Dear Parents/Carers 

It has certainly been a busy and fruitful first week of our final summer term and despite the changeable weather, the children have been on several trips and visits and experienced a variety of exciting opportunities.

Year 6 - Grittleton House Adventure Centre

Set amongst the most magnificent grounds and historic buildings, the children spent three wonderful days, led by the Grittleton Adventures instructors and our amazing staff team of Mrs Williamson, Mrs Brown, Mrs Crocker, Miss Connolly-Tayler and Mr Kean. With a full menu of activities throughout the day and evening, the children immersed themselves in a few days of fun, friendship and challenge. For many this was their first trip away from home without family and we are proud of their energetic and responsible approach to ensuring that they had the best time possible.

Artistic Talents

Year 1 and 5 were fortunate to spend a few hours working with the talented artist Liz Hunter, who taught them how to work in mixed media, creating beautiful pieces of artwork that all deserve hanging space in a gallery! Christ Church School is a school that places high value on the Arts and we know that the children love to learn new skills to add to their creative toolkit. This has only been possible due to your generous contribution to our voluntary fund – thank you.

Back in Time – Victorian History

Our lucky year 1 children also took a trip to Tyntesfield House to bring to life their History topic this term. This impressive National Trust Victorian Gothic Revival house helped the children to compare the present day to the Victorian past, to begin to understand the timeline of recent history and most importantly to bring fun and enjoyment to their learning (despite the rather dismal weather!). Thank you again for making this possible.

Local History lessons

Year 2 also had a fantastic trip to the George Müller Museum in Bristol this week! The children learned all about George Müller’s life and how he cared for thousands of orphans in Victorian times. They explored the building, saw real artefacts like Müller’s desk and Bible, and even tried out activities from a Victorian classroom. The visit helped bring our History and RE learning to life, and the children were full of thoughtful questions. Well done, Year 2!

As with all of our trips, visits and events, we are very grateful to our parent & carer volunteers who help us to ensure the children are safe and happy.

Anyone for Cricket?

Our talented year 5 cricketers again competed in the Ashton Park cricket festival where they bowled and batted fiercely against several other Bristol schools. Thank you to all the parents and carers and staff who have supported with this event. Well done year 5 and year 6.

Learning Journeys

It is the time of year that teachers are busily assessing and testing the children to understand where they are on their learning journey, the progress they have made so far and what we need to plan as the next steps. As a part of this our year 4 children have now taken the national Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), a test of their knowledge and recall of multiplication facts. The children have worked hard throughout the year, building their learning form our Number Sense curriculum and we look forward to reporting the outcomes to you soon.

Next week our year 1 children will begin the national Phonics Check, working with their teachers to assess where they are in the journey to secure the crucial knowledge of phonics. This cornerstone of reading proficiency and confidence is part of a daily diet of teaching and learning and we know that the children have worked so hard to give their very best this year.

Notices

Uniform appeal - At the end of term 5 we returned a large amount of uniform to children and sent a large number of unnamed items to be reused. Please, please check and label all uniform clearly to avoid costly losses and this will help us to encourage the children to be responsible for their belongings. The lost property rack is filling up fast.

Healthy Snacks – please support our collective responsibility as adults to ensure that your children bring a healthy snack to school only. We recommend that fruit snacks or vegetables are provided and any containers clearly labelled – thank you.

Eid al-Adha

Today, we would like to wish all our families celebrating a joyful and blessed Eid al-Adha. May this festive occasion be filled with happiness, love, and togetherness. We hope you enjoy this meaningful time with your loved ones, and we send our warmest wishes from everyone at school.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead and let’s hope the sun returns soon!

Warmest wishes

Mark Oldfield

Headteacher

Inset and Academy days for the rest of the year (training for school staff - children are not in school on these days):

• Monday 21st July - Inset day
• Tuesday 22nd July - Inset day

INSET AND ACADEMY DAYS FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR

• Tuesday 2nd September - Inset day 
• Wednesday 3rd September - Inset day

After 25 years of being a parent and member of staff at Christ Church School, our much-loved Office Manager Becky Herbert will be retiring at the end of this academic year.  Becky will be sadly missed and we will celebrate her time with us later in the summer term.  

We are now seeking to recruit a School Finance & HR Manager part time and a School Receptionist full time to join our vibrant team and support our school operation.  We would welcome applications from the school community or please do pass the adverts on to others you know who might be interested.   

