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Dunalley News 09/10/26

Great Fire of London lived through role-play, Yr 6 residential at Call of the Wild and if you paint a window, is it still a window?

Yr2 Great Fire of London

Year 2 had a fantastic day of immersion into the world of London in September 1666

They were taken on a journey by Master Taylor who showed them how to make candles, brooches, write with their own ink and quills and make soap for the smelly urchins they were!

 

Photos from the Day .. .. ..

We also looked at the historic map of London and thought about how the fire spread – using our learning from History lessons.

In the afternoon the children used their investigation skills to unearth artefacts from the fire and different shops impacted by the fire.

“I enjoyed making soap and ink.”

“I enjoyed making the necklace with clay.”

“I enjoyed weaving with string and pretending I lived in 1666.”


Yr1 Learning

In Year 1, we have been exploring where we live and our local area. Last week, we went on a walk around our school and created a journey stick to help us remember where we had been. This week, we used the journey stick to help us map out our route and created the landmarks using various construction kits!


Yr6 Call of the Wild Residential

Year 6 have had a wonderful week in Wales, where they have taken part in a range of exciting activities, including team-building challenges, kayaking, canoeing, and raft building. They have braved the rushing streams of the gorge walk and trekked through the breathtaking Welsh Waterfall Country, creating memories and developing skills that will last a lifetime.

 


Yr6 At School

Children who chose not to go to Wales have also enjoyed a fantastic week, with visits to the Tivoli Cinema and Mr Mulligan’s Golf, kindly provided free of charge by the companies. In school, they continued with their studies, baked cakes, and helped in KS1 classrooms.


Let’s Get Talking!
Here is this week’s starting point for family discussion. Please take some time to share your ideas, listen to each other and explore different points of view. We hope you enjoy the conversation!

 

Important Information for All .. .. ..

Health Notification

Please may we ask for your co-operation in an important matter?

One of our pupil's sibling is receiving medical treatment at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, please notify the school immediately if your child/siblings develop chickenpox/shingles, measles, mumps or slapped cheek (parvovirus B19). These infections can pose a serious risk to individuals with compromised immunity.

Your child is not at any risk whatsoever from this situation. However, the health and well-being of our pupil who is at risk, does depend on the co-operation of all other parents and we hope you can help us. 

With many thanks,

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and the Dunalley School Team

We have had 1 case of Scarlet Fever reported in school today in KS2.


Teacher / Family Meetings

IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Please read carefully:

Children that receive SEND support will not be included in these meetings as their families will be invited to SEN Review meetings later in the term.

For all other children:

After the success of last year's meetings, we are going to continue with the revised format that increased the number of in-person meetings, whilst still providing an online option.

Therefore, we have split Wednesday's session to provide online meetings at the beginning of the evening and more in-person meetings later on. 


2 options will show in Edulink One - please ensure you click the right one, as the type of meeting can not be changed on the day.

In-person meetings:

Tuesday 20th October - 3.30pm to 6.20pm &
Wednesday 21st October - 5.00pm to 6.20pm

Online meetings:  

Wednesday 21st October - 3.30pm to 4.40pm 

 

We are very pleased to announce that each video call can involve up to 2 parents/guardians at different locations.  The parent listed as contact 1 will receive the notification and then needs to invite parent 2.

Each child can only have one appointment over the 2 days, unless arranged in advance with the school office.

Nursery Appointments are only available on Tuesday 20th October.

Bookings will open on Tuesday the 13th October at 7pm on Edulink One.


Benedict's Law

Benedict’s Law was created after the death of fiveโ€‘yearโ€‘old Benedict Blythe from anaphylaxis at school in 2021. It aims to close longโ€‘standing gaps in allergy management across English schools.

To date:

  • We have a draft standalone allergy & anaphylaxis policy, waiting to be approved at the next Governors' meeting
  • All staff have completed online training, with 15 attending a face-to-face 2-hour training course
  • We have 5 spare adrenaline autoโ€‘injectors (AAIs) for emergency use, ensuring they are accessible within 5 minutes and regularly checked for expiry
  • We have Individual Healthcare Plans for every pupil with a diagnosed allergy
  • We are devising an action plan for allergic emergencies

Whilst the main duties fall on schools, parents and carers are expected to:

  • Inform the school of any diagnosed allergies and provide accurate, up-to-date medical information. 
  • Provide prescribed medication, such as an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI), where required by the child's healthcare plan. 
  • Work with the school to develop and review Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs) or allergy action plans.
  • Notify the school of any changes in the child's allergy status, treatment, medication, or emergency procedures. 
  • Ensure emergency contact details remain current so the school can contact parents quickly if an incident occurs. This is typically required as part of the school's allergy management arrangements. 

Please check Edulink One for the medical information we hold about your child. 

If you are happy, no further action is required.

If you wish for this to be updated, please complete the following form: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/DietaryMedicalAsthmaInfoCheckSeptember2026/

Thank you if you have done so already.

Please email dunalley@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk if you require your contact details to be updated.


Every Minute Matters – The School Day Starts When the Doors Open

Arriving at school when the doors open enables our children to make the most of the whole day and start calmly.

