23rd October 2026

Regular school attendance is one of the best ways to help your child succeed. When children come to school every day, they keep up with their learning, build confidence in their skills, and develop good routines that set them up for the future. Every day at school matters—it helps your child stay on track and get the most out of their education.

It is also important to arrive at school on time. If a child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Below is a graph showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time over one academic year.

The school has been made aware of recent closures of sections of pavement on Raleigh Road. We share the concerns raised by several parents about children and families having to potentially walk in the road as a result of this. We have contacted the construction company, Hill, and raised our concerns about the potential risk to pedestrians that these blockages may cause.

Dear parent or carer,
We are writing to let you know about a change to the way the council provides
support with food costs during school holidays. This follows a change in the rules
around how government funding can be used.
The final FSM supermarket voucher will take place in the December 2026 school
holidays. After that point, FSM supermarket holiday vouchers will end for the rest of
this financial year, with a further decision for the Easter 2027 school holidays onward
to follow.
What support will be available instead?
More details will follow in due course, but if families require immediate support, this may include:

• Cost of Living information and guidance on our website

• Crisis payments from the Crisis & Resilience Fund

• Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) information for school holidays

If you have any questions about the information in this letter, please contact us at

The information below will answer some of the questions you may have about the
changes that are happening to free school meal holiday supermarket vouchers from
December 2026.

FAQ

1. What is changing?
   The council will stop providing free school meal (FSM) holiday supermarket vouchers
   after the December 2026 school holidays. After that point holiday vouchers will end
   for the rest of this financial year, with a further decision for the Easter 2027 school
   holidays onward to follow. More information will be provided nearer this time.
2. Why are FSM holiday supermarket vouchers being stopped?
   FSM holiday supermarket vouchers are currently funded through a government
   grant. The grant has rules about how it can be spent. It does not enable the Council
   to continue providing FSM holiday supermarket vouchers indefinitely.
   Instead, the council is expected to:
   * Target support to people that are in financial hardship, with
   * An assessment need for any crisis support provided.
   Support for families in need will not stop. The Council will still help with food and
   essentials when families are in financial hardship. Instead of providing universal
   support with holiday supermarket vouchers, the Council will offer alternatives where
   appropriate or practical.
3. Is the council ending support for families who need help with food?
   No. The council will continue to support families who are experiencing financial
   hardship, including help with food costs.
   What is changing is how support is provided, not whether support is available.
4. What about children who have free school meals at school?
   Schools will continue to provide free school meals in the usual way during termtime
   for pupils who are eligible for benefit related FSM.
   The change is only to school holiday supermarket vouchers. Children who receive
   education in settings other than at school (EOTAS), will also continue to receive
   term-time support for food in the same way.

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

Twenty-five years of dedication to one school is something very special, and this term we are delighted to mark that milestone for Michele Woollacott. Over her years at Ashton Gate, Michele has given so much to our children and our wider school community, becoming a much-valued part of school life. An anniversary like this is a chance to recognise all the daily care, encouragement and hard work that make a lasting difference. Michele, thank you for everything you have contributed to our community since joining us in 2001. We are very fortunate to have you as part of the Ashton Gate team!

Just a reminder that there will be a Meet and Greet for Reception parents on Wednesday 4th November. This will take place at 2.30pm in your child’s classroom. Your child’s teacher will go through a short presentation on curriculum and experiences in Reception and you will have a chance to ask questions and look around their classroom. The children won’t be in the classroom at the time, they will be having a lovely time elsewhere in the school.

Bristol City Council active travel came in today for an assembly and to give prizes for ‘bikoween’ . Thank you to everybody who has cycled or scooted to school this week.

Well done to our golden lock winners too.

EY & KS1 were joined this week by Sue Lancaster, author of “Why no Rhino”, as part of the Storytale event taking place at We the Curious this weekend.  Sue read the story and then talked to the children about her journey to becoming an author”.   The children asked Sue brilliant questions!

KS2 were joined by Michelle Worthington who is an Australian Author who read Ruby’s Repair Cafe. Michelle dialled in from Australia at midnight her time and also spoke to the children about what inspired her to become an Author.

Thank you so much for all your kind harvest donations. It has been collected today and gratefully received.

Year 1 & Year 2 are really short of spare leggings, shorts and pants. If you have any spare we would really appreciate it.

A big thank you to everyone who supported our autumn raffle and quiz night. Together, we raised over £450 from the autumn raffle and an amazing £750 from the quiz night!

That’s more than £1,200 going into the PTA pot to support our school and children.

We’ll be sharing more over the coming weeks about how we plan to put the money raised to good use. Thank you for coming along, buying tickets and supporting our events – it really does make a difference!

Got any branded school uniform in clean, good condition that your children have grown out of?

We’re planning a second-hand uniform sale after half term, with the date to be confirmed. It’s a great chance to clear some space at home, help another family and give good quality uniform a second life rather than sending it to waste.

If you have any suitable uniform you’d be happy to donate, please bring it to the office on either Ashton or Upton site.

Have you checked your child’s school bag for their Christmas artwork order card?

The Class Fundraising shop is now open, so you can order personalised Christmas goodies featuring your child’s artwork – a lovely way to keep their creations or give a unique Christmas gift.

Orders must be placed by Wednesday 4th November. Even better, 20% of every order goes straight to the PTA, helping us raise more money for our school.

