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Astley Advertiser

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4th September 2026

Astley Advertiser 268

Welcome Back! A really warm welcome back to our existing families and a special first-time welcome to our brand-new Bears. We are delighted that you are all part of our ACE community, and we hope you are as excited about the year ahead as we are. Thank you for choosing to be part of Team Astley. It is a privilege to play a role in your children's journey, and we look forward to continuing to make Astley a very special place to learn, grow and thrive. I am passionate about providing consistency, fun, a safe environment and a wide range of opportunities for all pupils. Equally important is ensuring that parents and carers receive clear communication, feel well informed and know that we are always here to support you. The school has been buzzing with excitement as we prepare for the new year. Our staff team has been busy planning engaging learning experiences, enriching opportunities and memorable moments for every child. We have high expectations for all our pupils and are committed to helping every child achieve their very best while enjoying their time at school. Thank you for your support in ensuring children return to school looking smart and ready to learn. School uniform helps children develop a sense of belonging and pride in our community. Please remember that all items of clothing should be clearly named and jewellery should be kept to a minimum, with only small stud earrings permitted. Equally smart PE kits should be worn to school on the designated days shared by class teachers. If you need any support with uniform, please do not hesitate to contact the school office. We love welcoming families into school and sharing the wonderful things that our children are achieving. Throughout the year there will be opportunities to attend assemblies, celebration events, performances and weekly open mornings. Our first open morning takes place today and provides a fantastic opportunity to visit classrooms, meet staff and see learning in action. We hope many of you will be able to join us every Friday morning. The first Celebration Assembly will be next Friday 11th September at 9:05am. Don't forget to follow our school Instagram account to keep up to date with life at Astley. We regularly share photographs, celebrations, reminders and highlights from across the school, giving you a glimpse into the exciting experiences our children enjoy every day @astleyprimary Strong relationships between home and school are at the heart of everything we do. If you have a question, concern or simply need some clarification, please get in touch. Class teachers are usually the best first point of contact, but members of the leadership and office team are always happy to help if needed. We would much rather hear from you early so that we can work together to support your child. Communication and partnership are key to a successful school experience, and we value your feedback and involvement throughout the year. Please take a look at the dates overleaf for key events and reminders for the autumn term. We will continue to share updates through newsletters, Arbor and Instagram to ensure you have all the information you need. Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can make this another fantastic year of learning, achievement and opportunity for every child at Astley. Here's to an ACE year ahead!

17th July 2026

Astley Advertiser 267

What a week! We have been enjoying a jam-packed summer calendar in true Astley style. Last Friday, we celebrated the end of another wonderful year with our Summer Fair. Our amazing Friends of Astley raised just over £400 – a fantastic achievement! Thank you to everyone who gave up their time and energy to help organise, support and attend the event. We are also incredibly grateful to the Friends for providing each class with £25 towards an end-of-year celebration, helping our children create special memories together. I am so proud of our Turtles, Dolphins, Penguins and Sharks, who gave superb performances in this year's Summer Show, Pirates vs Mermaids. The hard work, enthusiasm and talent on display were truly impressive, and the children should be incredibly proud of themselves. A huge thank you goes to Miss Wreford for leading the production, Mr Sayer for his technical expertise, and Miss Jarvis for managing the lighting, and Mrs Alford and Mrs Borley for designing and painting the wonderful scenery and props. As always, thank you to our entire staff team for choreographing dances, supporting rehearsals and ensuring everything ran smoothly. Finally, thank you to all of our families for your unwavering support, helping with costumes and practising lines and songs at home. Today, we say goodbye to Miss Hester, who has been a valued member of Team Dolphins this year. We thank her for all she has contributed to Astley and wish her every success in the next chapter of her career. We also bid farewell to Miss Harrold after an incredible 17 years of dedication, passion and commitment to Astley. She has played a significant role in our school's journey and has touched the lives of many children and families over the years. She will be missed, and we thank her for everything she has done. We wish her happiness and success in her new adventures and with the new addition to her family. More exciting news – Miss Peacock will be going on adoption leave over the summer and will be welcoming a new little boy into her home. We wish Miss Peacock all the best and look forward to seeing her back next year. Today marks the end of the Astley journey for our Sharks Class of 2026. It has been a privilege to watch them grow, learn and develop over the past seven years, and we are immensely proud of the young people they have become. Our Year 6 leavers thoroughly enjoyed their Sharkitude Festival, and we celebrated the end of their time with us with a special camp-out on the school field. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped make Sharkitude 2026 such a memorable and special occasion. As school will be closed over the summer break, some of your usual routes to support may not be available. If you need advice or assistance, Just One Norfolk is an excellent source of support. Their website and helpline can be accessed on 0300 300 0123. If you have an urgent safeguarding concern and believe a child may be at risk, please contact the Children's Advice and Duty Service (CADS) on 0344 800 8020. As we reach the end of the 2025–2026 academic year, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire Astley community. Your support, encouragement and enthusiasm help make Astley such a special place for every child and family. Have a wonderful summer break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back and beginning our next chapter together on Thursday 3rd September.

