Newsletters

27th February 2026 - Newsletter

Dunalley News

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to a brand-new term. We’re excited to step further into Spring and enjoy the lighter, brighter days ahead.
As always, please keep an eye on our newsletters for upcoming events, important reminders, and all of our latest school news. We look forward to sharing another  term with you! 


Year 2 - Topic Fun

To finish their topic on India, at the end of last term the children dressed up in traditional Indian clothing. They absolutely loved it and all looked fantastic. They danced to Bollywood music, accessorised their outfits with jewellery and coloured some rangoli patterns. 

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Our Positive Play Partners

At the end of last term our Positive Play Partners (PPP) were introduced in assembly. Two children from each class in Years 2 to 6 were able to apply for the role of Positive Play Partner, supporting their peers during OPAL Play. 
This is a fantastic opportunity for children to take an active role in school life, build leadership skills, and make a positive impact on their peers.

Congratulations to:

Name Class
Rocket & William Y2SF
Diana & Callumn Y2W
Katie & Lily Y3OF
Layan & Minnie Y3A
Amyra & Harry

Y4P

Ray & Lilah Y4MP
Katalina & oliver Y5H
Lukasz & Lucy Y6NJ
Yzma & Gabriel Y6LJ

 


Cross Country report

On Thursday, Dunalley also took on a 2km cross country race at Cheltenham College. We participated in 3 out of 4 races. The first race was Years 4 and 5 boys who were Ranulph  (38th), Freddie (100th), Harry  (45th), Charlie  (72nd), Charlie (19th) and last but not least Ryan (16th).

Dunalley thrived in the Year 6 girls. Hollie came 37th in the race, Nicole  came 33rd, Danielle came 27th and Hana came 2nd!

Finally, the Year 6 boys. Rory  came 57th in this first ever race for Dunalley, Zayn  54th, Rudy came 38th, Laurence came 23rd and Leo came 12th .

We also ran in our brand new sports kit which was organised by Miss Larner. Thank you for all your support with this and we loved representing  Dunalley in it.

Written by Rudy (Year 6).


Girls Football report

Dunalley played an incredible game against Lakeside on Thursday, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Everyone played brilliantly, including Lakeside. There was a lot of energy from Dunalley, and we played 100% to keep our heads up when Lakeside scored first.

We would like to congratulate everyone on the team starting with our goalkeepers Maddie and Flossie. They both did a brilliant job saving lots of extreme goals and never giving up when Lakeside scored 2 goals (even though one was a foul). Next, Amelia and Emily did an amazing job in defence and hardly let anyone through. Well done to Brooke, Esmay, Flossie, Esme, Ruby, Matilda and Maddie, who all had a difficult time running up and down the pitch, but had made a big difference. Finally, well done to Lucy and Amira who held a brilliant time upfront making many chances for more goals.

The whole team would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Collins and Mr Underwood. They have supported everyone and encouraged us to win. We wouldn't have been able to do it without them.

Written by: Esme, Emily, Brooke, Flossie and Esmay (Year 6).


Working Together 

At our school, we are proud of the strong partnerships we build with families. We all share the same goal: helping every child feel happy, safe and able to thrive. Most of the time, communication between home and school works smoothly and positively. However, we also recognise that occasionally things may go wrong, questions may arise, or concerns may need to be raised.

That’s why we want to make sure everyone feels confident about how to share feedback, raise concerns and work with us to find solutions. The newly released Parent Guide to School Complaints provides clear, simple steps to help parents and schools resolve issues quickly, respectfully and positively.

The guide reminds us that strong relationships between families and schools are built on trust, respect and open communication. Most concerns can be resolved quickly by speaking to the person closest to your child, and by focusing on clear, constructive conversations.

We want parents and carers to feel heard and supported. If you ever have feedback, a worry, or a concern, we encourage you to talk to us early so we can work together to find the best outcome for your child. The guide also highlights the importance of staying positive, being clear about the facts, and working towards realistic solutions.

