This week we are very proud of all of the children who earned their Headteacher Award! Keep up the good work.

https://nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sun-Safety-Policy-May-2026.pdf

Nettlesworth Primary School is concerned about protecting staff and pupils from sunburn and from skin damage that can be caused by the harmful ultra-violet rays in sunlight. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the country. As sunburn and almost all skin cancers are caused by the sun, it is possible to prevent this happening. We believe that by encouraging sun safe behaviour at school and teaching children about the risks of sunlight, we can prevent them burning and contribute towards preventing skin cancer. We would like your help and support in this matter. We will be encouraging children to avoid sunburn and overexposure to the sun by:

• seeking the shade, particularly during the middle of the day
• wearing suitable hats or caps
• wearing clothing that protects the skin, particularly for outdoor activities and school trips
• using a high factor sunscreen (SPF 15+).

Staff will be encouraged to set an example. Some children are at greater risk of sunburn than others. Fair skinned, freckled children who burn easily are most at risk from overexposure to the sun and need to take great care when out in the sun. Teachers and support staff on playground duty or in charge of school outings will remind those most at risk of burning to cover up in the sun and use sunscreen. Staff will also encourage children to drink plenty of water. You can help by encouraging your child to bring, and wear, a hat at school, particularly on sunnier days and during sports day and any school trips. The school will remind parents of the sun safety policy from time to time (on our school website), particularly around the start of the summer term, sports days, and outings. Sunscreens provide added protection and may be useful when other measures are not available. Dermatologists recommend that a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above will provide children in this country with adequate protection. We encourage parents to provide sunscreen for this purpose and encourage children to protect themselves from the sun. One way of doing this is to use sunscreen at the appropriate time. If a child is to use sunscreen at school, parents are asked to:

• Provide the sunscreen product for school use.

The sunscreen must be:

o Clearly marked with the child’s name.
o Replenished by the parent as needed.

The child must be able to apply his or her own sunscreen (except Reception children) and not to share it, as some children may have an allergy.

• For Reception parents:

o You are asked to apply sunscreen at home before a typical school day, this will be reapplied as necessary by staff. If it is considered necessary for teachers/staff to assist with the application of sunscreen, the sunscreen will only be applied to face, neck, arms, hands and lower legs.

Please note that we do not permit the use of aerosol sprays.

Many Thanks

Donna Lee

Well done to Bobby, who earned the Player of the Week award at his local football club! Lovely to see children achieving awards outside of school!

Well done to the children who earned their TT Rockstar or Lexia award this week! Keep up the good work.

Well done to all of the children who earned their Headteacher Award this week!

Thursday 23rd April 2026

Dear Parent/Carer,

 Parent Governor Vacancy 

I am writing to let you know that we have two vacancies for parents on the Governing Body of Nettlesworth Primary School and to explain in a little more detail about what the role involves.

The Role of Governors 

Everyone says that the role of governors is increasingly important, especially with the increasing independence of schools as well as the increased scrutiny and accountability of schools and school leaders.

As Governors we are not there to manage the day-to-day running of the school – that is the job of the Principal. We are there to do three main things:

(1) To help set the vision and strategic direction of school;

(2) To hold the Principal to account for the school’s performance;

(3) To monitor the curriculum provision and teaching and learning in school .

Another common way of putting the role of governors is to say that our job is to provide a healthy mix of support and challenge.

The skills and qualities needed by Governors 

Recent Government guidance on appointing and electing governors says:

‘All governors need a strong commitment to their role and to improving outcomes for children; the inquisitiveness to question and analyse; and the willingness to learn. They need good inter-personal skills, appropriate levels of literacy in English and sufficient numeracy skills to understand basic data.’ 

 We have a range of backgrounds including: school and higher education, civil service, finance, and human resources.

Time Commitment 

We meet as a full governing body once a term, ie three times per year. The meetings run at school.  In addition to the meetings, we require governors to come in to school, usually in the school day over the course of the year. These visits usually focus on an aspect of school development. We try to attend various school events and may be called upon for other tasks such as: sitting on senior appointments panels or giving particular attention to a specific issue or policy. As well as these activities there is quite a bit to read and most importantly there is an expectation that Governors will attend training sessions in order to ensure that they are up to date on such things as: school performance data; finance; special educational needs; keeping children safe at schools etc. A comprehensive induction programme is provided.

A term of office is for four years.

Eligibility 

Anyone who has a child on the roll of the school at the time of the election is eligible to stand (and you do not have to resign if your child leaves during your term of office).

If you are still interested after reading all the above, I would encourage you to consider putting yourself forward as a candidate. If you would like to speak with me about the role I can also be contacted via the school office.   .

If you do wish to put yourself forward then you need to complete a nomination form, which can be collected from school or delivered.

Election Process 

If there are more than three candidates an election will be held and this will take place.  More details will follow on this.

I hope this is helpful in helping you decide whether or not you wish to stand as a Parent Governor in order to play your part in helping Nettlesworth Primary not only to retain its very high standards but to be part of the school’s development.

If you are interested in this vacancy, please can you let us know by Thursday 7th May 2026.

Yours sincerely,

Donna Lee

Head Teacher

A massive well done to all of our children who have achieved excellent levels of attendance this term.

Our whole‑school Easter egg competition was a fantastic celebration of creativity and teamwork. Every child designed and decorated an egg in school and proudly entered it into the competition. The effort and imagination on display were wonderful and every entry was truly egg‑cellent!

Thanks to the generosity of our PTA, every child was a winner and received a delicious Easter egg for taking part.

To make the competition even more special, the children took on the important role of judges by looking at another class’s entries. They carefully selected a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each class, showing kindness, fairness and respect for one another’s designs.

Well done to all of our creative pupils for their fantastic entries, and a huge thank you to the PTA for supporting this lovely Easter tradition.

We were amazed by Tom’s diary he had written, using computer software! He had used such a wide range of vocabulary and it was lovely to see how proud he was of himself! Well done 🙂

We are so proud of all of the children who have earned their Lexia and TT Rockstar awards this week. It is lovely to see you are all working hard at home and school. Keep up the good work!