What a busy and celebratory week it has been here at the school! The festive spirit is truly in full swing, and we have many memorable events to look back on.

Our sincere thanks go to the PTA for organising a truly magnificent Christmas Fair last Saturday. It was a fantastic celebration and a wonderful opportunity for our entire school community to come together and enjoy the start of the festive season. The atmosphere was brilliant, and it was a huge success!

Key Stage 1 treated us to their heart-warming Nativity performances on both Monday and Tuesday. The children spoke and sang beautifully, telling the traditional story with enthusiasm and charm. They made all of us immensely proud!

On Thursday, our Year 6 girls represented the school brilliantly in their football match against St Lawrence. They displayed great teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the game.

Friday saw the school transform into a sea of red and green for our Elf Run. The children were fantastic 'Active Citizens', enthusiastically completing the run to raise money for Princess Alice Hospice, a very special charity. Their efforts were commendable, and we were delighted to support such a worthwhile cause.

Finally, work has begun this week on updating our school allotment! It was great to see the first steps being taken to revitalise this space, and we look forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses.

Train to teach with LEO Academy Trust!

Applications for Primary Initial Teacher Training (ITT) for September 2026 are OPEN.

LEO Academy Trust works in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) to deliver our school-centred ITT programme.

Be in the classroom from day one: Our programme offers fully immersive training.

Highly Supportive: You will be fully supported with weekly central training and dedicated mentoring.

High-Quality Programme: Benefit from the NIoT's educational excellence right here, locally.

Express your interest here and we will send you further details on this exciting opportunity.

KS2 Carols in the playground 2.30pm - Wednesday 17th December 

Nursery closed - Friday 19th December 

Last day of school  - Friday 19th December 1.30pm

We would like to extend our immense gratitude to our fantastic PTA for all their incredible hard work in organising the Christmas Fayre last Saturday.

It was a truly magnificent event and a wonderful success, bringing our whole school community together for a brilliant afternoon of festive cheer, games, and stalls. The atmosphere was joyful, and the dedication of the PTA members and volunteers ensured everything ran smoothly.

Thank you once again for your tireless effort and commitment; it was the perfect start to our Christmas celebrations!

School Lunches reminders 

We've noticed a few instances recently where children have occasionally forgotten their pre-selected menu choices or have chosen a meal different from the one they are registered for. This can sometimes lead to delays or, more importantly, a risk of selecting a meal that doesn't meet their specific dietary requirements (e.g., Halal, vegetarian, allergy-specific).

To help us ensure every child receives the correct and safest meal, please take a moment each morning to remind your child of their menu selection.

• Before leaving home, please confirm with your child what meal they have pre-ordered (e.g., Meat option, Vegetarian option, Jacket Potato, or a specific dietary meal like Halal).

• Teach your child to clearly state their choice to the staff member when collecting their lunch. If they are unsure, they should ask a member of staff for help.

• Selecting the correct option, especially for Halal or other religious/allergy meals, is crucial for both compliance and safety.

Packed Lunches: Keep Them Healthy!

We appreciate that many of our children bring in a packed lunch, and we want to thank you for supporting our commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy packed lunch provides the energy and nutrients your child needs to concentrate and play throughout the afternoon.

We sometimes observe lunches that are high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. Please remember that we encourage all packed lunches to be healthy and balanced.

To ensure your child has a balanced lunch, include items from the four main food groups. 

For Starchy Foods (essential for energy), pack wholegrain options like a wholemeal bread sandwich or wrap, pasta salad, rice salad, pitta bread, or crackers—choose wholegrain options where possible for extra fibre. Next, include Protein (for growth and repair) such as lean meat, fish (like tuna or salmon), egg, beans, hummus, cheese, or lentils, ensuring fillings are lean and not overly processed. Crucially, aim for at least one portion of fruit AND one portion of veg (for vitamins and minerals) every day; good examples are apple slices, banana, berries, carrot sticks, cucumber chunks, or cherry tomatoes. Finally, include Dairy (for calcium), opting for low fat and low sugar choices like plain or low sugar yoghurt, a small amount of cheese, or milk based drinks. For drinks, water is best! Low fat milk or unsweetened, diluted fruit juice are also acceptable. No fizzy drinks or high sugar squash.

 Please Note: We discourage the inclusion of chocolate bars, sweets, and excessive quantities of crisps (one small packet is acceptable) in packed lunches. These items should be saved for treats outside of school time.

By working together on both meal accuracy and healthy choices, we can ensure every child has a positive, safe, and energised lunchtime!

Cold and flu 

With flu rates higher than this time last year, the DfE has asked us to share a reminder of the following information with you:

Managing seasonal illness – Key information for schools and parents:

As we move further into the term, DfE wants to remind all settings of the key guidance available to help manage seasonal illnesses and keep pupils and staff well. 

• Education Hub Blog: Reducing the spread of illness this winter: Seven steps to healthier schools and higher school attendance – please share this blog with parents and staff. 

• NHS Guidance for Parents: Is my child too ill for school? – a useful resource to help parents decide when children should stay at home. 

• Preventing and Controlling Infections Guidance: Includes advice on vaccination, ventilation, and good respiratory hygiene. 

• A–Z of managing Infectious Diseases: Practical guidance on managing specific illnesses. 

