Sports Day and Summer Fayre:

This week, we were delighted to celebrate our Sports Day and Summer Fayres over two fantastic afternoons. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and supported these events - your encouragement and enthusiasm was appreciated.

There were some fantastic sporting events, alongside plenty of fun, including the ever-competitive staff team, which was enjoyed by all! The events were inclusive, engaging and full of smiles, making them a real highlight of the school year.

A huge thank you to Julie for organising such successful events, and to the Friends of Fountaindale for all their hard work running the stalls and refreshments. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Days like these are a wonderful reminder of how fortunate we are to work in such a special school, surrounded by dedicated colleagues, supportive families and, of course, our amazing students. Thank you to everyone who helped make these celebrations such a memorable success.

Nexus Trust 10 Year Celebration:

We are excited to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Nexus Multi Academy Trust next week – Monday 6^th till Friday 10^th July. We have planned a range of special activities for pupils to enjoy throughout the week:

• Tuesday 7th July - Alex Cadabra will be visiting school to perform magic shows for the children.
• Thursday 9th July - Blankford Productions will provide an immersive sensory theatre experience.
• Thursday 10th July - We will conclude our celebrations with a whole-school street party in the afternoon.

We hope all agree this should be great fun!

Non-Uniform Day - Friday 10th July:

As part of our work on the Global Goal of Zero Hunger, we will be holding a non-uniform day on Friday 10th July to raise money for Mary’s Meals. This charity provides nutritious school meals for children living in some of the world’s poorest communities. If you would like to make a donation, we kindly ask that pupils bring £1 to school on the day. For further information about the charity, please visit the Mary’s Meals website: https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/

End of Year Colour Run - Tuesday 21st July:

We are excited to be holding our End of Year Colour Run on Tuesday 21st July as a fun way to celebrate coming towards the end of the school year.

The event will take place from 1:30pm to 2:30pm, with parents/carers invited to arrive on site from 1:15pm.

The afternoon will be organised as follows:

• Group 1: Alternative Colour Run using bubbles for pupils with particular medical conditions.
• Group 2: Colour Run using cornflower powder paints.

Senior Leadership Team and Administration staff will be positioned around the outdoor trail to help with the bubbles and colour powder.

To help pupils make the most of the event, we ask that they:

• Wear a white T-shirt (if possible) to enjoy the colourful effect.
• Bring a spare change of clothes for after the event.

Pupils will complete the course alongside their class team, with parents welcome to join them. To minimise mess in school, protective covers will be used on pupil chairs. To help create a fun atmosphere, each class will also be producing artwork to decorate the course.

For safety, we recommend that pupils wear goggles or sunglasses during the Colour Run. Adults will apply the colour powder to pupils' bodies only and will avoid the face. Pupils who wish to do so may have face painting before taking part.

A separate permission letter will be sent home shortly, asking for consent for both participation in the Colour Run and face painting.

Transition:

We understand that this time of year can bring a mixture of excitement and uncertainty as families begin to look ahead to September, particularly regarding class groupings and any changes for the new academic year.

We are pleased to let you know that we have now almost finalised our class groups for the 2026/27 academic year. Throughout this process, we have carefully considered a range of factors, including pupils' individual needs and the professional knowledge and observations of our teaching staff, to ensure that we create positive learning environments for all children.

Information about your child's class for September will be shared alongside their end-of-year report, which will be sent home shortly.

To support pupils with their transition into their new classes, we have arranged two transition sessions:

Tuesday 14th July:

• Transition Session 1: 1:30pm - 2:30pm

Thursday 16th July:

• Transition Session 2: 1:30pm - 2:30pm

We know that transitions can sometimes feel daunting for both children and families, and we hope these sessions will provide an opportunity for pupils to become familiar with their new classroom, staff and classmates before the summer holidays.

Portland Annual Awards Ceremony 2026:

On Thursday morning, I was delighted to attend the Portland Annual Awards Ceremony 2026 as a special guest, representing Fountaindale School.

It was a fantastic event celebrating the achievements of so many young people. As we continue to build strong links with Portland, it was lovely to think that, in a few years' time, I might be sitting in the audience hearing some familiar Fountaindale names among the nominees and winners. We know that for many of our pupils, Portland will be their next step, and it was a great reminder of the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

End of Year Reports:

Our end-of-year reports are currently being reviewed and signed off by the Senior Leadership Team. Today, our office staff will be adding each pupil's attendance data to ensure a consistent attendance percentage is included across all reports.

We are aiming to send the reports home by the end of next week, or early the following week. We hope you enjoy reading about and celebrating your child's achievements, progress and hard work over the past year.

Weekly Safeguarding Update - School Attendance:

At Fountaindale, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and school attendance plays an important part in keeping children safe.

When a child is expected to be in school, we have a duty of care to know where they are and that they are safe. If a pupil is absent and we have not been informed of the reason, our safeguarding procedures require us to make contact with parents or carers. If we are unable to establish that a child is safe, we will continue to follow our attendance and safeguarding procedures, which may include additional welfare checks.

Regular attendance also helps us to monitor pupils' wellbeing, maintain consistent routines and ensure they receive the support they need, both academically and emotionally.

We ask parents and carers to let the school know as early as possible if their child is going to be absent. By working together, we can ensure every child is safe, supported and able to make the most of their time in school.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us keep all of our pupils safe.

Have a super weekend!

Ben Norman

Headteacher

bnorman@nexusmat.org