Headteacher's Welcome

Welcome to our final newsletter of the academic year! It truly feels like just yesterday we were welcoming everyone back for the autumn term, and now here we are, at the cusp of summer. Time, as they say, flies when you're having fun, and this year has certainly been packed with it!

What an incredible year it has been. Our children have embraced so many enriching experiences, from engaging workshops, exciting trips, and memorable residentials, to thrilling sporting competitions and events, as well as the wide array of fascinating topics in class. We already have so much more to look forward to when we return!

As the academic year draws to a close, we prepare to say farewell to some valued members of our school community: Mr. dePutron, Miss Hendra, Miss Harbison, Mrs. Hundermark, Mrs. Rymill, and Ms. Kang. We extend our heartfelt thanks for their contributions to West Ashtead Primary and wish them all the very best in their new endeavours. Their departures mean we also have the pleasure of welcoming new staff: Miss Read will be joining our Reception team, and Miss Mills will be taking on the role of our new Sports Coach.

Following the valuable feedback gathered through our recent parental survey regarding the newsletter, we are excited to announce some upcoming changes to our communication strategy for the new academic year. From September, I will be sending a weekly 'chirp' to keep you well-informed on important dates, school celebrations, and key achievements. Alongside this, teachers will be producing a half-termly learning newsletter to provide a deeper dive into what has been happening in each year group. We sincerely hope these changes will enhance our communication and ensure you feel even more connected to your child's learning journey and school life.

On behalf of all the staff at West Ashtead Primary, I wish you and your families a fantastic and restful summer break. We eagerly look forward to welcoming you all back in September 2025

Attendance Matters

At the LEO Academy Trust, we believe

“Improving attendance is everyone’s business.” DFE -May 2022

We believe:

● That the foundation of securing good attendance is children attending an inclusive school that is calm, orderly, safe, and provides a supportive environment where all pupils want to be, and are keen and ready to learn

● Where attendance and absence are closely monitored and there are robust, effective systems in place to deal with attendance issues quickly and sensitively, schools are well equipped to keep children safe.

● Good attendance is essential if children are to take full advantage of all that school offers and gain the educational and social skills necessary for life.

● That the barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and that these can be specific to individual pupils and families. For most pupils, the best place to be is in school, surrounded by the support of their friends and teachers.

This is important not just for your child’s learning, but also for their overall wellbeing, wider development, and their mental health.

West Ashtead Attendance Policy

Communication Updates

Ashtead Youth Choir

Train to teach with LEO Academy Trust

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.

In school we have been learning ...

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

FOWA in the News

What a busy half term! Many thanks to you for volunteering and making our circus and fair successful and possibly the most expensive sauna you have ever paid for! It was crazy hot but thank you - we hope you enjoyed it! James is still totting up the pennies and tokens but we know we did well - more news to follow on how much we made.

You will also remember Friend of FOWA and dad Jonathan Cole has kindly been taking class photos. These digital copies are priced at £10.00 each and ALL funds go to FOWA. Please do take a look at them on our usual ticketsource.co.uk/fowa page and don't forget to record the names of your child's teachers/TAs and friends. As a mum in Year 5 I can assure you I can no longer remember names from Reception!

Jon is a photographer in his own right and has some fantastic work - if you need a grandparent gift he would be pleased to take some gorgeous pics of your children or if your business internet pages needs an uplift- do make use of his WA discount (see attached).

Over summer don't forget our passive fundraising easyfundraising (https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=3721&invite=kbo65p&referral-campaign=s2s&utm_campaign=web-referral), textile recycling (big green bin) and mynametags (id 23438).

Finally, do make a note of fireworks night for next "year". This is going to be on "remember remember" Wednesday 5 November 2025!

Are you interested in a career at LEO?

Playworker Vacancies

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!

https://www.leoacademytrust.co.uk/662/staff-vacancies

SCHOOL CALENDAR

We have lots of exciting events coming up next week/year, please click here for the latest calendar dates.

SCHOOL FUND

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.

LEO LOTTERY

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.

HELP US / SOCIAL MEDIA

Please..........help your child:

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

Please..........help us:

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

Please..........help raise funds:

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

Social Media

To be kept up-to-date with all of the exciting activities, learning and events that the children are participating in please follow on social media:

X: WestAshtead

Facebook: WestAshteadPrimarySchool

Instagram: west.ashtead.primary.school

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.

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