Friday, 27 June 2025

Dear parents and carers

Staffing Changes for the New Academic Year

We're writing to let you know that Miss Hilton will be leaving Ashgate Primary School at the end of July. After 18 dedicated years of service to our school and community, she has decided to focus on new opportunities. During her time here, she has taught across many year groups, both infant and junior, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure children receive the best education available.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to Miss Hilton for her incredible commitment and the positive impact she has had on countless children's lives. Her dedication will be greatly missed by pupils, staff, and parents alike.

We are however pleased to announce that Miss Carter will be taking over Miss Hilton’s duties in Year 3/4 starting from September. We conducted a rigorous recruitment process to find the right individual, and we are confident that  Miss Carter will continue to provide excellent support and education to our pupils. Miss Carter will be working alongside teachers in the school during the remainder of this term and will be meeting her new class members soon.

Again, we wish Miss Hilton all the very best in her future  endeavours when she leaves at the end of the term and thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Seargent/Mrs Forte

Co Headteachers

NOTICE REGARDING HAIR BEADS

Dear Parents,

This letter addresses the wearing of hair beads in school. We've noticed an increase in children wearing hair beads, and we want to ensure everyone understands our guidelines, which are primarily focused on safety.

We fully support and celebrate the diverse cultural and religious practices within our school community. We understand that for many families, hair beads hold deep significance and are an important part of their heritage.

However, we've had instances where hair beads have come loose and been found on the floor. These loose beads can present a choking hazard, particularly for our younger pupils. The safety and well-being of all children are always our top priority.

Therefore, we ask that hair beads only be worn by children for whom they hold a significant cultural or religious purpose. If your child does wear hair beads for these reasons, please ensure that they are securely fastened in their hair to prevent them from coming loose during the school day.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for all students while continuing to respect and support individual family practices.

Sincerely,

Important Notice: Social Media and Messaging

Dear Parents,                                                                                                 

This note serves as a reminder that children of primary school age are not permitted to use social media platforms, including WhatsApp – access is against the terms and conditions with good reason. If your child experiences harm due to social media misuse, parents must acknowledge their contribution to that harm through them being complicit in its use.

We have observed that many, if not most, conflicts/anxieties/peer pressures among pupils are either initiated or exacerbated by messages exchanged on WhatsApp and other social media platforms outside of school hours.

There is now an overwhelming body of research evidencing the damaging impact that the use of social media/mobile phone use can have on childhood development, mental well-being, and the formation of healthy friendships.

According to a recent poll by Parentkind (March 2024), 83% of parents in the UK believe that smartphones are harmful to young people, yet 91% allow their child to own one (20% under the age of 4). It is therefore concerning that so many parents continue to allow access to something they acknowledge is known to be damaging to their child's health rather than act to prevent it.

It is vital to understand that control over access to social media and messaging platforms must reside with adults, not the child. Children of primary school age simply do not possess the cognitive maturity or life experience to effectively assess the complex risks associated with online interactions, cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, or the long-term impact on their mental health and development. As parents, you hold the crucial responsibility for safeguarding your child in the digital world.

While the school is not in a position to dictate how you manage your child's access to social media or messaging services at home, we strongly advise you to limit or block their access to these platforms and consider delaying smartphone ownership. We believe this is crucial for their well-being and to foster a more positive and harmonious school environment.

We will continue to support our pupils in resolving conflicts. However, please be aware that we will view incidents unfavourably when a parent's permission for a child to use messaging platforms is clearly a contributing factor to the issue.

Our advice is and will always be to deny access to any platform that's damaging to your child’s well-being. Parents and not the child are responsible.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

At Ashgate Primary School, we are committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and positive learning environment for all our pupils. A key part of this commitment is our zero-tolerance approach to bullying.  It is important however to make a clear distinction between bullying and childhood friendship development/conflict.

What is Bullying?

To be clear, we define bullying as 'repeated aggressive behaviour that is intended to cause harm or distress to another person, and involves an imbalance of power'. This can take many forms, including:

• Physical bullying: Hitting, kicking, pushing, or any other physical contact.
• Verbal bullying: Name-calling, teasing, taunting, threats, or offensive remarks.
• Social/Emotional bullying: Excluding someone, spreading rumours, damaging reputations, or manipulating friendships.
• Cyberbullying: Using electronic communication to bully, such as sending hurtful messages or sharing embarrassing content.

Ofsted commented in our report in 2023 'Behaviour is as a strength with bullying rare and children have confidence and trust in their teachers to support their wellbeing.'

We want to assure you that any reported incidents of bullying are taken very seriously and addressed promptly and effectively in line with our school's anti-bullying policy.

Helping Children Manage Childhood Friendships: Non bullying incidents

While we are unwavering in our stance against bullying, it's also important to acknowledge that children, as they develop and form relationships, will occasionally experience minor disagreements and fallouts. These are a normal and often valuable part of growing up and learning to navigate social interactions.

Children will, and need to experience childhood confrontation in order to be successful in building and managing relationships.  This is not the same as condoning or encouraging it; but the skills needed to manage these must be nurtured.

Examples of these minor and intermittent fallouts might include:

• Disagreements over games or toys.
• Arguments about who gets to go first.
• Temporary exclusions from a group.
• Brief moments of frustration or unkind words exchanged in the heat of the moment.

Although it can be hard, it is not always helpful for a parent or other adult to rush or jump in to assist or view/inform every fall out as an act of bullying.

Our approach to these situations is to support our children in managing them independently, where appropriate. This means we will:

• Listen to their concerns.
• Help them articulate their feelings.
• Guide them in finding solutions.
• Encourage them to develop empathy and understanding.

We believe that by providing guidance and encouragement during these minor disagreements, we are equipping your children with essential life skills. Learning to resolve conflicts, compromise, and communicate effectively are crucial for developing healthy relationships, building resilience, and managing challenges throughout their lives.

We appreciate your partnership in fostering a supportive and understanding school community. If you have any concerns about your child's well-being at school, please do not hesitate to contact their class teacher.