Newsletters

Dorchester News - 22nd October 2026

Newsletter

22nd October 2026

Dear Dorchester Families,

The first half-term of the school year has flown by, as always! The children have worked incredibly hard, settled into their new classes and routines, and certainly earned a well-deserved break. I hope everyone enjoys some time to relax and recharge.

Our Willow Club Holiday Club will be running from Monday to Wednesday next week, with a range of activities including Halloween-themed fun, indoor and outdoor crafts, and sports. There are still a few places available, so if you're looking for something to keep the children busy while you work – or simply enjoy a little time to yourself – do take a look! You can book your place through the school website.

A big thank you to the parents who attended our Friends of Dorchester School (FODS) meeting this week. Although we would have loved to see a few more faces, it was wonderful to have such an enthusiastic group of parents keen to support the school. We are enormously grateful to everyone who gives their time and energy to making our Dorchester community such a special place. If you weren't able to attend but would like to get involved, it's never too late – new faces and fresh ideas are always welcome!

Wishing all our Dorchester families a happy and restful half-term. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday November 2nd.

Have a lovely half-term break.

Cathy Bell
Headteacher

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Latest News

22 Oct 2026
Last chance to book for Willow's half-term club!!
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22 Oct 2026
Smart Phones and Devices in School from 2nd November
Please find letter attached regarding smartphones and devices.   
Read more
22 Oct 2026
Buzz Club Visit
Year 6 Buzz Club were lucky enough to have a visit from a journalist and magazine editor today.  Amy Broomfield told the children all about her job at Harrods magazine, including some of the amazing experiences she has had through her work.  She told us about the different types of journal...
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22 Oct 2026
Healthy snacks and balanced lunchboxes
We would like your support in encouraging children to enjoy healthier snacks at break time and balanced-packed lunches. Our aim is to develop positive habits that help children feel well, concentrate and have energy for their school day.Break-time snacksPlease choose fruit or vegetables wher...
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22 Oct 2026
Picture News for Parents
    
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Friends of Dorchester School

  • The deadline to place your orders is Wednesday 4th November

    Every parent/carer should now have received their child's template card, which contains the information needed to place an order.

    Please make sure you complete your order before the deadline so you don't miss out!

    If you haven't received your child's template card, please contact the school office.

    Thank you for your support! 💜

     

 

 

https://forms.gle/c19ioACo3pqpz2Hc6

 

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

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

 

Learning Highlights

& Peek of the Week

22 Oct 2026
Nursery: Can you do the up and down squiggle move?
This week in Nursery we enjoyed our first Squiggle while you Wiggle session. The children enjoyed making large up and down movements with their flipper flappers before their pens were able to dance up and down on the paper. We have been practising doing up and down marks everywhere. Please continue...
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22 Oct 2026
Reception: Can you explain to someone how many there are? How do you know?
This week, the children prepared the ingredients we needed to make Pumpkin Soup.  They peeled and chopped and had lots of discussions about how to make it. They loved tasting it, with many having more than one serving. Find out more...
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22 Oct 2026
Year 1: What went well when making your pencil pot?
Year 1 have been investigating stable structures this half term! The children designed, built, and evaluated their own stable pencil pots, thinking carefully about what worked well and how to make them even better. 
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22 Oct 2026
Year 2: Can you retell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?
This week, we have been reviewing our learning of the last 7 weeks. This includes what we know about telling stories. We spent this week using ‘colourful semantics’ to help us write sentences. We needed to make sure all of our sentences used a ‘who’, ‘doing what...
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22 Oct 2026
Year 3: What did you enjoy most about our Stone Age day?
What an amazing day we had immersing ourselves in the Stone Age! The children absolutely loved our interactive Stone Age Day and were fully engaged in every activity, bringing their learning to life through a range of exciting, hands-on experiences.We gathered around the fire in Forest School, w...
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22 Oct 2026
Year 4: Why is helping others good for me too?
What an inspiring end to the half term in Year 4! Living out our value of Achieving excellence in a caring community, the highlight of our week was undoubtedly becoming DT chefs as we adapted and baked our own delicious biscuits! Driven by Ambition and Enquiry, pupils also explored Roman art and God...
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20 Oct 2026
Year 5 - What does a news report contain?
This week we are working hard in groups on creating newsreels with an element of an outside broadcast. We have been reading Hacker by Malorie Blackman, about a young girl called Vicky, who sets out to prove her dad's innocence. He is accused of a crime she knows he hasn't committed, so she u...
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22 Oct 2026
What did you learn from our workshop with the team from Transport for London?
This week, we had a visit from Transport for London, who talked to Year 6 about how to use buses, trams and the underground safely. Zip cards were explained, and the children were shown how to use one correctly. This is especially important as the children begin to become more independent and start...
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Sport

22 Oct 2026
Fulham Girls Soccer Schools Offer this Half Term!​​​​​​​
Fulham FC Foundation are excited to offer girls aged 5 to 12 from your school a promotional code to join us this October for Fulham Soccer Schools. Our holiday camps will be running from Monday 26th October to Friday 30th from Fulham FC’s Training Ground in Motspur Park, with both half and ful...
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Safeguarding and Pastoral Care

22 Oct 2026
EWS Primary Webinar - Understanding your Child's sleep
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/primary-parents-nhs-wellbeing-workshops-682309/?aff=escb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=cp&utm-term=odclsxcollection
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Local events and clubs

16 Oct 2026
Cycle Training in the Half Term or on Saturdays
Looking to learn to ride a bike or improve your cycling skills?
Read more

Lunch Menu

Our new Autumn menus are available here.

Allergen Free Menu


Upcoming Events

To view the school calendar click here.

Half Term Break
All Day
from 26 Oct until 30 Oct
26
October
Open Event
9:30am – 11:30am
04
November
Year 5 Swimming
12:30pm – 3:15pm
from 11 Sep and on Friday each week except for 23 Oct and for 30 Oct
06
November
Lavender Class Assembly
8:55am – 9:20am
13
November
Year 5 Swimming
12:30pm – 3:15pm
from 11 Sep and on Friday each week except for 23 Oct and for 30 Oct
13
November
Anti Bullying Workshops
All Day
16
November
Individual and sibling Photos
All Day
from 18 Nov until 19 Nov
18
November
Sapphire Class Assembly
8:55am – 9:20am
20
November
Year 5 Swimming
12:30pm – 3:15pm
from 11 Sep and on Friday each week except for 23 Oct and for 30 Oct
20
November
Around The World (Geography Showcase)
3:15pm – 4:15pm
23
November
Open Event
7:00pm – 9:00pm
26
November
Emerald Class Assembly
8:55am – 9:20am
27
November
Year 5 Swimming
12:30pm – 3:15pm
from 11 Sep and on Friday each week except for 23 Oct and for 30 Oct
27
November
FODS Reindeer Visit
All Day
04
December
Orange Class Assembly
8:55am – 9:20am
04
December