Can’t find an order card? Don’t worry just yet! Your child’s card may have been left at school (or be hidden inside a book or soggy in a coat pocket!). If you still can’t track it down, you can use this link – make sure you tick the ‘I can’t remember the email’ box on the first page. This takes you to a second form, which will allow you to find your child’s design.

Unfortunately, some children were absent on the day the artwork was created, so it is possible that your child doesn’t have a design this year.

Happy Christmas shopping, and thank you for supporting the PTA!

Our annual Christmas Fair is taking place on Sunday 6th December at the Ashton site – so pop the date in your diary!

It’s one of our biggest fundraising events of the year, helping us raise money for the school and the things that make a difference to our children. We’d love to see lots of families there for some festive fun.

We’ll share more details nearer the time, including what’s planned on the day and how you can get involved on the day.

GET THE FACTS. FEEL MORE CONFIDENT

Papaya Parent Talks has been given more than 2,000 times in schools across the UK. Nothing beats attending in person, but not everyone can make one.

So we’ve turned it into a free, 10-minute experience on your phone.

Facts: how childhood has changed

Solutions: what we can do about it

Change together: how parents can make a difference

Get The Smartphone Lowdown

Two years ago, this felt impossible

The Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact 

Families across the country are now choosing to delay smartphones. See exactly how many are doing it at Ashton Gate and at other local schools  – down to your child’s year group.

Pop in your postcode and have a nose around:

No smartphones before 14. No social media before 16.

The more families who wait together, the easier it is for everyone.

If you’ve decided to delay giving your child a smartphone, the next question is almost always: “But what phone should we get instead?”

Try the new SFC phone finder: 

Created after extensive research into child-friendly phones by SFC parents, it’s 100% independent – no brand can pay to appear – from simple brick phones to more modern phones:

Ashton Gate SFC What’s App group:

Join in the conversation with other Ashton Gate parents who are delaying smartphones:

Last week, Mrs Dowlman attended the Community Leader Breakfast at Ashton Park School. Along with Ashton Park and Southville Primary School, we are actively working alongside local community leaders to explore how we can further serve, support, and develop our wider community through the “Cradle 2 Career” project.

At the breakfast we heard from Graham and Heather, representing “Grassroots Communities”, who spoke about an exciting opportunity for our local families and children in Greville Smyth Park.  

Grassroots Communities supports everyday people and communities to make changes from the grassroots and up!

For example, they are looking into an exciting opportunity to create a Community Hub and Cafe from an unused toilet block on the edge of Greville Smyth Park.

This short survey will help shape the initial proposal.

More about Grassroots

• Develop a free, open access youth club for 8-19 year olds and creative space for 19-30 year olds
• Venue hire service and a cafe; supporting the community and funding sustainable youth work
• Contribute to Greville Smyth Park and wider BS3 community e.g. public toilets, youth activities and community venue
• Create social, employment and training opportunities

Why?

• Bedminster and Southville doesn’t have a free, open access youth club, and hasn’t done since 2004
• A third of BS3 is under 30 years old, equating to over 4,000 people
• In 2025 the Government launched the first National Youth Strategy in a decade, creating a once in a lifetime funding opportunity to develop places and spaces for young people
• There are large developments planned or underway across BS3, means the need is only going to grow. Please complete the survey above, to have your voice about this exciting local opportunity! 

Sing Start! at St Mary Redcliffe

Looking for a fun musical activity for your child?

Sing Start! is our free singing group for children aged 5-7, designed to develop confidence, creativity and a love of music through singing and games.

No previous experience is needed. Just bring enthusiasm and a willingness to have fun!

Children will:

Build confidence through singing

Make new friends

Develop musical skills in a supportive environment

Take their first steps into one of Bristol’s leading church music programmes

Wednesdays 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Best of all, it’s completely free.

Contact Joe Cryan, Director of Music, for more informaiton

Wednesday 11^th November from 3-4.30pm 

Upton site Main Hall

We would like to invite parents to a drop-in session with the school Nurse Team and school Pastoral Learning Mentor focusing on children’s emotional health and wellbeing.

Please come along to the Upton Hall for tips and strategies for supporting your child’s emotional health and wellbeing.

Please remember to order your child’s lunch before 10pm on a Wednesday. If your child only has a meal once a week, you will still need to book this.

We are still having a lot of children who do not have a lunch booked with no packed lunch. Please remember the default meal is always salad bar. No other option will be available.

Please remember not to order a school lunch if your child is on a school trip, where a packed lunch is required. If you have already booked a meal for this date, the meal can be cancelled by the payer until 10pm on a Wednesday for the following week. As all food is pre-ordered there will be no refunds issued for non-cancelled meals.

A reminder that we are a nut free school. Please do not send your child to school with snacks/packed lunch with items containing nuts. This includes items such as Pesto, filled crepes and chocolate spread.

We are now on Facebook. Please like our page, we will be using this page to celebrate events and learning moments taking place across the school. We encourage you to invite other parents and family members to join as well, so that too can be part of our vibrant school network. Rest assured, our Facebook page will prioritise the privacy and security of our children. We will follow all the necessary precautions and guidelines to protect identities and ensure a safe online environment.

Studybugs is no longer in use. Please record any illnesses/medical appointments using the Arbor parent portal app. For planned absences please complete the online form on the attendance page of our website.