School Letters
Mother's Day Cream Tea
Wednesday 26th March
Adults £6 each & Children £4 each
Cream tea with homemade scones,
jam and cream served with tea or coffee.
Chocolate muffins and squash for the children.
All proceeds raised will go towards
resources for the school.
Raffle on the day (cash only)
Closing date for Booking Friday 21st March
Children's Mental Health Week Challenge! 🌈💬
Let's celebrate Children's Mental Health Week by connecting with our kids through fun, meaningful activities! Try one or more of these daily challenges to strengthen your bond and support their well-being. 💕
One: Talking and Listening
🗣️ Challenge: Spend 10 minutes at bedtime asking open-ended questions like, “What made you smile today?” Then, really listen.
Two: Taking an Interest in Their Interests
🎨⚽ Challenge: Join your child in an activity they love—draw together, play their favourite sport, or simply ask them to show you what they’re passionate about.
Three: Laughing Together
😂 Challenge: Share a silly joke, watch a funny video, or make goofy faces. See who laughs first!
Four: Asking About Their Favourite Things
🌟 Challenge: Over dinner, ask about their current favourite book, game, or song. Bonus points for trying it out together!
Five: Playing a Game
🎲 Challenge: Play a board game, card game, or even a quick game of hide-and-seek. Let them choose the game!
Six: Singing and Dancing
🎶🕺 Challenge: Turn up the music and have a family dance party or karaoke session. No judgment—just have fun!
Seven: Looking at Photos
📸 Challenge: Go through old family photos/video
clips together. Share stories and let them ask
questions about your childhood.
Which challenge will you try first?
Can you do more than one challenge a day?
Let us know how it goes 🌟
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have been informed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of a potential risk for individuals with peanut allergies. The FSA has warned that foods containing mustard, mustard powder, or mustard flour may have been contaminated with peanuts. These ingredients are often found in items such as dips, sauces, salads, and pre-packed sandwiches. You can see the information from the FSA here.
Given the severity of peanut allergies, the FSA is working diligently to identify affected products. In the meantime, we want to ensure that all our families are aware of this potential risk so that those with peanut allergies can take precautions to stay safe.
As a nut-free school, we take this matter very seriously. Therefore, we have decided to temporarily remove all foods containing mustard, mustard powder, or mustard flour from our lunch menus and from The Nest menu, until the situation is fully resolved.
This may require changes to some pre-planned meals for this term.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us keep our children safe. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to either of us via email admin@eastwichel.swindon.sch.uk.
Mrs. Hole
The Nest Manager
Mrs. Baker
Catering Manager
Adults £6 each & Children £3 each
Cream tea with home made scones, jam and cream served with tea or coffee.
Chocolate muffins and squash for the children.
We will also be holding a raffle.
All proceeds raised will go towards resources for the School Garden and Forest School.
Please book and pay by Friday 27th September.
Completed slips and money should be handed into the school office.
We have a limited number of places so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Dear Parents and Guardians
I hope this letter finds you well. Your children are having their Transition Afternoon (10.7.2024) with their new teacher and classes this afternoon.
To maintain consistency and provide the necessary support, we informed all the children about their new classes at the same time and in the same manner. We will be using this method every year moving forwards as this approach minimised any anxieties and allowed us to address any concerns or worries for all children in a supportive environment. During the afternoon, we shared transition stories to help children understand and feel more comfortable with the changes ahead before spending the afternoon in our new classes with their new teachers.
Some classes have remained the same, while others have been mixed. Where classes have been mixed, our teachers have thoughtfully considered each child's key friendships and spoken with them individually to ensure they feel reassured and supported.
We are unable to accommodate requests for specific teachers but have taken on board feedback from the previous year so far.
We understand that change can sometimes be unsettling, but please be assured that we have put considerable thought into every aspect of this transition. Our goal is to make it a positive experience for every child.
I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you of some staffing updates.