.Please see adverts listed on the ETeach portal: CLOSING DATE IS MONDAY 9TH JUNE

.

https://www.eteach.com/job/school-receptionist-1487057

https://www.eteach.com/job/school-finance-and-hr-manager-1487063 

It has been an exciting and jam-packed week as we started back for our final term in Reception! We shared our holiday news with a partner before drawing a picture and writing simple sentences to go with it. We continue to use our phonic knowledge and are trying to use finger spaces, capital letters and full stops in our writing.

This week we were all a flutter as we started our new topic of ‘Minibeasts’. To begin with a buzz we shared our detailed, factual knowledge about insects and came up with some really interesting questions that we would like to answer during our learning. Our adults were very impressed by what we already knew!

On Tuesday we read the story ‘A Good Place’ by Lucy Cousins and discussed habitats for different insects. We were challenged to use pastels and draw our own insect based on the artwork in the story.

We are very excited about the imminent arrival of the class caterpillars and are looking forward to observing and talking about the changes that happen in their development!

In music, we explored different instruments by identifying how they look and sound. We listened to various pieces of music and had a go at playing the instruments along with them.

Well done Reception for a great first week back – showing your energy and enthusiasm as always!

What a start to term 6 we’ve had! On Wednesday we had our Art Workshop with Liz Hunter, where we learned about warm and cool colours and used the painting and wax resist techniques. Liz drew the outline of two different types of birds which we traced over with either warm or cool colour pastels, then painted over using Brusho in contrasting colours. The results were amazing and can’t wait for you to see them!

We had our highly anticipated trip to Tyntesfield on Thursday. The rain didn’t stop us from having the best time exploring the grounds, including the kitchen garden. We had a very special tour around Tyntesfield house where we looked around the Gibbs’ living quarters and even had exclusive access to the children’s day and night nursery. Year 1 donned their servants uniforms and were set to work setting tea trays, cleaning the bedrooms and even emptying pots of wee! We had a fantastic time and are very grateful to our parent helpers who made it possible.

This week, our Year 2 children had a wonderful adventure as they boarded the coach and set off on an exciting school trip to the Müller Museum.

The visit was both educational and inspiring, offering the children a fascinating glimpse into the life and legacy of George Müller, a remarkable man who dedicated his life to caring for orphans in Bristol during the 19th century.

Through an engaging and informative talk given by the museum staff, the children learned that Müller provided homes and education for over 10,000 orphaned children, all without ever asking for money—relying entirely on prayer and faith.

The children were captivated by the original artifacts on display, including old photographs, personal letters, and even furniture from the orphanages. As they explored the museum, they saw models of the orphan houses that once stood on Ashley Down and discovered how George Müller's incredible work continues to inspire charitable efforts around the world today.

It was a truly memorable trip that helped bring history to life, sparking lots of thoughtful questions and enthusiastic discussion on the journey home.

Year 3 have been learning all about money this Spring. They have been practising recording their calculations on number lines and as column subtractions.

To support their mental maths they have also been enjoying playing Countdown. The speed at which they can reach their targets and the ingenious way they use the numbers has been amazing to watch.

Well done year 3.

This week in Year 4, we've had our thinking caps angled firmly on as we kicked off our new Maths unit on shape! The children have been busy investigating angles (not to be confused with angels!), learning how to identify, compare and order them with precision.

In Literacy, we found our inner poets through the beauty of Haikus. A nature walk helped us gather sensory language, which the children then used to create thoughtful, seasonal Haikus that truly captured the world around us. We continued our journey east in Music by learning about the Japanese festival of Hanami, composing delicate musical pieces to accompany our poems — it was blossom brilliance all round!

And finally, in P.E, we bounced straight into our basketball unit, practising dribbling skills and improving our control and coordination with every step. A slam dunk of a week all round!

Year 5 have had a great first week back. A particular highlight was our fantastic art workshop with visiting artist Liz Hunter, where the children created some truly impressive pieces themed around nocturnal animals. We were so pleased with not only the high quality of the artwork produced, but also the incredible effort and focus shown by everyone involved.

In Science, we’ve been continuing our learning about living things by exploring the stages of human physical development. The children have also been investigating the question: Do animals with longer life expectancy have longer gestation periods?—a thought-provoking enquiry that sparked some great discussion and curiosity in class.

Yr6 Camp Day 1

Year 6 have had a fantastic start to their camp at Grittleton. The sun has been shining and the smiles have been beaming! After an initial orientation of the site, they tucked in to their packed lunches and then spent an hour playing team games. Poison tree was a particular favourite, as was chain tag.

