Newsletters

Dorchester News - 3rd Oct 2025

Newsletter

3rd October 2025

Dear Dorchester Families,

At Dorchester Primary, we know that every lesson really does count. Good attendance is one of the most important factors in helping children achieve their best – not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.

Each day builds on the one before. Missing even a small amount of learning can mean children find it harder to keep up with new ideas, class discussions and friendships. Over time, the gaps add up. For example:

  • 95% attendance still means missing nearly two weeks of learning in a year.

  • 90% attendance adds up to almost a month of school lost.

  • By the end of primary school, a child with 90% attendance will have missed more than half a year of lessons.

Regular attendance helps children:

  • Build strong learning habits and confidence

  • Make steady academic progress

  • Stay connected with friends and routines

  • Develop resilience and a sense of responsibility

We want all our pupils to enjoy school, feel part of our community, and make the most of the exciting opportunities on offer. By working together to keep attendance high, we give every child the best chance to shine.

Please remember that where children have unauthorised absences, parents may receive a penalty notice from the local authority. We would always encourage you to talk to Julie, our Home School Link Worker, if you are experiencing any difficulties with attendance so we can support you.

Have a lovely weekend.

Cathy Bell
Headteacher

 

 

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Latest News

03 Oct 2025
Upcoming visit and workshop from Chris Skelley, MBE
Exciting News! We are thrilled to share that on Monday 13th October, we will be welcoming Chris Skelley MBE, Paralympic gold medallist and inspirational speaker, to our school!  Chris Hunt Skelley MBE, former World Number 1 and Paralympic Judo Champion, has carved out an extraordinar...
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29 Sep 2025
Education Wellbeing Service Webinar's
       
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Friends of Dorchester School

Our annual FODS quiz night is fast approaching! Tickets can be purchased by bank transfer directly to FODS - We will then speak to you regarding your food choices and team details, if making your own team. If buying for multiple people, friends, family tec - you can make one joint payment or individually. If you need to let us know any details, reach us via your class rep or email dorchesterpta@gmail.com

Last year's event was a huge success, so we are so excited to see what this year brings.

See poster for full details.

 

✨ Support Our School with Personalised Gifts! ✨

You can order unique personalised cards and gifts featuring your child’s own artwork. Not only do they make wonderful keepsakes for family and friends, but every order helps raise vital funds for our school.

💖 Treasured memories for you
🎁 Thoughtful presents for loved ones
🏫 Extra funds for our children’s learning

It’s a simple way to give something special while supporting our PTA. Thank you for helping us make a big difference!

Next week your child will bring home their 'Celebration card' template.

Any items ordered allow FODS to receive a % of the profit – these funds really help us to support our school. It's simple – the quicker and more we order – the more profit we can make.

There are some wonderful items to order;

https://shop.classfundraising.co.uk/collections/christmas

This will only affect a small number, but please remember that if your child designed their card 'landscape', we would advise only ordering cards, paper, tags or magnets – otherwise the image will appear 'sideways' - and choose for the inside of cards to be blank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/raffle/fods-big-summer-raffle-2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawK38SlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCaE81eHB5VVd3R2R1UktXAR444ZoxCZPHDWaQ0-5_VjR8YOCFhbIe_o0VeNwFTe0rW8EyCHBFQX4aecA9pA_aem_554dbf3qAJSRyjefCRCydw

 We have been made aware of an error with Amazon & eBay while using easyfundraising, please ensure that your basket is empty prior to shopping, or it will not register the use of easyfundraising.

Do you know about Your School Lottery? Dorchester Primary School is part of this fantastic lottery. This lottery has been set up specifically to raise money and make a difference for our children! It's a fantastic way to bring parents, carers, teachers, and the wider community together, in partnership with our school, and at the same time give something back. There are lots of amazing prizes to be won, your support is greatly appreciated, and we wish you good luck! To sign up or find out more information, please visit the website via this link: https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/dorchester-primary-school?fbclid=IwAR2UqkYQ4Yf79s9ZZul-tgcgLtJp9McVlXXqWutUrjklVom85O1EppaUonM

 

Thank you for your continued support.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CuW7ZyKqf/ 

https://www.instagram.com/friendsofdorchesterschool_pta?utm_source=qr&igsh=MnplMHZnN3c3cHRi

