No.7- 18th December 2025
Headteacher Message -
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of a truly magical festive season at school, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful celebrations we’ve shared together.
Our festive period began with the School Fair, and what a fantastic start it was! A huge thank you to our incredible FOA for organising such a wonderful event. It was heart-warming to see so many of you there, enjoying the day and supporting the school. We were also delighted to welcome Monica Harding, who joined us at the fair to officially open the new Trim Trail—a fantastic addition to our outdoor space that will benefit all our children.
We then moved into our Christmas services at St Mary’s, beautifully led by our Faith Ambassadors, followed by our Christmas Pause Day—a time for reflection and togetherness. Adding to the festive cheer, children came dressed in their Christmas jumper glory and enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch. The school hall looked magical, thanks to everyone involved in decorating it—we truly appreciate the effort that made the day so special. A special thank you to our catering team for preparing such a wonderful Christmas dinner that was enjoyed by all.
The week continued with a series of unforgettable performances : the Christingle, the Year 6 Carol Service and of course, our Christmas productions (with beautiful singing, fabulous costumes, and such courage on display). A particularly proud moment was seeing our new Reception children take to the stage. It’s remarkable to reflect on the leap they’ve made—from their very first steps into school just a few months ago to performing with such confidence.
I would like to thank all the wonderful volunteers who turned the Harmony into Santa's magical grotto on Tuesday, it was such a highlight for all the children and staff. I would also like to thank Mr Murray who saved the day by stepping in for Santa at the very last moment, you really did save Christmas at Ashley.
A heartfelt thank you to our brilliant staff for making these moments possible. It’s no small feat to put on performances like these, but they create memories that last a lifetime and give every child their time to shine.
I am looking forward to the Book Prize Awards Assemblies which will round off the term. It is an opportunity to celebrate children who have truly demonstrated our school values.
Finally, as we wrap up the year, I want to wish every family a very Merry Christmas and a relaxing holiday. Enjoy your celebrations, the excitement of seeing friends and extended family, and the well-earned rest. We look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year—2026!
Warmest wishes,
Mrs Ratcliff
Term Dates 26/27 -
Reminders -
Arbor - Please can we ask you to log into the Arbor app. We ask that you add/check the following information:
- 3 Emergency contacts
- Medical information (including GP surgery and any medical needs)
- Ethnicity
- Religion
Going forward you can change address/telephone or any information through the app directly, the school will receive a notification and your details will be updated accordingly.
We have increasingly had to confiscate food items that have been sent in with children that do not adhere to our school policy. We will not accept the following:-
- Products that contain nuts, traces of nuts or are made in an environment that cannot be guaranteed to be nut free must not be brought into school. This includes nut sandwich spreads such as peanut butter and Nutella, and nut based snack and protein bars. Please check all ingredients before sending anything in with your child.
- Confectionary such as chocolate bars, chocolate coated biscuits, all types of sweets/candy
- Fizzy/sugary drinks. This includes high sugar juices and softs drinks such as Capri Sun and Ribena. Children have access to tap water in the lunch hall.
- Processed snacks such as ‘Lunchables’, ‘Dunkers’, ‘Attack A Snaks’
- Glass bottles and tins/cans due to safety reasons
SCHOOL LUNCHES - Please below the new school lunch menu which will start after half term. If your child/ren normally has a school meal, please can we remind you to order a school meal in advance. Ordering closes on the Friday before and meals cannot be ordered after this time.
ashley primary menu autumn winter 2025 2026 .pdf
FOA Questionnaire -
Thank you to those who have already shared their views via the Friends of Ashley (FOA) survey. We recognise this is a busy time of year and really do want to hear the viewpoints of as many parents as possible. We have therefore extended the closing date to Tuesday 6th January 2026.
The FOA plays an important role in bringing our school community together and making Ashley an even better place for our children. We appreciate you helping us make sure it remains effective into the future, and that community involvement opportunities are inclusive and accessible.
Please scan QR code below and complete the questionnaire by 6:00pm on Tuesday 6th January 2026.
Ashley Church of England Primary School 2027/8 Admissions Policy Consultation -
The Good Shepherd Trust is the Admissions Authority for Ashley Church of England Primary School, Ashley Rd, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1HX
The Trust is consulting on a proposed change to the 2027/8 admissions policy for Ashley Church of England Primary School and would like to hear your views. The Trust has a statutory duty to consult on admissions arrangements if we intend to make a change.
The consultation period will run from Friday 12th December 2025 to Friday 23rd January 2026.
Information about the consultation will be provided on the https://www.goodshepherdtrust.org.uk/our-schools/admissions and school websites Ashley C of E Primary School - Admissions, during the consultation period.
What is the proposed change?
The proposed change to the policy is:
Removal of the following criterion:
- An applicant who lives within the Ecclesiastical Parish boundary (see note 4 of Walton on Thames AND the applicant and at least one parent (see definitions) regularly attend (see note 3) either St Mary’s or St John’s Churches in Walton on Thames
- The applicant lives within the Ecclesiastical Parish boundary (see note 4) of Walton on Thames AND the applicant and at least one parent (see definitions) regularly attend another Christian Church (see note 3).
Comments are not being sought on any other area of the policy. This will also mean the removal of the SIF associated with these criteria.
Rationale
The Trust seeks to be as inclusive as possible with our admissions policies and procedures. We welcome pupils from all faiths and none and we are keen to make our admissions policy as clear as possible in regard to this. We have, therefore, proposed to remove all church-related criteria from our school admissions policies. Some parents have suggested that these criteria have been a barrier to applying to our schools.
