Andoversford Primary School

On Monday 17th November, Willow Class will be visited by PC Leah Davis.

PC Davis is one of Gloucestershire Constabulary's Youth Engagement Officers and was our SchoolBeat officer last academic year. She is coming in next week to give a very important lesson on Online Safety.

More information on PC Davis' visit to Willow Class next Monday can be found in the letter attached to this article.

Please can all parents and carers who drive to school remember to park in the village hall car park and enter school via the back gate.

We have noticed an increase in those who drive to school using the layby and front gate. As a result, it is creating a more hazardous environment in the mornings. It also may prevent important school transport, for example buses taking the children to trips, from parking in the layby where they are required to park.

Please do keep this in mind if you drive to school and help us to keep our school community safe and running smoothly for all.

Thank you for your cooperation and support. 

I am writing to introduce myself as the newly appointed Chair of Governors for Andoversford Primary School. My name is Liz Newman, and I recently joined the Governing Board, along with three other new governors: Debbie Harvey, Terri Craske and Benny Cribbins. It is a privilege to take on this role in such a welcoming and close-knit school community, and I am very much looking forward to working with you, our staff and, most importantly, our children.

At Andoversford Primary School, our school vision is:

“We create an enriching environment with a sense of belonging, which nurtures children’s curiosity. Our goal is that all learners leave us as resilient, self-motivated individuals, ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.”

This sense of belonging, curiosity, resilience and self-motivation lies at the heart of everything we aim to do. The values of Achievement, Self-belief, Perseverance, Innovation, Respect and Enjoyment (ASPIRE) underpin this vision and are visible throughout everyday school life.

As a Governing Board, our role is to support and challenge the school’s leadership to ensure that all pupils receive the best possible education in a safe, nurturing and inspiring environment. Governors work strategically, focusing on areas such as pupil achievement, safeguarding, school vision and values, financial oversight and staff wellbeing. We do not manage the day-to-day running of the school — that remains the responsibility of the Headteacher — but we work alongside the leadership team to ensure the school continually grows and thrives.

We are proud to reflect on the continued strengths of our school, particularly the positive attitudes shown by pupils, the dedication of our staff team and the strong sense of belonging that helps every child feel supported in their learning. The school’s focus on developing resilient, curious learners through the ASPIRE values continues to be a real strength of our community.

With several new governors joining the Board this year, including myself, we are working hard to form a united, effective and forward-looking team. We are actively engaging in governance training delivered through Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) and national bodies to strengthen our strategic approach, ensuring we offer informed support and challenge that will help the school continue to thrive.

Over the coming year, we will be focusing on:

• Supporting the school’s continued drive for high-quality teaching and learning

• Promoting the wellbeing of pupils and staff as a key priority

 • Strengthening our partnership with parents and the wider community

• Upholding a rich, engaging curriculum that reflects our rural context while preparing pupils for the wider world

We truly value the partnership between school, home and the wider community, and we know that children thrive when this partnership is strong. We warmly encourage parents and carers to continue supporting the school in any way they can — whether by attending events, celebrating pupil successes, joining in fundraising activities or simply sharing positive encouragement with their children. Governors are committed to being visible members of the school community, and you will see us attending school events where we look forward to meeting families and hearing your thoughts. If you ever wish to speak with a governor, please feel free to approach us at events or contact us via the school office — we are here to listen.

If you would like to learn more about myself or our new governors, you can find further information in the ‘Governors’ section of the school website.

If you are curious about our role, interested in future involvement or simply want to learn more about governance, please feel free to contact us through the school office.

Thank you for your continued support of Andoversford Primary School. It is a privilege to serve this community, and I look forward to working together to help every child continue to grow, learn and shine.

With best wishes

Liz Newman

Chair of Governors (on behalf of the Governing Board)

We warmly invite our Willow Class parents and carers to join us for our Celebration Assembly taking place next Friday 21st November at 1:15pm. 

This year, parents and carers from each class will have the chance to join us for a Celebration Assembly.

We are kicking off with Willow Class! 

Come along and listen to some of the lovely achievements we will be celebrating as a school. 

We hope to see you there!  

Please could you make sure that your child always has the correct PE kit in school, especially on Thursdays and Fridays which are the regular days for our PE sessions. This is the kit list for this term -

• House colour logo PE shirt
• Black shorts, leggings, skort or jogging bottoms.
• Trainers 
• Red logo hoody
• A drawstring PE bag

It would also be helpful if any earrings could be left at home on those days.

Thank you for your support.

Mr Allen.

Dear parents and carers,

We warmly invite you to join us for our annual Friends and Family Christmas Lunch in school, taking place on Wednesday 17^th December. Our Christmas lunch is always a popular event in the school calendar and it is a wonderful opportunity to be together ahead of the end of term and the start of the Christmas Holidays.

Meals must be pre-ordered with Caterlink. If you would like to join us, please use the link below to order your Christmas Lunch. Children's Christmas lunches should be ordered in this way too. You will need to include all children and adults who will be attending the Christmas Lunch when you submit your form.

