Castle Hill Primary School

Mr Martin's Message

Dear Parents and Friends of Castle Hill Primary School 

It has been another good year on the Hill! 

Huge thanks to all our teams: Teachers, PTPs, Administrators, Premises Staff, Cleaners, Kitchen Staff, and others. We are one big community! This is clearly shown by our incredibly supportive friends and governors who work in partnership to make Castle Hill, as one parent said, "a unique place to be". 

I have included a small video (link below) that you will have to watch if you are looking for jokes of the highest calibre! You have been warned! 

https://youtube.com/shorts/XRJk3bMivDE

Have a great summer.

From Mr Martin and the CHPS team

• Important Update: School Meal Ordering Process - We would like to inform you about an important change to our school meal ordering process, effective from September 2025. Moving forward, pupils will no longer be able to place meal orders in class. All meals must now be pre-ordered by parents or guardians.

Please note the following important guidelines:

• • 1. Meal orders must be placed in advance (with a midnight cut-off) and cannot be placed or changed on the day of the meal.

    2. A positive account balance is required to place an order successfully.

    3. If you are not pre-ordering a school meal for your child, it is expected that you provide them with a packed lunch from home.

    4. If a child arrives at school without a meal order and does not have a packed lunch, you will be contacted and asked to bring one to school.

These changes are being implemented to ensure every child receives a meal, minimise classroom disruption in the morning, and allow for more efficient meal service. To pre-order meals, please use our online meal ordering system, ScoPay. If you do not have access, please contact the school office before the end of the term. If you need assistance with the ordering process or adding funds to your

child’s account, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at admin@chjs.net. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

• Earring Reminder - To prevent any accidents or injuries, no jewellery, including earrings, may be worn at any time in school, including plastic earrings. If your child does wear earrings to school, they will be asked to remove them (please note that school staff are not permitted to remove them). If your child is unable to remove their earrings or continues to wear them to school, they will be unable to participate in any physical activity, including PE and playtimes, and their parents will be contacted. We also recommend that if you wish to get your child’s ears pierced, this is done at the beginning of the six-week summer holidays, to avoid wearing them to school.

• Evening event collection - From September, parents/carers must collect their child from the designated collection point after any evening performance, disco, trip, or movie night, etc. No child will be allowed to walk, cycle or scoot home. The safeguarding of our pupils is our utmost priority, so a contact name and number will be required for any after-school evening event. Any changes to the collection must be reported to the school office via email (in writing, not verbally) before the start of the event. 

• Parking - Unfortunately, we continue to receive complaints on a weekly basis regarding inconsiderate and illegal parking and driving outside the Greenbank campus. The double yellow lines on the bend leading into the school car park from Winklebury Way and by the school gates indicate that it is not a drop-off zone, and parking is prohibited at all times. By blocking this area, visibility is compromised when exiting onto the main road, which is extremely dangerous. We would really appreciate your help with this situation, as we are trying to avoid a serious accident.

• Don't forget to collect any lost property before the school closes for the summer holidays. Any items not named will be donated to charity.

What has Been happening in School?

Young Writers Competition

Congratulations to the following Year 4 Greenbank pupils: Amelia, Ari, Ava, Celiné, Chloe, Coco, Darcy, Ella, Hasan-Ali, Jenson, Joe, Luella, Mia, Michayla, Ollie, Oliver, Rowan and Zoyesh, who recently took part in the Young Writers’ Magic Map 100-word story competition and have been selected to have their stories published in a real book. They should be very proud of this fantastic achievement, and we cannot wait to see the published books when they arrive! 

Name the Owl Winner!

The winner of our name the owl competition is Kacie from Year 4, with the winning name chosen by the Leon family of...Oakley! Please see below a new picture of Oakley an Australian Boobook owl, who is now the newest member of the Castle Hill Team.  Thank you all who took part and a special thank you to Sofia and her family who came up with the idea to raise money for the Summertime Club. 

Freestyle Football Workshop

Rebaz from Freestyle Football wowed us with his cool skills. Pupils were amazed by his freestyle football skills in assembly! ⚽

Year 5/6 Performance - Rooksdown

Year 5 and 6 put on a spectacular production of 'Oliver With A Twist'. Our actors and choir captivated the audience with their stunning show, featuring fantastic acting and upbeat songs. It was a production to remember!

Year 5/6 Performance - Greenbank

Rocksteady Concerts

To book online ready for September visit - rocksteadymusicschool.com

National Skipping Day

The children had a great time during the Skipping Workshop.  It's a fantastic programme designed to teach children essential skipping skills, improve their fitness, and build confidence. The sessions are to inspire children to enjoy physical activity through skipping. 