10th July 2026

Astley Advertiser 266

It has been a fantastic ACE Year Ahead week! Our pupils have spent lots of time getting to know their new class teams, and we would like to thank all the parents and carers who joined us on Wednesday morning. Open Morning will take place in the usual classes today and again next Friday for the final time this school year. We are excited to enjoy our final Rocksteady performances today and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our bands. We also hope you can join us for the Summer Fair after school, where our wonderful Friends of Astley will be running a range of stalls and games. As we look ahead to the final week of term, please check the summer show dates. Performances for families will take place on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning as overleaf. No tickets are required; however, we kindly ask that attendance is limited to three guests per pupil where possible, and that noise is kept to a minimum during the performances. Thank you for your support. Children will begin bringing exercise books and work home next week. You may wish to send them to school with a strong carrier bag to help transport these items safely. Thank you to our Friends who have donated money for our class parties next week to celebrate an ACE year. Your class teacher will be in contact with details about this. A reminder that school will close at 1:15pm on the last day of term, Friday 17th July. Enjoy the weekend.

3rd July 2026

Astley Advertiser 265

It has been a super week and we have loved welcoming so many families in for our Forest School Sessions. A big well done to our Bears, Lions and Sharks who have had a fantastic time getting immersed in our outdoors this term, picking up so many useful skills along the way. Turtles and Dolphins had a brilliant day out at Bewilderwood yesterday – thank you to all the families who helped make the trip possible. Today our Lions and Tigers are off to Cromer – we hope they have a fantastic day. A massive thank you to families and our Friends for raising a super £186.86 at our recent Book Fair – this is a significant amount we now have to spend on books for the school. Today we have our final Celebration Assembly of the year. A big well done to all of our certificate winners, hot chocolate recipients, attendance superstars, and much more across the year! I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the families who support and attend our assemblies. It really is a lovely way to round off our week, and the children are very lucky to have so much family support and celebration – thank you. Next week is ACE Year Ahead week, where from Monday – Thursday morning children move up to their new classes for September. As per the letter sent out, children will go to new classes each morning on those days. Reminder – on Wednesday 8th July from 8:30am – 9:15am parents are welcome to pop into new classes for an additional open morning and meet the teacher opportunity. We are looking forward to our final Rocksteady performance which will take place next Friday 10th at 9:30am in the hall, all are welcome. Please see overleaf dates for end of year arrangements, including the summer shows, and as always – let us know if you have any questions. Have a good weekend.

19th June 2026

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We have had an incredible ACE Active Week! From start to finish, the week has been a real success. Sports Day on Tuesday was a particular highlight, with so many families joining us for a really special day full of team spirit and competition. I am really proud of how hard the team worked to put on such a brilliant day – a massive thank you to Mrs Borley and all of the staff who went over and above to make the event such a success. Thank you also to the Friends of Astley for their huge efforts and enthusiasm selling refreshments on the day, and to the parent helpers who gave so much of their time to help out. Finally – thank you to you – families – for your unwavering support, cheers and smiles making your children’s Sports Day a happy place to be. The children were amazing - you should be very proud of them. Among other activities, we are extremely grateful to the RNLI who delivered fantastic sessions to us in their ‘Respect the Water’ campaign; such important messages and life skills. I am delighted to announce that Miss Stagg will be joining our team as Bears class teacher in September. I will be sending important information on Monday 22nd about classes for next year and our upcoming ACE year Ahead (transition week.) Please ensure you read this carefully and let us know if you have any questions. Next Wednesday from 10:30am 12pm current Bears families are invited in for a Forest School Family Open Session – please do join us. There will also be a Travelling Book Fair after school on 24th. Classes have been practising lockdown procedures in class this week and this has gone really well. The whole school drill will take place either next week or the week after. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

