Head Teacher Update

As we approach the end of the Autumn Term and look forward to the festive season, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership. It has been a term filled with learning, laughter, and memorable experiences that truly reflect the spirit of our school and it’s incredible community.

From creative classroom projects to exciting events like our winter sleepover, Halloween trail, and Witton’s Got Talent, the children have shown incredible enthusiasm and resilience. Their curiosity and joy have been at the heart of everything we do, and I am so proud of the progress they have made. Our staff have worked tirelessly to provide rich learning opportunities and ensure every child feels valued and supported—something that makes our school such a special place.

As we prepare for Christmas, the school is buzzing with festive cheer, it’s wonderful to see the children embracing these traditions with excitement. However, we know that children are at their best when in routine and things remain calm and settled.  For this reason, we will be continuing to follow our usual timetable right up until the end of term.  We appreciate your support with this aspect; continuing to encourage reading, the completion of homework, learning number facts and most importantly excellent attendance are the key components of success at school.

Your child will bring home their end of term report next week.  This will outline their current position against age-related expectations shown as working towards, at or working above the expected standard for this stage in the school year.  Teachers will also share an A, B or C grade to represent your child’s behaviour, effort and progress this term.  Please take time to read the report and discuss it with your child.  If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the grades with your child’s teacher, please don’t hesitate to contact them.

There’s a lot of information in the newsletter below including updates from the classrooms and about events we’ve staged in the last half term.  I hope you enjoy them.  Please take a moment to check the diary dates included in this newsletter so you don’t miss any of the upcoming events for the Spring.

On behalf of all the staff, I wish you and your families a joyful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Thank you for being part of our journey—together, we make our school a warm and welcoming place for every child to thrive.

Warmest wishes,

Shawn Laws

Staffing Update

We are thrilled to welcome Miss Corcoran back into our team following her appointment earlier this term.  Miss Corcoran completed her apprenticeship with us last year and when interviewed was an exceptional candidate for the teaching assistant position we advertised.  Miss Corcoran will work across the school supporting a range of children; I have no doubt she has a successful career ahead of her.

I am delighted to inform you that Miss Varley is also pregnant with her second child.  Her baby isn’t due until the summer, so Miss Varley will stay with us until that point, but I hope you will join me in congratulating her on this wonderful news.

Finally, soon after the Christmas holiday, we will wave goodbye to Mrs Redfern, who will leave to have her baby.  Mrs Foster has been practising bigger numbers and learning more sounds to prepare for teaching Class Two – I know that the children will be in very safe hands and that they will continue to thrive in Mrs Foster’s care.  Miss Brown is also very excited to take on responsibility for Class One and I look forward to supporting her journey as an Early Years Practitioner.  We are lucky to have such wonderful staff who are ready to rise to any challenge.

Halloween Trail

For Halloween, this year at WASCLS we held our first spooky Halloween trail on our school field where the children had to hunt for pumpkins hidden in the trees.

The trail started with a spooky maze then onto the zombie stepping stones and into the witch’s den.

The children then made their way through the ghost tunnel and skeleton graveyard and then took part in different games such as zombie eyeball toss, throw the hoop over the witch’s hat and pumpkin tic tac toe.

Finally, the children enjoyed a game of crazy monster golf followed by a tasty s’more.

We all had a great night and hoping to make making this an annual event for the children to enjoy.

Thanks to everyone who supported the night.

Christmas Shopping Night

Our Christmas shopping night was lots of fun.  Children from across the school stayed back extra late for a range of Christmas activities.  Thanks once again to everyone who took part and supported the event.

Class Three – Y3 and Y4

Class 3 have had a wonderfully busy and exciting term since September, throwing themselves into learning across English, History, DT, Maths, Science, PE, and beyond. It has been a joy to see their enthusiasm and creativity shine through in every subject.

In English, we explored the thought‑provoking book 10,000 Dresses, which helped us focus on grammar and sentence structure while also encouraging discussions about identity and imagination, and we were inspired by Nen and the Lonely Fisherman to craft our own fantasy stories filled with vivid characters, magical settings and adventurous plots.

Linking beautifully with our History and DT work, we travelled back to the Stone Age, discovering how tools improved over time, writing detailed descriptions of what everyday life might have been like, and even building our very own version of Stonehenge out of biscuits, which was both a challenge of engineering and a delicious treat!

In Maths, we concentrated on place value and multiplication, recognising how important it is to learn our times tables, and pupils have worked hard to spot number patterns, solve problems, and grow in confidence with their calculations.

Science has been especially hands‑on this term: we studied bones and teeth, created our own model of teeth to understand their different functions, and investigated how muscles work using lollipop sticks to show movement and flexibility.

More recently, we have turned our attention to sound, learning that it travels through vibrations, and we tested this knowledge by making string cup telephones and experimenting with them in the school yard, which was both fun and fascinating.

Our PE lessons have been varied and energetic, ranging from netball to swimming and dance, giving pupils the chance to develop fitness, teamwork, rhythm, and confidence.

A highlight of the term was our trip to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle, where we took part in a bones workshop and examined real artefacts from the Stone Age, bringing our classroom learning to life in an unforgettable way.

As we wrap up this settling‑in term, we are excited to perform our Christmas Nativity, The Fleece Force, which promises to be a joyful celebration of music, drama and teamwork. As we move into the new year, we look forward to beginning our study of the Egyptians, exploring their fascinating culture and achievements, and visiting Low Barns to continue our journey of discovery in nature. This term has been full of curiosity and creativity!

Dates for Your Diary