We are delighted by the incredibly high demand for the wide range of sports clubs, teams, and activities we offer at Ashgate Primary. It's wonderful to see so many of our pupils keen to get involved!

Understanding Club Demand

We want to give you an insight into the numbers we often face when allocating places:

• For many of our most popular clubs or team selection events, we can sometimes receive around 90 requests from pupils wishing to attend.

• Unfortunately, due to safety, resource limitations, or team size requirements, some of these activities may only have as few as 6 places available, particularly for sport team events.

This high level of interest inevitably means that we simply cannot offer a place to every pupil who applies.  It can be the case that a child is offered more than one opportunity to attend a club or activity if there are spare places or when someone drops out of a club.

Our Allocation Process

We want to assure you that we do everything we can to be fair. We work hard to ensure that places are offered out as evenly as possible across the pupil body to give everyone an opportunity to participate over time.  This however, is not always possible or appreciated.

Given the disparity between the number of applicants and the places available, we understand that not everyone will always be happy with the outcome.

A Note of Thanks for Our Staff

Finally, we want to take a moment to thank our dedicated staff.  A significant number of activities are organised and run by teachers and support staff who give their time freely before school, at lunch, and after school.  Many schools charge for such clubs and events, we however fund what we can on your behalf, with most activities being free of charge.

Their commitment is what allows us to offer such a varied and exciting program, and we are incredibly grateful for their efforts.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our school activities.

Sincerely,

Mr Seargent

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This email is an urgent communication regarding the use of the school car park during drop-off and collection times.

The car park on school grounds is designated exclusively for staff use only. It is not a public car park, nor is it to be used for the drop-off or collection of students at any time of the day. The only exception is for those who display a blue disability badge for the adult entering the site of the pupil themselves.

This policy is in place for several critical reasons, including:

1. Staff Access: Today, several members of staff arriving for work were severely delayed or completely blocked from accessing the school site due to parents using the car park for turning, waiting, or parking. This is unacceptable and directly impacts staff attendance and preparation for the school day.

2. Child Safety: The car park is an active area of vehicle movement by staff throughout the day, not just at peak times. Allowing multiple parents' vehicles into this area at the same time significantly increases the risk of an accident involving a child.

3. Legal Compliance: The car park is private property. Unauthorised parking or blocking access constitutes trespass and a breach of our school’s safety and property rules.

Effective immediately, we must insist that all parents and guardians adhere strictly to this rule and use designated public roads or drop-off points away from the school gates to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the school.

You are advised to check local road signage to ascertain your parking access.

For clarity, the school reserves the right to take a number of legal actions against vehicles that continue to misuse the staff car park, as this is private land. These actions may include:

• Issuing Parking Charge Notices (PCNs): While private clamping is illegal, the school can engage an accredited parking enforcement company to issue PCNs (fines) for unauthorised parking.

• Civil Action for Trespass: Persistent misuse of the private property may lead to the school pursuing civil action.

• Reporting to Relevant Authorities: In cases where vehicles are blocking access for emergency services or causing a clear and present danger, the school may contact the police for their assistance.

The safety of your children and the operational effectiveness of the school are our highest priorities. We appreciate your cooperation in respecting this vital school policy.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are writing to inform you of a safeguarding concern that may impact some families and children who are fans of the author Andy Cope (known for the Spy Dog/Spy Cat series, among others).

It has been announced that Andy Cope has been subject to a malicious cyber-attack. As a result, certain websites associated with the author, including some URLs and links that may be printed inside older copies of his books, have been hacked.

This means that if these published links are accessed, users may be directed to pages displaying malicious and highly upsetting content.

Action to Take at Home

We strongly advise any parents who own copies of Andy Cope's books to take the following preventative measure immediately:

• Remove or obscure any published website addresses, QR codes, or links printed inside the books. This will prevent children from inadvertently accessing the malicious content.

• For your own safety, you are strongly advised not to investigate or try to access these links. The content is reported to be extremely upsetting and may contain malware or viruses that could risk damaging or corrupting your electronic equipment.

