It’s not too late to take part in the NSPCC Childhood Day Mile if you want to join in the fun on Friday 9 June. Have fun, get active and raise money to help keep children safe. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us/charity-fundraising/childhood-day/schools/

Anxiety is the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem. Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food. But anxiety can be made easier to manage. Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem. At the same time, we will keep up the pressure to demand change - making sure that improving mental health is a key priority for the government and society as a whole. To find out more information about anxiety please see link below: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/why-anxiety-theme-mental-health-awareness-week-2023

We are very excited to be welcoming top GB athlete Darran Challis to the school on Thursday, 18 May 2023.Darran will be leading a sponsored fitness circuit with all pupils and will follow-up with an inspirational assembly, and question and answer session. The aim of the event is to inspire the pupils to be more physically active, but just as importantly, encourage them to discover and pursue their passion in life.The event will both connect the pupils to an extraordinary athlete role model and raise money to improve physical activity in the school, while also supporting both athletes and para-athletes, so that they can continue to inspire the next generation.Attached is a sponsorship form for your child to use to help raise money for the event. You can also sponsor your child by visiting: www.sportsforschools.org and clicking on the button “Set up a Fundraiser Page”. Sponsorship money will go towards a sports equipment voucher for our PE department.

King Charles III has become the 40th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, with The Queen Consort crowned beside him. #GodSaveTheKing #BritishValues   

As we witness the historic Coronation of King Charles III, let's take a moment to appreciate the importance of our shared experiences in British history that unite us.  #CoronationDay

Almost 200 former pupils, parents and teachers have celebrated the 150th anniversary of a Kent primary school. Charing Church of England Primary School, near Ashford, marked the milestone last weekend with an exhibition of the school’s past and an opportunity for old friends to reunite and reminisce. The Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, gave a sermon as part of a service to celebrate the anniversary at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Charing. Pupils led the service and rang the school’s 150 year old bell, which was restored especially for the occasion. Damian Green, MP for Ashford, attended the service and was interviewed by the pupils. Tom Bird, who has been headteacher of the school for 4 years, said: “Everyone associated with the school had a wonderful time and the children did the school proud. This was not just an opportunity to celebrate our 150 years, but to celebrate what is happening now. We have been blown away by the community’s love for our school and by the number of people who came to look around and remember old times.” Visitor, Shirley Solly, made the following comment: “I was so very pleased to be able to look around Charing School on its 150th Anniversary.  The school is so very colourful and the tour showed such a welcoming environment with bright, playful activities for the younger children and easily accessible information and books for all.  It was good to be able to talk to the enthusiastic and friendly staff and to see photos of pupils and staff both present and past, a great anniversary well marked, congratulations.”                        

A top BBC children’s presenter has made a surprise visit to a Kent primary school to talk to children about what it means to be a good friend. Gemma Hunt, star of CBeebies pirate show Swashbuckle, visited Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, earlier this month. Gemma, who has been a presenter on Songs of Praise, has just written her first children’s book - See! Let’s Be A Good Friend - which is inspired by Jesus’ parables and teachings. The TV star, who is of mixed race heritage, told the pupils why she had written the book. “While there is more diversity in children’s stories these days, there was nothing which truly reflected my own experience of home life,” she said. “I wrote these stories because it’s so important for children to see themselves represented in the literature and media they consume. I want my daughter to look at the book and feel like she’s looking in a mirror.” Gemma read some of the stories to the children and explained how books are published. Angela Matthews, Headteacher of Temple Ewell, said: “Gemma’s visit was an excellent opportunity for all our pupils to meet an author and learn about the writing process, as well as listen to different versions of some well-known Bible stories. “As a Church school, we all particularly enjoyed listening to The Good Samaritan, which links with our school vision and values.”