Parents

Weekly Parent Bulletin - Friday 4th September 2026

Dear Parents,

Welcome back!

After a summer of blockbuster hot weather, I hope everyone managed to make some brilliant family memories. As a Dad of two young children myself, it was a reminder of how lucky I am to be able to spend 6 weeks with my young family. At the same time, I’m sure we all feel ready for the routine of school to return!

This year promises to be another cracker at Avonwood. It’s often easy to take for granted much of what makes Avonwood the unique school that it is. 48 hours in, the new EYFS children have enjoyed their first morning session, Year 5 have conquered their ‘Survivor Day’ and Year 4 are all set for the ‘Rio Carnival’ Day next week. Our tag line at Avonwood is “Inspiring Wonder and Intellectual Curiosity” and I have no doubt we will be bringing this ambition to life once again over the course of the 2026/27 academic year.

Over the summer we were able to reflect on another superb set of academic results, with Avonwood continuing to sit substantially above national averages in all areas. Highlights include:

Year Group	Test / Area	Avonwood Result	National Average	Difference
EYFS	GLD	80%	68% (2025)	+12%
Year 1	Phonics	88%	80% (2025)	+8%
Year 4	Times Tables	54%	37% (2025)	+17%
Year 6	Reading	86%	75%	+11%
Year 6	Writing	88%	73%	+15%
Year 6	Maths	88%	75%	+13%
Year 6	RWM Combined	79%	63%	+16%

In addition, for Year 6 children reaching greater depth:

Year Group	Test / Area	Avonwood Result	National Average	Difference
Year 6	Reading	43%	33%	+10%
Year 6	Writing	24%	13%	+11%
Year 6	Maths	45%	26%	+19%

Where most schools are striving to hit national average or to be just above, to be consistently and significantly above in all areas is cause for celebration! A huge thank you and well done to our brilliant pupils, dedicated staff and fabulous parents for helping make this happen! #TeamAvonwood

The biggest challenge facing the school this year is budget, a boring but vital aspect of life here. Whilst I continue to be very proud of our offer, everything from putting the best staff in our classrooms through to offering free 1:1 Chromebook devices to every child in Years 2 to 6, sustaining our ambitious offer is frustratingly harder than ever. We are also conscious families are being financially squeezed like never before too. We will do our best to get the balance right, but it’s worth being aware that finance is probably the biggest challenge facing Avonwood, and schools nationally, this year.

Whilst finance is tricky, I’m pleased to report we are on the cusp of installing a fantastic new library! I’ll share the designs on our social media feed over the weekend. The install is costing almost £30,000, made possible by a generous £10,000 investment by our PTA and topped up by school funds ring-fenced in the previous 25/26 academic year. The library is due to be installed later this month and will be a special new place for every Avonwood child to enjoy, helping foster a shared love of reading for pleasure.

This year we have changed how we run our 'meet the teacher' events, aiming to give every parent the chance to pop into classrooms to meet staff and get a feel for the space. We would like to invite parents in Years 1 to 6 to stay back after drop off on Monday 14^th September 15:15-16:00. Just head into the classroom and staff will be ready to fill you in on exciting plans and updates for the year ahead. If you have siblings, we recommend attending the session for your eldest child. We will share the slides on our website afterwards. Babies and toddlers are welcome too.

As always, if you ever have any concerns or queries about life at Avonwood please don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ll find me out and about at drop off and pick up daily, rain or shine, always keen to chat and make sure Avonwood continues to be the wonderful community we are so proud to be part of.

Thank you for the great start this week. Seeing so many happy children, proud of their smart new uniforms and excited for the start of school was a joy!

Wishing everyone a brilliant weekend!

Mr Jackson

Whole School Reminders

PTA Updates

Thank you so much to all families for supporting the PTA this year, it has been another very successful year. We have supported projects including Opal, new table tennis tables, classroom resources and so much more.

The summer fair last Friday raised around £2000, this money will help to fund our upcoming new library.

