Dear Parents
School Reports
End of year school reports are now available on the parent portal. After reading each one, I can confidently say they are a pleasure to read—informative, thoughtful, and filled with well-deserved praise for our exceptional pupils. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.
Dumpton Foundation
Huge thank you to everyone who has so generously donated to our first Dumpton Foundation projects. We have been really blown away by the response. We are still accepting donations – do click on this link to find out more.
National Athletics – from Mrs Sowden
Seb N represented Dumpton for the first time at the Athletics National Finals in Birmingham on Wednesday, competing in the U12 boys' 75m hurdles. After a strong performance, he finished 3rd in his heat, leading to a tense wait to see if he had qualified for the final. To his delight, he made it through and went on to place 7th in the country—a fantastic achievement and a proud moment in his athletics journey.
Y8 Leavers’ Course
Our Year 8 pupils returned from Cornwall this afternoon after a fantastic trip. They made the most of the beautiful weather, enjoyed surfing lessons, and, of course, indulged in some classic fish and chips. A truly memorable experience that they will cherish for years to come.
Year 1 and Year 2 Beach Trip - from Mrs Wort
Year 1 and Year 2 enjoyed a wonderful morning at the beach on Tuesday – and we were fortunate to have perfect beach weather! The day began with an engaging talk about beach safety, followed by a refreshing watermelon snack. The dry sand presented a bit of a challenge, but thanks to Mrs Hawkins and her two trusty paddling pools, the children had access to water for their creations – no small feat on such a warm day! The pupils were full of encouragement and empathy, even offering Mrs Hawkins a drink to help her cool down.
The children naturally split into two enthusiastic groups: one focused on building sandcastles, while the other set out to dig a tunnel all the way to Australia! Constructing the perfect sandcastle required great perseverance, and despite a few early setbacks, the results were nothing short of spectacular. As for the digging team – although the holes were impressive, we're pleased to report that no one was lost en-route to Australia!
It was a joyful and memorable way to round off the school year, filled with teamwork, creativity, and lots of laughter.
Speech Day – Friday 4 July
For your ease I have included the arrangements for the day below once again. May I just remind you that there are no minibuses running tomorrow and the Nursery will be open for a morning session until 11.30am only. The arrangements for the day are as follows:
9.15-9.30am - Arrival of pupils and parents. Additional parking will be available across the road on the sports field. All Reception to Y8 children should go to their classrooms to be registered. There will be pre-ceremony refreshments for parents outside the Sports Hall.
9.45am - Doors Open. Parents can take their seats. Please do not enter the Sports Hall before this time. Reception to Y8 pupils will arrive and sit in their year groups. There will be seats reserved for Y8 parents.
10.00am - Ceremony Begins.
10.45am - Pre-Prep children return to their classrooms with their teachers. All parents stay for the remainder of the ceremony.
11.30am - Ceremony Ends. Prep and Pre-Prep children are dismissed to their parents.
11.30am - Dumpton Friends Picnic begins - parents are responsible for their children!
11.30am – Leavers’ Drinks on the Front Lawn for any pupils and parents who are leaving Dumpton this year. Please note that children need to remain with their parents and must not be unaccompanied at the picnic.
Staff Farewells
Tomorrow we will say goodbye to some much-loved members of staff. As well as the previously announced staff, we will be saying goodbye to Mr Yorke and Mrs Dillingham, two of our Teaching Assistants, Mike Giles, our Minibus Driver and Bus Administrator, and Liz Fox our English Teacher and Librarian. I am sure you will join me tomorrow in thanking all four staff for the contribution they have made to Dumpton over the years – they will all be hugely missed.
The Next Academic Year – Key Dates for Your Diary
We thought that it would be useful for us to share a few important dates for the autumn term. We will be holding important ‘The Year Ahead’ evenings in early September and really hope that you will be able to join us for these.
- Wednesday 3 September – First Day of the Autumn Term
- Monday 8 to Friday 12 September – Y8 Residential Leadership Trip to Wales
- Monday 8 September – ‘The Year Ahead’ Information Evening (for parents of Y3 – Y7 pupils)
- Tuesday 9 September - ‘The Year Ahead’ Information Evening (for parents of Reception, Y1 & Y2 pupils)
Photographs from Sports Days
Please visit dephoto.biz/randle to view the photos from each of the Sports Days.
Summer Holiday Activities
We sent out some ideas of activities to complete over the summer a little earlier today. Whilst we certainly encourage plenty of rest, relaxation and fun over the holidays, it’s always a good idea to keep things ticking over for the Summer!
Sports Team Photographs
We have a number of these in the office ready for collection – if you have ordered a copy, please do pop into the office tomorrow morning.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Christian Saenger
Headmaster