Headteacher Meet and Greet:

Thank you to the parents and carers who attended our coffee morning and meet and greet this week. It was lovely to see you and I really appreciate you taking the time to come along and say hello.

I enjoyed having the opportunity to share my vision for the school, discuss our next steps and continue building strong relationships with our school community.

It was also wonderful to hear from our Rights Respecting School Council pupils as they shared the fantastic work they have been involved in this year and their plans for the future. Thank you also to Hayley for providing further information about the UNICEF Rights of the Child and how these values underpin our work across the school.

I have attached the slides from the presentation shared during the morning.

Fountaindale Parent/Carer Charter:

As part of my meet and greet, I shared our new Parent/Carer Charter, which is attached alongside this message and has also been uploaded to the school website and provided some context behind this.

This document aims to clarify expectations for parents, carers and visitors in relation to communication with teachers and school staff and outlines how we can work together respectfully as a school community.

At Fountaindale, we are proud of our supportive and caring environment, where strong partnerships between home and school help our children to thrive. We are committed to open communication and ensuring that parents feel informed and involved through platforms such as Seesaw, school events and regular Headteacher updates. At the same time, it is important that we carefully manage the workload and wellbeing of our staff, ensuring minimal disruption to learning in the classroom while still keeping you informed about your child’s wellbeing and progress. It is a balancing act, but we hope this Charter provides clarity and supports a positive experience for all.

We kindly ask that wherever possible parents and visitors are not in classrooms after 9:00am or before 3:15pm. We are, of course, happy to make adaptations to timings where this supports a child in successfully coming into school. We simply ask that these arrangements are discussed and agreed directly with your child’s class teacher.

Exciting Soft Play Update:

We are delighted to share plans have now been signed off for the installation of our new soft play area, which is due to be installed in October. We hope you agree that the design looks fantastic, and we are incredibly excited about the opportunities it will bring for fun, play and development across the school. We know it will bring lots of smiles to our children and cannot wait to see it in use!

Majella moving on:

As we look ahead to the end of the academic year, we would like to share that Majella, our wonderful Woodpeckers teacher, will be moving on to a new chapter. Over the past 14 years, she has been an enormous part of our school community and an exceptional practitioner whose care, dedication and passion for teaching have touched the lives of so many children and families. Majella’s warmth, energy and commitment will be greatly missed by staff, children and parents alike. We are determined to make Summer 2 a truly special celebration of everything she has given to the school and the impact she has had over the years.

While we are very sad to see one chapter come to a close, we also look ahead with hope and excitement, with interviews for new teaching posts taking place on Monday. Thank you for everything, Majella - you are amazing!

Sports Day and Summer Fayre Update:

Following a meeting with the Fountaindale PTA this week, we are excited to share that this year’s Summer Fayre will now take place alongside our Sports Days as opposed to a standalone event. We feel this is a fantastic opportunity, as many families will already be in school on these dates, allowing everyone to enjoy some additional activities and helping to create a really lovely atmosphere across the school community.

Our Sports Days and Summer Fayres will take place on:

• Wednesday 1st July (12:30pm arrival) for Butterflies, Robins, Foxes, Rabbits and Hedgehogs
• Thursday 2nd July (12:30pm arrival) for Moles, Woodpeckers, Post-16 Owls and Squirrels.

The Summer Fayre will include refreshments, games and stalls, including a number of enterprise stalls run by our pupils. We would also greatly appreciate any raffle or tombola donations being sent into school ahead of the event -  thank you in advance for your support.

Preparing for Adulthood event:

• Thursday 25th June 2026
• 9:30am - 11:00am at Fountaindale School

We would like to invite families of pupils in Years 9 - 13 to our Preparing for Adulthood event.

This informative session will provide families with details about the range of services, support and processes available to support young people with their next steps and transition into adulthood.

If you would like any further information about this event, please contact:

• Majella Robson - Next Steps Lead: mrobson@nexusmat.org
• Jenny Hallam - Next Steps Advisor: JHallam@nexusmat.org

Sherwood Forest Foodbank Collection:

We are once again collecting donations for the Sherwood Forest Foodbank and would be very grateful for any support you are able to offer. Any contribution, big or small, will make a real difference to local families in need.

The foodbank is currently in need of the following items:

• Baked beans
• Tinned soup
• Tinned peas and carrots
• Rice pudding
• UHT milk
• Toilet rolls
• Deodorant

They are also always in desperate need of toiletries such as toothpaste, body wash and sanitary products.

If you would like to donate, please send items into the school office. The Rights Respecting School Council will be helping to collect and organise donations.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and support.

Weekly Safeguarding Update - Online Safety for Parents:

Each week we will start to share a safeguarding hot topic. It may be useful to upskill your own knowledge or support a member of your family.

This week’s focus is online safety knowledge for parents and carers. With people spending increasing amounts of time online for learning, gaming, and socialising, it is important that families feel confident in supporting safe and healthy online habits.

Key things to be aware of:

• Children may be using apps, games, or platforms that have age restrictions or unclear privacy settings
• Online interactions (chat functions, messaging, and multiplayer games) can include contact from strangers
• Content shared online can be difficult to remove once it is posted
• Algorithms may expose children to content that is not always age-appropriate

Top tips for parents:

• Talk regularly with your child about what they are doing online, just as you would about their day at school
• Set clear boundaries around screen time and device use, especially at night
• Check privacy settings on apps, games, and devices together
• Encourage children to speak to a trusted adult if anything online makes them uncomfortable or unsure
• Use parental controls where appropriate, alongside open and ongoing conversations

Useful resources for further support:

• NSPCC Online Safety: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
• Internet Matters: https://www.internetmatters.org/
• UK Safer Internet Centre: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

OneFest 2026:

We would also like to share information about OneFest, the UK’s premier fringe festival celebrating deaf, disabled and neurodivergent art and performance. The festival is open to everyone and aims to bring disabled and non-disabled communities together through theatre, comedy, live music and inclusive creative experiences.

OneFest 2026 will take place from 9^th-12th July 2026 across various venues in Mansfield. Further information, the full programme and ticket details can be found on the official website: https://www.onefest.uk/

Reminder: Dawn House School Invitation - Family Fun Day:

All Fountaindale families have been invited to a family fun event at Dawn House School in Rainworth on Saturday 16^th May - 11am and 2pm.

There will be activities and games, as well as food and drink stalls. You are welcome to bring a picnic, a blanket, and chairs so you can relax and enjoy the day.

You can turn up on the day (£10 per family) or pre-book tickets by contacting Dawn House School (01623 795361 or enquiries@dawnhouse.org.uk).

We hope this will be a great chance to meet other SEN families in the local community and spend time together. Have a good one!

Ben Norman

Headteacher

bnorman@nexusmat.org