Headteacher's Message
As another exciting spring term draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the incredible achievements of the West Ashtead pupils!
This term has been a whirlwind of activity, from Years 2 and 3 watching a dazzling performance of Frozen, to the enriching learning experiences during Science Week. Whether it was exploring the wonders of the natural world or mastering new scientific concepts, the week sparked curiosity and ignited a passion for science. We also saw students venturing beyond the classroom walls on educational trips to Hobbledown and Juniper Hall Rivers , expanding their horizons and forging lasting memories.
As we all gear up for a well-deserved break, I encourage you to reflect on the amazing progress made this term. Remember, learning is a continuous journey, and we look forward to welcoming you back for even more exciting adventures in the summer term!
With warmest regards,
Mrs Sarah Wells
Turn on the Subtitles
Turning on quality subtitles means your child will read a staggering number of words. Put them on and your child will read the equivalent number of words that are in all the Harry Potter books, all of the Lord of the Rings, all of the Chronicles of Narnia and everything Roald Dahl wrote, combined!
Research has shown that it can double the chance of your child leaving school as a proficient reader. You can turn them on for the whole family or most streaming services will now allow you to do it just for children’s profiles.
https://www.turnonthesubtitles.org/parents/
Sports Roundup
It's been a busy few weeks in Sports at West Ashtead. The children have been involved in various sporting activities and have achieved some great results.
In the latest Cross Country match we again did very well with Sienna W coming 7th and Theo S winning his race. Well done to both of you! Many children also came in the top 30 which is a fantastic achievement. Well done to Nathan N and Charlie D for running their first ever Cross Country race. We hope it will be the first of many.
It is wonderful that the younger members of our school can also be involved in representing the school. Six children from Years 1 and 2 competed in a Panathlon Tournament at the beginning of March and they were so excited to come home with a second place trophy! It is proudly on the shelf at the front of school. Well done to Whitney W, Mya S, Josh B, Daisy S, Ray H and Teddy B!
We were also very proud to be involved in the Leatherhead District Boys' Football final against Eastwick. Unfortunately we came away with a 1-0 defeat but Miss Hendra was impressed with the way the boys played and with the sportsmanship shown.
Our winning Cricket team greatly enjoyed their day at Lord's against some very high level competition. The children had a wonderful time playing at and looking around the Home of Cricket.
We have also been involved in Netball matches over the last week. On Monday we played against St Anne's in the North Downs Netball league. On Wednesday we competed in the annual Manor House tournament. The team played well against some strong opposition, especially from Great Bookham School.
Some Year 3 and 4 girls played in an Active Surrey Tag Rugby tournament and went unbeaten! Well done to Arla B, Willow S, Ella D, Sienna W, Chloe H, Martha B and Josie M.
Year 1 and 2 Panathlon Team
Year 3 and 4 Girls' Tag Rugby team
The Cricket team at Lord's
Year 3 and 4 Girls' Cross Country race
Year 5 and 6 Girls' Cross Country race
Theo wins the Year 3 and 4 Boys' race
Science Week
Science Week at West Ashtead
Last week West Ashtead School celebrated British Science Week with a focus on, ‘Time’. The children had great fun looking at dinosaurs, creating marble runs, making sand timers, experimenting with model boats and observing rotting fruit! Each class chose a book about a scientist from the Little People, BIG DREAMS book series and delved a little deeper into these inspirational scientists’ lives throughout the week.
Year 4 were invited to the science laboratories at St John’s School. Here they got to participate in a physics lesson to see how electricity makes your hair stand on end, and a chemistry lesson to learn about the anthocyanins in red cabbage. Year 6 visited St Andrew’s School, where they got to create density rainbows, looked at microorganisms on moss under microscopes and set fire to metal wire using electricity!
Year 5 also joined a British Science Week webinar to learn about volcanic activity around the world in the last 48 hours. They also had another virtual lesson on fossils and got to explore these in more detail.
We also had a visit from Emma Hellawell and Imogen Adshead, from Leap Environmental, who spoke to us about their work as a geologist and engineer. They also visited the reception classroom to talk about sand and stone and how this can affect buildings.
Year 1 got to visit Hobbledown Farm as part of their Science topic this term and had great fun at the interactive animal session where they got to meet a tortoise, guinea pig and cockroaches!
Great learning was evident throughout the week and we hope the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
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
Advertise in Our Summer Fair Brochure!
As we gear up for Boogie, Bounce and BBQ Event on Sunday 7 July 2024, we will be inviting local businesses to showcase their services and products in our event brochure. This is a fantastic opportunity for your business to reach out to our community while supporting a fun-filled day of festivities.
We are delighted to give our fantastic parents and families the chance to have first preference on placement, (where possible), so sign up early and payment will be invoiced after the event!
We will be printing at least 800 copies of this brochure and it will be received by parents, delivered to houses local to the school and left prominently in local shops.
Full Page: £100
Half Page: £50
Quarter Page: £30
How to Reserve Your Spot:
Contact Us: Reach out to Laura-Jane at FOWAevents@gmail.com to express your interest.
Choose Your Size: Let us know whether you’d like a full, half, or quarter page.
Submit Your Artwork: Provide your advertisement content (PDF or jpg) or let us know if you want to use the artwork you have previously used in the 2023 circus brochure.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of our summer event!
FOWA
Are you interested in a career at LEO?
Teaching Assistant Vacancies
We have a number of Teaching Assistant 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!
SCHOOL CALENDAR
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 @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.