Newsletters

Witheridge Weekly Newsletter - Friday 20th March 2026



Witheridge

Church of England

Academy


Encourage One Another And Build Each Other Up


Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to join us for Parents’ Evening this week. It was a wonderful opportunity to share your children’s fantastic progress and achievements with you. We also greatly appreciated the chance to talk through any questions or concerns you may have had—working together in this way really helps us to support every child to thrive.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to speak with your child’s class teacher, please do get in touch by emailing admin@witheridge.devon.sch.uk, and we will be happy to arrange a convenient time for you.

As we continue through the term, we would like to offer a gentle reminder that children should still bring a coat to school each day. The weather can remain a little chilly, and we are still experiencing occasional rain, so having appropriate clothing helps ensure everyone stays comfortable during outdoor learning and play.

We would also like to remind everyone that our school site is strictly vape and smoke-free. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a safe and healthy environment for all members of our school community.

Finally, we continue to be guided by our school vision to “encourage one another and build each other up.” It is always lovely to see this reflected in the kindness, respect, and support shown by our children and families.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

I hope you have a lovely weekend in the Spring Sunshine. 

Kind regards, 

Miss Ratcliffe

Head of School

Life, Love and Learning to the Full


School Attendance


This week's whole school attendance percentage is:

90.3%

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


Exmoor Challenge Practise Walk 4 (with Petroc)
9:00am – 3:30pm
24
March
Farm School (KS1 Group)
9:00am – 1:30pm
from 10 Mar and every 14 days until 31 Mar
24
March
YR and Y1 Trampolining Group 1
All Day
25
March
Mr Rogo Music Concert
10:00am – 11:00am
25
March
Outdoor Learning Class 3 Group 3
1:30pm – 3:30pm
from 25 Feb and on Wednesday each week until 01 Apr
25
March
Easter Service
All Day
26
March
Class 2 PE
2:00pm – 3:30pm
from 26 Feb and on Thursday each week until 02 Apr
26
March
Mr Godfrey Drum Concert
2:00pm – 3:00pm
26
March
Voyager Silly Sock Day
All Day
27
March
Class 1 PE
2:00pm – 3:30pm
from 27 Feb and on Friday each week until 27 Mar
27
March
PTFA Easter Fayre
3:30pm – 4:30pm
27
March
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.


Latest News


19 Mar 2026
Dartmoor Day
10th March 2026
Read more
19 Mar 2026
Team Cross Country Event - High Bickington
10th March 2026
Read more
19 Mar 2026
Science Week
9th March 2026
Read more

Celebration of Achievements


Class Awards
Nursery  Savanna for excellent contribution during focused Maths
Reception Chester for effort and enthusiasm in his artwork.
Class 1 All of Class 1 for working really hard and completing their first assessments
Class 2 All of Class 2 for perseverance during assessment week
Class 3 George for his fantastic knowledge about Lunar rolling vehicles during science week
Class 4  Luna for persevering throughout the whole of assessment week
Writer of the Week
Class R Elena for correcting herself and supporting others with the formation of the 'b' sound
Class 1 Assessment Week 
Class 2 Assessment Week
Class 3 Ronnie B for a fantastic attitude during assessment week (and knowledge in SPAG)
Class 4 Amy for using her knowledge of segmenting and spelling patterns to make SPAG progress
School Contribution Award
Cross Country Certificates
10 on Caterpillar
Savanna
Merit Awards
20 Merit Awards Aspen (R), Alfie M (4)
40 Merit Awards Maggie (3), Libby W (3), Archie (3), Hazel (3), Betsy (3)
House Points

Discovery: 84

Endeavour: 81

Enterprise: 77

Voyager: 93


TEAM Multi-Academy Trust Vacancies


Further Information and Apply Here


Important Notices


School Council News - Charity of the Year: Cancer Research UK

Our school council has chosen the charity, Cancer Research UK, to be our named school charity of the year. Over the course of the next few months, we'll be sending out details about upcoming fundraising events and opportunities. The school council explained the reason for their decision to choose Cancer Research UK:

"We all know someone who has been affected by cancer, and we know every penny raised for Cancer UK counts to help those battling cancer."

We have set up a school giving page, should you wish to support this great charity and help the children with their fundraising this year.

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/witheridgecofeacademy-giving-page-27107223

Watch out for details of fundraising events coming soon!

 


Nursery Charges Update

From 20th April 2026, our fees for non-funded places will be increasing to £5.80 per hour.  This is in line with government changes to funded places.

For more information about funding, please use the following link:

https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

Chicken Pox Advice

We would like to inform you that we currently have one case of Chicken Pox in the school.  Please click on the following link for further advice and symptoms to look out for.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/






Witheridge CofE Academy PTFA


Firstly, we would like to say a huge thank you to Miss Ratcliffe and Mrs North so that we could facilitate a school disco. It was brilliant to see the children's happy and smiling faces as they enjoyed the music, snacks and glow-in-the-dark accessories we had to offer. The event was a great success and, as well as being a great event for the children, raised just under £50 towards PTFA funds. We are hoping to hold a KS1 disco and KS2 Leavers Disco in the summer term – further info to follow next term. 

We are super excited about our Easter events coming up on the 27th and 28th March. 

We are holding an Easter Fayre after school on Friday 27th March and are desperately seeking volunteers so that we can run all of the stalls that we want to make the event a success. Please speak to Phoenix Griffiths, Dean Dibble or Mrs. Seymour if you can give an hour of your time that afternoon. Alongside this, we are holding an egg-cart competition for the children. Please see the additional poster for more details. If you have any queries or questions, please speak to Mrs. Seymour.

Another reminder that we are still looking for raffle prizes for our bingo evening on the 28th. Please bring them to the school office or feel free to bring them with you on the night. 

Thank you for all your support. 


Help with Raffle Prizes

We are seeking raffle prizes for our bingo night on the 28th March. If you have a donation, please drop it to the school office or bring it along with you on the night. 

Thank you for your continued support. 



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!