Dunalley Primary School eNewsletter

It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome everyone back to school and pre-school and nursery this week. Your children are quickly adjusting to their new routines and are already learning, achieving and having fun together.

We are also delighted to welcome new families to our community. We look forward to getting to know you all in the coming weeks and sharing Dunalley life with you.

We’re excited to extend a warm Dunalley welcome to the newest members of our team:

Teaching Teams: Jolene Clarke, Lucy Hunting, Liz Lockhart, Rachel Millin, Jen Morris, Elise Taylor Huby
Child & Family Support: Emily Alway, supporting families across Dunalley
OPAL Team: Hannah Spiers, Hayley Slee, and Chris Cordell
Caretaker: Dean Surman

We’re so pleased to have each of them join us, we are already enjoying the energy, care, and skills they are bringing to the Dunalley community.

Our teachers really enjoy working closely with families and are always happy to catch up when needed.

The easiest time for a quick chat is usually at the end of the school day, once the class has been safely dismissed, so please just wait until your child’s teacher is free before approaching. Sometimes they may need to dash off to a meeting or after-school club, so it’s not always possible to talk straight away—but if that happens, they’ll be in touch as soon as they can to arrange a time that works for you.

If you’d like to book a meeting in advance, just drop the school office an email at [email protected] and we’ll happily help sort this out.

For shorter messages at the start of the day, feel free to jot them down and either send them in with your child or hand them to a member of staff on duty at the main entrance or field gate. They’ll make sure the note reaches the teacher once the children are settled in.

The main entrance

This is the drop off point for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (and their older siblings).

To make the morning drop off smoother for our younger children, from Monday, we ask that all families who drop children at the main entrance at 8.40am follow the one-way system shown below.

This will make the entrance less chaotic for the children and aid a steady flow of families on and off site. Please note that our new Reception children will also be using this entrance at this time next week - it will be busier.

Please try to say goodbye to your child(ren) as you walk through the EYFS field towards the entrance and make sure that they are carrying their belongings. We hope that this will mean that the flow of families doesn't need to stop at the drop off point.

Staff will open the double doors at 8.40am.

The main field gate

This is the drop off point for children in years 3, 4, 5 and 6.

We are pleased that the council have widened the pavement outside the main field gate. Whilst this aids congestion slightly, it is still important that children do not arrive at school too early so that they do not block the pavement or risk stepping into the road.

A member of staff will open this gate just before 8.45am so that the children have time to walk to their classroom for registration at 8.50am.

The 8am drop off for children attending Earlies and Early Birds

Please continue to enter the site via the main pedestrian gate.

Children attending Earlies (our wraparound childcare provision) will be welcomed through the main reception area.

Children attending Early Birds (our before school booster sessions) will be registered via the double doors to the left of reception.

Please do not use the staff car park as a short cut at any time - it is not safe.

We’re excited to welcome you into school for the following events:

Tuesday 9th September

Year 6 – Call of the Wild Meeting | 3:15pm

Wednesday 10th September

Years 1 & 2 – Meet the Teacher | 9:00–9:30am
Year 4 – Samba Drumming Parent Event | 2:45pm

Thursday 11th September

Years 5 & 6 – Meet the Teacher | 9:00–9:30am

Friday 12th September

Years 3 & 4 – Meet the Teacher | 9:00–9:30am

If you’re unable to attend, don’t worry—curriculum information and reminders will be shared on the school website as soon as possible.

Please make sure your child has suitable wet weather clothing in school at all times. With the change in weather, waterproofs and wellies (or another pair of outdoor shoes) are especially important during lunchtimes.

As an OPAL school, we prioritise outdoor play to support children’s well-being and development. With the right clothing, they can enjoy our wonderful outdoor spaces in all weathers—only extreme conditions keep us inside!

Outdoor play allows children to:

Get fresh air and stay active
Explore and learn in natural surroundings
Experience the seasons and changes in nature throughout the year

What your child will need:

Waterproof coat – a good-quality, breathable jacket
Wellies or waterproof footwear – for puddles and muddy ground
Waterproof trousers or dungarees – extra useful for sitting, kneeling, or exploring outdoors
Spare clothes – socks, trousers, and other items in case of accidents or leaks
Labelled items – to help avoid lost or misplaced belongings

Thank you for helping us ensure the children can make the most of outdoor play—whatever the weather!

Pre-loved Uniform - now available online

For anyone looking for bigger sized uniform or an extra cardigan/jumper, we’re slowly adding a selection from our pre-loved shop online - Link below

Pre-loved Uniform Shop HERE

You will receive an email letting you know your item(s) is ready for collection and it can be picked up from the labelled box in the school office reception area. The shop is run by a small team of parent volunteers so we’ll get uniform ready as soon as we can (typically a couple of days) but we’re not Amazon Prime!

Our shop operates on a pay-as-you-can basis. Our aim is to save you money, recycle clothing and raise some money. We welcome donations from families who can afford it. Your child is welcome to uniform if you are unable to make the suggested online donation, just drop us a message ([email protected]) or speak to Miss Alway, School Family Support Worker.

PTFA Events

Our first PTFA meeting in the year is next Friday 12th September from 2-3pm in the School Meeting Room. Everyone is welcome! We’ll be discussing dates for 2025/26 and funding equipment/experiences for our children.

School Lottery

Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 per week. There is a guaranteed cash winner for our school every week and the chance to win the £25,000 Jackpot.

The draw takes place every Saturday and winners are notified via email. Match all 6 numbers and you’re a Jackpot Winner!

Sign up today (https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/ ) and raise money the fun way! For every ticket you play, 70% goes to our school community as funds raised and prizes for one of our players.

Players must be 18 or over and physically located in Great Britain. Always play responsibly, if you need to talk to someone about your gambling, please contact Gambling Aware.

Parentkind Webinars

We are a member of Parentkind, the association for school PTAs. They run FREE informative, expert-led webinars for parents. Their interactive and informative sessions are designed to help support your child’s edication, wellbeing and family life.

View the lineup and book online (using the school postcode, GL50 4LB) - https://www.parentkind.org.uk/your-pta-expert/parent-webinars

In Our Community

This Saturday 6th September from 1-4pm, Cheltenham BID, No Child Left Behind and World Jungle invite you to an urban-inspired carnival at Cambray Place (off the High Street)

9 Sep	Call of the Wild - Information session for families All day

10 Sep	Year 1 & 2 Meet the Teacher Event 9:00 AM - 9:35 AM

10 Sep	Samba Drumming - Parent event 2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

11 Sep	Year 5 & 6 Meet the Teacher Event 9:00 AM - 9:35 AM

12 Sep	Year 3 & 4 Meet the Teacher Event 9:00 AM - 9:35 PM

6 Oct	Call of the Wild - Residential Trip 06 Oct 2025 - 10 Oct 2025

7 Oct	Great Fire of London - Children attend throughout the day All day