A PTA trip to Legoland will be arranged for Tuesday 2nd September. More details to follow on class chats and socials in the coming weeks.

Also look out for the release of Early Bird fireworks tickets in the summer holidays.

Have a great summer hols!

Return to School Date

Please remember that it is very important for your child/ren to return to school on the first two days back: Thursday 3 September and Friday 4 September.

School starts at 8:40am. Doors close at 8:50am for KS2 and 9:00am for EYFS and KS1. If you arrive later than these timings then you must register your child in the late book at the front office. These first days are an important opportunity for children to learn about their new classroom routines, expectations and timetables, as well as helping them to develop a sense of belonging and build positive relationships with their new class and teacher.

Any absence during these days will be recorded as unauthorised, unless your child is too unwell to attend school. As we have not received any requests for term-time holidays, we are looking forward to welcoming all pupils back and achieving 100% attendance—which would be fantastic! Please remember that even one day of absence at the start of the school year can have a significant impact on a child’s overall attendance percentage.

Thank you for your support in ensuring your child has the best possible start to the new school year. Have an enjoyable and restful summer holiday!

Autism Unlimited

Beach Flags - Water Safety

Stevensons Uniform Shop

Weekly Year Group Updates

EYFS

Early pick up - A reminder that tomorrow is an early pick-up time of 1:30pm.
Farm trip/sports day - Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help on the trip and to those who came along. The children had a brilliant day! Thank you for cheering on the Badgers and Hedgehogs at their first sports day! It was also great to see so many parents getting involved with the parents' races.😉
Thank you - A big thank you from the EYFS team for all of your thoughtful gifts and cards! We are very grateful. Wishing you and your families a wonderful summer holiday.

Year 1

A big well done to all the children in Year One! We are all so extremely proud of you and of the hard work you have applied this year. We will miss teaching you next year, but know that you are going to have lots of fun in Year Two. We wish you all lots of luck.
A huge thank you from the entire Year One team for all of the incredibly generous gifts and kind words. We are very grateful.
We would like to wish you all a wonderful summer holidays!

Year 2

Thank you so much for your kind words, thoughtful cards and lovely gifts. We have had an amazing year with the children, and your support has meant a lot to us. It has been a pleasure to teach your children and watch them grow is so many ways. Wishing you and your families a relaxing summer together. Remember to pop by to let us know how the children are getting on in their new classes.

Year 3

Thank you so much for all of your support over the last year and for our very generous gifts. We have had the best year making memories with Elm and Willow and hope they have enjoyed their time in Year 3 as much as we have. We wish you all a wonderful summer holidays!

Year 4

We would like to say a huge thank you for our end of year gifts! Your generosity and kind words are truly appreciated. We wish you and all the children a wonderful, safe, and relaxing summer break. See you again in September :)

Year 5

Thank you so much for your generosity. We have had the most fantastic year with your children from Paultons Park, cooking days, the summer fair, talent shows, falconry visits, forest school, river trips and so so much more. Enjoy your summer break!

From Miss Wilkes:

Thank you so much for all of your kind words and lovely messages. I have loved my time at Avonwood and the last 2 years with this cohort has been incredibly special to me. They are leaving Year 5 totally prepared for the adventure of Year 6.

Year 6

A message to Year 6 - As you begin your next adventure, we’d like you to think back to how hard you have worked and the progress that you have made. Year 6 is always a busy year - it is full of fast-paced learning, SATs, a residential, an end of year play… Every single challenge we have thrown at you, you have committed to fully and produced an outstanding result. We could not be more proud of each and every one of you. We are so sad to see you leave but know that you are all ready for this new chapter of your lives. We hope that you have an incredible summer holiday and wish you the best of luck for September. Thank you all for simply being you!
A message to parents - Part of the joy of working at Avonwood comes from the family feel that we have in our community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, not only this year but throughout your child’s time at Avonwood. We would also like to express our gratitude for your generous gifts - they are never expected, but greatly appreciated. We hope you all have a wonderful summer!