By following and sharing these resources, settings can support healthier school environments and help maintain high attendance as far as possible throughout the winter months. 

Concentration Aids 

At Hurst Park Primary, we are committed to providing an inclusive school environment with calm, purposeful learning spaces where every child can thrive. This is recognised and commented on in formal school reviews as well as from parent tours. Challenge Partners commented that:

‘Hurst Park Primary is an inclusive school where staff go out of their way to

meet pupils’ different needs and help them learn in the most productive and

effective ways. They implement appropriate adjustments for pupils with SEND so that they can access learning and feel included.’

We recognise the importance of applying these reasonable adjustments to enable children to feel ready to learn in their lessons; these adjustments can take a variety of forms from additional movement breaks to check-ins from an adult to the use of concentration aids in the classroom. 

While beneficial, individual concentration aids can sometimes become distracting to the children using them, and to others in the room. Additionally, we have recently experienced incidents where these aids have been misplaced, moved, or taken from classrooms, causing significant distress to the children concerned. 

We informed parents in March 2024 of the following changes:

1. School-Supplied Universal Aids: The school will supply and provide a selection of universal concentration aids to children as and when they are needed. These will be based on recommendations from external professionals or identified by classroom staff.

2. Home Use Only for Fidget Toys: We request that all other types of personal 'fidget toy' are kept for home use.

3. Exceptions: The only exceptions are items that have been formally agreed upon as part of a calming/sensory plan with school staff or supporting professionals. We will now maintain a list of children requiring this specific adjustment to ensure all staff are aware.

We thank you in advance for your support with this request. Your cooperation will help us ensure a focused and equitable learning environment for all our pupils.

Elf Fun Run - Princess Alice Hospice 

Wrap Around Care on Friday 19th December 

Please note that on the last day of term, Friday 19th December, the After School Club (ASC) will close early at 4:15 PM.

Please ensure that all children are collected promptly at or before this time.

Wrap Around Care Staff Member Vacancy

We are currently seeking an enthusiastic and reliable member of staff to join the Hurst Park Wrap Around Care team! This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to top up their hours and make a real difference in the lives of our children.

The role involves supervising activities, assisting with the service of breakfast and tea, and ensuring the safety and well-being of the children.

The available fixed hours are:

-Breakfast Club (Tuesday to Thursday): 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

-After School Club (Monday to Thursday): 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

How to Apply

If you, or anyone you know, who would be perfect for this role, please share/apply via the official application link: [Link Here]

Celebrating achievements 

If your child has celebrated a sporting achievement and you would like them to be included in the newsletter, please let us know by completing this form. There is an option to attach photos/certificates if you would like but this is optional. 

Hurst Park Primary Academy is looking for volunteers to enhance children's learning. Volunteers are highly valued and appreciated by children and staff. In the past, volunteers have helped children with reading and maintaining the Library. Volunteers must complete a comprehensive induction programme, including a DBS check, and adhere to our Safeguarding procedures. Volunteering hours are flexible.  If you are interested in making a difference, please complete the Volunteer Registration form  to apply. Please note that volunteers will not be placed in their child's class.

Last week Kingfishers achieved highest attendance. Well done.

Charlotte (1P), Will (3S) and Prapti (5B)

Year 1 

Year One have been exploring shapes and patterns in our maths lessons this week. We have learnt that shapes stay the same when they are rotated to fit together, and that a square does not become a diamond when rotated onto one of the corners! We made shape patterns using Tangram tiles and these are some of our creations.

Year 6 - Make Do and Mend DT Project

Christmas Lunch and playtime 

Our annual Christmas school lunch was a great success! The dining hall was transformed into a festive wonderland, with every table decorated to capture the holiday spirit. Throughout the meal, the atmosphere was enhanced by cheerful Christmas music, adding a perfect soundtrack to the occasion. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and hear the happy chatter as everyone enjoyed the delicious food and company. A massive thank you goes to our dedicated catering team and midday supervisors, whose hard work and festive culinary expertise ensured that everyone had a truly lovely time. 

Sporting Fixtures

LEO Sports 

What a season the Year 5 & 6 football teams are having. Both the boys and girls are heading to the County Finals of the ESFA Pokémon Primary Schools' Cup 2026. We hope you enjoy representing Esher at Meadowbank, Dorking on 30 January!

Young Carers 

At Hurst Park, we are aware that some of our pupils are young carers. A young carer is someone under 18 who is caring unpaid for someone at home who has an illness, a disability, or is affected by mental ill-health or alcohol/substance misuse.  They could also be a child who has a sibling with a disability. They often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult or miss out on things due to their siblings' needs. There are at least 800,000 young carers in the UK but many young people do not realise they are a young carer.

We know that young carers may need a little extra support to enjoy and do well at school. At Hurst Park, we are committed to ensuring that all pupils who are young carers are identified, and supported effectively. The school has a Family Support Worker and Emotional Literacy Support Assistants who can offer reassurance and emotional support and help engage with external services.

Surrey Young Carers are a fantastic organisation and support young carers through activities such as holiday clubs, youth clubs, 1:1 mentoring etc. For more information visit their website and register a young carer using this form. 

If you think your child might be a young carer, please let us know by filling in this google form.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this, or have any further questions, please contact Melissa Bailey (Family Support Worker) directly. Any information that is given will be treated sensitively and no information will be shared without your knowledge.

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