Maybury News
Believe. Achieve. Suceed.
Maybury News
Believe. Achieve. Suceed.
Issue 1
September 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to another exciting year at Maybury Primary School! We extend a very warm welcome to all the new families who have joined our Maybury community this year. We are delighted to have you with us and look forward to a fantastic year ahead.
This year, we proudly celebrate our school's 150th anniversary with a stunning metal art installation, created by Alison Catchlove in collaboration with our children and staff, which is now displayed in the school playground. We invite you to take a moment to admire this unique artwork, which also features our new class name creatures. The children have taken great joy in seeing their individual metalwork pieces contribute to this memorable display.
We have had a busy start to the school year, and we want to express our gratitude to all the parents who attended the class welcome meetings. The children have been excited to learn fascinating facts about their new class names, I have also learned some intriguing details about kingfishers, foxes, and badgers!
Badger Class (Year 4) has embarked on an incredible opportunity this month. They participated in a music project titled "Acis and the One-Eyed Monster" (Handel’s Acis and Galatea) with the Early Opera Company. The children spent a day learning selected songs from the opera at school before travelling to London to perform alongside professional singers and instrumentalists in the Temple Church in London. It was a wonderful experience for them!
Looking ahead, we are preparing for our annual Harvest Festival assembly next week. We welcome your generous donations, which will support local families through Woking Foodbank. Please refer to the accompanying Harvest Festival letter for a list of suggested items to donate.
As a gentle reminder, our school uniform expectations have been previously shared with parents. It is essential that all children wear the correct uniform every day. Additionally, please note that earrings are not permitted to be worn at school. Children in EYFS or Years 1 and 2 should bring a book bag, while those in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 should use a school bag. We kindly ask that only one small keyring be attached to their bags, as we have observed that oversized keyrings can make storage difficult.
This term we were excited to welcome Mrs Choudhry to our Year 6 team this term, and I am pleased to announce that Miss Graham will also join our school as a new Higher-Level Teaching Assistant after the October half term.
Lastly, please remember that our October half term runs from Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October, during which the school will be closed. Children will return to school on Monday 3rd November at 8:35am.
Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. Here’s to a wonderful school year filled with learning and growth!
Mrs Merritt
Headteacher
A big warm welcome to our new and returning children! We are so proud of how Duckling Class has settled into the nursery so far. We are really looking forward to working with our new/returning children and their families.
The children have been busy learning new routines, such as tidying up and sitting down on the carpet for stories/singing/circle time. The children have also been learning to make new friends!
Please remember to write your child's name on their school uniforms, school bag and water bottle. This is to ensure their belongings do not get mixed up. Thank you!
Welcome back and welcome to our new children and families. The children in Rabbit Class are settling in very well to life at school, exploring their new classroom and garden, learning our new routines, making new friends and developing their listening skills. They have enjoyed seeing and playing with their older siblings, cousins and friends too.
We have begun our phonics learning, the children are enjoying reading the sounds they know at speed.
The children have adapted to having lunch at school really well, trying new foods and trying to use their knives and forks. They are particularly enjoying the desserts!
Please ensure that your child comes to school with a water bottle, their school book bag and a coat, as we never know when it might rain. Thank you.
See photos of our happy children in Rabbit Class making friends and exploring their new classroom and garden.
The children have settled in well to Squirrels Class. They have been getting used to being with each other again, taking turns and sharing. We have spent the first few days of term learning new routines and exploring the classroom and outdoor area.
We have been learning about squirrels and other woodland creatures. We have read stories about squirrels, watched videos and wrote our own facts. We painted our own squirrels using pointillism and leaf printing.
We have been really busy since coming back to school this month. The children have settled in very well and are adjusting quickly to the new expectations, working at tables and doing their home learning. Please remember to read to your child at least three times each week.
In Literacy, we have been reading Hairy Maclary and thinking about adjectives. We have rewritten the story, made changes to it and are working on writing our own story about animals causing chaos! The children have had some great ideas about what could happen in their own stories. We started by sorting animals into whether we would see them on a farm or at a zoo and then used them for our new stories.
In maths, we have been learning about place value and number bonds. We have worked a lot with different resources to show the tens and ones in a number. Please practise number bonds to 10 and 20 at home as they are such a key part of maths knowledge.
In Art, we have been studying Paul Klee. We discussed our opinions about his paintings and how he uses tessellation. We then practised mixing colours to find the right tint to match his painting.
Welcome to a new school year! Keep an eye on this page for all the exciting things we will do this year!
The children have settled into Kingfisher Class really well and started off the new school year learning about their new class name. We created some beautiful kingfisher pieces of artwork which are now proudly displayed in the cloakroom for the children to see every day, alongside the amazing whole class kingfisher mural that the children created on their changeover day in July.
