Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School Parent Portal

27th February, 2026

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This week we marked the start of Lent as a school, with our Ash Wednesday services led by the Prayer Council. Receiving ashes in Lent is a sign of our recognition that God loves us and has a plan for us – Lent is our opportunity to make a positive change in our lives.

Next week is Book Week, with many exciting activities planned. I am looking forward to seeing the children take part throughout the week.

Have a lovely weekend.

Gerry Flower

Catholic Life

Family Prayer Session

Please join us for our Family Prayer Session, which takes place every Friday morning from 8:15-8:30am in the school chapel. The aim is for families to gather and pray, the session is led by parents and all are welcome - please bring your children.

Follow the Mark 10 Mission here

https://www.themark10mission.co.uk/the-mark-10-mission

Mobile phone use onsite

Please can we kindly remind you mobile phones should not be used onsite for safeguarding reasons. Thank you for your co-operation.

News/notes

World Book Day is fast approaching, and we’re delighted to be celebrating a full week of activities designed to inspire a love of reading across the school. Throughout the week, the children will take part in a range of fun, book-themed events aimed at nurturing their imagination and enthusiasm for stories.

Dress-Up Day – Thursday 5th March

On Thursday, children are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. This is always a highlight of the week, and we can’t wait to see the creativity and thought that goes into the costumes each year!

To help ensure everyone has a safe and comfortable day, please keep the following in mind:

Costumes should be warm, practical and suitable for a full school day.
School shoes or trainers must be worn for safe playtimes.
Please choose age-appropriate characters from children’s literature.
Avoid bringing any props that might cause problems, such as toy weapons or fragile items.

What Else Is Happening During Book Week?

Across the week, children will be taking part in:

Drop-everything-and-read sessions
Shared story activities with different classes
Book-themed challenges and quizzes
Book talk events to help children discover new authors and genres

How You Can Help at Home

Enjoy a story together in the run-up to Book Day.
Talk about favourite characters and why your child might want to dress as them.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful celebration of stories, imagination and the joy of reading.

Thank you, as always, for your support in making Book Week such a special time for our school community.

Inset Day Camp

Parking

Parking is available in the Coronation Rec car park which is just a short walk away from school. Alternatively, you can park for free at Hersham station car park on Walton Park with a permit which you can obtain by emailing the school office your car registration plate.

Please also note that parents dropping their children off for Breakfast Club or any morning clubs are not allowed to park in the school car park.

27 Feb 2026

Year 1 DT

This half term in Year One, the children are learning about fabrics in DT. Today they learnt how to weave with paper after looking at a range of natural and man-made fabrics. For more photos, please click here.

26 Feb 2026

Ash Wednesday

As Ash Wednesday fell during half term, we gathered as a school community on the first Wednesday of the new half term to hold our own Ash Wednesday liturgies. This gave every child the opportunity to reflect on the beginning of the Lenten season and consider what this special time means for their ow...

Parents Association Notes

To contact the PA, please email: PA@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk

Spring Disco - March 20th

Brooklands Museum - School Membership card

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office.

For more information about the museum, please visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com

National Online Safety: Wake Up Wednesday Guides for Parents

We would like to make you aware of our ‘online safety’ advice, guidance and support page called ‘Wake Up Wednesday - what parents / carers need to know’.

Wake Up Wednesday, created by The National College, aims to inform parents and carers on topics such as social media platforms, gaming, and iPad security. They include top tips, important reminders and reality checks on a wide range of online safety topics. They are a great resource to keep up to date with the issues children may encounter.

We will post relevant articles of interest that should help you and your child here on our website.

We thank you for your ongoing support in assuring the safety of our pupils online.

Vacancies

Vacancies at Cardinal Newman

We currently have no vacancies at Cardinal Newman School.

Teach Southeast Teacher Training

TRAIN TO TEACH WITH OUTSTANDING ITT PROVIDER XAVIER TEACH SOUTHEAST

We always welcome people who want to discuss routes into teaching – we might be biased but we believe there is no better job than teaching young people and shaping the next generation! We would encourage anyone thinking of teaching to get in touch so that they can come to visit and find out more.

We are proud to be a partner school of Xavier Teach SouthEast, a SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) provider working in and around our local area. Xavier Teach SouthEast provides all trainees with high quality training, in both primary and secondary settings, to enable them to develop into competent and confident professionals.

Trainees are well prepared through first-rate complementary placements which ensure that they gain substantial practical experience, developing their evaluative and practical teaching skills effectively. In-school expert mentors and external subject trainers have consistently high expectations and work collaboratively to ensure training is coherent and highly relevant to the needs of trainees.

Xavier Teach SouthEast have had two consecutive Outstanding judgements and are highly regarded in the local area; we love working with them and hope you will too.

For more information please call them on 01932 578 682

Or visit the website to view their prospectus or sign up to a SCITT open morning www.teachsoutheast.co.uk

Teach SouthEast

Please find a list of the forthcoming recruitment events for Xavier Teach SouthEast. If you know of anyone considering a career change or who would like to know more about getting into teaching, please encourage them to come along! Additionally, our fast track form is now live on the website, so if you know someone already wanting to become a teacher or a brilliant TA or similar in one of our schools, they can use this link to apply now before DfE Apply opens for applications in October.

www.teachsoutheast.co.uk

Fast track apply here

Vacancies at the Xavier Trust

To find out more about vacancies within the Xavier Catholic Education Trust, please click here

Clubs and Camps

Spring Term Clubs 2026

External Run Clubs Spring Term 2026

Please see details of external clubs here.

