Welcome Back and Happy New Year!
It has been wonderful to see all the children return to school this term so settled and enthused about the year ahead.
A big well done to all our sports teams who have competed in recent matches, and a special mention to our Year 6 SATRO team for making it to the finals of the Problem Solving Challenge! We are incredibly proud of their achievements.
We have a busy few weeks ahead with many exciting events planned. One of the highlights will undoubtedly be our school choir singing their hearts out at the Young Voices concert at the O2! Our Digital Leaders are also looking forward to attending BETT 2025 and bringing back new ideas to share, and several year groups will be taking part in enriching workshops and trips.
We look forward to sharing these experiences with you all.
West Ashtead are proud to be part of Empathy Week 2025, an annual festival of films, storytelling and events that develop the skill of empathy. Empathy Week takes place on 10-14 March and this year's theme is ‘What's Your Spark?’. Across the week the children will discover what makes themselves and others shine through a variety of exciting resources, activities and assemblies. Year 5 are lucky enough to be attending Empathy Week Live; a 90-minute live show for 400 students being hosted by ACS Cobham. Keep an eye on X later this term for updates during Empathy Week.
Train to teach with LEO Academy Trust!
LEO Academy Trust is incredibly proud to work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching as an Associate College to deliver Initial Teacher Training, (ITT) Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) from September 2025. Associate Colleges are successful school trusts, selected because of their wealth of in-house expertise in professional development and their deep relationships in their local areas. This collaboration allows us to be at the forefront of educational excellence, providing local teachers with unparalleled opportunities for professional growth, learning and development. Together, we are shaping the future of teaching and learning, ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education.
Applications for our primary ITT courses are now open for September 2025! Our initial teacher training is a fully immersive school-centred programme - aspiring teachers will be in the classroom from the very start. But full immersion does not mean that you will be thrown in the deep end: our trainees are mentored and have central training once a week.
To apply for a place on our ITT programme please click here.
LEO Initial Teacher Training Open Morning
Launch Your Teaching Career at LEO Academy Trust!
Join our team for our Initial Teacher Training Open Morning at Shawley Community Primary Academy on Wednesday 11th December at 9.30am - 11.30am.
Meet the LEO ITT team: Learn about our courses and support system.
See teaching in action: Observe engaging lessons in real classrooms.
Gain valuable insights: Talk to teachers about their experiences.
We look forward to meeting you!
Click here to book your place
Reception - Please click here to find out what Reception have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 1 - Please click here to find out what Year 1 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 2 - Please click here to find out what Year 2 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 3 - Please click here to find out what Year 3 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 4 - Please click here to find out what Year 4 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 5 - Please click here to find out what Year 5 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 6 - Please click here to find out what Year 6 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
We have a number of Playworker roles available across the LEO Academy Trust, including at West Ashtead Primary - a full job description can be found on the LEO vacancy page (link below) or please arrange a meeting with the Principal to find out more!
Exciting Hybrid Opportunity
Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? West Ashtead Primary Academy is seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic individual to join our team in a unique hybrid role that combines the responsibilities of a Higher Level Teaching Assistant, a Learning Support Assistant and a Midday Supervisor. This position offers a varied and rewarding opportunity to contribute to the educational and pastoral well-being of our pupils.
https://ce0218li.webitrent.com/ce0218li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=506283GkCP
As a state school, our budget from the Surrey Local Authority is calculated on a ‘per pupil’ basis and, in inflation adjusted terms, has not risen commensurately with our costs for several years. Despite considerable efforts by the school’s staff to rigorously control costs while maintaining high standards of educational quality, costs have risen.
We are establishing a voluntary contribution fund to advance the education of pupils at West Ashtead Primary Academy by the provision of resources, equipment, teaching and facilities for education in addition to those provided out of public funds. The voluntary contributions are essential if our school is to maintain its current standards and provision. Our intention is that the fund has a specific focus, this year it is technology and specifically raising funds to upgrade our interactive boards.
Request - what are we asking of you?
Contributing to the fund is voluntary. We’re aware that many families already contribute generously to the school through supporting the Friends’ initiatives. This is an invaluable source of funding for us that has financed some fantastic additional resources for the pupils, such as iPads, our library, STEAM room and classroom resources. We also know that not all parents are able to attend and support the Friends’ events and may wish to support the School in other ways.
We are suggesting a donation of £50 annually per family. You may wish to contribute less or more, annually or monthly. Every contribution will go towards us being able to invest in additional technology to enhance our children's learning. Parents can pay for School Fund online via our Arbor payment system, go to Accounts - School Fund - Top Up Account.
We would like to thank you for your support.
Help raise funds for the LEO Foundation by joining our lottery.
Join our weekly lottery from just £1 a week
It’s an easy way to support our Trust and help raise funds for LEO Foundation projects
40% of ticket sales come back to us
There’s a guaranteed winner every week as well as the chance to win £25,000
It’s easy to sign up online so start supporting our Trust today!
This year, funds raised by the LEO Foundation supported our LEO PRIDE Awards in EYFS, our ECB All Stars Cricket Development Centre for Year 2 pupils, Mandarin lessons for Year 5 pupils and our Year 6 Junior Citizenship Programme.
Your support is greatly appreciated and we wish you good luck!
To purchase a ticket please click here.
Regularly listen to your child(ren) read
Encourage your child(ren) to complete their homework / Doodle Activities / Timetable Rockstars
Ask your child about their day and talk about the amazing things they have learned
Talk positively to your child(ren) about school and their progress / praise their achievements
Speak to your child(ren)'s class teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team if you have any concerns regarding your child(ren)
Avoid taking your child(ren) out of school during the school day / term time for appointments and holidays
Drop your child(ren) off to school on time and in the correct uniform / collect your child(ren) on time / if you drive to collect your child(ren), ensure that you park safely respecting our neighbours and local businesses
Carefully read all communications to ensure that they are fully understood and actioned (if required)
Promptly report your child(ren)'s absence
Ensure you pay for school meals / trips / events on time via Arbor
Update your personal information via the Arbor App if there are any changes
Contribute towards the School Fund
Consider taking part in the school lottery
Support the FOWA in attending events / or even better support the FOWA in helping to organise events
To be kept up-to-date with all of the exciting activities, learning and events that the children are participating in please follow @WestAshtead and @LEOacademies on Twitter, @west.ashtead.primary.school on Instagram and WestAshteadPrimarySchool on Facebook.
Our social media platforms are used when the KS2 children are away on residential trips - seeing how much fun the children are having makes missing them not quite so bad, the children definitely do not look like they are missing home!
Please note that we only share photos of children who have photo permission and we only ever use their first name. Also, we do not keep the photos that we share so if you see a photo of your child that you would like you can save these onto your own device by clicking on the 3 dots on the photo and selecting save. Also if you see a post that interests you, please can we ask you to share/retweet.
If you would like your child to be included in our social media posts, please ensure that you have consented to social media. If you are unsure please look at your child's profile on the Arbor app and contact the school office if you wish to make a change.