Today, our school was filled with colour, creativity, and countless brilliant hats as children and staff took part in a special awareness day for Brain Tumour Research. From sparkly caps and cosy bobble hats to wide-brimmed sunhats and imaginative handmade creations, every hat worn helped shine a light on an incredibly important cause.

⭐ Why We Took Part

Brain tumours affect thousands of families each year, yet they remain one of the least understood and least funded areas of cancer research. By joining the national campaign and wearing our favourite hats, we hoped to raise awareness of the vital work carried out by Brain Tumour Research and the difference it makes to people across the UK.

We are incredibly proud of our children for taking part with such enthusiasm and understanding. Thank you to all families for supporting the event and helping us highlight such an important cause. Every small action helps raise awareness—and today, our school made a big, bright contribution.

UNCRC Article 17: Children have the right to access reliable information.

What an incredible World Book Day 2026 we’ve had!

This year marks the National Year of Reading, and our whole school embraced the celebration with enthusiasm, creativity and a shared mission to ignite a lifelong love of books.

From the moment the doors opened, the corridors became a living storybook. Children and staff arrived dressed as their favourite characters—superheroes, magical beings, animals, adventurers and colourful story favourites—bringing instant joy and excitement to the day.

Throughout the school, classes took part in a vibrant mix of activities designed to show just how magical reading can be. Children enjoyed story-sharing sessions, with older pupils reading to younger ones, book recommendations being swapped, and wonderful discussions about characters and plots filling every corner.

Children explored a wide range of authors, poets and genres, discovering new favourites and deepening their appreciation for the world of stories. To round off the day, the whole school came together for the Ultimate World Book Day Quiz—an exciting finale packed with riddles, mystery extracts, character challenges and story soundtracks. The teamwork, laughter and excitement during the quiz showed just how much the children had absorbed throughout the day.

With it being the National Year of Reading, we are more committed than ever to helping every child find the books that light a spark inside them—stories that make them think, laugh, imagine and dream. World Book Day wasn’t just a celebration; it was a launchpad for a year filled with reading adventures across all genres. Thank you to all our families for the effort that went into costumes, conversations about books at home, and supporting children on their journey as confident, passionate readers. Here’s to a wonderful Year of Reading and many more stories yet to be discovered.

Happy reading, everyone! 📚✨

KS1 & EYFS Celebration

UNCRC Article 14 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

This week, our EYFS and KS1 children joined together for a wonderful shared learning session to celebrate Chinese New Year 2026 – the Year of the Horse. The children learned about the origins of the Chinese zodiac and how the twelve animals earned their places through the traditional zodiac race story. They were especially excited to find out what makes the Horse such an important and symbolic animal in Chinese culture.

To deepen our understanding of this special celebration, the children took part in a range of hands-on activities. We enjoyed a fantastic food‑tasting experience, trying a variety of traditional Chinese dishes and exploring new flavours and textures.

The children also got creative with themed crafts, making paper lanterns, Chinese dragons, and paper‑plate horses. These activities helped bring the celebration to life and gave everyone a chance to express their creativity while learning about Chinese traditions.

UNCRC Article 14 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

This week, our EYFS and KS1 children came together for a wonderful shared learning experience all about Shrove Tuesday and its importance within the Christian faith.
We talked about why Christians traditionally make pancakes on this day and how it marks the beginning of Lent—a time for reflection, kindness, and thinking of others.

We were also lucky to enjoy a careers encounter with Sarah from the Chartwells team, who showed us how pancakes are made. The children were fascinated watching the ingredients being mixed, the batter poured, and the pancakes flipped! After the demonstration, everyone had the chance to enjoy their own pancake in celebration of this special day.

There were plenty of delicious toppings to choose from, and the children loved creating their own tasty combinations. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about a religious tradition, explore a real-world job role, and enjoy a festive treat together.

UNCRC Article 24: Every child has the right to the best possible health.

As part of Children’s Mental Health Week, the children explored this year’s theme, “This Is My Happy Place,” by reflecting on the people, places, and experiences that help them feel safe, connected, and valued. We focused on the idea of belonging—understanding where we feel we fit and what supports our wellbeing.