We are grateful to our lovely Miss Abraham, who will remain with us until Mrs. Fabian returns from maternity leave in the new year. And we welcome Mr. Morton, who has recently joined our team in Key Stage 1 and will be teaching in Year 1 this September. Some of you may have already met Mr Morton as he is working with Mrs Daly currently.
Teachers for 2024-25
Reception
Wales Class – Miss Thompson (Team Leader)
Scotland Class – Mrs Suida
Year 1
Spain Class - Mrs Daly (Team leader)
France Class – Mr Morton
Year 2
Sweden Class – Miss Tinker Miss Abraham/Mrs Fabian
Greece Class – Miss Abraham/Mrs Fabian
Year 3
Gambia Class – Miss Gough (Team leader)
Egypt Class – Miss Sharland
Year 4
China Class – Ms Hardy
India Class – Mr Sawyer
Year 5
Mexico Class – Mrs Pavey (Team Leader)
Japan Class – Miss Martin
Year 6
New Zealand Class – Mrs Biddiscombe
Brazil Class – Mrs Riddell
If your child is absent from school today their class teacher will let them know which class they will be in once they are back in school.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warm regards,
Paula Phillips
Head Teacher
East Wichel Primary School and Nursery
Dear Parent or Carer 24th June 2024
PARENT GOVERNOR ELECTION
A vacancy has arisen for a Parent Governor on our school’s governing body and we are writing to invite nominations to fill this vacancy. Please do think about becoming a governor or encouraging others to volunteer.
Parent Governors are welcomed as valued members of the Governor team and play an important role; the governing body works together as a group, meeting at least once every half term. Together we are responsible for the strategic direction of the school, promoting high standards of educational achievement and ensuring resources are used to maximum impact.
Life as a governor is interesting and varied and we feel sure that there are parents prepared to take on this important role and give their time and commitment to helping us to continue to improve the school’s performance.
Training and support will be available to help you develop into the role. This will include in-house mentoring and support, as well as access to external governor training. Those new to being a governor are expected to attend induction training. The term of office for parent governors is 4 years. For further information about the role, please get in touch with the Co-chairs on Chair@eastwichel.swindon.sch.uk and they will be happy to help.
If you would like to stand for election, please complete and sign the enclosed nomination form and return it to the school office by no later than 12 noon on Friday 12th July 2024
If you wish you can include a few details about yourself and why you would like to become a governor (not exceeding 100 words). This will then be circulated to all parents to help them decide who to vote for if an election is required. You do not have to complete this section, but if you don’t you may put yourself at a disadvantage if there is an election. An election, by secret ballot, will be held if more nominations are received than the number of vacancies. If an election is needed, details of the procedure will be sent to all parents.
Nominations must be from parents or carers with children at the school on the day that nominations close.
The enclosed sheet summarises the disqualification criteria to serve as a governor. Anyone standing for election must certify that he/she is not disqualified for any reason. Parents/carers who have paid employment in the school for 500 hours per academic year or more, or who are elected members of the Local Authority are not eligible to stand in these elections.
Yours faithfully
Laura Parnham & Matthew Corps
Dearest families,
We are absolutely delighted to share the results of our recent OFSTED with you.
There are five categories:
- Quality of education
- Behaviour
- Personal development
- Early Years
- Leadership and management
and we have been judged as outstanding in every single one of these!
Under the new challenging framework, this represents a significant achievement. We are bursting with pride and happiness to share this news with you - and especially after such a challenging past few years.
Please can I say a huge thank you to the staff and governor team for their love, dedication and commitment to their roles. And thanks also to you for your ongoing support and to your wonderful children!
There is an old African proverb which states: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’
Together we are so strong and we can achieve so much.
I enclose the PDF copy of the report and it will be uploaded by OFSTED onto their website within 8 working days.
Please do share the report with others to spread the word about our lovely school!
And rest assured that we will continue to develop and grow – always aiming to be the very best that we be!
Happy reading and we hope you have a wonderful weekendJ
Warmest regards
From an absolutely beaming Paula Phillips J