Newsletters

It was wonderful to see so many members of our school community at school last Saturday to celebrate Pippin’s birthday. As promised, it was a truly lovely afternoon filled with sunshine, fun, laughter and a real sense of togetherness.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along and gave up their weekend to be part of it.

It was also a pleasure to meet so many of our September 2026 starters and their families. We hope the afternoon offered a lovely glimpse of life at Dunalley and the warm, welcoming community we are so proud of.

We understand that there may be occasions when you need to pass on an important message to your child’s teacher in the morning. If so, please write a note and either send it in with your child or hand it to a member of staff. They will ensure it is delivered as soon as they have finished welcoming children into school.

This helps staff supervising entry points to remain focused on greeting pupils and ensuring a smooth and safe start to the school day.

We are pleased to share information about our summer term curriculum focus.

The pages below provide an overview of what your children will be learning during the final term of this academic year. You will find details about each subject area, class topics, and key learning themes, as well as helpful information such as spelling patterns, subject vocabulary and areas of focus.

We hope this helps you to support your child’s learning at home and gives you a clear picture of the exciting learning planned for the weeks ahead.

We are delighted to announce the return of our annual Literature Festival. This year’s celebration will take place from 18th to 22nd May and promises a rich programme of activities designed to inspire a love of reading and writing across our school community.

The festival forms part of the National Year of Reading, a nationwide initiative that highlights the vital role reading plays in developing creativity, confidence and academic success. Encouraging regular reading not only strengthens literacy skills but also broadens perspectives, supports wellbeing and fosters a lifelong enjoyment of learning. For more information, check out the website: National Year of Reading 2026 | National Literacy Trust

Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of exciting events, including:

Thank you for your continued support in promoting a love of reading both in school and at home.

We ask that children do not use the climbing frame or other playground equipment at the end of the school day during pick-up time.

We have noticed that some children continue to play after they have been collected. At this point in the day, staff are no longer able to supervise the playground safely, which creates health and safety concerns. We also need to ensure the site can be closed promptly.

Keeping children safe is a shared responsibility between school and families.
To help us ensure a safe, calm and orderly end to the school day for everyone, we ask for your support in encouraging children to leave the playground once they have been collected.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Yesterday we took our Nursery children on our first ever school trip!

What an absolutely brilliant morning it was. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather. The sun was shining and all of the children were excited for our adventure. The children listened really well throughout the whole trip. They had fun on the play equipment and in the sand pit, they got to look at the birds and we played some ring games, which included our rhyme of the week ‘Here we go round the Mulberry bush’. We even enjoyed two picnics together where we got to have a rest and eat some yummy snacks together.

As a staff team, we had a wonderful morning and are so proud of all of the Nursery children that were able to attend. They were an absolute joy to take out and it was so lovely to see all of their smiling faces having so much fun.

A massive thank you to all of our parent helpers who were able to come along. Without you the trip wouldn’t have been possible. 

Year 4 had an incredible time this week at Croft Farm showing real determination, maturity and resilience. They explored new activities (we have some keen archers!), showed growing independence and worked together as a team to achieve collective goals (those crates didn’t stack themselves!).

The teaching team who accompanied were incredibly proud of their achievements and how positive everyone was when working on new goals and challenges.

We welcome parents and carers to join us next Thursday 7^th May at 2.45pm to see more photos and to share the experiences of the residential

On Wednesday 22nd April, Dunalley School took two teams to compete in the Tag Rugby Festival held at Newlands Park. The event brought together schools from across Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, providing a fantastic opportunity for all involved to take part in a wide range of matches.

Both Dunalley teams played numerous games throughout the day and demonstrated excellent teamwork, determination and growing rugby skills. It was clear to see how much the children supported one another and represented the school with pride.

A special mention goes to our Year 6 team, who had an outstanding tournament, playing 10 games and winning 9 of them. Their performance was particularly impressive and showcased both their skill level and strong teamwork.

Our Year 4 and 5 team also had a brilliant day, scoring lots of tries and showing great enthusiasm in every match. We would also like to recognise the six children who played their very first tag rugby matches at this event—they showed great courage and should be very proud of their efforts.

Thank you to all the parents who came along to support the teams. The day was warm and windy, but that didn’t stop everyone from enjoying a fantastic festival of rugby.

We are aware that an increasing number of families are choosing to buy their children smartphones. While we recognise that this is a decision for parents and carers to make, we encourage families to carefully consider the potential challenges associated with children accessing this technology at an early age.

There are several organisations that offer helpful guidance for families:

• NSPCC – advice on online safety and supporting children’s wellbeing
• Internet Matters – practical tips on parental controls, apps, and device setup

• UK Safer Internet Centre – guides and resources for safer and responsible technology use

If you are considering getting your child their first device, you will also find a wealth of information on this website: Smartphone Free Childhood. This page may be of particular interest - Smartphone Alternatives for Kids.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to explore these resources and support your child in using technology safely and responsibly.

This year, to help make our Summer Fayre even more successful, we are inviting families and local businesses to sponsor a stall at the event.

We have a range of sponsorship packages available at different tiers, and all sponsors will be proudly featured in our publicity and advertising in the lead-up to the fayre.

If you would like to find out more, please email dunalleyptfa@gmail.com for further details.

Thank you to everyone who is already choosing and booking their child’s school lunches in advance using School Grid. This really helps us to plan ahead and plays an important role in ensuring a safe, calm and enjoyable lunchtime experience for all children.

If you are not yet booking lunches in advance, we kindly ask that you begin to do so where possible. There are several benefits to using School Grid, which are outlined below:

BE A PART OF HISTORY!

Read all about the exciting day planned for June 14th below: