Whitchurch Combined School - October 2026 Newsletter | |
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Headteacher: Mrs R. Mobbs
School Vision: “Growing Today, Ready for Tomorrow!”
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Welcome to Our First Newsletter of the Year!
It’s hard to believe we are already eight weeks into the new academic year! The weeks have flown by, and there is plenty to celebrate. We hope you enjoy reading about the many activities, achievements and memorable moments that have taken place across the school.
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Parking Around School
Following Mrs Mobbs' letter earlier this week regarding considerate parking, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the many parents and carers who have listened to the advice given and have made a conscious effort to park more thoughtfully at drop-off and collection times. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps to keep our children, families and neighbours safe.
To re-iterate, we kindly ask all families not to park in Newman Close when bringing children to or collecting them from school. The close is a private residential area, and parking there can make it difficult and, in some cases, unsafe for residents to access their homes and driveways. Unauthorised parking is not permitted on this road.
Where possible, we encourage families to park at the Recreation Ground and enjoy a short walk to school. Many families already do this, and it makes a significant difference by reducing congestion around the school gates, easing pressure on local roads and creating a safer environment for everyone.
Please also remember:
- Do not park across or block residents' driveways.
- Do not stop or park on the zig-zag lines outside school.
- Do not park on grass verges, as this can damage the local environment and create hazards for pedestrians.
- Do not park on bends or near junctions, where visibility may be restricted and safety compromised.
- Park considerately, legally and safely at all times.
- Be mindful of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
- Sign our 'Parking Pledge' on Arbor
We understand that mornings and afternoons can be busy, and we are very grateful for the efforts families make to support the school and local community. A little extra care and consideration goes a long way. By choosing to park a little further away and walking to school, you can help ensure the safety of our children, support our neighbours and make journeys to and from school safer for everyone.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and support. We particularly appreciate those families who have already taken on board the advice shared last week. By working together, we can maintain positive relationships with our local residents and ensure that our school remains a safe and welcoming place for all.
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Start and End of the School Day
The school day starts promptly at 8:45am. Please ensure your child arrives on time and is ready for learning.
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The black gate opens at 8:35am for Years 1–6.
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Reception children may enter through their classroom door from 8:35am.
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If you arrive after 8:45am, please sign your child in at the school office.
At the end of the day:
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Children should be collected by 3:15pm for Reception and KS1 and 3.20 for KS2.
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If arriving after 3:30pm, please go to the office, where your child will be waiting.
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S4A After School Club can only take children who have been pre-booked -they cannot accept unregistered pupils.
Please do not park in or use the staff car park at any time. The car park is reserved for staff and authorised visitors and is particularly busy at the beginning and end of the school day. For everyone's safety, parents, carers and children should also avoid walking through the car park and instead use the designated pedestrian routes to enter and leave the school site.
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School Staff Overview
A huge welcome to Mrs Ingamells who started as a Teaching Assistant in Year 3 earlier in September.
Here is a revised list of the staff team for 2026-27:
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Additional Staff
Leadership Team
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Vision & Values
At Whitchurch, our vision remains:
“Growing today, ready for tomorrow.”
This vision is at the heart of everything we do. We want every child to leave Whitchurch not only with strong academic foundations, but also with the confidence, character and skills they need to thrive in the future.
Our five core values continue to guide our learning, behaviour and relationships:
- Be Kind
- Be Respectful
- Be Proud
- Be Resilient
- Be Curious
Since the start of the academic year, children have been exploring what these values look like in everyday school life. Through assemblies, PSHE lessons and classroom discussions, they have been thinking about how our values help us learn, grow and support one another.
We have already seen many wonderful examples of children demonstrating kindness towards their friends, showing respect to others, taking pride in their work, being resilient when faced with challenges, and approaching new learning with curiosity and enthusiasm.
By living our vision and values each day, we are helping our children to become confident, caring and responsible individuals who are truly growing today, ready for tomorrow.
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School Uniform Reminder
The children have returned to school looking wonderfully smart. Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that our pupils take pride in their appearance and represent the school so positively.
To help maintain our high standards and ensure consistency across the school, please take note of the following reminders:
- Hairbands and hair accessories should be school green.
- All hair that is shoulder-length should be tied back and kept away from the face.
- Hair gel and extreme hairstyles are not permitted.
- Children with pierced ears should wear small plain stud earrings only. Hoops, dangly earrings and other jewellery should not be worn.
- For PE lessons, earrings must be removed or, if newly pierced, covered with tape provided from home.
