Message from Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of a wonderful half term, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the many successes we have celebrated together as a school community.
Harvest Celebrations
Today we enjoyed a fantastic Harvest Assembly presented by our Year 3 children. They taught us so much about the importance of sharing, caring for others, and building strong communities, both locally and across the wider world. Their message was thoughtful, inspiring and a reminder of the values we strive to live by every day at Ash Grange.
Following the children's lead, we launched our Harvest Appeal with a challenge to collect 400 items of food. I am delighted to say that this challenge was not only met but exceeded. Together, we have collected over 400 items of food.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed. These donations will be distributed to local families and food banks, and we are incredibly grateful for every single item received.
Cake Sale Success
A huge thank you to everyone who donated cakes for our Harvest Cake Sale. It was such a success that we actually ran out of cakes!
Special thanks must also go to the group of Year 3 parents who kindly volunteered their time to sort, bag and organise the cakes, as well as run the sale itself. We are incredibly grateful for your support.
The cake sale raised an amazing £318. As a school, we have matched this amount, bringing the total to £700, which will be donated to the British Red Cross Nepal Crisis Appeal. We are proud to support this important cause and thankful for the generosity of our school community.
Changes to Exhibitions
Over recent weeks, we have been reflecting on how our exhibitions are organised and the impact they have on our children. As a result, we have decided to move to a termly exhibition model with more after school opportunities.
Exhibitions will now take place at the half-term point of each term, with the next exhibition scheduled for February half term.
To make these events more accessible for families, exhibitions will run over four days: Monday to Thursday after school. This will provide parents with more time to enjoy and celebrate their children's learning while minimising disruption to classroom routines.
There will be no morning exhibitions. For some children, particularly our younger pupils, saying goodbye after parents have visited during the school day can be difficult. Holding exhibitions after school will help create a calmer and more positive experience for everyone.
We also recognise that there are many events throughout the year, and we want to ensure families can enjoy them without feeling overwhelmed by competing commitments.
Parent Lunches
You may have seen in the calendar a change to how we are doing parental lunches this year. Due to our increasing pupil numbers, there will be one Parent Lunch per class, per year. These events will run from January through to July, with approximately one event taking place each month.
These lunches provide a special opportunity for a parent, grandparent or relative to enjoy a meal with their child during the school day. To ensure each event remains manageable and enjoyable, lunches will be organised by individual class rather than key stage.
Please note:
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The lunch is for children in the specified class only.
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Siblings will not join the event.
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We want this to remain a special occasion focused on that particular class and child.
Moving to class-based lunches will help create a calmer environment and allow us to accommodate potentially 30 visitors for that class.
The dates have been published on the school calendar and will be live on Scopay for booking.
Parking Working Group
After half term, I will be inviting interested parents to join a Parking Working Group.
This group will work alongside school staff, local residents, highways representatives and the wider community to explore solutions to the ongoing parking challenges around the school.
By working together and combining ideas, we hope to develop a practical and sustainable plan that improves safety and consideration for everyone.
If you are interested in being part of this group, further information will follow after half term.
Thank You
It has been a wonderful half term. Our children have settled brilliantly, worked incredibly hard and achieved so much already this year. We are extremely proud of everything they have accomplished.
I would like to thank our dedicated staff for their unwavering commitment, our amazing children for being such superstars, and our parents and wider community for the genuine partnership and support you show every day.
Together, we make Ash Grange a truly special place to learn and grow.
I wish you all a restful and enjoyable half term break and look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 2nd November 2026.
Kind regards,
Mrs Curtis
