As you know, I joined Pegswood Primary School as Headteacher on 1st September 2026. Over the past eight weeks, I have had the pleasure of getting to know our wonderful children, dedicated staff and supportive families, and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce our new Parent and Carer Newsletter.

From my very first day, I have been struck by the warmth of the school community. The children have been welcoming, polite and enthusiastic, and I have been incredibly impressed by the positive relationships that exist throughout the school. I have enjoyed visiting classrooms, speaking with children about their learning and seeing the pride they take in being part of Pegswood Primary School.

As we continue through this academic year, my priority is to ensure that every child receives the very best education and experiences as possible. We want all children to feel safe, happy and valued while being challenged to achieve their full potential. We are committed to developing confident learners who are proud of their achievements, respectful of others and prepared for the next stage of their education.

I look forward to strengthening partnerships with parents and carers. Children achieve their very best when home and school work together, and I believe strongly in maintaining open communication with families. This newsletter will become one of the ways we celebrate success, share important information and keep you informed about the exciting things happening across school.

Thank you for the warm welcome I have received since joining Pegswood Primary School. I am excited about the future and look forward to working alongside our whole school community.

We have had a lovely start to the Autumn Term in EYFS. Our 'Marvellous Me' topic has encouraged the children to share their interests, talk about their families and celebrate what makes them unique.

Throughout the half-term, we have focused on building friendships, learning to share and take turns, and helping everyone feel happy, safe and settled. It has been wonderful to see the children growing in confidence each day as they develop new relationships and become familiar with school routines.

As we have moved into Autumn, the children have enjoyed exploring the seasonal changes around them. They have been noticing the changing colours of the leaves, discussing the weather and discovering the many natural treasures that this time of year brings.

Alongside this, we have been developing our fine motor skills through a range of fun, hands-on activities designed to strengthen little fingers and build the foundations for early writing. From mark-making and dough disco to threading and construction activities, the children have embraced every opportunity to practise these important skills.

We are incredibly proud of how the children are growing in confidence, independence and kindness as they play, learn and explore together. They have made a fantastic start to their learning journey, and we look forward to seeing all they achieve over the coming months.

Year 1

In Geography, the children have been exploring where we live and developing their understanding of the wider world by creating playdough maps of the seven continents.

Their learning has continued across subjects, linking Geography, Science and Art through the theme of the seasons. The children enjoyed an Autumn walk around the school grounds, observing the changes taking place in nature and discussing the signs of Autumn. They then used their observations to create beautiful clay leaf sculptures, experimenting with colour mixing techniques to produce stunning seasonal artwork.

Year 1 have also been fortunate to take part in cricket coaching sessions led by a coach from the Northumberland Cricket Board. The children have thoroughly enjoyed developing their throwing, catching and batting skills while learning the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Year 2

Year 2 have been busy applying their creativity and practical skills in Design and Technology, sewing wonderful minibeast bookmarks. The children demonstrated resilience and concentration as they learned how to join materials using simple sewing techniques.

Their learning linked perfectly with their Science topic, where they have been investigating microhabitats and exploring the conditions that different creatures need to survive. Through their enquiries, the children discovered the ideal environment for woodlice to thrive and developed their understanding of how living things depend on suitable habitats.

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity shown by all of our Key Stage 1 children this half term.

Years 3 and 4 have settled brilliantly into their routines this half term, with Year 3 making a particularly positive transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. The children have approached new challenges with enthusiasm and have shown excellent attitudes towards their learning. In Art, both classes have enjoyed working with clay to create fantastic sculptures. Year 3 drew inspiration from Mexican art and culture, while Year 4 explored the fascinating world of Ancient Egypt through their creative designs. The children have also been thoroughly enjoying their weekly drumming lessons and Forest School sessions. Their enthusiasm during Quick Write sessions has been particularly impressive too, with children demonstrating creativity, imagination and flair in their writing. We are incredibly proud of the effort, resilience and positive attitude that all of the children have shown so far this year and look forward to seeing their continued progress throughout the term.

Our Years 5 and 6 children have made a wonderful start to the new year. They are adapting to new routines and bigger responsibilities and have had a very busy 8 weeks. This half-term, following an incredible few days at Robinwood, we have encouraged the children to continue building on their independence. They have thoroughly enjoyed their first two class novels - Holes by Louis Sachar, and The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt Phillips. We are delighted that some of the children are working their way through the Year 5 and 6 Fantastic 40 recommended reading lists. We are very proud of our UKS2 Peer Mentors and our Active 60 Influencers, who are setting a fantastic example to the younger children in school. 

We are so impressed by the way the children have managed their new reading groups this term. Three times a week, everyone stops to read, and the children are doing a brilliant job of moving around the school to read with their adults. Thank you for your continued support with reading at home - it makes an enormous difference to the children's progress and enjoyment of books. I am delighted to say that we already have some bronze award winners in our Fantastic 40 challenge. Next half-term, some of our Year 6 children will be trained up as librarians so that they can support the younger children in the Story Centre and we are looking forward to some online author events and a brilliant book fair in the hall - perfect timing for a spot of Christmas shopping!