- As the colder weather approaches, please ensure your child comes to school with a warm coat.
- We encourage boys to wear trousers rather than shorts during the winter months.
- On PE days, children should wear plain black or dark green joggers as part of their PE kit. Leggings may now be worn but should be plain, opaque and unbranded.
- Please ensure that all clothing, coats and PE kit are clearly labelled with your child's name.
If you are ever unsure, please refer to our uniform guidance on the school website.
You can find full details here: School Uniform Information
Finally, a reminder to label everything. Our lost property collection is already growing rapidly, and named items are much easier to return to their owners!
Thank you for your support in helping us maintain the high standards of presentation that we are so proud of at Whitchurch.
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Reception 2027 Open Days
Over the past few weeks, we have been delighted to welcome many prospective families to our Open Day sessions and showcase everything that makes Whitchurch such a special place to learn and grow.
There is still an opportunity for families to visit us before applications close. Our final Open Day session will take place on Monday 9th November at 9:30am.
If your child was born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 and will be starting Reception in September 2027, we would love to welcome you to see our school in action, meet our staff and discover what life at Whitchurch has to offer.
If you are unable to attend this final session, please contact the school office and we will be happy to arrange an alternative visit.
We look forward to meeting more of our future Whitchurch families and sharing our vision of "Growing today, ready for tomorrow."
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New House Captains!
We are delighted to announce our House Captains for 2026–2027. Congratulations to the following pupils who will be leading their houses this year:
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Ascott: Jamie & Ruby
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Claydon: Affan and Violet
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Hartwell: Anvitaa and Ethan M
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Mentmore: Alice and Bartie
Well done to all of our new House Captains – we look forward to seeing you lead with pride and responsibility throughout the year.
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Harvest Assemblies 2026
A huge thank you to all the families who joined us for our Harvest Assemblies this term. It was wonderful to see our hall filled with parents, carers and family members as we celebrated the children's learning and reflected on the importance of harvest.
The children performed brilliantly, sharing poems, songs and presentations that highlighted themes of gratitude, community and helping others. We were incredibly proud of their confidence, enthusiasm and creativity.
We would also like to thank everyone for their generous harvest donations. Together, our school community donated over 200kg of food and essential items to support local families through Aylesbury Vineyard. This fantastic achievement demonstrates the kindness and generosity that make our school community so special.
Thank you for helping make our Harvest celebrations such a memorable occasion. We are incredibly proud of all our pupils and grateful for your continued support.
  
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School Events, Trips and Sports News
There has been a fantastic start to the academic year, with pupils across the school enjoying a wide range of exciting events, educational visits and sporting opportunities.
To make it easy to keep up to date with everything happening at Whitchurch, our School Events, School Trips and Sports News sections can be found in their own dedicated areas of the newsletter and on the school website. We encourage you to take a look and celebrate the many achievements and experiences of our pupils.
Some of the many memorable events so far have included:
- Our wonderful Harvest Assemblies and celebrations.
- Visits from acclaimed authors M.G. Leonard and Sita Brahmachari, who inspired children across the school with their books, stories and experiences.
- Year 1's Medieval Madness Day, which provided a fun and engaging introduction to life in medieval Britain.
- Year 3's Iron Age Day, bringing history to life through immersive learning experiences.
Our pupils have also enjoyed a number of enriching educational visits and residential experiences, including:
- Year 3's visit to the Chiltern Open Air Museum, where they explored life in the past and supported their history learning.
- Year 4's rearranged residential visit to Woodrow High House, which provided pupils with opportunities to develop independence, resilience and teamwork skills.
- Year 6's trip to London and the Imperial War Museum, providing exciting opportunities for discovery and hands-on learning.
Sport continues to thrive at Whitchurch, with many pupils representing the school with pride and enthusiasm.
- Our boys' and girls' football teams have competed in a number of fixtures this term.
- Our netball provision continues to grow, with Years 3 and 4 now training alongside our established Year 5 and Year 6 netball group, giving even more pupils the opportunity to develop their skills and participate in competitive sport. Thanks to Mrs Gregory and Ms Parker for their continued enthusiasm in supporting our netballers!
- Through our continued involvement in the Insignis School Sports Partnership, pupils have also enjoyed a range of additional sporting opportunities, including KS2 House Games competitions, padel sessions and dodgeball events.
