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Posted on: December 20th 2019

A Message from Mr Nation

I cannot believe how quickly this term has passed. It has been an incredibly busy and successful Autumn Term with much to celebrate. 

I’d like to start with a huge thank you to parents, carers and loved ones for your continued support of our wonderful school. The school’s attendance figure for this term is 97.01%, the highest in at least three years. This means much more consistency for the staff and children of Castle School and clearly has a direct (positive) impact on your child’s/children’s learning. Let’s keep this up for the Spring and Summer terms.  My thanks to Rev. Annie Gurner for her support at different events this year. Whether it was coming into school for assemblies based on our values, supporting at community events or welcoming the Year 1 children to church for their project, we’re grateful for her time and effort. Rev. Annie led a wonderful Christingle for our Year 5 and Year 6 children at St Mary’s Church and the local Co-Op were kind enough to provide us with oranges for our Christingles having received letters from the children. 

Earlier this term, the Year 5 and Year 6 children attended Stanchester for a drama workshop. I was told that the children were exemplary and had an amazing experience. Their skills were put to the test for their end of year Christmas play which was written by Mr Penn. It was a significant piece of work that helped teach the children the importance of Christmas; to spend time with family, loved ones and help those in need. 

This week, the children had their Christmas lunch, Christmas parties and attended the recreation ground in readiness for a visit from Santa via Helicopter. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit a safe landing. Nevertheless, my thanks to the parent who helped organise this for the children (and staff!) and to those who assisted walking the children to the (nearly) landing zone!

Finally, my thanks to the Friends of Castle School  (FoCS) who have helped with potting plants, have supported at Christmas performances, provided discos for the children as well as organising and running our annual Christmas Fayre. Well done FoCS for all you’ve done for Castle Primary School this term. 

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy spending time together as a family and cherish those dear to you. 

 

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Castle teacher privileged to join Parliamentary ambassador programme Posted on: 9/02/2024

Castle teacher privileged to join Parliamentary ambassador programme

Congratulations to Mrs Abbott, a teacher from Castle Primary School in Somerset, on her successful application on to this year's UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador course. Mrs Abbott was one of only 70 teachers from across the UK who were successful in their application and has recently taken part in the three-day programme in London. Mrs Abbott watched debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords, learnt more about the role of MPs, Lords, doorkeepers and select committees. She toured the palace, met fellow teachers, and had the unique opportunity to quiz Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, and his counterpart in the Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith.  Sir Lindsay said the three-day programme ‘offers a great opportunity for politicians and teachers to share their experiences’. He said: “In my view, you are never too young to get involved in democracy and to make things happen – so giving teachers an insight into our world is a great way to pass that message back to the classroom.” Frances Abbott, teacher and Senior Mental Health Lead at Castle School said: 'It was an absolute privilege to attend the Parliament Teacher Ambassador course. I am brimming with ideas and knowledge and look forward to sharing with students and staff in our school and community.” Fran Jeens, UK Parliament’s Head of Education and Engagement, said: “I congratulate this year’s successful applicants and thank them for their support in inspiring and engaging young people with the work of the House of Commons and House of Lords.”Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
A message from Mr Morton Posted on: 11/12/2023