Teacher-led Clubs Spring Term 2026

Please see details here for Teacher-led clubs

After Crafts - Please find flyer here

Ballet - For more information, please click here

Chess Club - Please book via Scopay

Engineering club - Please find flyer here

French Club - Please find flyer here

Footbellas Girls Football Club - Please find flyer here

Irish Dancing - Please email lgsoid@hotmail.co.uk

iRock - Please find flyer here

Judo class - Please contact Diane Capon on 07960 699 077 or email diane.capon@sky.com

Karate - Please email waltonjka@gmail.com

Mini Dance Performers - Please click here for more information

Planet Soccer - Please click here for more information.

Spanish club - Please click here for more information.

Ukelele Club - Please book via Scopay

Homework Club (Y3-Y6)

Homework club runs from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm Monday - Friday, cost is £5 (free if your child attends Whizz Kids after-school club). Please book and pay for via Scopay.

Music lessons

During school hours, music lessons can be arranged through Surrey Arts. Please contact them directly by telephone on 01483 519303, by email at surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk or visit the Surrey Arts web page for more information. You can subscribe to the Surrey Arts newsletter here.

Lost Property

Please collect lost items from the lost property box in the KS1 playground. Please label everything clearly so it can be returned to the owner. Please note it can take some time for items to reach the lost property box depending on where they were lost.

Items not claimed from the lost property box will be disposed of periodically as it quickly builds up. Thank you.

Pick-up notes

Please note that if someone other than a parent/carer is picking your child up from school, you need to let the teacher or the office know.

Children will not be released with someone else unless we have been notified of it.

If you do need to let the office know about a last minute pick-up change, please do so before 2 pm if possible.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Y6 Independent Walkers

If your child is in Y6 and you would like to let us know they will be walking home from school independently, please email the office.

If they will be walking independently from after school clubs, you will need to let the club leader know.

Y6 Mobile Phones

If Y6 children wish to bring their mobile phone to school, they should drop the phone at the school office before school and collect it after school. Phones should be switched off please and not switched back on until children are off site. Please note that smart phones are not allowed.

All phones must be labelled with the child's name.

How to report your child being absent or sick

Please notify the school office every day your child is absent from school before 9 am so we can complete the registers. Please either ring the school office on 01932 222536 and leave a voicemail or email absence@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk. If you email us about an absence, you will not receive an acknowledgement reply due to the large volume of emails we receive in relation to this daily.

If your child has a stomach bug, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode of illness.

Absence Request

If you require a school absence for your child for some reason, please email the school office with the details.

Wellbeing

Surrey Adult Learning

NHS Parent Portal

At the start of the new academic year, we would like to remind you of the NHS school and parent resources available on inourplace to ease moving up transitions.

Click here for:

easy-to-follow video resources for parents to help support emotional wellbeing during school transitions

online learning and resources with tailored material for supporting children with additional needs and considerations

signposts for practical support and ideas to ensure smooth transitions, including information on mobile phone use and technology

extensive additional e-learning content for parents on childhood development and emotional health from 0-19+

Crisis Helpline

Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service

Sleep and why it matters

Please click here for information on Sleep and why it matters. More videos can be found on the Childrens Health Surrey website here

National Sleep Helpline: We are here to help

At any given time up to 40% of adults and 50% of children (this rises to 80% with a SEND diagnosis) have difficulties with their sleep. Yet in a recent survey, almost 60% of adults felt there was a lack of support for sleep issues. Sleep problems can leave people feeling isolated and lonely.

Our free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors, many of whom are specialists in working with SEND. We can talk to young people directly, or parents (we can also talk to adults, including older people, about their sleep issues).

The helpline is open 5 times a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings 7-9pm, and Monday, Wednesday mornings 9-11am. The number is 03303 530 541.

You can read more here: https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/national-sleep-helpline/

Support groups and workshops for parents and carers

Parent Wellbeing Service, Barnardo's Referral Form

Please see information flyer here and referral form here for support from Barnardo's Parent Wellbeing Service.

Parish News

St Erconwald's Mass times

Weekday masses
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - 9.30am, Tuesday - 7pm (Adoration & Reconciliation at 6:30pm)
Thursday No Mass

Weekend masses
Saturday
Italian mass 4.45pm (except during August)
Vigil Saturday - 6pm
Sunday
Family mass - 9.15am
Traditional mass - 11.15am
On the first Sunday of the month, we have our Polish Mass at 1pm

For updates, please check St Erconwald's website here.

St Barnabas and All Saints Mass times

All Saints, Hersham
5:30pm Saturday, Vigil Mass
9:00am Sunday, Mass

St Barnabas, Molesey
11:00am Sunday, Solemn Mass
6:00pm Sunday, Mass

For updates, please check St Barnabas' website here.

eSafety and Safeguarding

Reminder: Keeping children safe online and in the real world

At Cardinal Newman School we are always reminding the children how they can keep themselves safe whether in the real world or in the virtual world. Class teachers regularly use the Zones of Regulation to assess how the children in their classes are feeling. Children are encouraged to share their worries using the ‘What I want my teacher to know boxes’ which are in each Key Stage 2 classrooms and the Worry Monsters which can be found in the Keys Stage 1 Classrooms.

Information to support parents can be found on the school website here.

Please continue to report any safeguarding concerns to Mr Flower (Designated Safeguarding Lead)