Dear Parents and Friends of Castle Hill,
Another action packed half term with an incredible range of activities and events happening at both campuses. Huge thanks as always for your ongoing support. We wish you and your family a relaxing, peaceful and a happy Easter.
From Ms Willmouth and Mr Martin (Co Headteachers)
EXCITING NEWS! The Year 6 Leavers hoodies are now available for parents/carers to purchase online (see link below)! Please read the 'important information': the shop closing date is 16th April, delivery is to the school only, add the student's name to help with the distribution, and please choose the size correctly (remember they do like them baggy). With every hoodie ordered, they will also receive a FREE signing t-shirt (see images below)!
Online Shopping link = https://wintechsports.com/castlehillprimaryschool
Important information:
Student Name Required. The online system asks for the student’s full name. This is needed because each hoodie and T-shirt is packed individually and labelled with the student’s name to make distribution easier. Orders without a student name will still be processed, but will only be labelled with the order number.
Delivery to School Only. All hoodies and T-shirts will be delivered to the school on a date agreed with the school, which we expect to be the week commencing 8th June 2026. When ordering, parents will be asked to enter a delivery address; however, regardless of the address entered (home or school), all orders will be delivered to the school, and the school will distribute them to the students.
Ordering Deadline and Production Time. The online shop will remain open until Thursday, 16th April 2026. Once the shop closes, all orders will be sent for printing and embroidery. We can accept late orders, but they will incur an additional charge because they must be produced separately. Parents are therefore encouraged to order before the deadline to avoid extra costs.
Please be aware that Chartwells has made two amendments to the school menu after the Easter holidays. The changes will be updated on Scopay, and the new version can be found here - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/finance/school-meals
West African Rice will now be Savoury Rice
Vegetarian Meat Feast Pizza will be Vegetarian Deluxe Pizza
School policies are reviewed and updated regularly in accordance with government guidelines. To access our school policies, please visit - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/policies
Lunchtime Supervisor Vacancy - if you would like to join our Greenbank lunchtime team, please find the vacancy details here
New School Crossing Patrol Officer - we are still recruiting an SCPO for Winklebury Way. For more information regarding the vacancy, please visit - Job Vacancy
Friday 27 March - End of Term Mufti Day for Hardship Fund
Friday 27 March - Last Day of Spring 2 Term
Monday 30 March - Friday 10 April - Easter Holidays
Monday 13 April - First Day of Summer 1 Term
Monday 13 April - Year 4 Dance Workshop (RD)
Tuesday 14 April - RD Fundraising Friends PTA Meeting
Thursday 16 April - Easter Disco (GB)
Monday 20 April - Year 4 Dance Workshop (GB)
Tuesday 21 April - Mill Cottage Farm Visit (Year R & Year 1)
Tuesday 21 April - Year 3 Ufton Court Trip (GB)
Wednesday 22 April - Year 3 Ufton Court Trip (RD)
Monday 4 May - Bank Holiday
Tuesday 5 May - Year 5 SeaCity Museum Trip (RD)
Wednesday 6 May - Year 5 SeaCity Museum Trip GB)
Wednesday 6 May - Year R Wellington Country Park Trip
Thursday 7 May - Year 2 Marwell Zoo Trip
Friday 15 May - Mufti-Day for Summer Club Fundraisier (GB)
Friday 15 May - Mufti-Day for Summer Fayre Donations (RD)
Wednesday 20 May - Greenbank Sports Day & Family Picnic
Thursday 21 May - Rooksdown Sports Day, Family Picnic & Summer Fayre
Thursday 21 May - Last Day of Summer 1 Term
Friday 22 May - Inset Day
Monday 25 - 29 May - May Half Term Holiday
Monday 1 June - First Day of Summer 2 Term
Tuesday 2 June - Year 1 Winchester Planetarium trip
Thursday 11 June - New Year 3 Parent Induction Meeting
Monday 15 June - RD Fundraising Friends Fathers Day Activity (TBC)
Tuesday 16 June - New Year R Parent Induction Meeting
Friday 19 June - New Year 3 Sports Afternoon
Monday 29 June - Year 5/6 School Performance - dress rehearsal (both)
Tuesday 30 June - Year 5/6 School Performance - matinee & evening (both)
Wednesday 1 July - Rocksteady Concert (RD)
Wednesday 1 July - Year 5/6 School Performance - evening (GB)
Thursday 2 July - Rocksteady Concert (GB)
Thursday 2 July - Rocksteady Concert (RD)
Thursday 2 July - Year 5/6 School Performance - evening (RD)
Monday 6 July - SEND Summer Parents Evening (both)
Wednesday 8 July - Head Boy/Head Girl Speeches (both)
Friday 10 July - Inset Day
Wednesday 15 July - Year 6 Treat Day
Friday 17 July - Year 6 Leavers Assembly for Parents (both)
Wednesday 22 July - End of Term Mufti Day for Hardship Fund
INSET DAYS 2026
Friday 22 May 2026
Friday 10 July 2026
To view all the CHPS calendar, term dates and more, see the links below:
When I grow up day:
From miniature medics and aspiring astronauts to future firefighters and farmers, the Year R children had a blast dressing up for 'When I grow up' day. It was absolutely heartwarming to watch them beam with pride as they explained how they plan to change the world. They had a lovely time sharing their aspirations with their friends, reminding us all that no dream is too big when you have a little imagination and a lot of heart!