Sports Day

What a wonderful time the children, staff and family members had at our sports days. Dealing with the relentless sunshine and rain, which stopped play for a few Greenbank dates, we eventually had two amazing events. Well done to everyone who participated and enjoyed the family picnics and Summer Fayre to finish the day. Winning houses:

Greenbank - Chestnut

Rooksdown - Chestnut

Attendance

Attendance Updates

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 that we can teach and develop them to be better learners and citizens of the future.

Our target for this year is 96% or over; last year’s attendance was 95.23%. 

Our current percentage is 95.74%.

The classes with the best attendance this half term are:

Rooksdown

KS1 – Year 2 Miss Simpson = 96.12%

KS2 – Year 5 Mrs Harding = 97.2%

Greenbank

Year 5 Miss Jones = 97.07%

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/

Sports Reports & Team Photos

Tag Rugby Champions of Basingstoke!

Basingstoke Tag Rugby tournament

KS1 Quad Kids Games

KS2 Quad Kids Games

Trips & Workshops

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 are aware of the financial challenges that everyone is currently facing, so to help with budgeting, we have set an annual maximum figure of £40 per child, and where possible, lower than this. 

Trip amounts are calculated assuming every child participates and contributes to ensuring we have raised sufficient funds. Please remember that the school reserves the right to cancel or postpone the trip or workshop if there are insufficient voluntary contributions. 

We hope this is helpful in your financial planning. We are looking forward to some exciting experiences. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

Year 2 Marwell Zoo Trip

On Thursday 20th June, Year 2 packed up their lunches and got on the coach to go on an adventure to Marwell Zoo!  We saw penguins, giraffes, snow leopards, meerkats and more!  We even got to have lunch with the ducks!  We all had a fantastic time.

Year 6 Treat Day

"On our Year 6 Treat Day, we did loads of activities including peg pole, ringos and archery. The day was also a time for us to be with the Rooksdown pupils, which was lots of fun. Our trip to Calshot Activity Centre was absolutely amazing." - written by Jasper R.

Year 3 Egyptian Day

In other News.....

Fundraising Friends NEWS!

eSafety

As we head into the wonderful summer holidays, we wish you all a relaxing and joyful break. We know that with more free time, screens will likely play a bigger part in keeping children entertained, connected, and creative.

This is a great opportunity to reinforce healthy digital habits and ensure their online world is as safe as their offline one. Here are our top tips for a fun and safe summer online.

1. Start the Conversation (and Keep it Going)

The most important tool is open conversation. Take an interest in what they're doing online, just as you would with a new book or a park they love to visit.

• Ask them to show you: What games are they playing? What videos are they watching? Who are their favourite YouTubers?

• Talk about being kind: Remind them that the same rules of kindness apply online as they do in the playground.

• Create an 'Uh-Oh' plan: Let them know that they can come to you, without fear of getting in trouble, if anything online ever makes them feel sad, worried, or uncomfortable.

2. Set Up for Safety

Creating a safe environment helps children to explore independently.

• Check your Parental Controls: Your internet provider (e.g., BT, Sky, Virgin), as well as devices like tablets, phones, and games consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch), all have built-in parental controls. These can help filter content and manage spending.

• Set Time Limits: Agree on daily or weekly screen time limits together. Tools on Apple and Android devices can help you manage this automatically.

• Keep it Public: Where possible, encourage children to use their devices in shared family spaces, such as the living room or kitchen, rather than in their bedrooms.

3. Find the Balance

Summer is about making all kinds of memories, both on-screen and off.

• Plan screen-free time: Intentionally plan daily activities that don't involve a screen, such as playing in the garden, taking a trip to the park, reading a book, or playing a family board game.

• Lead by example: Consider your own screen habits. Putting your phone away during mealtimes or family activities shows them the importance of being present.

Quick Reminders for the Children

• Think Before You Share: Never share personal information, such as your full name, school, or address, online.

• Keep Passwords Private: Like a toothbrush, your password is meant for you alone.

• If in Doubt, Shout Out: If you see anything that upsets you, tell a trusted adult straight away.

For more detailed advice and step-by-step guides, we highly recommend these fantastic resources:

• NSPCC Net Aware: www.net-aware.org.uk

• UK Safer Internet Centre: www.saferinternet.org.uk

• Internet Matters: www.internetmatters.org

By working together, we can help our children navigate the digital world safely and confidently.

Holiday Camps / Clubs

Summer Club posters - 

• SCL @ Rooksdown - SCL Summer Club

• Tetra Brazil (Greenbank and Sherfield Park) - Summer Camp Posters

• MAGNA - MAGNA Summer Club

• GOL! - Summer Camp

• Spotlight UK Summer Events - Poster

• 360 Degrees - Free Holiday Provision @ Cranbourne School

• Hook Dance Summer Club - Hook Dance Summer Club

• Chelsea FC Soccer School Summer Camp - Holiday Courses

Our School