We have been enjoying starting to learn about the Ancient Egyptians. We started off our new topic by looking at some ancient Egyptian artefacts that we borrowed from Chertsey Museum. Some of them were very tricky to work out! We have enjoyed finding out about how different life was in ancient Egypt 4000 years ago!
In Literacy, we are using a lovely picture book called ‘Journey’. We have been looking carefully at what happens in each picture and writing the story ourselves using adjectives and nouns in expanded noun phrases and including adverbs. The children are excited that they are now using a handwriting pen.
In Science, we are learning about healthy eating and bones. We looked at food labels and learnt about eating a balanced diet with not too much saturated fats. We sorted foods into food groups such as carbohydrates, proteins and dairy.
In Maths, we are learning about place value and how to represent 2 and 3-digit numbers in different ways. We have been ordering and comparing numbers and counting in 50s.
The children are showing great team work skills in PE and are learning different throws in Netball such as chest pass, bounce pass and overhead pass.
I hope you’re all doing well as we start off another exciting school year! I’m thrilled to say that the children in Badgers Class have settled in really nicely. They’re embracing the faster pace of Year 4 with lots of enthusiasm and spirit.
We recently had a fun collaborative activity where the kids created a bright and colourful badger display for our cloakroom. It was a wonderful way for them to work together and let their creativity shine!
In Literacy, we’re diving into synonyms and adjectives to describe forest settings. The children are doing an amazing job, using some really ambitious vocabulary. I’d love for you to encourage them to bring this new language into their story writing later this month—it makes their work all the more special!
Maths has been all about place value; we're covering numbers up to 10,000, partitioning, adding on a number line, and estimating. We’re also working on comparing and ordering numbers. We've also been busy with times tables since they are so important. A little bit of practice at home each week will help embed these facts—just a few minutes regularly can work wonders!
In Science, we’ve kicked off our “Animals Including Humans” topic by exploring teeth and digestion. The children conducted a really cool experiment using eggshells to see the effects of different liquids, representing the enamel on our teeth. Believe it or not, orange juice caused the most decay after a week! We talked about how it's okay to enjoy orange juice since it's healthy, but brushing our teeth is super important to prevent decay.
In History, we turned into little archaeologists! The children dug through sand trays with paintbrushes to uncover pictures of Greek artefacts. They used their detective skills to guess what each object was, what it might have been used for, and what it was made from. It was such an engaging hands-on experience!
In PE, we've been focusing on netball skills and working as a team. It's been great to see everyone collaborate and support one another on the court.
This year is extra special as Year 4 has the amazing chance to perform at Temple Church in London! We had a workshop with some incredibly talented musicians who taught us songs to go along with Handel's "Acis and Galatea." It's going to be an unforgettable experience for the children!
All in all, we’ve had a brilliant start to Year 4, and I can’t wait for all the fun adventures that lie ahead!
Thanks for your support—we’re going to have a fantastic year together!
We are thrilled to share with you the fantastic start we have had in Fox Class. The children have settled in remarkably well, and their enthusiasm for learning is truly commendable.
In Maths, we have made significant progress with our understanding of place value, working with numbers up to 1,000,000. The students have shown great resilience and curiosity, and I encourage you to engage them in conversations about their learning at home to reinforce their skills.
For Literacy, we have been busy crafting twisted fairytales linked to the classic story of 'The Three Little Pigs'. This has provided a wonderful opportunity to focus on our punctuation and imaginative writing skills. If you have the chance, I would love for you to ask your child about their story and perhaps even get them to retell it!
In P.E, we've been having a wonderful time engaging with netball, thanks to our specialist coach who has been guiding the children in the skills of passing and defending. It has been delightful to see how they are embracing teamwork and developing their skills.
During our History lessons, we have explored the fascinating world of the Anglo-Saxons, and soon we will be delving into the adventurous stories of the Vikings. It's exciting to watch the children become enthusiastic historians, eager to learn about the past! Children spent time analysing artefacts to check their reliability.
In R.E, we are currently learning about Judaism, which has sparked many interesting discussions in class. We have an exciting trip planned to the synagogue next week, which we believe will enhance their understanding.
Lastly, we would like to remind everyone of our weekly challenge to win the Fox presentation pencil case. The children have been putting in great effort to improve their handwriting and presentation. Who will our next winner be?
Please can we remind you to add homework to google classroom rather than brining books into school. Thank you!
It has been a jam-packed September for Year 6! The children are settling into our new classroom wonderfully and are really keeping up with our packed schedule.
In Literacy, we’ve started reading 'Pig Heart Boy' by Malorie Blackman, which is a fascinating book that tackles some controversial issues surrounding organ transplants. This links perfectly to our Science topic about the circulatory system. The thought-provoking storyline of 'Pig Heart Boy' has sparked some fantastic debates in our Literacy sessions. The children picked sides, did their research, and gathered facts to back up their opinions. They then practised their debating skills, and we wrapped up the week with some lively discussions. It was delightful to see them articulate their arguments so well!