People who help us topic:
Mr Martin loved hearing all about how firefighters help us in our community. He even put on the uniform to fully embrace the experience! Thank you, Mr Daniel, for sharing with the children the amazing job you do!
What an exciting day at CHPS celebrating our favourite books and authors and getting involved in lots of fun activities. To view some of the amazing costumes visit our 'Photo Gallery' - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/photo-galleries
What a fantastic performance from our Year 1 and Year 2 children! We have been practising our songs and our dance moves, and we got to perform for our parents on Wednesday and Thursday. The children were all fantastic, and they have worked so hard to learn their songs and poems. Congratulations to every single child - you have made us all so proud!
On Friday, 20th March, we held our first-ever Mother's Day Bake Sale, which was such a success! The number of amazingly creative cakes was absolutely astonishing, and we cannot believe how many fantastic bakers we have at Castle Hill. We really appreciate the donations given, and there were some spectacular entries in our competition. We are thrilled to say you helped us raise a whopping £625! We wanted to say a huge thank you for all the support, time and effort that went into baking these treats!
The school was honoured to welcome the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, the King’s representative, for a very special visit last week. Our Year 6 pupils proudly guided him around both campuses, sharing highlights of school life and asking thoughtful questions about his role. The visit included the planting of a tree, creating a lasting reminder of the occasion. It was a truly memorable day for everyone involved.
Some of our KS2 boys delivered an outstanding performance of their piece 'Mission: Impossible: Algebra' at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, captivating an audience of over 300 people. With confidence, energy, and impressive teamwork, the pupils brought Maths to life through a creative and entertaining production. Their clear delivery, expressive acting, and excellent timing kept the audience engaged throughout, earning well-deserved applause. It was a fantastic opportunity for the boys to showcase both their mathematical understanding and their performance skills, and they represented the school with pride. In celebration of their achievement, the boys were later presented with their ManMade T-shirts during a special assembly, marking their success and commitment.
Thank you for working with us to improve attendance at Castle Hill Primary this year. Our overall attendance is 95% (nationally, 94%). Our persistent absences (those pupils below 90%, equivalent to missing half a day a week) are down to 10% (versus 16% nationally).
Our pupils with good attendance are making good progress throughout the school, and we look forward to seeing them attend every day in the new term. Thank you again for sending your pupils regularly to school so we can teach and develop them into better learners and future citizens.
Our target for this year is 96% or over; last year’s attendance was 95.23%.
Our current percentage is 95%.
The classes with the best attendance this half term are:
Rooksdown
KS1 – Year 1 Miss Connor = 96.23%
KS2 – Year 6 Mrs Finn = 97.16%
Greenbank
Year 4 Miss Lancaster = 97.17%
Here is a useful link to the NHS website, which might help you decide if your child is too ill for school -
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
The final football match for the boys this year ended in a 2-2 draw against Parkview. It was fitting that the boys played their best match against the league leaders, showing their incredible 'fighting' spirit. There were great saves, amazing blocks and tackles, fantastic ball work and passing, and a couple of great goals. It has been an absolute pleasure watching these boys grow, mature and succeed in their sporting journeys over the past four years. Thank you, Tidiane, Timur, Jack, Zach, Ian, Eryk, Rocco, Mason and Emilian for all of your hard work (from Mr Moria).
The tag rugby team played in a tournament at Silchester on Thursday 5th March. Other schools playing were Sherborne St John, Burnham Copse, The Priory, Bramley and Silchester. The team won 4 and lost one. There were plenty of tries scored by Vritika, Lily, Eryk, Zach, Ian, Jamie and Timur! We look forward to our next tournament in Bramley next month. Well done team!
We have been planning exciting trips and workshops across all year groups this academic year. These trips are intended to complement and reinforce learning on key curriculum topics. We know many families are facing financial challenges, so we have set an annual contribution maximum of £40 per child, and, where possible, lower than that.
