Headteacher Message
Over the past few weeks, it has been a pleasure to meet with prospective parents and carers of children joining our reception class in September 2025. During school tours, our pupils always greet our visitors with warmth, enthusiasm and politeness and are a real credit to Great Waltham.
Anti-Bullying Week proved to be a resounding success, with the children learning about ’Respect’. Their anti-bullying pledges are a powerful reminder of our collective commitment to fostering a safe and nurturing environment for everyone. Odd socks day was definitely a highlight of the week. I loved the bright colours and have now discovered what friendship socks are!
Today, KS2 welcomed back Sidra Naeem, Deputy Lieutenant, whose visit I hope left a lasting impression on our Key Stage 2 pupils. Sidra's inspiring message about the importance of community volunteering resonated deeply with our school value of 'Responsibility'.
Well done to our pupils who recently represented Great Waltham at the Falcon Bowls Club and the Teddy Lympics event. We saw some great teamwork on display. Thank you to parents/carers for your support when transporting the children to and from these events.
Christmas Bazaar
Our upcoming Christmas Bazaar is scheduled for Friday, 6th December, from 4.00-6:30pm. The FOGWS are working tirelessly to ensure this event is a memorable one for our entire school community. In preparation for the bazaar, raffle tickets will soon be making their way home, with an array of excellent prizes up for grabs. Additionally, we will be holding a non-uniform day on Thursday, 5th December, in exchange for tombola prizes.
Christingle service
We are also delighted to invite all our families to join us for our Christingle service on Sunday, 8th December from 5:00pm at the church. In preparation, the children will learn about the Christingle traditions on Thursday, 5th December, before decorating their own oranges to bring home ahead of the service. We kindly ask that you provide an orange for your child to bring in on this day. We will supply all other resources and will also be sending home Christingle collection boxes for The Children's Society – any spare pennies would be greatly appreciated.
I recognise that it is a busy weekend with the Bazaar on the Friday and the Christingle service on Sunday, but we hope to see many of you at both events. Please note, the Christingle service is a family event, and the children will need parental supervision.
Road Safety
I’m really pleased to say that the hedge opposite school has now been cut back so that when you are crossing from Hatchfields it should be easier to see oncoming traffic. A huge thank you to Cllr Steel for his help with this and to those parents/carers who continue to park responsibly around school.
As we navigate the busy weeks ahead, I wanted to thank you all for your ongoing support and engagement. I look forward to celebrating the festive season with all of you.
Justine Brooks
Headteacher
