Welcome Back Letter
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back to a new term and a new school year. It was lovely to see all the children returning to school and settling so well into their new classes.
To those parents and carers of children who have just started, I am delighted to be able to write my first letter to you as the Principal of West Park Academy. I want to take this opportunity of introducing myself to those of you who don’t already know me.
This will be my tenth year as Principal of West Park Academy. Teaching is a job I love; children never fail to enthuse and motivate me. I therefore feel extremely privileged to do the job I do, working alongside a dedicated staff team and with such fantastic children and families. As both a teacher and a parent of three children, I am very much aware of the responsibility that my staff and I have in creating a learning environment where your child can flourish.
We try to ensure that you are kept informed with what your child is learning each half-term and update the website under - parents - curriculum - with an overview of the learning for each year group. We will also be holding Parents’ Consultation Evening early in Autumn 2, just after half-term, so you can discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher.
Many thanks to all the parents who gave us feedback last term in the Parent Survey. The feedback was very positive and where there were suggestions about how we could improve, we will be responding to this and sharing with you what we did as a result later this term.
We are very pleased to have completed some Nursery renovations over the summer. This has allowed us to increase the teaching space as well as create space for children to eat their lunches. The dining hall is quite a long way from our Nursery and can be a daunting space for our youngest children. This way they can remain in a familiar setting with the adults that they know and go outside as soon as they are ready.
With the weather still relatively dry and warm, we continue to play on the field as well as the yard. This gives us space to play and lots of resources are provided. As the weather inevitably turns more unpleasant, we request that children bring wellies and waterproof coats so that they can continue to play without getting too muddy. It is inevitable that we have to close the field at some point, but we will keep it open for as long as possible.
In the coming weeks, many of our extra-curricular clubs will start up. We remain committed to offering them free of charge so as many children as possible can access an activity of their choice. We rely on our staff to give their time for this to happen, and I am eternally grateful that so many of them do.
Thank you to all stakeholders who have shared their views through the consultation process on the altering of the school day. This consultation ends on the 12th September 2025, and we will share with you the outcome of this in the following week.
Please look out for the newsletter that will be coming out later this week for key information and dates for the diary.
Thank you all for your support and for choosing West Park Academy for your child’s education. I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can either on the gate or in attendance at forthcoming events. Primary education is such a special time for children. It lays the foundations for future learning. I can’t wait to share with you, your child’s learning journey and celebrate with yourselves all their achievements as they develop and grow.
Best Wishes,
Mrs Hirst