parent Governor....if anyone is interested in joining Sam and the rest of us, do please let me know via the school office.
Message from Father John
May is the month in which we celebrate Rogation Sunday. Rogation comes from the Latin word "Rogare" which means to ask. Rogation is the rural festival to ask God for the right weather to grow a good crop avoiding calamities and disease.
It is also, in years gone by the day when the community would "beat the bounds". This means people would walk the perimeter of the Parish boundary praying, worshipping, blessing fields and water courses. Today Rogation Sunday includes praying for all in the Community and for all who work the land.
As a rural parish, I feel it is important to remind ourselves of God's Creation, of families who work in and around the countryside. We are reminded of our duty of care to the environment that God has given us and how we can play our part in it through recycling, not littering and the Countryside code.
So, this May let us pray to God for the gift of his creation to us, for a good harvest and that those who work the land will be kept safe.
Father John
Attendance Matters
School attendance, as always, is a focus for our school this year.
Our school attendance target is 97% and above for all children at Ecchinswell and Sydmonton Primary School, we are committed to:
Promoting good attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence
Ensuring every pupil arrives at school on time and ready to learn
Ensuring every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled good attendance means being in school at least 97% of the time (184 days or more) good punctuality means being in school at 08:45 ready to learn
Strong attendance is directly linked with stronger academic achievements as well as contributing to increased sense of belonging and strong social relationships.
Here is a summary of each class’s attendance this term to date:
Dandelion | 97.96% |
Silver | 97.27% |
Speedwell | 96.83% |
Dates for your Diary
Wednesday 20th May | Silver and Speedwell to the ‘Insight’ exhibition at The Base |
Thursday 21st May | Rugby tournament year 5 and 6 girls Chineham Rugby Club |
Friday 22nd May | KS2 V.E day celebrations |
Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May | Half Term |
Monday 1st June 1 to Friday 12th June | Year 4 MTC test |
Tuesday 2nd June | Swimming lessons in KS2 commence |
Monday 8th June – Friday 12th June | Year 1 and 2 phonic screening |
Monday 8th June | Newbury Weekly News to photograph the year 6 children |
Wednesday 17th June | Sports day 1:30 at school |
Friday 19th June | INSET Day |
Friday 26th June | Year 6 to Winchester Cathedral |
Wednesday 1st July | KS1 trip |
Tuesday 21st July | Leavers' Service 2:15 at St Lawrence's Church (Year 6 parents) |
Wednesday 22nd July | End of Term for children |
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