Whole School Newsletter 4th September 2026

Ask your child…

… What is their new topic and what subject is it - geography, history or science? Can they remember any other topics from across the school?

… If they could replay one moment of school this week again, which moment would they choose?

… Which lesson did they find most interesting? Which lesson do they think you would find most interesting if you were at school with them?!

… What are they looking forward to next week? 

… Who made them smile this week? Did they make anyone else smile? 

Each week we suggest things to ask your child. This is a way of connecting and having a window into their experience of school. It’s also a powerful way to interrupt forgetting. This means keeping new learning in mind and helping your child to forge memories. They may be a bit tired straight after school so store these up for the best time for you!

EP Highlights

It has been a wonderful start to the new school year. The children have returned incredibly settled, positive and ready to learn, quickly finding their feet in new classes and embracing new responsibilities around the school. There is already a real buzz of learning throughout the building and an exceptional atmosphere of calm, purpose and excitement. 

Our whole-school artwork, inspired by the work of David Hockney, is now displayed around the school - every child from Year 1 to Year 6 created a piece of art work to be displayed.

 We hope you will be able to spot your child’s art work as you come to our important Meet the Teacher sessions on Wednesday 16th September at 5pm and then repeated at 5:30pm. These half-hour talks should be attended by all parents and provide an opportunity to:

• Meet your child’s new teacher.
• Hear about the expectations and learning priorities for the year group.
• Find out about any residential trips or particularly special trips this term.

Parents and carers of new joiners in Nursery, Reception and older classes are warmly invited to an additional  Meet the Heads: Welcome to EP! Talk, on Tuesday 22nd September after 9am drop-off and repeated at 2:50-3:30pm. At this talk you will learn more about our school ethos and how we can work together to ensure your child has an exceptional primary school experience. If you are new to our school, we ask that you prioritise coming to this important session! 

As always, today’s newsletter includes some key dates. For everything else, please continue to check the School Calendar 

Best wishes,
Natalie and Sally

New Term Reminders:

Playtime snacks at EP have always been simple: a piece of fruit. We’ve decided to extend this to healthy rice cakes or breadsticks, but please absolutely no crisps, pastries or surgary bars. We also want to keep our playground tidy so minimal packaging please! 

It is extremely important that you make sure your child has a clean water bottle, with fresh water in it every day. Please support them with this! 

Some Safeguarding Reminders: 

• If you have an appointment during the school day, please always buzz the office before entering the school site then come directly to the school office. It is crucial that we know who is on site and we must not have multiple visitors entering at the same time. 
• Teachers need time to settle children in classrooms each morning so their focus is on their class. Please make appointments or talk to class teams after school rather than having extended conversations in the morning. 

Sports Clubs and Choir

These start up w/c 14th September and we will share bookings at the start of next week.

Trip Contributions 

A reminder to families that we request a voluntary contribution to help fund the many wonderful trips and workshops your children enjoy at EP throughout the year. This contribution will appear on Arbor as Trips.

While contributions are voluntary, we hope that many families will feel able to offer support. We also understand that parents of children in Years 5 and 6 may be paying for residential trips this term, and that spreading or part-paying contributions across the year may be more manageable for some.Thank you.

National Cinema Weekend 

This weekend is National Cinema Weekend with film tickets on sale for £4!

Find your nearest participating cinema here

Autumn Term Dates

• Year 6 go to Wick Court - Monday 28th September - Friday 2nd October 
• Year 5 go to Gilwell Park - Wednesday 14th - Friday 16th October 
• Half Term - 26th October - 30th October (Monday 2nd November is an INSET Day - children back on Tuesday 3rd Nov)
• Parent and Carer Progress Meeting - Wednesday 11th November 4 - 7:30pm and Thursday 12th November, 4-6:30pm 
• Christmas Holidays - Monday  21st December - Friday 1st January inclusive (Monday 4th Jan is an INSET day - Children back Tuesday 5th January). 

Snack Sales on Fridays

• 25th September - Year 5
• 2rd October - Year 4
• 9th October - Year 6
• 16th October - Year 3
• 6th November - Year 2
• 13th November - Year 1
• 20thNovember - Reception
• 27th November - Nursery