Trip amounts are calculated based on the assumption that every child participates and contributes to help us raise sufficient funds. Please note that the school may cancel or postpone the trip or workshop if there are insufficient voluntary contributions.
We hope this is helpful to you in your financial planning. We are looking forward to some exciting experiences. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
We were delighted to welcome AWE into Year 3 this half-term for an amazing workshop on structures, 'Tumbling Towers'. Working collaboratively, we looked at different structures and assessed which would be the strongest against earthquakes! It was then our mission to create the sturdiest structure to withstand our experiment! We had such a fantastic afternoon and were able to ask AWE so many questions about their important role in our community!
During Science week, the children were lucky enough to have two lovely team members from AWE come to lead a Science workshop called 'Tumbling towers'. It was super to see our Year 3s showing fantastic collaboration and confidence as they replicated a high building to survive an 'Earthquake', using mini cups, plastic sheets, elastic bands and wooden marbles. The teams used a variety of building shapes and designs during the exploring stage, and as the workshop progressed, the children learned to build structures with three sides, as a triangle shape is the strongest. We were so proud of how hard everyone worked, showing super manners and respect to our visitors
On Monday 16th March, Year 2 had a visitor called Kwame come to the school. First, we did some African dancing and practised lots of dance moves until we could perform a whole dance routine. Then he told us some stories about Anansi the spider. In the afternoon, we got to try some African drumming! We all had our own djembe drums, and we learnt to play some different rhythms which we performed to the Waka Waka song. We all had a fantastic time and loved meeting Kwame!
This half term, Year 6 took part in a MOD Science workshop. The first science activity was to build a small drone on bases, lots of children enjoyed the drone and making it fly. The second activity was gyro sphere which included coding a robot and driving, most children enjoyed the gyro sphere activity. The third activity was building on top of a base a car to control it by iPad to drive around the room. All the children enjoyed the whole day with the three activities. Written by Sofia W
Max F (Yr 6 GB) recently competed in the Italian World Cup with his team mates from Basingstoke Kickboxing Organisation. It was held in Jesolo near Venice.
This was one of the biggest competitions with over 4000 competitors.
Max fought in the teams event (3 competitors fighting for 1min 30 seconds each). They drew Hungary in the first round and won 13-5 this put them into the final against another Hungarian team, Max had the pressure spot of fighting last and they won 9-5!!
Max then competed in his individual events there was 25 in his categories and got 5th.
His next competition is the nationals held in Barnsley in April and if he places on the podium he will get a spot in the GB team for the World Championship in September!
Miss Bagshaw proudly completed a half-marathon at Hampton Court Palace in an impressive 1 hour 48 minutes and 25 seconds, raising £1,465 through her incredible effort.
Thanks to her dedication and the generosity of supporters, every child participating in ManMade 2026 will receive a special t-shirt to congratulate them on their success.
The remaining funds will be donated to CHPS to help fund PE lessons and further sporting engagement opportunities for pupils, for both sites.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support. Miss Bagshaw feels extremely grateful and supported by the CHPS family!
A big thank you to our amazing supporters who raise free funds for us on #easyfundraising.
If you're not signed up yet, please join today and you can raise free donations for Castle Hill Primary School - Basingstoke every time you shop online. All the big retailers are ready to make a free donation at no extra cost to you.
Please sign up before midnight 30th March and we could win a £250 donation:
https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/castlehillsch/39CVHU/c2s/KlKNhASV/CE941/facebook/
Please check out our CHPS Instagram page. We will be sharing updates with parents and the community. Follow us @castlehillbstoke or scan the QR code.
Rooksdown Fundraising Friends
For our upcoming events, please visit our website: https://www.pta-events.co.uk/ffrooksdown/. If you would like to join the committee or volunteer, please email: rdff@chjs.net or join our WhatsApp group to stay updated - https://chat.whatsapp.com/IrrEhTEiqLgICDty61jEih
Newsletter Update from Friends -
The Fundraising Friends have been busy over the last term...starting with our successful Book Review Competition to celebrate World Book Day. We received lots of creative and imaginative book reviews, which made it really hard to choose a winner. But Reyansh J, in Year 2, blew us away with a beautiful review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and so received the £10 Book Token as a prize. Congratulations! The book reviews received will be displayed in our school library and help to grow our love of reading!
Hundreds of pretty, brick flower gift sets were bought in our Mother's Day Gift Sale. They were all individually packaged and sent home with a card for our pupils to personalise, showing their love and appreciation for the women in their lives. They brightened up our Mother's Day, and we hope you enjoyed making your flowers as much as we enjoyed making ours!