We are incredibly proud of all that our children have achieved so far this year and look forward to sharing many more successes and experiences throughout the coming months. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
As ever, a huge thank you to those local businesses who support our school sports teams. Fit Worx and Oh! Honey Beauty, who have kindly provided netball nets and bibs. In addition, companies we have worked with previously, including Hannon Builders, Vass-Tech, and John Dennis 4x4, have helped the school by providing football kits.
  
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Travelling Book Fair
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our recent Travelling Book Fair.
Thanks to your generosity, we raised over £800 for the school! This fantastic amount will be used to purchase new books and reading resources, helping us to continue developing a love of reading across the school and ensuring our children have access to a wide range of high-quality texts.
Every purchase made a difference, and we are extremely grateful for the support shown by our families. We cannot wait to add these new books to our classrooms and library for the children to enjoy.
Thank you for helping us put even more wonderful books into the hands of our young readers!
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New School Councillors Help Choose New Vicar!
This year, the children in each class from Year 1 to Year 6 have voted for their School Council representatives. Congratulations to our new councillors:
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Year 1: Asher & Lottie
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Year 2: Ivy & Finn
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Year 3: Rosie & Fletcher
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Year 4: Eliza & Connie
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Year 5: George W, Harriet & Felix
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Year 6: Cole, Affan & Alice
Earlier this term, our School Councillors were given a very important role when they helped interview candidates for the position of Vicar of Whitchurch. The children took part alongside adult panels and had the opportunity to ask their own thoughtful questions to the candidates.
Following the interviews, the Bishop of Buckingham wrote to the school to thank the children for their involvement. In his letter, he praised the school for being such a "happy and well-organised school" and was particularly impressed by the quality of the questions the children asked. In fact, he noted that several of the children's questions were the same as those asked by the adult interview panels!
This was a fantastic opportunity for our School Councillors to represent the school and wider community. We are incredibly proud of how they approached this responsibility with such confidence, maturity and enthusiasm. Well done to all involved!
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Learning Focus: Year 4 Science
Year 4 have been studying electrical circuits in Science with Mrs Barahm, learning all about how a series circuit works. To put their learning into practice, the children designed and built their own interactive multiplication games.
The challenge was simple: if the player calculated the multiplication question correctly, the electrical circuit was completed and the light bulb turned on. If the answer was incorrect, the circuit remained open and the bulb stayed off. This exciting project combined scientific knowledge with mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Noah, Ayria, Connie and Georgina did an excellent job of explaining how their circuits worked to Mr Soar. They confidently demonstrated their understanding of series circuits and were rewarded with a special Headteacher's sticker for their fantastic explanations and enthusiasm.
Well done to these children and to all of Year 4 for their impressive scientific learning. It has been wonderful to see the children applying their knowledge in such a creative and practical way!
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Busy Start to the Term for the PTA!
Our PTA has enjoyed a fantastic and busy start to the new school year, organising events that have brought our school community together and raised valuable funds for the children.
The term began with a successful Years R and 6 Cake Sale on 2nd October, which was very well supported by families. A huge thank you to everyone who donated, baked and purchased cakes.
Earlier this term, children across the school enjoyed a fabulous school disco, kindly hosted by Cllr Phil Gomm. The evening was filled with music, dancing and plenty of fun, and it was wonderful to see so many children enjoying themselves.
Looking Ahead
The PTA is already busy planning next term's events, including:
Friday 13th November – Rainbow Raffle Non-Uniform Day
Friday 27th November – Christmas Fair
Wednesday 16th December – Santa Float
Thank you to everyone who has supported PTA events so far this year. Your generosity, time and enthusiasm help provide exciting opportunities and experiences for all of our children. We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events!
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Peer Mentors
This term, our Year 6 Peer Mentors completed two training sessions to learn how to support other children when they are stuck or involved in disagreements. They were taught to:
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Go over and check what the problem is
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Listen calmly
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Tell an adult if the incident is serious
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Resolve smaller issues themselves where possible
Cole and Erin shared their experiences of being a peer mentor:
This term, we had the chance to put our Peer Mentor training into practice when a child in Reception was feeling sad and lonely at lunchtime. The child wanted to play with their friend, but nobody knew who their friend was.
Using the skills we learned in our training, we stayed calm and asked open questions to help the child tell us more about their friend. After talking together and gathering clues, we were able to work out who they were looking for. We then found their friend and reunited them so they could play happily together.
As Peer Mentors, we wear orange lanyards so that younger children know who we are and can come to us if they need help solving a problem or finding someone to talk to. It was really rewarding to be able to help and see the child smiling again.
We are proud to be Peer Mentors and look forward to helping more children throughout the year!