12th June 2026

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Well done to everyone this week as they have completed end of year assessments, Y1 Phonics Screening and Y4 Multiplication Tables Checks. We have been really impressed with the hard work and attitude shown across the school. All classes really enjoyed the Soul Space sessions this week – thank you to our friends at the church for organising and delivering such creative and reflective sessions. Some of our Turtles and Dolphins had a fantastic day out on Wednesday taking part in an athletics event at UEA. A big well done to all for their participation and enthusiasm. We are looking forward to ACE Active Week next week – we have a range of fun activities on offer, including our fantastic Sports Day on Tuesday. Please join us for a picnic lunch on the field at 12pm on Tuesday 16th June. Refreshments will be provided by the Friends – cash only please. Ice lollies will also be available after the picnic. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

5th June 2026

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22nd May 2026

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Our Bears had a fantastic visit from Mini Monsters this week and absolutely loved learning about and experiencing a wide range of animals. It was wonderful to see their curiosity and excitement throughout the session. Bears, Lions and Tigers also enjoyed an additional sports workshop on Wednesday, led by Active Education. The children showed fantastic teamwork, enthusiasm and determination as they practised a range of new skills—well done to them all! Exciting news - Miss Harrold is expecting a baby at the beginning of the autumn term. We are currently recruiting for a new Bears class teacher for September and will keep you updated as plans develop. Bears, Lions and Sharks will continue their Forest School sessions after half term - something we know they really enjoy and have developed so many skills already! A group of Penguins and Sharks will also be taking part in swimming sessions; those involved will have received a letter with further details. Dolphins Class will complete their online Multiplication Tables Check after half term. They have been working incredibly hard and should feel very proud of themselves - we wish them the very best of luck! Thank you also for your continued support with practise at home. As the weather becomes warmer (hopefully!), please ensure your child arrives at school with suncream applied and has appropriate protection each day, including a sun hat and water bottle. As school is closed over the half-term break, your usual routes for support may not be available. I would like to remind you of other sources of help you can access. Just One Norfolk offers support via their phone line and website: 0300 300 0123 or https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/. In an emergency, where you believe a child may be at risk, you can contact the Children’s Advice and Duty Service on 0344 800 8020. Mrs Cleall has chosen our Feel Good Friyay songs today – enjoy! Wishing all of our families a restful and enjoyable half-term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 1st June for the rest of what promises to be a busy and exciting summer term.

15th May 2026

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We are incredibly proud of our Year 6 Sharks, who have worked so hard this week completing their SATs tests. They approached each day with determination and a positive attitude, and should feel very proud of the effort they have put in. Thank you again to Allards Butchers and the Friends for keeping them fuelled with yummy breakfast all week. 01263 860212 www.astleyprimary.org.uk office@astleyprimary.org.uk @Astley_Primary It has been an exciting time in Lions Class this week, where their chrysalises have begun to hatch. The children have loved watching this fascinating process and observing how the butterflies develop and grow. Looking ahead, new clubs start after half term - please keep an eye out for further information which you should have received yesterday. Please let the office know if you have any questions or issues booking. A reminder to also please continue checking the dates overleaf, as these are updated regularly. This week’s Music Mix has been chosen by Mrs Fuller—we hope you enjoy it! Wishing you all a great weekend.

8th May 2026

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A big well done to all of our House Team Basketball competitors last week for an exciting and well battled out competition! Amethyst were our overall winners, and all players and teams showed fantastic teamwork and spirit. 01263 860212 www.astleyprimary.org.uk office@astleyprimary.org.uk @Astley_Primary This week and next some of our classes are celebrating the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough with various themed activities linked to our topics, please do talk to your children about this. Next Monday marks the start of our Key Stage Two Assessment Week (SATs) for our Year 6 class. They have worked so incredibly hard all year, and we are already very proud of them, whatever the outcomes. A big thank you in advance to Allards Butchers for donating sausages and bacon, to our Friends for organising and to the kitchen for cooking our SATs breakfasts - great fuel for the week! I am sure you will join me in wishing them the best of luck as they complete their tests next week – you’ve got this Sharks.

1st May 2026

Astley Advertiser 258

We have had a great week enjoying the sunshine and our wonderful outdoor spaces. Miss Wreford began the week with an assembly about our learning theme ‘fairness’ and the children had some good discussions and reflections about this. Thank you to those families who are adhering to our car park procedures. If the situation does not improve, unfortunately we will have no option but to close the gates in the morning and allow authorised access only, meaning no morning drop offs. We realise the logistics of the morning and those working families etc, however, our priority is the safety of our pupils and community, and currently things still need to improve. Please take note of the letter we sent out last week about this and speak to the office if you have any concerns or issues. For information – hopefully this weekend we will be having some drone footage taken of the school site; you may see someone parked outside school and a drone over site, so please don’t worry if you do! Miss Harrold has chosen our Friyay tunes today. It is Bank Holiday on Monday so we look forward to seeing you back ready and raring to go on Tuesday 5th May. Please remember it is class photos on Tuesday, so smart uniform for all. Have a lovely long weekend.

