Newsletters

Witheridge Weekly Newsletter - Friday 22nd May 2026



Witheridge

Church of England

Academy


Encourage One Another And Build Each Other Up


Dear Parents and Carers, 

This week at Witheridge, there has been a real sense of determination, teamwork, and encouragement shining through our school community.

Exmoor Challenge Practice Walk
Our final Exmoor Challenge practice walk took place this week, and what an achievement it was! Every single child showed resilience, positivity, and teamwork throughout the walk. A huge WELL DONE to all of our competitors this year—your effort and spirit have made us incredibly proud.

We had 12 challengers in total, which made the decision to select just 8 children especially difficult. Each of you demonstrated fantastic commitment and should feel very proud of what you’ve accomplished.

A big congratulations to our successful challengers:
Josh, Mason, Lily-Sue, Lenny, Lettie, Alfie, Betsy, and Harry.

We wish you the very best of luck for the challenge this Saturday. Mr Manning and I will be there cheering you on along the route—remember to encourage one another every step of the way!

Clubs Are Back!
Clubs started again this week, bringing even more opportunities for fun, creativity, and teamwork across the school. There are still a few spaces available in all clubs, so if your child would like to join, please sign up via Arbor.

Clubs are a fantastic way for children to build friendships, try something new, and live out our school vision:
“Encourage one another and build each other up.”

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. It’s wonderful to see our pupils growing in confidence, kindness, and resilience every day.

With best wishes,

Miss Ratcliffe                                                                                                                            Head of School

    

Life, Love and Learning to the Full


School Attendance


This week's whole school attendance percentage is:

95.2%

At Witheridge C of E Academy, we believe that regular and punctual attendance is key to helping children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. 

Further Information

School Calendar


Y6 Residential Meeting for Parents/Carers and Children
3:00pm – 3:30pm
01
May
Exmoor Challenge 2026
All Day
02
May
Bank Holiday
All Day
04
May
Deaf Awareness Week
All Day
from 04 May until 08 May
04
May
Rescheduled Class 1 Parents Evening
9:00am – 5:00pm
05
May
FSU - Superhero's Day
9:30am – 3:30pm
05
May
School Council Meeting
12:30pm – 1:00pm
05
May
Chulmleigh Welcome Evening for P&Cs at Chulmleigh College
All Day
07
May
KS1 Okehampton Castle trip
9:00am – 3:30pm
08
May
Y6 SATs Week
All Day
from 11 May until 15 May
11
May
Cancer Research UK - Baking Competition and Bake Sale
3:00pm – 3:30pm
11
May
Class 3 Egyptology Workshop
All Day
15
May
No Stay and Play session today!
9:00am – 10:30am
15
May
Year 6 Residential - Adventure Bude
All Day
from 17 May until 22 May
17
May
Half Term
All Day
from 25 May until 29 May
25
May
View school calendar
View school term dates

School Lunch Menu


The cost of a school lunch is currently Nursery £2.05 per meal, Reception & KS1 Children – Universal Infant Free School Meals & KS2 £2.61 per meal.

Payment is via your Arbor account.


Celebration of Achievements


Class Awards
Nursery Joseph for being happy and settled on returning after the Easter break.
Reception Jack had an excellent week in all areas of his learning.
Class 1 Felicity for a great start back after Easter and doing all of her work despite being in pain.
Class 2 Elliot for his enthusiasm in all areas of his learning.
Class 3 Lacey is always organised, helpful and ready to learn.
Class 4 Alfred for focusing brilliantly during SAT's revision.
Writer of the Week
Reception Charlie P – excellent effort writing words with magnetic letters.
Class 1 Toby for adjusting to his new phonics group so quickly and improving his writing and independence.
Class 2 Barney for his superb writing.
Class 3 Lily – Great spotting of features in our example text.
Class 4 Harry – For showing great progress in SPAG revision.
School Contribution Award
Class 2 Nancy for helping raise money for the PTFA by having her own stall at the school.
Class 3

Noah for always being so helpful during EWI.              Ronnie B - for helping the MT's on the playground all week.

Class 4 Ayla for deep cleaning the guinea pig hutch and being so helpful all week.
10 on the Nursery Caterpillar
Thea, Evelyn & imogen
20 Merit Awards
Class 1 Rosalie & Bille
Class 4 Archie
40 Merit Awards
Class 3 Noah S, Ava C & Hunter
Class 4 Jacob, Declan, Milo & Taya
60 Merit Awards
Class 1 Monty
House Points
Discovery 40 Endeavour 41
Enterprise 43 Voyager 44

Latest News


30 Apr 2026
After School Club News: Dragon Creations Take Flight! 🐉
It’s been a roaring success at our After School Club this week, as the children have been busy creating their very own dragons
Read more
28 Apr 2026
A Truly Unforgettable Essebeare Farm Visit! 🐑
What an incredible experience we had on our visit to the farm this week!
Read more
27 Apr 2026
Mud, Teamwork & Outdoor Adventures in Full Swing! 🌿🔥
Outdoor learning last week was all about teamwork, adventure, and discovering just how brilliant it is to learn outside!
Read more

TEAM Multi-Academy Trust Vacancies


Further Information and Apply Here

 


Important Notices


FSU - Superhero Day is Coming! 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️ Get Ready to Save the Day!

We are excited to let you know that we will be holding our Reception and Nursery  Superhero Day on Tuesday 5th May as part of our FSU topic “Caring, Sharing, Daring!”

Children in FSU only are invited to come to school dressed as either a fictional superhero or a real-life hero. This could be anything from comic book characters to the everyday heroes who help us, such as doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and many more!

Throughout the term, we will begin by exploring stories about mythical superheroes. We will then move on to learning about real-life superheroes and the important roles they play in our community. As we approach the end of the school year, we will celebrate the children themselves as superheroes, reflecting on all they have achieved and how ready they are for their next adventure in school.

If your child in Nursery does not usually attend on a Tuesday, they are still very welcome to join in the fun by dressing up on another day that week and will take part in the same superhero activities.

We can’t wait to see all the amazing costumes and celebrate our fantastic superheroes!

Thank you for your support.

School Council Baking Competition

The School Council are organising a Baking Competition to be held on Monday 11th May to raise money for our school charity of the year, Cancer Research UK. Our School Councillors have done a great job of organising the competition, creating posters and emails, and presenting their ideas in front of the whole school during Collective Worship. 

Well done, School Council - we're really looking forward to seeing everybody's delicious creations on Monday 11th May, and hopefully raising lots of money for Cancer Research UK.https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/witheridgecofeacademy-giving-page-27107223 






Community News


Any articles which appear in the school newsletter that have not been organised by or on behalf of the school, have not been verified by TEAM Multi-Academy Trust as to the suitability for children.  The news items are for parent information only!