Here are our Peer Mentors for 2026 - 2027, plus Alex and Jack.
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WOLF Play (Whitchurch Outdoor Learning Fun) Update!
Our WOLF Play initiative has got off to a fantastic start this term, with children thoroughly enjoying two exciting new outdoor play opportunities: our large sandpits outside the Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms and tyre rolling on the school field. It has been wonderful to see children of all ages exploring, creating and playing together outdoors.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far. We are incredibly grateful to all the families, volunteers and local businesses who have donated materials, funding and their time to help bring these exciting play opportunities to life.
What's Next?
Work is already underway on the next phase of WOLF Play, including a new free-play digging area on our nature trail. We also have plans for:
- Den building
- Outdoor bowling
- Obstacle courses
- An outdoor performance area
Can You Help?
We are still looking for donations of items such as wood, pallets, tarpaulins, crates, dressing-up clothes, outdoor play equipment and storage boxes. By reusing and recycling materials, we can continue creating imaginative and exciting play opportunities for our children.
If you can help in any way, please contact the school office at: office@whitchurch.bucks.sch.uk.
Fundraising for Welly Racks
To support year-round outdoor learning, each class is raising funds towards purchasing their own welly rack. The target for each class is £144, and children will be bringing home fundraising forms this week to help launch their fundraising efforts. We hope this will not only support outdoor learning but also help children develop teamwork, determination and an understanding of working towards a shared goal. Ms Brown has began creating a dedicated area on the website for WOLF Play with photos, risk assessments and our fund raising/sponsor forms. Take a look!
Thank you for your continued support. These wonderful opportunities are only possible because of our fantastic school community.
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Exciting Plans for Our Trim Trail!
Many of you may have noticed that our much-loved trim trail has seen better days. While Mr Little has been working hard to repair parts of the existing equipment and keep it safe and useable for the children, we are now looking ahead to something even more exciting!
After half term, we will be sharing our plans to replace the current trim trail with a fantastic new Oak Climber, creating an exciting, challenging and engaging play space for all our children to enjoy.
We're not quite ready to reveal all the details just yet, but here's a sneak peek of what we hope will be in place by the end of this academic year!
We can't wait to share more information with you in the coming weeks. Watch this space!
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School Calendar
The school calendar is available as a 'Useful Link' on our website. You can also find all upcoming dates by scrolling to the bottom of the homepage or at the bottom of this Newsletter.
Please check regularly to stay up to date with events, trips, and important school dates.
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Parents’ Evenings and Wonderful Wednesdays
Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for Parents’ Evening this week. We hope you found the meetings informative, helpful and valuable in supporting your child's learning and development.
We would also like to thank everyone who attended our Wonderful Wednesday session this term. It was a pleasure to welcome so many parents into school to spend time in the classrooms, see the children's work firsthand and talk with them about their learning. The children were incredibly proud to share their achievements and demonstrate what they have been learning.
We greatly value the strong partnership between home and school, and we appreciate the support you give your children every day.
If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to speak with your child's class teacher. If you were unable to attend Parents’ Evening, please contact the school office to arrange a convenient time to meet.
Thank you for your continued support and for taking such an active interest in your child's education.
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S4A October Half-Term Holiday Club
Looking for something fun to keep the children busy this half term? S4A's Whitchurch Holiday Club is back with three fantastic themed days packed full of activities, games and excitement!
Tuesday 27th October - Multi-Activity Day
A day full of football, dodgeball, tennis, gymnastics, arts and crafts, outdoor adventures and scavenger hunts.
Wednesday 28th October - Glowventure Day
Enjoy glow-in-the-dark sports and arts, exciting challenges, UV face painting and a neon dance party!
Thursday 29th October - Halloween Party
With Halloween games, face painting, cooking activities and a Halloween disco, it's the perfect way to celebrate the spooky season.
For more information and booking details, please visit the S4A website.
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Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Half-Term!
As we reach the end of another busy and successful half-term, all that remains is to say thank you for your continued support and to wish everyone a well-earned break.
We hope the children enjoy getting creative with the Science Selfie activities that Mrs Compton has shared on Class Dojo over the holiday. We look forward to seeing some of the fantastic photos and scientific discoveries when we return!
We are excited to welcome everyone back to school on Tuesday 2nd November. Please remember that individual school photographs will be taking place on the first day back, so children should arrive looking smart and ready to smile!
Have a wonderful half-term, enjoy some family time, and we look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for another exciting half-term ahead.
Mrs Mobbs and Mr Soar
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