School Action

Please be reassured that the school has already taken action:

• We have checked all copies of Andy Cope's books in the school library and classrooms and have removed or obscured any published website addresses or links to prevent accidental access while the books are on school premises.

While this incident is related to an external attack and not our school systems, we felt it was vital to share this information so you can take appropriate action at home to safeguard your children and protect your equipment.

If you have any concerns or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Thank you for your understanding and prompt attention to this urgent matter.

Dear Parents and Carers

The Local Authority (Derby City Council) have been aware of some alarming text messaging that are circulating communities of a concerning nature on attacks to children and young people.

Whilst the DfE have provided assurances these messages fall under disinformation; we are still mindful that messages of this nature can cause distress.

All schools have clear processes for the recording and sharing of information regarding safeguarding and these are very effective.  If you have a particular or specific concern regarding the wellbeing of children, you should continue to contact the school.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is a friendly reminder that our school uniform policy is available to view online on the school website (Key information - Policies and Documents)

A Note on Footwear

As part of the uniform policy, pupils are required to wear appropriate school shoes. We'd like to clarify a few points regarding footwear:

• Sturdy school shoes should be worn as part of the daily uniform.

• Training shoes, are not permitted, nor are crocs, flip flops or similar

• The school will, however, accept all-black footwear that is in the style of a training shoe, provided it has no visible logos or markings.

Uniform Policy and DfE Guidance

Please be aware that the school reserves the right to enforce the uniform policy in accordance with guidance from the Department for Education (DfE). If a student is not wearing the correct uniform, we may contact you and, in some cases, ask you to bring a change of clothes to school or collect your child to change at home.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support in ensuring our students are dressed smartly and are ready to learn.

Subject: A Healthy Approach to Packed Lunches at Ashgate Primary School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At Ashgate Primary School, we are committed to fostering a healthy and supportive environment for all our pupils. A key part of this is promoting healthy eating habits, which directly impact a child's energy levels, concentration, and overall well-being throughout the school day.  Trust us, if a child does not have a nutritious lunch, the impact is seen directly in the afternoon.

We kindly ask that if your child has a packed lunch you help us in this effort by providing a healthy and balanced packed lunch for your child. A healthy lunch can include:

• A starchy food like bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes for energy.

• Protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, or beans to help them feel full and build strong bodies.

• A dairy item such as cheese or yogurt for calcium.

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables for essential vitamins and fiber.

• Water as a drink to keep them hydrated.

While we do not actively inspect lunchboxes or strictly stipulate their contents, we believe that providing nutritious food is a vital part of preparing your child for a successful day of learning.

If a concern is ever raised or shared with us regarding the contents of a child's packed lunch, we may reach out to discuss this with you. These conversations are always approached with sensitivity and are aimed at ensuring the well-being and best interests of the child.

Thank you for your cooperation and for being a partner in your child's health and education.

Important Note to Parents Regarding School Reports

Dear Parents/carers

,

We are writing to inform you that school reports for all pupils will be issued at the end of this term electronically via email, as opposed to paper copies.  This is done to reduce the excessive paper used when printing and copying reports.

To ensure you receive your child's report promptly, it is vital that your email addresses are up to date in our school system.

If you have not yet provided an email address, or if your contact details have changed, please provide the correct information to the school office as soon as possible.

Please note: 

Reports will be sent to all individuals registered at the school as having Parental Responsibility for the child and for whom we have an email address.

We will send a further message closer to the release date of the reports to confirm the exact day they will be issued. If you do not receive a report after that date, please contact the school office.

What is  Parental Responsibility in a School Context (for your reference):

Parental Responsibility (often abbreviated as PR) is a crucial legal term that dictates who has the authority to make decisions and receive information about a child's upbringing, including their education. In the context of a school, having Parental Responsibility means an individual possesses all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities, and authority that a parent legally has in relation to their child.  In most cases these are the biological parents or anyone else with court issued legal guardianship.