Sheet Primary School Parent Portal - Newsletter : 6 March 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week has been a wonderful celebration of reading across the school as we marked World Book Day with a full week dedicated to books, stories, and the joy of reading. Classrooms have been buzzing with excitement as children explored new texts, shared favourite stories, and took part in a range of fun reading activities designed to inspire a lifelong love of books.

Today’s World Book Day dressing-up event was a fantastic way to end the week. It was truly delightful to see children bringing their favourite characters to life. From classic storybook heroes to modern literary favourites, the creativity on display was brilliant. A huge thank you to everyone who put so much effort into preparing costumes and helping make the day so special. The staff also fully embraced the spirit of the occasion, and it was wonderful to see teachers joining in the fun too! Please click here to see a selection of the wonderful photos from today’s celebrations.

Ted Sharpe (Year 5) recently qualified for the County Championships running, and on Wednesday travelled to Basingstoke to take part in the next round. The race was 1.8K and he came 89th in the County, which is fantastic when you realise that there are 300,000 under 12 boys in Hampshire. We shall be celebrating him in next week's assembly as we didn't have our usual assembly today. Well done Ted!

Year 5 have continued their rehearsals this week for the Petersfield Music Festival, and the excitement is steadily building. The children have been working hard learning their songs and practising together, and it is lovely to hear the music echoing through the corridors during rehearsal times. Events like this are always such memorable experiences for the children and we are very proud of their commitment and enthusiasm.

We also welcomed visitors from Hampshire County Council this week for a comprehensive Health and Safety audit. These visits are an important part of ensuring that our school environment remains safe and well managed for everyone. I’m pleased to say that the visit went very well and it was a good opportunity to review our procedures and celebrate the many things we already do well.

Next week we will be welcoming another visit from Hampshire County Council, this time focusing on our teaching and learning across the school. These visits give us the chance to showcase the fantastic work that happens in classrooms every day and we look forward to sharing the learning taking place across all year groups.

Four selected members of Year 6 will also be representing the school next week as they travel to Langrish to take part in our very first Small Schools Group Quiz event. We are incredibly proud of them for taking on the challenge and wish them the very best of luck. Bring home the trophy!

Towards the end of the week we are also looking forward to one of our much-loved school traditions — our Infant Mother’s Day lunches, taking place on Thursday and Friday. These are always very special occasions, giving families the opportunity to enjoy lunch together in school and celebrate the important people in our children’s lives.

Our Easter Craft Night on 20th March is currently almost half full so there are still plenty of tickets available.

Finally, with the sunshine making a very welcome appearance, it feels like spring may be just around the corner. I hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing and sunny weekend.

See you next week.

A quick plea from Kestrels class:

For Comic Relief day, Kestrels need the following donations for their stalls:

small teddies/toys/figurines and books. There will be a box by the front door for donations or you can give them to

Piku, Alice, Noah or Codie.

Julie Robinson

If a child’s attendance falls below 90% between September and the end of February, it can mean they have already missed around 15–18 school days — the equivalent of three full weeks of learning. While an occasional day off may seem small, these absences can quickly add up and children can miss important steps in their learning journey.

Imagine a typical primary school child over this period.

In English, the class might begin a new book and spend several days exploring the characters, setting and vocabulary. If a child misses the start of the unit, they may return to find the class already writing diary entries from the main character’s perspective. Without the earlier discussions and reading sessions, they can feel less confident contributing ideas or completing the writing task.

In maths, learning builds day by day. A class might spend a week learning about fractions — starting with understanding halves and quarters, then moving on to equivalent fractions and solving problems. Missing just a couple of these lessons can leave gaps that make later work much harder, even if the child is capable.

Children also miss the rich experiences that make school memorable. They might miss a science experiment where the class investigates how shadows change during the day, a music rehearsal preparing for a performance, or a special event such as a visiting author or a class assembly.

Socially, absences can also have an impact. Friendship groups develop quickly in primary school and much of this happens during shared activities, group work and playtimes. When children are away frequently, they can sometimes feel out of step with what their classmates are doing.

Over the course of a term this might mean missing:

The launch of a new topic such as Ancient Egypt or Space
Key phonics or reading sessions that support fluency
Steps in a maths sequence that build confidence
Collaborative projects or practical investigations
School events, performances or trips

By the end of February, a child with attendance below 90% has missed a significant amount of teaching, learning and shared experiences.

Good attendance gives children the best chance to build knowledge step by step, feel confident in their learning, and fully enjoy all the opportunities school offers. Every day in school truly does make a difference.

Spring 8 6 March 2026

A quick plea from Kestrels class:

For Comic Relief day, Kestrels need the following donations for their stalls:

small teddies/toys/figurines and books. There will be a box by the front door for donations or you can give them to

Piku, Alice, Noah or Codie.

News - World Book Day

Attendance Sep to date - 95.7%

Internet Safety

Head Teacher Awards

No Celebration Assembly due to World Book Day

Housepoints