Despite the hall projector malfunctioning and threatening to dampen our spirits, we had a great time at each movie night we ran. The wonderful Year R staff kindly let us turn their classrooms into movie theatres where we entertained pupils with Zootopia 2! All the year groups watched in their cosy PJs, surrounded by their teddies and their friends. Huge thanks to our tireless volunteers who served drinks, snacks and hot dogs, ensuring that a great time was had by all!
THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS - we are so grateful for the time you put in to support our events and ensure we can keep them coming! Every volunteer earns a Golden Ticket, allowing free entry for their child to an event this school year - these will be handed out on Friday to thank you for your efforts. Finally, a massive HAPPY EASTER to you all! Our volunteers have been scouring the shops and checking dietary needs to ensure we can gift every child an egg this Easter! These will be distributed at the end of the day tomorrow and will come home with your child. Thank you all for continuing to support our Fundraising Friends Rooksdown Charity, which, in turn, allows us to support your child's education at our wonderful Castle Hill Primary. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
Greenbank Easter Disco - Thursday 16th April
Tickets are now available to purchase via Arbor!
Year 3 & 4 - 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Year 5 & 6 - 5:45pm - 7:15pm
Last term, we joined with the London Grid for Learning and are now able to offer new resources to support your children's online safety at home.
There many different resources available that are updated all year long.
Some highlights include:
Gen AI: The Harms Landscape - a prerecorded webinar about new generative AI tools
Online Tutoring Guidance - information about finding a tutor and how to ensure they act safely
Safe Settings for Devices - information for different types of devices and how you can keep children safe using them
Screentime Guidance - information about how to regulate children's time online
During this term, we have introduced several year groups to the fantastic website BusyThings, which we now have access to. If your child would like to access BusyThings during Easter, they can use the details below to access the website. At present, we use a shared login system, but we will move to named accounts later in the year for Key Stage 2 pupils (Years 3 and up).
We are fortunate to be located in two districts of Basingstoke, which boast a busy, vibrant community spirit and numerous events and clubs to explore. Please contact the school if you have an event you would like to advertise here in the future.
Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school consultation
The Department for Education has officially launched a consultation to refine how schools support children with medical conditions, including severe allergies, following the introduction of Benedict’s Law. This is a vital opportunity for our parent community to influence national standards and ensure that the voices of families managing medical needs are at the heart of new government guidance.
By contributing your views, you can help define how schools across the country manage emergency protocols and daily care. We strongly encourage all parents to participate and help shape a framework that truly protects and supports our children.
Gas pipe replacement work around Roman Road, Basingstoke
Essential road works on Roman Road, Basingstoke. This work is to replace the aging metal gas pipes with new polyethylene pipes to ensure that we can continue to provide a safe and reliable gas supply in your communities. Clancy is undertaking this work on our behalf and began on 16 March, with work expected to last approximately five weeks.
Where will we be working?
Roman Road, Firsway and Oaklands Way - 16 March for approximately four weeks
Kenilworth Road – 23 March for approximately two weeks.
What does this mean for you?
Please check bus times with your bus provider to ensure you are aware of any changes to bus stops or times.
Please allow extra time for your journey.
Bees exhibition and Manydown Project
Free admission with talks, events, workshops, hands on activities and games. World Bee Day is Wednesday 20th May.
Planned Power Cut in the Rooksdown area RG24 9..
This is advance notice for Monday 30th March from 10:00 to 14:00.
How to have a fun and healthy farm visit with the family
Visiting a farm is one of the most enjoyable and educational experience outdoor activities for kids, but it carries a risk of infection from animals or the environment. Visit this website Important information when visiting a farm for more information about how to stay safe and well. See the poster for tick awareness when enjoying the outdoors or visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/
Spring Edition of All About Family South East magazine
The free digital magazine aimed at giving your parents valuable information for their children. There is exclusive content from OFSTED, NSPCC, St John Ambulance, plus more. Within there is advice on:
OFSTED
Discover a Great New Read
AI Advice from NSPCC
Winter Illnesses from St John Ambulance
SEND Advice
Child Dietary Guidelines
Introducing Less Screentime During the Holidays
Adult Education
Encouraging Your Child to Read More
Learn a Second Language
NEW Events and Days Out Section
Plus more…..
Easter Holiday Clubs -
As previously advertised in the weekly noticeboard, ACE Kids, MAGNA, ISIS, GOL!, and HCC are all running holiday clubs. For more information, please visit our 'News' web page - https://www.castlehillprimary.net/news
Rocksteady Club @ Greenbank and Rooksdown
Learn to play in a band. The children can choose from the electric guitar, keyboard, drums or vocals, and lessons are during school time. For more information about Rocksteady visit: https://www.rocksteadymusicschool.com/primary/
If you haven't seen it yet, watch our Promotional Video now!