05 September 2025

Headmaster's Newsletter, Friday 5th September 2025

Dear Parents

What makes the start of a school year so special is the sense of possibility it brings. Every pupil begins a new chapter, full of excitement, fresh opportunities, and the chance to grow. This week has been no exception. The energy across the school has been fantastic, and it has been wonderful to see how quickly the children have settled into routines, ready for the term ahead.

At Dumpton, our guiding values of Be Kind and Aim High are the threads that weave our community together and shape how our children experience school life. They remind us what matters most, and they set the tone for how we learn and live alongside one another. The staff and I have spent the first three days focusing on this and embedding these values into the classrooms and corridors and playgrounds – as we often say, we want our values to be lived, not just laminated!

In these first few days alone, I’ve already been so impressed by how the pupils have responded: from the simple kindness of holding doors open, to the courage of trying something new; from the warmth shown to new classmates, to the determination to impress their teachers. These behaviours, positively reinforced to become habits, define our culture - and they are exactly what make Dumpton such a special place to grow and learn. A huge well done to all our pupils for such a positive beginning. If the first week is anything to go by, we’re in for a brilliant year.

Finally, as well as writing to you each week in this way, I also try to capture my perspective of life at Dumpton for you all on social media, alongside of course our main feeds – if you’d like even more of a window into Dumpton life do follow us on @dumptonhead, @dumpton or @dumptonsport .

The Year Ahead – Information Evenings
We hope as many parents as possible will be able to join us this Monday and/or Tuesday evening for these key events in the school calendar.

The arrangements for the evenings are as follows:

Monday 8th September for Y3 to Y7 parents and Tuesday 9th September for Reception to Y2 parents
Please arrive at 7.30pm for a presentation in the Assembly Hall from me and other senior staff at Dumpton
Parents will then be guided to their child’s classroom to hear from form tutors and have a chance to discuss more details about the year ahead for your children
The evening will finish with a drinks reception for parents and staff

Y8 Leadership Trip
We wish our Y8 pupils and staff team the very best for their Leadership Trip next week. They will spend a memorable week in Snowdonia, challenging themselves in a range of exciting ways, including climbing mountains and surviving a night in the wild together. This trip aims to set them up brilliantly for their final year at Dumpton where they will play such key roles as Y8 Leaders. We will report back next week on how they get on.

Prep School Sports Fixtures Next Week – From Mr Randle
Next week sees our first sports fixtures of the year, with teams playing hockey and football against Forres Sandle Manor. Good luck to the Y3 boys and girls who will play their first fixtures for Dumpton! A reminder to all parents to check the Dumpton Sports Site where all the fixtures, team lists, locations, timings and match reports can be found.

From the Dumpton Friends
Thank you to everyone who attended our back to school Coffee Morning this morning.

The first Meeting of Dumpton Friends will be on Thursday 11 September at school in the Meeting Room at 8.30am. It would be brilliant to see lots of you at our first meeting of the year - it is a lovely opportunity to share your ideas and be involved. Brand new parents should feel most welcome to come along too – we are a very friendly bunch!

September Stroll – Sunday 21st September 2025
Join the Dumpton Friends and the Headmaster for a beautiful short circular walk in the fields around Dumpton before returning for some drinks and cake. Children, dogs and other family members and friends most welcome! Please be aware that the route is not pushchair friendly.

Car Park Etiquette
Thank you to all parents for observing the following in the school car park, which helps ensure we keep all the members of the school community safe:

Performing Arts – From Ms Oakes

It has been great to see so many requests for new instrumental, vocal, dance and LAMDA lessons coming through. Please see the Performing Arts Hub for details of how to sign up for lessons and classes if you haven't already.

Electricity Work – Tuesday 9 September
Scottish and Southern Electricity Network will be carrying out some work in our area on Tuesday 9 September. You may notice a temporary generator located in the Parents’ Car park which will be providing our power whilst upgrades are carried out on the network. Our power will be off for up to 30 minutes at 7.30am and again at 4.30pm. We are very much hoping that disruption will be minimal.

With best wishes for the weekend.

Yours sincerely