In Science, we’ve been diving into how our circulatory system works and how our hearts pump blood throughout our bodies. The activity of making blood was definitely a highlight!
For PE, we’ve been focusing on netball, working on our passing, pivoting, and understanding positions as we gear up to play some full games. It’s wonderful to see the teamwork and camaraderie developing among the children.
In art, we have begun our learning journey about Lowry, a Victorian artist. We have been experimenting with tools he used to create his industrial landscapes and mimicked his style by creating our own matchstick people. We will eventually produce our own Lowry inspired landscapes.
As we continue to embark on these learning adventures, I encourage you to engage your children in discussions about what they are learning. Supporting their curiosity at home will enhance their understanding and make their educational experience even richer.
The Maybury Way!
The Maybury way-Showing respect for each other and always demonstrating our school rules and values. Our school rules are: Be ready ,Be respectful ,Be safe and Be kind.
These are important in the classroom, in the playground and walking around the school !
Respect in school creates a positive learning environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and motivated to succeed. We accept somebody for who they are, even when they're different from you or you don't agree with them.
Respect means valuing others, listening to their opinions, and treating everyone with kindness, no matter who they are. Just like how we want to be treated well, others want the same too. Imagine a school where everyone respects one another – it would be full of kindness, love, and understanding.
You can show resilience by adapting to change, maintaining a positive outlook, building a strong social support system, practicing self-care, solving problems, setting realistic goals, focusing on what you can control, learning from setbacks, and persevering through challenges.
You can show kindness by performing small, thoughtful actions like smiling, saying "thank you," holding a door, or offering a genuine compliment.
You can also show kindness by being a supportive friend, sharing your time through volunteering, and donating to charity.
As we celebrate Harvest time, it's a great opportunity for us to come together as a community and support those in need. We're excited to share that at Maybury, we will be collecting food items for the Woking Foodbank, which helps thousands of families right here in our local area.
The Woking Foodbank does an incredible job in providing essential supplies to families who are facing tough times. As a school, we have the chance to make a real difference by contributing to this important cause.
We kindly ask each child to bring in one non-perishable item from the list below. This will all come together in a whole-school assembly on Monday, 29th September, where we’ll celebrate our efforts and the impact we can have on our community.
Woking Foodbank have provided a list of items:
· Tinned meat meals/fish
· Tinned veg/fruit
· Cooking oil
· Milk (UHT or powdered)
· Spreads
· Fruit juice (long-life)
· Long life puddings
· Nappies size 7 & 8
· Toiletries/toilet paper
· Instant mashed potato
We hope this initiative will help our children learn the importance of kindness and community spirit. To find out more about how your donation will help our community take a look at the Woking Food Bank website at www.woking.foodbank.org.uk.
Thank you for your generous support! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
The wellbeing of our teachers is a top priority, and we believe it is crucial to provide them with the opportunity to relax and recharge outside of their working hours. Therefore, we kindly request that you refrain from emailing the class email between 6:30pm and 6:30am or over the weekend .
We understand that communication between parents and teachers is essential, and we value your involvement and engagement in your child's education. However, by respecting these boundaries, we can collectively create a healthy work-life balance for our educators, enabling them to continue providing the high-quality education our school.
We encourage you to plan your communications accordingly, aiming to send any non-urgent emails during the school day, ideally between 8:30am and 6:30pm from Monday to Friday. By doing so, we can ensure that our teaching staff have the necessary time to respond to your queries and concerns effectively, while also striking a balance between their personal and professional lives.
We sincerely thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and ongoing support in implementing this policy. It is through our collaborative efforts that we can safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community. If you have any urgent matters that require immediate attention outside the designated email hours, please do not hesitate to contact the school office directly.
As you may know, we have made a concerted effort to transition away from printed materials in order to save paper and help protect our environment. By receiving information electronically, you not only stay informed about vital school activities and communications, but you also contribute to a more sustainable future for our community.
If you have previously unsubscribed from our email list, we would be grateful if you could consider resubscribing. By doing so, you will ensure that you do not miss out on any important updates about your child's education, school events, and other relevant announcements.
To resubscribe, simply follow the instructions provided below:
How to Resubscribe to school emails:
Enter the email address and select I'm not a robot
A message will be displayed Successfully resubscribed
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that lunches are currently free for Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students under the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. For children in Years 3 to 6, the cost of a school lunch will increase to £3.00 per day / £15.00 per week from September 2025. We would appreciate it if you could ensure that your child has sufficient funds in their lunch account. Please can we remind parents that school dinners should be paid for in advance. Please ensure that payment for the week ahead is made by the Monday morning.