Importantly, this approach works both ways. We are committed to listening, responding and learning, while also ensuring that conversations remain respectful and focused on partnership. When we work together in this way, even difficult situations can lead to positive outcomes.

If you would like to read the full guide, please see the attachment below:

Guide to school complaints – Available HERE

 


World Book Day – Thursday 5th March

Children are invited to dress up in a book - themed costume to celebrate this day.  

Dressing up is optional.

https://www.worldbookday.com/


Maths Week Photo Competition!

There has been a real buzz around mathematics this week as children across the school have dived into collaborative investigations that fostered a genuine sense of curiosity. A particular highlight was the quest to break ‘Dr Brok’s code’ (inspired by the book Fractions in Disguise), which saw motivated students eagerly discovering a new digit in their class envelopes each morning. We were also delighted to welcome back Mr. Ede, who worked with every class to tackle a variety of intriguing puzzles, while other groups explored maths through storytelling or took part in our popular whole-school estimation challenge. Thank you for supporting your children’s entries into our maths photo competition; the creativity has been wonderful, and we invite you to keep sending your pictures to dunalley@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk until the deadline on Thursday, 5th March.

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New Systems – Thank you for your support and understanding 

We appreciate your patience, support, and understanding as we transition to our new management information system. You may have noticed that some messages have arrived all at once rather than being spaced out over the last few days. We’re aware of this and expect these early teething problems to be resolved shortly. Thank you again for bearing with us during this period of adjustment.


Attendance Reminder

It has come to our attention that there has been an increase in dental and doctor appointments during the school day.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind families of our attendance policy.

Medical/dental appointments:

Routine appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours or during holiday periods.

If it is not possible to alter emergency, hospital or clinic appointments, parents should let the school office know and show them a copy of the appointment card/letter.

In order to minimise the impact on learning, pupils should only be absent from school for the duration of the appointment and be in school before and after it.

Pupils should miss as little time as possible.


School Council News

The school councillors are excited to announce that they will be hosting a PET ART EXHIBITION in the Summer Term.  The money raised will go to the Cheltenham Animal Shelter.  Having counted the votes most classes voted for this charity, rather than the British Heart Foundation on this occasion.  

This is fitting as the Animal Shelter is celebrating its 100th year.

https://gawa.org.uk/100-years/


PTFA News

Wonderful Women Afternoon Tea on Friday 13th March
Join us to celebrate the Wonderful Women in our lives!

The event runs from 3:15pm - 4:30pm in the School Hall.

Ticket prices are as follows:

  1. £8 for 1 adult and 1 child
  2. £5 for every additional adult
  3. £3 for every additional child
Buy your tickets here: https://dunalley-primary-school-ptfa.sumupstore.com/product/wonderful-women-afternoon-tea-ticket

In addition to the afternoon tea, we hope to have a flower/plant sale, gift raffle and choir performance.

Please email the PTFA (dunalleyptfa@gmail.com) to inform us of any allergies or dietary requirements. Whilst we will take steps to minimize risk, we cannot guarantee that the afternoon tea will be safe for consumers with severe allergies.


Upcoming Events

Science Week
All Day
from 09 Mar until 13 Mar
09
March
PTFA-Funded: Immersive Theatres Planetarium - St. Paul's Church, Cheltenham
9:00am – 2:30pm
10
March
WWF Wear It Wild
All Day
13
March
Clubs End
All Day
13
March
Wonderful Women Afternoon Tea - PTFA event
3:15pm – 3:15pm
13
March
Yr6 Visit
All Day
16
March
Big Walk & Wheel
8:00am – 3:10pm
from 16 Mar until 20 Mar
16
March
Yr4 Swimming Ends
All Day
23
March
Yr4 to Gardeners Lane Primary - In the Net e-safety productions
9:30am – 11:30am
24
March
Yr2 Visit
All Day
25
March