Class 1

The children in Class 1 created their own personal belonging maps, choosing to include places, groups, activities, or even non‑physical spaces — such as feelings, memories, or moments — where they feel most at ease. This activity encouraged them to recognise what contributes to their happiness and emotional security, while celebrating the uniqueness of everyone’s happy place.

Class 2

We joined a whole‑school assembly all about Belonging and talked about how everyone is important in our school community. We also worked with the amazing Piece of Mind team to create our very own worry monsters to help us share our feelings.

Class 3

Class 4

Class 4 spent time reflecting on what makes us unique, identifying the qualities we appreciate most about ourselves and the people who help us feel a sense of belonging. We discussed the teams, friendships and personal strengths that make us feel connected and valued. This activity encouraged us to recognise our individuality while celebrating the supportive relationships and communities that help us thrive.

Class 5

In Class 5 the children have been exploring what it truly means to belong, thinking about the different places, groups and communities that make us feel accepted, valued and understood. They have discussed how belonging can give us confidence and comfort, and how everyone’s experience of belonging might look and feel slightly different. Through stories, reflection and class activities, the children have considered where they feel most at home—whether that’s with family, friends, school or clubs—and why those spaces feel special. They are learning that belonging isn’t just about being present somewhere, but about feeling included, respected and connected to others.

We are delighted to let you know that the Pudsey Run medals have now arrived and have been presented to the children. The children were incredibly proud to receive them and it was a lovely way to celebrate their fantastic efforts.

Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful Nettlesworth Primary School children who participated and the community for your generosity and support. Thanks to you, an unbelievable £3,673.80 was raised — an amazing achievement that will make a real difference.

Thank you for supporting the children and helping to make this event such a success.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent E‑Safety Coffee Morning and for taking the time to complete the questionnaires. We really appreciate your feedback and engagement.

Following the responses, we have put together a helpful advice sheet for families which includes:

• Practical tips for reducing and managing screen time at home
• Guidance around safe messaging, including information about the ‘Stars’ app, which some children may be using to communicate with friends

The advice is intended to support you in having positive conversations at home and helping children develop healthy, safe digital habits.

The advice sheet will be shared with you shortly / is attached to this email. If you have any questions or would like further support, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our children safe online.

This week, we are delighted to be celebrating National Storytelling Week 2026 in school. Storytelling plays a vital role in developing children’s imagination, language skills and love of reading, and the children have been enthusiastically taking part in a range of creative activities linked to stories.

As part of our Go All In Reading Campaign 2026, all classes have enjoyed Music for My Story workshops. These sessions encouraged children to explore how music can bring stories to life, helping them to express characters, settings and emotions in new and exciting ways. The workshops supported children to deepen their understanding of stories while building confidence, creativity and enjoyment.

We are proud of the children’s engagement and enthusiasm throughout the week and thank you for your continued support in encouraging reading and storytelling at home.

UNCRC Article 14 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

During our visit to the Reform Synagogue in Newcastle, we learned more about Judaism and the importance of the synagogue as a place of worship for Jewish people. The children explored key features of the synagogue and discovered how it is used for prayer, learning, and community gatherings.

We also learned about some of the most important Jewish festivals, including how they are celebrated and why they hold special meaning within the religion. The pupils were especially interested in the various religious artefacts we were shown.

A highlight of the visit was seeing the huge Torah scroll, beautifully written by hand on parchment. Everyone was amazed to hear how long it takes to write a Torah and how carefully it must be treated.

To finish our experience, we enjoyed tasting grape juice and challah bread, foods often associated with Shabbat, giving the children a lovely, hands‑on insight into Jewish tradition.

Today our school was drowning with denim and kindness as we celebrated Jeans for Genes Day! Pupils and staff proudly wore their jeans to raise awareness and funds for children affected by genetic disorders.

From classroom discussions to creative activities, our children learned about the importance of inclusion and compassion — all while helping to make a difference. Together, we raised £52 for this fantastic cause!

A huge thank you to our amazing families for your support and generosity. 💫