A message from Mr Morton

How else could I start my newsletter other than to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to thank you all for the support, kindness and goodwill that you have shown to us here at Castle Primary School. A huge thank you to Castle Farm for, once again, donating our beautiful Christmas tree and also for kindly donating the cider to make the mulled cider that I hope you had an opportunity to sample? A massive thank you must also be given to FoCS for everything that they do to enhance and enrich our school experience for all of the children and staff. You are amazing!!! Despite the floods and relentless rain we have managed to keep up our high Christmas spirits and to share most of our celebrations with you in person (Seesaw carols coming to a small screen near you soon!). I challenge anyone to have not felt overwhelmingly Christmassy after meeting Humph and the rest of the cast of the Drogo/Corfe nativity. Who knew that the story of Christmas could be told from the perspective of a grumpy camel! I can’t wait to experience the Dunster/Tintagel debut performance of ‘One more sleep’. A play that has been written and directed by our very own Mr Penn. Sadly, we couldn’t persuade him to also star in it too. Stoke today Holywood tomorrow!!! Speaking of Holywood, we are so proud of our school council and head girls and boys as they represented our school on BBC1 Spotlight news. They spoke eloquently about how we, as a school, can make a big difference to our local and global communities. If you missed it or want to share it with friends and family then please click on or share this link: Castle children on BBC1 Spotlight News As we ready ourselves for a new chapter in our school’s history, we say a fond farewell to The Redstart Learning Partnership and welcome our alliance with The Cabot Learning Federation. We would like to say thank you to Mrs Suzanne Flack and all of the team that have worked tirelessly over the past 9 years to ensure that our children have been able to access the highest educational standards with love and equity for all.  All that is left for me to say is stay safe, have a merry Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you all back on January the 3rd 2024.  Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
A message from Mr  Morton Posted on: 4/09/2023

A message from Mr Morton

Welcome back everyone!   We hope that you have all had a restful summer break and enjoyed lots of new adventures and relaxing days. We are grateful to have such nice weather for our return to school, allowing the children the chance to get outside and catch up with their friends and have a run around. It is a shame that we didn’t have this weather during the holidays but we will embrace it while we have it. Winter is coming!   The children have all settled back into school life seamlessly. Everyone is enjoying their new classes and they all look so smart in their new school uniforms. I have had the pleasure of complimenting many of them on their new…everything! It is a good time to remind everyone to please ensure that all items of clothing and objects that come into school have a clear name label on them. It helps us to return misplaced items swiftly to their rightful place.   Staffing updates:   We have had confirmation from Mrs Sandiford (from her rooftop garden!) that she is safely in Egypt and loving her new job and accommodations. We are not jealous at all!!!!   We welcomed Miss Raybold’s little baby girl, Marlee, into the world. We look forward to many cuddles over the coming weeks.   Mrs Staniland underwent major surgery over the summer break. She is well and recovering at home. She wanted you all to know that she is on the mend and looks forward to seeing everyone around the village again soon. Until she is back up and working I have continued my split headship role over the 2 schools. I’m sure you will join us in wishing her a speedy recovery.   We officially welcome Miss Hill to our teaching team as the Totnes class teacher. She is off to a flying start and we can’t wait to see the exciting experiences she will enrich our school with over the year.   We also welcome David Seccombe and Emma Logan to our school site maintenance and cleaning team.    Lots to take in within only 2 days of school so far… We will soon be sharing many more school events and letters from the class teachers and FoCS about all of the amazing events and learning experiences we have planned over the coming term. Please do come and say hi on the playground anytime for a catch up or chat. I look forward to our exciting year’s adventure together.     Mr Steve Morton     Head of School  Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
A message from Mr Morton Posted on: 18/07/2023

A message from Mr Morton

As I write the final newsletter of the school year, I think back on all of the challenges and adventures that we, as a school, have faced and overcome this year. With each memory I can feel my smile growing wider. For every hardship there has been a happy ending and for every obstacle there has been a new route to discover and they have led us to new adventures.  Our school is a special place and home to a wealth of marvellous minds and creative thinkers. Every child, parent, member of staff and member of our wider village community has made each day here special and filled my heart with memories of happiness. For that, I thank you all.  As the Year 6 children prepare for their next adventures into the big world of secondary school, I know that they will share my thoughts about our school and I know that they too have an abundance of happy memories to see them on their way. They are all amazing young individuals who are destined for greatness. Good luck Year 6 and we wish well. We must also say a huge thank you and farewell to Mrs Sandiford, Mrs Morris and Mrs Staniland as they begin their own new adventures next term and congratulations to Miss Raybold as she prepares to welcome her new arrival over the summer holidays. We can’t wait to meet them in September. All that is left for me to say is thank you to everyone for everything that you have done for our school, our children and for our staff this year. You are all amazing people. Enjoy your summer break and I look forward to welcoming you all back in September.  Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
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