Please note, that there is no regular school lunch on this day. If your child/ren are having a Christmas lunch, it must be ordered in advance and cannot be ordered on the day. 

Please could you submit any adult orders and your child/ren’s orders by Tuesday 18^th November.  We have a strict deadline from Caterlink to submit our numbers, so if you’d like to attend, please ensure you have completed your form before this date so that you don’t miss out on the celebrations.

We look forward to welcoming you at our festive lunch!

Christmas Lunch Order Form 2025 – Fill in form

We’re pleased to let you know that Andoversford Primary School has partnered with Atom Learning, the leading Key Stage 2 learning and 11+ preparation website, to provide free KS2 learning to primary school children who are eligible for Pupil Premium. Eligible students will receive access to Atom Home for free (normally £575.90 a year).

Atom Learning is a child-centric alternative to private tuition that we believe is a non-stressful and enjoyable way of making progress at KS2 and, when relevant, preparing for exams. There is a 5-day free trial of Atom available for families who are not eligible for the free offer too. 

What is Atom Home?

Atom Home is an online learning and exam preparation platform for ages 7-11.

Covering English, maths, science, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, children can practise 11+ questions and explore learning resources, mock tests, video tutorials, and exam preparation materials.

Do you know someone who is eligible?

If you know someone whose child is preparing for the 11+ or is in need of extra Key Stage 2 learning support (they do not need to be attending Andoversford Primary School), please share this link with them: https://atomlearning.com/pupil-premium/primary-schools

After completing the form on this page, their primary school will receive a notification to verify their pupil premium eligibility. Once confirmed by their school, their Atom Home account will be created.

This week is Nursery Rhyme Week! Did you know that we use Little Wandle Foundations with our pre-school pupils? It helps us to introduce them to sounds and rhymes before they start phonics and make sure they develop a love of all things reading! 

The resources for parents are brillliant - you can find a selection of videos with different nursery rhymes so that you can join in at home. For parents of children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 there are also lots of useful videos or games that can help with phonics and reading too!

Take a look here: For parents | Letters and Sounds

The Governing Board have an important role to play in school. The role of governors in UK schools is to provide strategic leadership, working with the school leaders to ensure the best possible education for pupils. 

Every year, governors collect parent views with a short survey. We would be grateful if you could complete this survey before Friday 21st November at 12:00 noon. Please share your views and help the board with their work:

Andoversford Primary School Parent Survey – Fill in form

Thank you!

Headspace are offering some FREE workshops to support parents in the local area. 

Sam Stocken is running 3 sessions and parents can come to one or more. Join Sam for a relaxed and welcoming evening where parents come together to share experiences, celebrate what’s working, and explore fresh ways to support children’s wellbeing and behaviour.
Perfect for all school parents with children in years 5 - 9 (ages 9 - 14)  looking to build confidence and connection beyond the school gates.

The dates are 17^th November, 15^th December, and 19^th January 7pm – 8:30 pm at Stow Baptist Church.

Parenting Classes to Help You and Your Child Thrive - FREE — HeadSpace

Our first parent coffee club of the year is being held next week. Join us to talk about what's new in the world of education!

Just before half term, Miss Packer and Mrs Bradley-McKay visited The Cotswold School as part of the secondary transition project the cluster schools have been collaborating on. It was a great chance to see the next steps for our pupils and the skills they need to have by the time they leave us. As a school, we have been working on Independence and Ready for Learning skills for quite a while, but this visit allowed us a sneak peek at those skills in action. This month we have been revisiting our whole school progression of skills so that we can make sure children gain the right level of independence at each stage, so that they are ready to thrive when they leave us. All the little steps we take right from the Early Years all contribute to the overall picture. 

Pop along to the coffee club on Tuesday morning to have a more detailed look. This session will be a great opportunity to discuss how we build executive functioning - or life skills - through a child's time at Andoversford. 

We are also delighted to invite anyone joining us to stay and take part in the Remembrance Assembly. If you have any ideas for future topics we might like to discuss at the parent coffee club let us know!

As you may know, we are a healthy school, which means we do not permit cupcakes, birthday cake or other sugary snacks to be brought in to school on a child's birthday.

We understand that children want to celebrate their birthdays with their peers, so in place of sweet treats, parents are able to buy a birthday book for the whole class to enjoy instead!

How it works

You can purchase a book from your child’s class Amazon Wish List. Each class has its own Wish List and these are updated at regualr intervals by the class teachers.

Your child can have fun by selecting a book from the list that they think their class will enjoy. Once they have chosen, you can buy the book for the school.

When their chosen book arrives, we put a special book plate in it, which tells the class who the book was donated by in celebration of their birthday.

It is a very lovely way to celebrate a child’s birthday in school and it is a lasting memento that can be enjoyed time and again by all the children. 

Wish Lists

To see your child’s class Wish List, click the links below:  

Ash Class Wish List

Oak Class Wish List

Beech Class Wish List

Willow Class Wish List

Thank you for your continued support.