Autumn 2 Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and a very Happy New Year to all our families. We hope you enjoyed a restful break and are ready for the busy and exciting term ahead. As we begin Spring 1, we are looking forward to a vibrant half-term filled with enriching learning opportunities, special events and memorable experiences for the children. From new curriculum projects and theme days to upcoming trips, workshops and whole-school activities, it promises to be a fantastic start to 2026 and we’re delighted to be sharing it with you.
Key Dates for your diary: -
January
Fri 9th Jan Non-uniform day for Green House
Tues 13/14th Fire Brigade visiting Y5 and Y6 - fire safety themed activities
Tues 13th Jan School nursing team visiting Reception and Y6 as part of measurement data gathering
Mon 19th Jan Y2 Skipping workshop – fun exercise to promote health and fitness
w/b 26th Jan ‘Take One Picture’ – whole school art project week
Wed 28th Jan KS2 Science assembly – designed to explore interest in establishing a future science club!
Tues 10th Feb Online Safety Day – UK Safer Internet Day – ‘Smart tech, safe choices’
Fri 13th Feb School closes for half term 3.05pm
Mon 23rd Feb School opens 8.35am
But firstly…
·Can we begin by saying a huge thank you for all your support during our many (and varied) Christmas celebrations at the end of last term. It was lovely to see so many of you attending and enjoying our assemblies and festivities. The children loved performing for you. Thank you too for all your generous party donations. The children wasted no time making sure every treat was thoroughly enjoyed!
·Many Broadgate pupils and classes (including the school choir) were wonderful ambassadors for the school over the Christmas period. Several groups visited local Christmas Rewind events and took part in annual carol services in local churches, all of which were very well received. The school choir performed magnificently at Central Chapel for members of the Horsforth ‘Live at Home’ scheme. Children also took part very enthusiastically in the Broadgate Christmas Jumper event, raising much needed funds for St Gemma’s Hospice. Subsequently we were delighted to receive many complimentary emails praising the children’s contributions, behaviour and engagement with the local community. Very well done to all concerned.
·The highly successful Scholastic Book Fair organised by our new parent governor (Laura Brown) raised over £900 for new school books. Many thanks for all your support.
·The ‘Children in Need’ appeal held in school with the support of the School Council (and Miss Marr) raised a very impressive £380 for this very good cause. Thank you to all who participated.
·We were so proud of our school ‘Dance Club’ members who took part in the Northern School of Arts Festival and had the honour of closing the show!
·Well done to a group of our Year 5 pupils, who, after taking part in their World War II themed day, changed back into their 1940s costumes to visit Bedford Court Care Home. In the run-up to Christmas, they sang wartime songs with the residents and were wonderfully received. A memorable and meaningful experience for all involved.
·We sent our sad but fond farewells to Miss Grugan (Y4) who left us at the end of term to further her own studies, and of course to Mr Donnison (Y3) who left for very special personal reasons, to become a new adoptive Dad. We also learned that we will shortly be saying goodbye to Mrs Talbot (from the pastoral team) who leaves us to join a specialist school nearer to home. They will be greatly missed and we wish them all every future success.
·We are delighted to welcome Miss Phoebe McNamara to the Y3 Broadgate teaching team. Miss McNamara is an experienced Y3 teacher with a strong passion for music and drama and we look forward to the creativity, awe and wonder her talents will bring to the classroom, inspiring pupils and colleagues alike.
Parents’ Evening
It was lovely to welcome so many of you to our parent consultation evenings last term and thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the parental survey. Your feedback was extremely valuable and very reassuring. We were delighted to see that 99% of parents and carers reported that their child is happy at Broadgate, with 99.9% agreeing or strongly agreeing that their child feels safe. Particularly pleasing was the 98% who agreed or strongly agreed that the school ensures pupils are well behaved, reflecting the strong culture and high expectations we work hard to maintain. In addition, 99% agreed or strongly agreed that the school supports their child’s emotional wellbeing. The overwhelmingly positive responses demonstrate the high levels of confidence and trust families place in the school and we are grateful for your support. We will continue to use all feedback proactively as we strive to further improve our practice.
New Midshire Catering Service Provider
From January, we are pleased to welcome Midshire Catering Service as our new school meals provider. All school meals must now be ordered through the ‘Create’ Ordering system, information about which has already been shared with families. It is essential that every family registers their child on Create, even if your child usually brings a packed lunch and does not take school dinners. In the event of an unforeseen situation (e.g. if a packed lunch is accidentally spoiled) we can only legally and safely provide a substitute meal if that child is registered on the system, as this includes vital information such as dietary requirements and allergies. Please ensure your registration is completed as soon as possible. Any problems, please contact the school office.
Sincere thanks to Mrs Sheard and the office team for their sterling work planning and securing the new contract and getting everything prepared for the January launch. They have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes. We look forward to the success and benefits emanating from this new partnership.
‘Pupil Voice’ in action
Animal lover Leah, in Year 2, asked if she could hold a bake sale to raise money for the RSPCA. With the support of the School Council (and Miss Marr) she raised an impressive £250 for her chosen charity. A huge well done to Leah for being so community-minded at such a young age and thank you to everyone who baked, donated and bought cakes to support her wonderful initiative. Well done Leah. Broadgate is proud of you!
Take One Picture – Project Week
At the end of January, Mrs. Riley (our art subject leader) will be running a whole-school project inspired by the London-based National Gallery. This is a nationwide primary school program which aims to put art at the centre of learning. Children will be invited to use a famous painting as a focus for inspiration, asking questions about what they can see and the artistic interpretation behind the design. The picture will then be used to make links between art and subjects across the curriculum, including History, English and Science, culminating in a whole-school artistic showcase around a shared, central theme. More details will follow nearer the time.
Parking outside school
Please could we once again respectfully remind everyone not to park on private driveways or on the zig zag lines at the top of the school drive. Parking control officers will be in attendance in the new year and we have been reliably informed that fines will be issued to offenders. Please help us to keep our school community safe as well as showing due consideration to our near neighbours.
Non-uniform day
We will be holding a non-uniform day on January 9th but ONLY for the children in Green House, as once again they were winners of our house cup last term. Congratulations! Children in all other houses should please come to school in full uniform. Will another house step up and take the crown next time? Watch this space!
Reminder of arrangements in case of bad weather
We would like to remind all parents and carers that, in the event of snow or other inclement weather, we will always aim to keep the school open. During periods of heavy snowfall, the school will normally open at 10.00am, although a skeleton staff will be available from the usual start time for parents who need to drop off their children earlier. Any late openings or exceptional closures will be communicated via the Ping system, so it is essential that all families have access to this. If you do not currently receive Ping messages, please contact the school office for assistance.
PTA news update
Following the highly successful joint firework display with St Mary’s, the PTA kept the festive spirit going with their wonderful Christmas Fair. The ‘Christmas Cracker’ raised an impressive £1,029 - which we are reliably informed worked out at £13.72 per minute! Thank you so much to everyone involved for your generosity, for bringing and donating so many of the items on sale and then cheerfully buying them back again. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
And finally…
Thank you once again for your continued support and encouragement. The strong partnership between home and school underpins everything we do at Broadgate and we look forward with great optimism to a happy and successful 2026.
Warm regards
Sarah Qualtrough