Headteacher's Welcome
A very warm welcome back to school after what I hope was a restful and enjoyable half term break. It's hard to believe we're already heading towards the end of the autumn term, but as always, we have a jam-packed schedule of exciting events and learning opportunities ahead!
Fireworks Night Extravaganza!
Get ready for a dazzling display at our annual Fireworks Night celebration tonight!
Panathlon Challenge
We're incredibly proud to announce that our school will be participating in the Panathlon Challenge again this term. This fantastic initiative gives our students the opportunity to compete in a range of sporting activities. We wish our Panathlon team the very best of luck!
Sporting Tournaments
The sporting calendar continues with a series of exciting tournaments throughout the term. Our different sports team will be competing against other local schools, showcasing their skills and teamwork.
Christmas Festivities
The countdown to Christmas is officially on! We have a wonderful line-up of festive events planned, including:
KS2 choir singing at St George's church
KS1 nativity
Elf run and Christmas jumper day
We look forward to sharing these special moments with you and your children as we celebrate the festive season.
In the Classroom
Of course, alongside all the excitement, we remain committed to providing a stimulating and engaging learning environment for all our pupils.
Podcast
We are trialing a new AI package that will allow us to turn the newsletter into a podcast! This will enable families to listen to the newsletter and the exciting events that have been included. I welcome any feedback about this and whether this is something you would like to see continue.
We're confident that this term will be another successful one, filled with achievement, fun, and festive cheer!
Communication Updates
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.
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
Parent Online Parent Working Party
Parent Online Safety Working Party
Mindworks Support poster
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
The push is on for the final tickets to sell for Fireworks. We are selling fast - we have sold out for the last few years so don't leave it to the last minute - tickets won't be sold on the gate.
We also still need volunteers to help make the event a success - if you have tickets then do sign up for 30 minutes to help out please! There are suggested year groups set out but it is now really just a case of filling the slots. In particular, we need parking marshals https://volunteersignup.org/8TMLY
Finally, do put 1 December 2024 in your diary for the extra festive Christmas fair. The year 6 committee are busy putting this together. If you have or know a business who might be interested in a stall for £25 do contact us on fowachair@gmail.com
Continuing on our passive fundraising theme allow me to introduce you to Easyfundraising!
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/westashtead
Easyfundraising work with thousands of online brands and give a donation/percentage of what you spend online free to FOWA.
You can download a donation reminder but for me the most useful is online food shopping. All the major supermarkets give a donation and of you do an online shop every fortnight the pounds will add up so quickly over the course of a year.
In 2023/24 we raised an easy peasy £200 from Easy fundraising - let's double it this year and spend it on funding more workshops and books!
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!
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.