World Book Day – Stories that Add Up

On Thursday 5th March, the children at Newdale will be celebrating World Book Day, alongside NSPCC Number Day.

Children will enjoy a range of fun activities that combine the magic of stories with the power of numbers. They can:

  • Take part in maths-themed reading challenges
  • Solve story-based puzzles and problems
  • Explore books that bring maths to life

Dress-Up Theme:
Children are welcome to dress as their favourite book character or get creative with a maths-inspired costume (numbers, shapes, patterns – let their imagination run wild).

Finance and Personnel Governor Involvement

The Finance and Personnel Governors met on 9th February. They listened to a data update from the assessment lead and then focused in particular on Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) eligible pupil data. They were reassured that PPG children have a strong focus this year through targeted interventions and pastoral support.

The Governors examined this year’s budget closely, along with the year‑end predictions for next year. They discussed the ongoing pressures created by the high number of pupils with complex needs and the impact this continues to have on the budget.

They also reviewed the proposed staffing structure for next year and were satisfied that it reflects what the school can afford while remaining aligned with the needs of the school.

Curriculum Governor Involvement

The Curriculum Governors met on 3rd February. The Child in Care Lead Teacher began by giving a detailed overview of the current situation in school and the extensive work taking place to support children who have experience of the care system. Governors then spoke sensitively with a child from this group and were pleased to hear that he feels safe and very well supported in school.

They also spoke with five other children and were reassured that they were receiving the support they needed to achieve and thrive.

The Governors received an update from a member of the Maths team and look forward to following up on several actions over the next few meetings.

Finally, the Governors reviewed performance data comparisons and were pleased to see that Newdale ranked highly in terms of the percentage of pupils achieving expected standards. Absence levels were also very favourable.

Red Nose Day – Friday 20th March 2026

Newdale will once again be taking part in Red Nose Day on Friday 20th March 2026.

Children are invited to dress down for the day and wear red if they wish.

Details on how to donate will be shared closer to the date.

Please see link below regarding how to purchase a red nose.

The Red Nose | Comic Relief

Please note that school will not be selling red noses.

 

Thank you

Safeguarding, Health & Safety Governors Involvement

The Health and Safeguarding governors met last week and spent a lot of time looking at the important topic of E safety. They received an update from our E safety lead which included hearing about our filtering and monitoring systems, our E Safety risk assessment and AI usage. They then went onto to interview a group of Year 6 pupils. They were impressed with the knowledge these children had in how to stay safe online.

The Governors also looked at our first aid procedures and checked our staff Single Central Record (SCR). They concluded the meeting by feeding back from their previous parent voice session linked to safeguarding. They plan to repeat this session in order to gain more feedback.

Untitled

The Mighty Oaks children have been working incredibly hard and achieving lots of goals, from becoming Star Players to earning Star of the Week. We’ve been focusing on developing both fine motor and gross motor skills through a range of fun, physical activities, exploring movement and coordination in lots of exciting ways.

Support Newdale Primary on Easy fundraising

Newdale has been part of Easy fundraising since September and has already raised an amazing £99.11—all through everyday online shopping. This is a fantastic start, but with more families involved, we can boost this total even further.

Did you know that every time you shop online—whether it’s your weekly groceries or your next holiday—you could be generating free donations for Newdale Primary School & Nursery? Over 8,000 retailers are ready to give back, including eBay, Argos, John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and every penny makes a difference.

🛒 How it works

  1. Click this link: Support Newdale Primary on Easyfundraising
  2. Create your account (it only takes a minute).
  3. Start your online shopping through Easyfundraising and choose from thousands of retailers such as Tesco, M&S, John Lewis, Amazon, eBay, Argos and many more.
  4. Each time you shop, the retailer sends a free donation to Newdale Primary School.

It really is that simple—no catch, no extra cost.

📈 Why join?

• Help fund school trips, visits and valuable resources.

• Turn your usual online shopping into meaningful support.

• The more people who sign up, the more our school benefits.

👉 Sign up today and support Newdale: Click here to join Easyfundraising

Together, we can raise vital funds for our children’s learning and experiences—just by doing the shopping we already do.