Dear Parents/Carers,

First of all, I would like to welcome you all back after the school holidays.  I hope you have had a restful and enjoyable break. It is great to have all the children back in school and to see them enjoying spending time with each other and their classroom adults.  

Over the next two weeks, we are hosting the welcome meetings for parents/carers.  During these meetings, you will hear about all the important information for your child's year group.  

As you are aware from last half term,  we have had some changes in staff.  I would like  to take this opportunity to welcome any new members of staff to the Central team as well as any new children that have joined us.  

Reminders from last term:

• Children are not allowed on the adventure area before or after school this is based on our risk assessment and insurance policy.

• Children are not allowed to scoot or ride bikes on the school premises this is based on our risk assessment.

• Staff are not available to supervise children before the school classroom doors open at 8.45am.  Please ensure your child/children are supervised before this time.  Teaching Assistants are on their entrances to take messages if needed for the class teacher and to welcome the children.  Members of the SLT are on duty at various points across the school when they are available to welcome the children in also.  

• Children who walk to school/ride to school on their own (Y5/6 with written permission only) should not be arriving before 8.45am to meet with their friends on the school premises as they will be unsupervised.   

If you have changed your address, telephone number or email address over the Summer holidays please contact the office so we can update our records.

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.  The staff and I look forward to seeing you at the welcome meetings. 

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.  

Kind regards,

Mrs Wright

At Central Primary, we know that children make the most progress in reading when school and home work together. Here are some simple but powerful ways you can support your child’s reading journey at home:

• Read daily: All children are encouraged to read every day. Just 10–15 minutes can make a huge difference. Please remember to sign your child’s reading record daily as this helps us track progress and celebrate successes together.

• Talk about the story: Ask questions using the 5 W's like “What do you think will happen next?” or “How is the character feeling?” to build comprehension and confidence. 

• Share books together: Children love to hear adults read. Try sharing stories, magazines, the newspaper or recipes to model the joy of reading.

• Create routine and comfort: Reading before bed, in a quiet corner or outdoors helps build positive associations with books.

Phonics continues in EYFS and KS1 to help our youngest pupils develop strong foundations in decoding and fluency, while guided reading sessions across the school give children the chance to practise comprehension and discussion in small groups. Your children will be bringing home a variety of books, both scheme and library, to share and read at home. 

Since being back, it has been wonderful to see pupils making use of our new reading areas designed to inspire curiosity and encourage independent reading.

To settle back into our new school year, our whole school text is Beegu by Alexis Deacon. Through this story, children have been exploring themes of kindness, belonging and empathy. Why not ask your child what activities they’ve been doing around 'Beegu' - and how they think they would feel if they were in Beegu’s place?

Together, by building strong reading habits at home and school, we can nurture not only confident readers but children who carry a lifelong love of books.