 

Sports News

02 Oct 2025
Skipping festival
6 of our children, from years 5 & 6, represented Dorchester at a Skipping festival held at a local primary school. The girls had a great time. They challenged themselves, worked as a team and managed to skip the long rope 5 at a time. Most importantly, they represented our school wi...
Read more
02 Oct 2025
Discounted tickets from Crystal Palace Womens. Vs Newcastle United @ Sutton VBS Community Stadium
With the new season in the Barclays Women's Super League 2 underway, I'm delighted to invite your school to Palace Women's home game against Newcastle United on Sunday, 5th October with an exclusive discount for teachers, pupils, parents, and staff.   Nearly 1000...
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Learning Highlights

& Peek of the Week

02 Oct 2025
Nursery: Can you sing our good morning or good afternoon song using makaton actions?
This week in Nursery, we have enjoyed learning our new ‘Good morning and Good afternoon songs’. We are learning to say hello, good morning and good afternoon using Makaton. We are also able to use Makaton to ask each other ‘how are you?’ Makaton is a language programme that c...
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02 Oct 2025
Reception: How does your family help you?
This week we have been reading Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen. The book shows us that a family isn't limited to relatives—it can also be found in a special group of people who care for and accept you, such as your teachers and classmates. This week, some of the children have been e...
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01 Oct 2025
Year 1: How many parts of the human body can you name?
Our highlight of the week was meeting the dinosaurs!
Read more
01 Oct 2025
Year 2: What landmarks, human and physical features can you identify from aerial photos of London?
This week, the children have been continuing their work on map skills, by investigating aerial photos of London and comparing them to maps of the area. We talked about the difference between a physical feature and human feature and found different landmarks around London to decide whether they...
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02 Oct 2025
Where do Sikhs worship?
This week Year 3 have really enjoyed our drama lesson based around 'Cave Baby'.  We acted out the story from the baby's perspective and also pretended to be the different animals that he met along the way.  We then added some drums to add an atmosphere to our drama and learnt d...
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02 Oct 2025
Which part of the painting, 'A Regatta on the Grand Canal', has inspired you and why?
This week, Year 4 have been looking at the painting 'A Regatta on the Grand Canal', and using it for inspiration for our Take One Picture project.  We can't wait to get started with it!
Read more
30 Sep 2025
Year 5 Why was Britain such a desirable place to conquer for the Vikings?
As we have thought about why the Vikings invaded and eventually settled in England, it has made us reflect on some things we take for granted, such as food and a mild climate. The Vikings needed more farm land to grow food. They also enjoyed the warmer climate, not to mention the gold and silver use...
Read more
01 Oct 2025
Why is Deforestation a controversial issue?
As part of our Geography topic about Brazil, we have been considering deforestation and the many reasons why it happens. We have looked at the global impact and the need for sustainability. The children are working hard to present their findings in creative ways, as they discuss and consider ho...
Read more

Safeguarding and Pastoral Care

01 Oct 2025
What parents need to know about EA Sports FC 26
Kick-off caution! EA FC 26 brings back all the footballing fun but with potential #OnlineSafety concerns around voice chat, in-game purchases and scams, our #WakeUpWednesday guide gives trusted adults the full picture.
Read more
01 Oct 2025
Parents guide - How to navigate social media safely with your kids.
     
Read more

Lunch Menu

Our new Autumn menus are available here. 


Upcoming Events

To view the school calendar click here.

Open morning for prospective parents
9:30am – 11:30am
07
October
Inset Day - School Closed to Children
All Day
24
October
Half Term Break
All Day
from 27 Oct until 31 Oct
27
October
Open morning for prospective parents
9:30am – 11:30am
05
November
Individual & Sibling Photo's
8:30am – 3:00pm
from 11 Nov until 12 Nov
11
November
Open evening for prospective parents
7:00pm – 9:00pm
27
November
Open morning for prospective parents
9:30am – 11:30am
12
December
Nursery Children End of Term Today
All Day
18
December
Years R-6 Last Day of Term - School Closes
All Day
19
December
Christmas Holiday
All Day
from 22 Dec until 02 Jan
22
December