Please click here to view the menus via our school website - School Meals
If your child would like to change from a packed lunch to a school dinner or vice versa, please contact the school office to advise of the change. Please note changes can only be made at the beginning of a term.
Please be reminded that we are a nut free school. Please do not send your child to school with any food containing nuts, for example Nutella / nut chocolate spread, Peanut butter, Peanut chocolate bars (Snickers) or nut cereal bars etc. If you are unsure please visit the school office to pick up a healthy lunch leaflet.
Please see below for PE days for the AutumnTerm
The children will need to wear their correct PE kit on their PE day. Correct PE kit consists of:
· Sky blue Maybury t-shirt
· Navy blue or black hooded jacket
· Navy blue or black jogging bottoms
Trainers (only lace up if your child can tie their own laces please)
If your child has recently borrowed spare clothing from school, in particular children in Reception class, year 1 and year 2 please can we ask that these are returned. We have a washing machine onsite so you can be assured that any items returned are washed as needed.
We are also looking for donations of spare clothing such as underwear, leggings, jogging bottoms in small sizes such as ages 4 - 8. Please either hand into the office or to the class teacher. Thank you for your support.
The Surrey Attendance Service, acting on behalf of Surrey County Council may issue a Penalty Notice as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child’s unauthorised absence from school and require the recipient to pay a fixed amount.
Circumstances when a Penalty Notices may be issued
1. Pupils identified by police and Surrey Attendance Advice Officers engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.
2. The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, state that Head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Head teacher is required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.
Where a child is taken out of school for 10 sessions or more and the ‘leave of absence’ is without the authority of the head teacher, each parent is liable to receive a penalty notice for each child who is absent. In these circumstances, a warning will not be given where it can be shown that parents had previously been warned that such absences would not be authorised and that they will be liable to receive a Penalty Notice if the leave of absence is taken.
3. The issue of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where a pupil has incurred 10 or more unauthorised sessions during the preceding 10 school weeks. The parents’ failure to engage with supportive measures proposed by the school will be a factor when considering the issue of a Penalty Notice. Unauthorised absence will include late arrival after the close of registration without good reason.
4. Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours when they are excluded from school. This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion. Failure to do so will render the parent liable to a Penalty Notice. If the Penalty Notice is not paid, the recipient will be prosecuted for the offence under Section 103. Alternative education provision will be made from the sixth day of any exclusion and failure to attend such provision without good reason will be treated as unauthorised absence.
With the exception of unauthorised leave of absence taken in term time (Paragraph 2 above) parents will be sent a ‘Notice To Improve’ their child’s attendance, warning them of their liability to receive such a notice before it is issued.
Amount Payable Under a Penalty Notice: The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
1. If a parent/carer has not incurred a penalty notice relating to the relevant child/children since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.
Advice and support is available from an Attendance Advice and Intervention Officer (AAIO) by contacting your local Education Office as follows:
North West - Tel: 01483 518130 South West - Tel: 01483 517179
North East - Tel: 01372 833588 South East - Tel: 01737 737777
Swimming is a very important skill for your child to learn. Please read this fascinating article from the Swim England website on why your child should learn to swim.
You can find local swimming lessons by visiting the poolfinder website
Please bear in mind that all of these dates are subject to change
Autumn Term 2025
2nd September 2025 to 19th December 2025
Half Term 27th October 2025—31st October 2025
Spring Term 2026
5th January 2026 to 27th March 2026
Half Term 16th - 20th February 2026
Summer Term 2026
13th April 2026 to 21st July 2026
Half Term 25th May 2026 to 5th June 2026
(Please note May half term will be for 2 weeks)
INSET Days (School closed for training)
Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Monday 5th January 2026
Monday 20th July 2026
Tuesday 21st July 2026
Friday 27th March 2026
Equality
This half term’s value is Equality. Through this value children explore their own and others individual needs and identifies. Children will talk about how everyone should have an equal chance to reach their potential regardless of characteristics such as gender, race, religion or disability. At home you can:
Talk about your child's unique qualities and those that they share with other family members and friends.
Encourage an environment where they can celebrate their differences.
Research the lives of famous civil rights activities such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens or Malala Yousafzai.
Books you could share at home
Early Years
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
Resilience
This half term’s value is Resilience, the ability to bounce back after hard times or disappointment. Resilience develops when children experience challenges and learn to deal with them positively. You can support children to become resilient by:
Sharing stories of your own setbacks and how you overcame them.
Praising children’s efforts when they keep trying.
Encourage them to try new activities.
As a parent, it can be difficult to watch your child struggle, but it important that they solve problems themselves. You are their greatest cheerleader!
Books you could share at home
Early Years
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2