Potential Impact
In the past three years, the number of pupils admitted into the school is as follows:
|
|
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
|
Places available |
90 |
90 |
90 |
|
Total places offered |
90 |
89 |
90 |
|
Places offered under criterion 5 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
|
Places offered under criterion 6 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
As pupil projections for the Elmbridge area are predicted to decline further, we do not expect these changes to impact the places offered. The number in each is on a significant downward trend and the numbers are small.
How can I respond to the consultation?
If you would like to submit a response to the consultation, please email Mr Paul Kennedy on: admissions@goodshepherdtrust.org.uk or write to: Mr Paul Kennedy, The Good Shepherd Trust, Larch Building, Larch Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1JY.
Please ensure that your response is entitled: 2027/8 Admissions Policy Consultation.
You are able to submit a free text response.
However, the Trust Board would find it helpful if you could include your name and the name of the school to which you are submitting a response. Also, if you are able to indicate whether you will be affected by the proposed change and if so, in what way.
Further details on the admissions consultation process can be found in the School Admissions Code: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf
What happens next?
Please note that you will not receive an individual response to your submission and no changes to the proposed policies will be made during the consultation period. After the consultation has closed, all responses will be collated and presented to the Trust Board during the first half term of the spring term 2026. The Board will then decide whether to proceed with the proposed change as well as determining the admission arrangements for all other Trust schools for which no changes are proposed. Once determined the final admission arrangements for all schools will be placed on the websites of the individual schools and sent to the Local Authority and Diocese.
ashley 2027 admission policy draft.pdf
ashley 2027 staff sif draft.pdf
The Past Fortnight -
KS2 Choir - 
Last week, our KS2 choir were busy bringing Christmas joy to a wide audience! Starting off with the Christmas Fayre, they also wowed the school at both church services and finished off by delighting the residents at Glendale Care Home with their amazing singing. Thank you to all who helped make it happen and it certainly got us in the Christmas spirit! 🎄🎅
- Mrs Athersuch
Y6 -
This term in Science, Year 6 have been learning about healthy bodies, evolution and inheritance. In small groups they created some really lovely and informative posters about how to maintain fit and healthy bodies. The teachers were so impressed with the children's work that we contacted the Method Gym in Walton to see if they would like to display some of the posters at the gym. They gratefully accepted this offer and, this week, Mrs Nawaz and some Year 6 pupils visited the gym to deliver their work for display there. Congratulations to Year 6 for their enthusiastic attitude towards their learning in Science this term and for all the fabulous topical work which they produced.
Y5 - 
Year 5 performed their Christingle service to parents on Wednesday 17th December. They worked extremely hard to learn their lines, songs and make their Christingles. It was a beautiful performance, and they truly did us proud. Well done year 5!
-Miss May
Y4 - 
As the year draws to a close and we are at the end of the first term we would like to thank you all for helping to make it so successful. We recently enjoyed spending a whole day focusing on the Tudors, the children looked amazing and we had great fun researching Tudor clothes, making Tudor roses, pomanders and creating their own Tudor dances.
- Mr Denman
Y3 - 
Year 3 had a wonderful DT day making their pillows. This involved using the skills we learnt such as tie dye, running, and cross stich.
- Miss Hoseason
Y2 - 
On Friday Y2 welcomed a puppeteer named Alicia into the Harmony centre. Children and staff were mesmerised by the magical storytelling and puppet show produced by Alicia and her puppets. Please ask your children all about it.
- Miss Williams
Y1 -
Year 1 have had an eventful fortnight, starting with a trip back in time at The Milestones Museum, as part of our learning enquiry, How have toys changed since Victorian times? The children explored toys and played games from the Victorian times right through until the present day. It was a successful day with many smiling faces, thank you again to all of our volunteers. We have also been busy rehearsing our Christmas show and thoroughly enjoyed Pause Day, where we focused on the true meaning of Christmas and The Lord's Prayer.
- Mrs Lewis
Reception - 
The children have worked very hard this term and we are very proud of everything that they have achieved! The past few weeks have been very busy preparing for our Christmas Nativity Show and we are very proud of all the children, they were amazing! We have had lots of fun preparing for Christmas in class, singing Christmas songs, learning about the Christmas story, writing Christmas lists, making Christmas cards and lots of varied Christmas crafts practising our skills of cutting, sticking and painting. In our outdoor learning the children made a Santa Sleigh, using the large construction and had great fun working together as Santa's elves delivering presents to all!
- Mrs Lulham
Sport -
The Year 5 and 6 netball teams had their first match of the season at home on Thursday 11th December. Whilst we didn't get the results we hoped for, the children worked together brilliantly and gave it their best go. We faced the challenges of darkness and the cold, but they pushed through and should be really proud of themselves. I look forward to our training sessions in the Spring term!
- Miss May
Ashley Celebrates Christmas -
On Monday Years 3 and 5 and then on Tuesday Years 2, 4 and 6 all took part in wonderful Christmas services at St Mary's Church welcomed by Rev. Jonny. All classes took turns to share part of the first Christmas and Faith Club acted out the story at the front of the church. The children were all in great voice and sung their Christmas songs beautifully with a special performance from the Junior School Choir singing Oh Holy Night. Well done everyone.
In school services
Rev. Cathy visited school on Tuesday 9th to watch Reception's nativity and share a special Christmas message with them before joining Year 1 for their Christmas service in the hall and teaching us how crackers can remind us of the true meaning of Christmas!
- Happy Christmas from Mrs Harris, Mrs Nawaz and Mrs Kent.
Well Done!
A BIG Well done, We are delighted to share that Annabelle (Y4) has passed her Grade 2 Piano exam.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Finally we would like to wish all our Ashley community a very Happy Christmas and the best of wishes for the New Year ahead. See you in 2026!