24th April 2026

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What a fantastic start to our week with Maths ACE Day on Monday. It was so great to see so many families joining us for our morning activity and getting involved in Maths fun – thank you to Mrs Anderson and team for a great day. Our ACE focus days are such a fantastic way to really enrich the curriculum, delve deeper into a subject and explore creative and fun activities. Reminder that class photos are booked for Tuesday 5th May. This is the day after a bank holiday so please remember smart uniform for all. Lions and Sharks – please bring Forest School kit in a separate bag to change into after photos, and if it is a PE day please bring PE kits in to change into as needed. Polite reminder to please ensure red and yellow star badges are brought back in each week, thank you in advance. Miss Edgeley has chosen our Friyay tunes today – have a great weekend.

17th April 2026

Astley Advertiser 256

Welcome back team! I hope you all had a fantastic Easter and were able to have some down time with family and friends. We ended last term with a bang on our amazing Science ACE day! The whole day was a real success and we hope all of the children enjoyed it, thank you again to Mrs Hamilton and team for their creativity and hard work. 01263 860212 www.astleyprimary.org.uk office@astleyprimary.org.uk @Astley_Primary This week we have been spending some time reflecting back on what we have learnt and revisiting prior learning, as well as introducing some new topics. Our Turtles have started their swimming lessons and Lions and Sharks have enjoyed getting stuck into Forest School in their first sessions – we can’t wait to see them develop. Please remember to adhere to our uniform policy, including PE and Forest School kits. There should be no large logos, no football shirts and school shoes should be worn on non-PE days (unless in exceptional circumstances.) Please let a member of staff know if you need any clarification or support with this. We are excited about our next focus day – it is Maths ACE Day on Monday! The theme of the day is ‘Maths is fun’, and there will be lots of exciting games and activities happening throughout the day. Children are welcome to come dressed up / mufti / number / maths themed outfits on Monday. Please also join us for an Open Morning session from 8:30am in classes.

27th March 2026

Astley Advertiser 255

I am SO proud of our Rocksteady bands, who last Friday performed for us in our Celebration Assembly. They all did a fantastic job, and after such a short space of time it was great to see so much talent and confidence on display. Please do sign up via the leaflets handed out if your child is interested in getting involved in Rocksteady next term. Thank you to all the families who joined us for our Friends Bingo event – a whopping £600 was raised for the school! This money will go to a variety of resources and curriculum areas – we will keep you updated, and we are so grateful for your continued support. Another impressive achievement – your generous donations raised £254.85 for Comic Relief! This is including the money raised by our school council stalls last week. Thank you! On Monday our Turtles and Penguins had a special visit and took part in Roman and Greek workshops; it was a brilliant day and the children got completely immersed in history! Great to see. Well done also to our Bears for a great class assembly on Wednesday, they all did a fantastic job. Today we celebrate Science ACE Day – we can’t wait to get stuck into Science and a world of pure imagination, as we travel around different Willy Wonka inspired activities throughout the day. Please join us this morning in classes for a sharing activity. Thank you for your collaboration during Parents Evening this week – working together is so important to us and please remember to contact us at any time if you have questions / issues you would like to discuss. Lions and Sharks start their Forest School sessions every Tuesday after Easter (as well as bears continuing) and Turtles start swimming every Monday. As school is closed over the Easter break, your normal paths to support may not be available so I’d like to remind you of other sources of help you can access. The 'Just One Norfolk' phone line and website are a good place to go - 0300 300 0123 or https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/ In an emergency, where you believe the safeguarding of a child is at risk, you can call the Children's Advice and Duty Service on 0344 800 8020. Enjoy Mrs Barber’s Friyay tunes today, and have a really lovely Easter break with friends and family. We look forward to seeing you back for the start of the summer term on Monday 13th April.