Reception Morning Routine:

๐Ÿ•— 8.40am – Doors Open
๐ŸŽ’ 8.41am – Belongings Away
โœ๏ธ 8.42am – Morning Work Starts

  • Whiteboard writing activities
  • Maths tasks
  • Singing nursery rhymes

๐Ÿšช 8.49am – Doors Close
๐Ÿ“ 8.50am – Register Taken
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ 8.52am – Lunch Register
๐Ÿ“š 8.53am – Morning Work Continues
๐Ÿ’ฌ 8.57am – Discuss the Day
๐Ÿ”ค 9.00am – Phonics Starts

Year 3 Morning Routine:

๐Ÿ•— 8.45am – Doors Open
๐ŸŽ’ 8.46am – Belongings Away
โœ๏ธ 8.47am – Morning Work Starts

  • Revision of writing
  • Green pen improvements
  • Spelling corrections
  • TTRS
  • Maths on Track
  • Revisit previous learning

๐Ÿšช 8.49am – Doors Close
๐Ÿ“ 8.50am – Registers Taken
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ 8.52am – Lunch Register
๐Ÿ“š 8.53am – Morning Work Continues
๐Ÿ˜Š 8.54am – Zones of Regulation

  • Check everyone is ready to learn

๐Ÿ“– 8.59am – Book Change
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 8.57am – Visual Timetable Discussion
๐ŸŽฏ 9.00am – First Lesson Starts

Top Tips for Smooth Mornings: 

๐ŸŒ™ Lay out uniform the night before 
๐ŸŽ’ Pack bags in the evening 
๐Ÿ“ Keep everything in the same place 
โณ Leave a little extra time just in case 


Zones of Regulation

We use Zones of Regulation in school to help pupils understand and manage their emotions, behaviours, and sensory needs.  You can also use them to help your child at home.


Front Gate

Please refrain from pushing the gate.  Press the button and wait for a response and then wait for the gate to open on its own.  


Medicines

If you wish for your child to receive medication during the school day, we kindly ask that you request that it is given just once and at 12 noon.

Also, please ensure ALL medication is named before you hand it in.

  • Important Health Notification: inform school asap if child has develop chickenpox/shingles, measles, mumps or slapped cheek
  • Teacher / Family Meetings: Bookings will open on Tuesday the 13th October at 7pm on Edulink One.
  • Benedicts Law - Parental responsibility to keep school informed of changes to pupil health needs
  • Every Minute Matters: School day starts when the doors open
  • Zones of Regulation help our children manage their feelings and can be used at home
  • Please do not push the front gate to help keep our community safe
  • Medicine Procedures: complete form on Edulink, please request once a day at 12 noon and name all medicines

 

Important Information for Rec, Yr1 & Yr2 .. .. .. 

Yr1 Local Walk

Next week, Year 1 will be going on a walk around our local area. Year 1 parent volunteers would be very much appreciated – please sign up on Edulink One.

 

Yr2 Tudor House Creations

Year 2 are looking forward to welcoming parents, grandparents and carers for an afternoon of Tudor house creations. Please send in any cereal boxes next week - we will see you at 1.30pm on Thursday 15th!

  • Year 1 Local Walk Next Week 
  • Year 2 Tudor House boxes needed

 

Important Information for Yr3, Yr4, Yr5 & Yr6 .. .. ..

Yr4 Swimming

Due to the INSET Day on Monday 30th November, the final swimming lesson has been moved to Friday 27th November.

This means that pupils will swim twice that week: once on Monday 23rd November and again on Friday 27th November.

Please note that the swimming session on Friday will take place in the morning.

This will be the last swimming lesson of the year. We hope your child has enjoyed taking part and has developed both confidence and skills in the water.

We will be in touch regarding arrangements for those children who will be continuing with swimming lessons next term.

  • Yr4 Swimming - change of date due to INSET day

 

Important Information for SEND Families .. .. ..

Welcome to the SEND Families in Partnership newsletter. Here you'll find clear, up-to-date information on local support, news and developments across Gloucestershire, all shaped by what you tell us matters most. We'd love to hear from you, so please use the contact details below to let us know what you'd like to see in future editions.

SEND Families in Partnership newsletter October 2026 | Gloucestershire County Council

SEND Families in Partnership Newsletter for October 2026 - supporting families with SEND | Gloucestershire County Council

  •  SEND Families in Partnership Newsletter

 

PTFA News .. .. ..

Christmas Fair

  • Christmas Fair Information

 

Community News .. .. ..

Free Events at Literature Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Corinium Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


MC Grammar Live

We’re delighted to offer free family tickets to see MC Grammar Live this Sunday, October 11th, at 11 a.m. at Gloucester Guildhall.

We’d be very grateful if you could share the attached graphic with your pupils and their families to help us spread the word.

How to claim your free tickets:

The offer is first come, first served. Parents or carers simply need to email hello@mrmcgrammar.com with:

  • The full names of all family members requiring a ticket

  • The name of the school their child/children attend

There is a maximum of 4 tickets per family.


The Calm Club & Shift Movement

We are offering fully funded Yoga Camps this October Half Term for children aged 4-11, with a full day (9am-3pm) of yoga, lunch and crafts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Free events at Literature Festival
  • Corinium Museum activities at Half Term
  • Free tickets to MC Grammar Live
  • Free Yoga Camps over half-term

 


Dates for your Diary

Don't forget to click on the title of the event to find out a little more.  Then click your back button to return to the calendar or newsletter.