The first main activity followed and the children either took part in Body Zorbing; Sensory Adventure or Buggy Building. They all got stuck in quickly and were either turning somersaults in a big inflatable ball, walking along a woodland trail with blindfolds on or working as a team to build a secure buggy that would transport two people.

Eventually, they got to the moment they had been waiting for – who would be with whom in the dormitories! There were a lot of excited squeals as the names were announced and it didn’t take long before beds were being made (with a lot of help from Mrs Crocker or Mrs Brown!) and clothes were being organised. Room inspections will tell who can maintain the tidiest dorm.

Chicken nuggets and chips is on the menu tonight and the children are definitely ready for food. They are also looking forward to their campfire as there are whispers afoot that marshmallows may be shared and we are pretty certain there will also be some singing to add in to the smores mix.

Will the lights go out at 9pm? Will there be quiet by 10pm? We’ll keep you posted!

Yr6 Camp Day 2

What a brilliant second day it’s been for Year 6 at Grittleton! Although we woke up to rain, the excitement was still buzzing, and the children started the morning with a wonderful breakfast – cereal, toast, beans and sausages to fuel a day packed with fun. (As for the amount of sleep had, it varied from 3-7 hours…)

The morning activities were a real treat! Groups rotated between the Crystal Maze challenge, Body Zorbing, Buggy Building, and the Sensory Adventure. The Crystal Maze had everyone putting their teamwork and brainpower to the test with a series of fast-paced challenges – lots of cheering, laughing, and encouraging each other every step of the way. Meanwhile, Body Zorbing made a welcome return (more bouncing, more rolling, more giggles!). Mr Kean, Mrs Crocker, Mrs Williamson even had a bouncing battle! Mr Kean was a pro and Mrs Crocker a near equal; Mrs Williamson stood her ground for most of it, but once down was defeated!  Sensory Adventure saw children guiding one another carefully through the surprisingly tricky sensory trail with blindfolds on and the Buggy Building teams were on a mission to construct super sturdy vehicles today.

After all that activity, the children were more than ready for a delicious lunch. There was just enough time for a quick rest before the afternoon fun began: Water Wars! The sun came out and all those involved got a soaking. Drip, Drip, Drench was great fun – for some reason the children picked on the adults and we were drenched within the first five minutes! Water Wars ended with a splash: one huge water fight on the lawn. Mr Oldfield arrived just in time to join in the fun.

Showers were had, dry clothes were donned and then the children set out for their final activity. One hour later, some very tired, cold children arrived back at the Stables, ready for their dinner. A hearty bolognaise with garlic bread (not to mention the chocolate cake to follow) seemed to warm them up and re-energise them within minutes. Good job too because the evening celebration on the field was a chance to dance, sing, play football, play tag or just sit and chat with friends as the sun went down. A final hot chocolate arrived just before the sleepy campers set off for their dorms. 

Suitcases were (vaguely) packed, pyjamas went on, teeth were brushed and lights went out at 10pm. This evening’s dormitory shenanigans finished at a far more respectable hour and the snoring started at 10:20pm. Will we have to wake them up tomorrow? We’ll let them tell you that when you see them!

Just a heads up: the bin bags contain a lot of soggy clothing….

Yr6 Camp Day 3, Finale!

We woke up bleary-eyed but full of excitement, knowing we’d soon be heading home to see our families. With surprising speed, the dorms were cleared and bags packed. Before breakfast, there was time for a last run around on the grass in the morning sun.  A hearty breakfast of sausages, beans, toast, cereals, and juice set us up for the final adventure. Then came our ultimate challenge: to design and build a working trebuchet. Teamwork and a fair bit of trial and error filled our last moments at Grittleton—a brilliant end to an unforgettable trip.

Congratulations to our librarians:

Teegan, Arlo, Poppy, Anthony, Orla, Thomas & Rhea

This week, we held our first meeting to begin planning how we’ll take care of our school library moving forward. It was a fantastic start, and we even had a very special first mission!

To celebrate Empathy Day on Friday 6th June, each member of our team selected a book from the library that we felt could help others understand and learn about empathy. We then delivered these books to every classroom in the school, giving each class the chance to pause, read, and have a meaningful discussion inspired by our book choices.

Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to look after our precious books and help make our school a kinder, more thoughtful place. Your efforts truly make a difference

CAMPFEST 2025 - 11-13 July @ Cotham Rugby Club

11th-13th July @ Cotham Park Rugby Club - more info & tickets coming soon!

*New to school?* Watch the teaser: https://youtu.be/hiPMHFj_lnY?feature=shared