20th March 2026

Astley Advertiser 254

Well done to our lovely Lions for their super class assembly this week – we are so proud of them and the way their confidence and learning is developing. We have SO MUCH to celebrate today in our final Celebration Assembly of the term. A special well done to our nominated Headteacher Awards, and to all of our pupils who work so hard and achieve so much every week in so many areas across the school. 01263 860212 www.astleyprimary.org.uk office@astleyprimary.org.uk @Astley_Primary 01263 860212 www.astleyprimary.org.uk office@astleyprimary.org.uk @Astley_Primary Today is also our Rocksteady concert – performed alongside our Celebration Assembly! We cannot wait to see our three bands in action, after weekly rehearsals and developing their confidence and skills. I have had the pleasure of seeing lots of their sessions, and I know that our Band Leader, Jamie, is so proud of them and what they have achieved already. Please do join us today from 9:05am in the hall. Pennies are welcome for Comic Relief today as we wear non-uniform. Thank you to School Council for running stalls yesterday to raise extra money – look out on Instagram in the next few days for the grand total. Reminder about Parents Evenings next week -please do make an appointment if you haven’t already. There are no teacher clubs next week – as per the information overleaf (no Reading, Dodgeball, Y6 English/Maths, Handball or Spellings clubs, all other clubs as normal.) New clubs information for summer one will be going out today. Please read the information carefully and look at the clubs on offer. Booking will go live on Tuesday 24th March at 7:30pm (later time to allow for Parents Evenings.) Reminder about the Friends Bingo Event tonight in the hall – doors at 5pm, eyes down for 6pm. Finally – we celebrate Science ACE Day next Friday! Please join us for an Open Morning session from 8:30am in classes. The theme of the day is ‘Curiosity – what’s your Question?’ We are really excited for an ACE jam packed day of fun, learning and exploration as we have a ‘Willy Wonka inspired day’ in a world of imagination. There are dress up ideas in the letter from Mrs Hamilton; children are welcome to dress up as Willy Wonka them or anything Science related. We can’t wait! Mrs Canty has chosen our tunes today, enjoy the weekend.

13th March 2026

Astley Advertiser 253

Our Bears had a brilliant time on their trip to Snettisham Farm on Tuesday – it was a day of learning, meeting and feeding a range of animals, play and even some sunshine! Thank you so much to all our lovely parent helpers too, for making it such a great day. Thank you to those parents and carers who attended our Year One Phonics session this week – please do let us know if you would like more information, but a resource pack has also been sent home. Our Tigers performed a great class assembly this week – well done to them, we are very proud of their hard work and positive attitudes. They are growing up fast! We look forward to seeing our Lions in action next Wednesday 18th March at 2:45pm, please do join us.

6th March 2026

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What a week! It has been a jam-packed ACE week full of opportunity, learning and fun. We hope you enjoyed our Masked Reader challenge – thank you to the staff team and families for getting involved on Instagram! World Book Day yesterday was a huge success; it was great to see children working together and sharing their love of stories. Thank you to Miss Wreford and team for a super day, and as always – families for putting in so much effort with costumes and fun.

27th February 2026

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Welcome back team – it has been great to kick start Spring Term Two thinking all about the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing.’ These are five proven concepts and strategies to help improve our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. The five ways to wellbeing are: Connect, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Give and Be Active. This week we started our week with an active and fun assembly, talking about how we can ‘move our mood!’ Please continue to talk to your children about our learning themes at home.

13th February 2026

Astley Advertiser 250

I started the week talking all about ‘Empathy’ and how important a skill / value this is. The children showed great understanding and we also linked it to Safer Internet Day which we celebrated on Tuesday. All classes got involved and we explored many areas of internet use, including AI and how we can use this responsibly. Our visitor PC Elliott led an assembly for Key Stage Two and talked all about safety on devices and what to do if we are worried or unsure. It was a really informative and fun day – thank you to Mrs Hamilton for organising.

6th February 2026

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Well done Team Dolphins on a great class assembly this week – so much learning, talent and confidence on display, we are very proud of you all.

30th January 2026

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Sharks performed a fantastic class assembly this week – Miss Wreford and the team are so proud of them and the hard work they are putting in across the curriculum. We look forward to seeing our Dolphins in action next Wednesday at 2:45pm.

23rd January 2026

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Well done to our Turtles on their class assembly this week; it was great to see everything they have been learning and it was delivered with such confidence. We look forward to seeing our Sharks in action next Wednesday at 2:45pm. Thank you to the Sharks parents who attended the Maths meeting - it is great to have the opportunity to work together in the best interests of the children.

16th January 2026

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What a super first full week we have had! Our Tigers and Penguins loved their first Forest School session of the year and have already been learning and practising so many outdoor and science related skills, including making Christmas Tree Tea! Dolphins started their swimming sessions, Sharks have been taking part in Bikeability and our Lions did some checking in with our honey bees; a real hive of activity!

9th January 2026

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A very Happy New Year to you all and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas time. It has been lovely to welcome everyone back this term, including some new pupils; we welcome Evelyn, Zion and Pearl to Tigers and Turtles classes.