Ashton Gate Primary School Newsletter

We are excited to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 5th March at Ashton Gate Primary School! Children are invited to come dressed as a favourite book character or a favourite word — dive into the dictionary, discover some new vocabulary, and get creative with costumes inspired by language.

Mystery Readers Wanted!

We would love to welcome parents, carers and family members to join us as mystery readers and share a story with their child’s class. The only rule… keep it a secret from your child to make it a special surprise! If you would like to take part, please contact your child’s class teacher.

Do You Work with Books?

We are also looking for volunteers who work in the world of books. Are you an author, illustrator, publisher, editor, proofreader or graphic designer? We would love you to come and speak to the children about your job and how books are created.

If you are interested, please get in touch with your child’s class teacher or:

• Kady (EYFS/KS1)
  [email protected]
• Rosie (KS2)
  [email protected]

We can’t wait to celebrate the joy of reading together!

Children’s Mental Health Week is coming up on 9th-15th February , with the national theme “This is My Place”, which highlights the importance of belonging and the role it plays in children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Throughout the week, children will take part in age-appropriate activities and discussions that encourage them to reflect on what helps them feel safe, valued and included at school — and how we can all help make our school a place where everyone feels they belong.

EY & KS1 Parents Evening will take place on Monday 9th March and Wednesday 11th March

KS2 Parents Evening will take place on Tuesday 10th March and Thursday 12th March. Parents Evening for 6K will be Monday 9th March and Thursday 12th March.

Bookings will open via Arbor on 12th February at 7am.

We are seeing an increase in soft toys and cards, such as Pokémon cards, coming into school. We politely ask they do not come into school. We appreciate the children may be bringing them in for After School Club, however please remind your children they must stay in their bag or be handed into a class teacher.

Next term, Year 3 will be studying the work of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui and creating artwork inspired by his use of recycled materials. To support this project, we would be very grateful for donations of plastic or foil bottle tops, kitchen or toilet rolls, and egg boxes.

Please could these items be brought into school by the first week of Term 4. Thank you for your support!

Our DT project this term is to create cars out of cardboard as we have been learning about mechanisms.

We still need some sturdy boxes for the children such as shoe boxes so if you have any please send it in with your child.

We will also require help when we are making these cars so if you could spare some time in the last week of term to volunteer please get in contact with your child’s class teacher. 

Beech- Thursday 12th February

Elm- Wednesday 11th February

Cherry- Tuesday 10th February

If you are a volunteer please arrive by 9.00 am so we can start promptly at 9.10 . You will be able to leave by 10.10.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support.

 Year 1 team

We are delighted to invite all pupils aged 4–18 to take part in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, one of the UK’s most prestigious art competitions.

Each student may submit one artwork. There is no set theme, giving pupils complete creative freedom. When submitting, participants will be asked to include:

• The title of their artwork
• The size of the piece
• A short piece of text explaining what or why they created the work and what it means to them

The artwork can be made using any material; it can be a painting, sculpture, photograph, installation, video, drawing or a combination.

Selected artworks will be featured in the Royal Academy of Arts online exhibition, with some pieces also being displayed in person at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Artwork can be submitted individually (the school is already registered), and the deadline for submissions is 4th March 2026.

For support or further information, please speak to:

• Mrs Carkeek – EYFS / KS1 Art Lead
• Miss Rivers – KS2 Art Lead

We encourage all young artists to get involved and share their creativity on a national stage!

On Saturday 28 February from 11.00am to 4.30pm, Bristol Cathedral is hosting their annual Chorister for the Day event for Year 4 pupils and parents.

The event is an opportunity for musically-inclined children in Year 4 to get a taste of what being a Cathedral Chorister is like, while also giving the parents information on the immense and measurable benefits of chorister education and life. As a probationary chorister they would remain at your primary school until the end of Year 6, joining Bristol Cathedral Choir School in Year 7 and becoming full choristers.

The day includes a singing workshop; a tour of the Cathedral; Q&A sessions with music staff, BCCS, and the choristers themselves; and a fantastic opportunity to join in singing Choral Evensong with the Cathedral Choir. It is free to attend and lunch is included. The booking deadline is Sunday 23 February.

The attached flyer includes further information, and you can book your place on the day here below, or email the Cathedral’s Music & Liturgy Officer, Tim Popple at [email protected].

We are excited to announce that the School has been awarded a Very Good Travel Award.  Modeshift STARS is the Centre of Excellence for the delivery of Effective Travel Plans in Education, Business and Community settings.  The STARS Education scheme recognises schools and other educational establishments that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable and active travel.  

Bristol Parent Carers have a range of upcoming sessions.

Sessions are designed to be supportive and accessible for parent carers of children and young people with SEND. 

Sessions are delivered by experienced professionals and organisations who understand the realities families face.

Your Neurodiverse Child and Sleep

• Tuesday 10^th February, Online
• 7PM-8PM
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/your-neurodiverse-child-and-sleep-tickets-1857804024849?aff=oddtdtcreator

Gaming and SEND: Balance, Benefits and Beyond

• Thursday 12th February, Online
• 6:30PM-8PM
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gaming-and-send-balance-benefits-and-beyond-tickets-1857816813099?aff=oddtdtcreator

Developing your Pre-school and Primary aged Child’s Language Skills through every day conversations

• Thursday 26^th February
• St Anne’s House, BS4 4AB
• 10AM-1PM
• Lunch provided
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/developing-your-childs-language-skills-through-every-day-conversations-tickets-1864809729099?aff=oddtdtcreator

An Introduction to Makaton

• Tuesday 3^rd March, Online
• 7PM-9PM
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introduction-to-makaton-tickets-1864910620869?aff=oddtdtcreator

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.

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.