Newsletter 17th April 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back after our Easter break. In Monday’s collective worship, Eils amazed all of us by turning water into wine (actually Ribena!) – the audible ‘oooh’ from 300 children was such a joy to hear. Eils was quick to explain that it was a little sleight of hand rather than a miracle on this occasion, but it gave us a fabulous introduction to our theme of Life In All Its Fullness and some of the stories of Jesus from John’s Gospel.

Have a wonderful weekend and do take care of yourself and your family.

Best wishes,

Mr George

Trips, visits and events

Year 2 Trip

Year 2 had a great trip to Brooklands Transport Museum. They enjoyed exploring different vehicles from the past and present. The children learned how planes, buses, and cars have changed over time. It was a fun and interesting day for everyone. A real highlight was the chance to go on board the Concorde plane.

Choir Event

Our KS2 choir had a fabulous rehearsal at Darell School on Thursday. They have been

working very hard practising their songs for a concert which will be at the Rose

Theatre in May.

Scarlet Celebrations for Seacole House

Today, Seacole House celebrated their recent House Point

victory with an “Own Clothes” day. Students and teachers alike

arrived in shades of red—their official house colour—to mark

the occasion. It was wonderful to see the community come

together to celebrate this achievement with such spirit.

Congratulations to all members of Seacole House, and we wish

every team the best of luck as the next competition begins!

Notices and Requests

International Day

We are excited to celebrate the rich diversity of our school community at our annual International Day! A highlight of this event is the International Food Festival, where we showcase delicious dishes from around the globe. With your help, we hope to make this year’s celebration our best one yet.

How You Can Help

We warmly invite you to contribute a sweet or savoury dish that represents your culture, family traditions, or a personal favourite. Your generosity helps create a vibrant space that brings our entire community together. ● Contributions: Every dish, big or small, makes a fantastic difference.

Allergy Safety: Please include a clear label of all ingredients with your dish to help us manage allergies and keep everyone safe.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to sharing a world of flavours with you!

Volunteering

It is such a joy being able to take your children on school trips and enhances their educational opportunities. In order to do this though, we often need parent support and volunteers. In these cases, it is best practice for all our volunteers to be DBS checked. If you are likely to volunteer then please do go to Mrs Prendergast in the office who will be able to discuss the next steps in getting this sorted for you. DBS checks do not have an official expiry date and are considered valid for three years so it will last for a while whilst your children attend this school.

Playground Snacks

A gentle reminder that morning all children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are given a piece of fruit at break time. This is financed by government. Children in the juniors are also encouraged to bring their own fruit to eat at playtime. Sweets, crisps, nuts and chocolate may not be brought to school. Please do support us in sending your children to school with the appropriate nourishment.

Share and Care Collective

All around the country, there are people who sometimes need a little bit of extra help buying food and toiletries for their family. Share & Care Collective is a small local charity that helps local families with weekly supplies of food and toiletries during term time. They collect donations from across the community and work in partnership with local primary schools to distribute our support bags. We have agreed to host a collection box for this charity. If you would like to donate, please take your items to Mrs Prendergast and Mrs Bell in the office. Thank you to those who are already donating.

School Uniform

Although sprinkled with April showers, the sun is trying its best to come out. Please do keep have a look at your child’s summer uniform. Some are taking part in gymnastic-style activities in the playground including handstands and cartwheels. They may be more comfortable wearing simple navy, shorts underneath their dresses. The skirts and dresses should be of a length that these can’t be seen day-to-day. Please see a link to our school uniform policy (https://holytrinityschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/School-uniform-policy-updated-Jan-25.pdf).

Teachers Cycle to Paris!

This year, three of our teachers will be joining the team cycling 300km to Paris in the summer! We hope you can support Miss Bannenberg’s, Mr Hambling’s and Mr Thomson’s efforts in any way you can, directly funding resources for Holy Trinity School and Skylarks Charity, who support children in our community and across Richmond with additional needs and disabilities, and their families, with much-needed free services.

Below you can find the links to each teacher’s fundraising page:

Miss Bannenberg: https://skylarks.enthuse.com/pf/ella-bannenberg

Mr Hambling: https://skylarks.enthuse.com/pf/paul-hambling

Mr Thomson: https://skylarks.enthuse.com/pf/ben-thomson-3033b#qrCode

Safeguarding

Mr George, Miss Brunt, Mrs Allard and Mrs Bell can be contacted at the school using their emails (which are on the school website), or you can use our new safeguarding email, which is: safeguarding@htprimary.com . Our Safeguarding Governors are Francis Neal and Helen Taylor, and they can be contacted via email using the links on the school website, linked here.

Dropping off and Picking Up

Please ensure you stay with your child until the teachers welcome them into class. It is important for their safety that they are supervised at all times. Year 6 have separate permission to walk to and from school and therefore have a slightly different setup; however, their behaviour whilst walking to and from school (representing us in uniform) is currently being monitored. It is a privilege for them to have this responsibility – they have been spoken to and are aware if they cannot walk safely to and from school that it will be removed.

Playground Equipment

To ensure the safety of our pupils and the security of our site, please remember that climbing frames and play equipment are not to be used after school dismissal. Even if parents or carers are present to supervise, the equipment is officially closed once the school day ends. Once you have collected your child, we kindly ask that you leave the school premises promptly. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our site safe and ready for the next day.

Celebrations!

Our Values Champions

Congratulations to: Kitty, Oliwier, Phoebe, Rafferty, Ellis, Lorenzo, Tahaan, Noah, Zyana, Kosei, Harper, Sophie, Amelie, Sammy, Grace, Amelie, Bella, Ching Yeung, Dolly, Dom

Music Star

Congratulations to Amelia in Year 2.

P.E Star

Congratulations to Dermot in Kingfisher.

House Point Champions

Congratulations to this week’s winner: Seacole

Attendance:

Fox Class 100% Whole school 94.75%

Dates for your Diary

30^thApril & 1^stMay – International Food Festival (Year 4 Assembly) – see message above please 11^thMay – Year 6 KS2 SATs Week

18^thMay – Share Our Learning @ 3:40pm

2^ndJune – Year 4 Multiplication Check Fortnight

8^thJune – Year 1 Phonics screening week

11^thJune – Class photos

12^thJune – HT in the Park

15^thJune – Prayer Space Week

1^stJuly – Sports Day

7^thJuly – HT’s Got Talent

15^thJuly – Year 6 Production

17^thJuly – Leavers’ Assembly and End of Term @ 13:30

PTA Event Dates

15th May – Movie Night

12th June – HT in the Park

4th July – Summer Fair

Friday 11th July 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was lovely to see so many of you at our Summer fair – despite the damp start, it was a roaring success, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank our wonderful PTA for all that they do for the children and families of Holy Trinity. Eils Osgood joined us for Collective Worship on Monday to explore how light can guide us on our journey through life. Parents may be aware that for each collective worship, a child is chosen to light our candle, giving us focus on our theme, and to help us reflect on Jesus, the Light of the World.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Best wishes,

Mr George

Instagram: @HolyTrinityschrichmond

Trips, visits and events

Herons and Swans visit Kew Gardens

Year 3 had a wonderful time on their trip to Kew Gardens on Tuesday. The children explored the gardens and the greenhouses, experiencing what it is like in the Tropics, went on a bee hunt as part of a pollination workshop and were even able to pollinate some flowers. There was also time for a play in the Children’s Garden. Everyone behaved impeccably and a lovely day was had by all.

Recorder concert

Year 2 treated us all to a spectacular recorder concert this week. They played a wide range of songs from different genres with confidence and enthusiasm. Thank you to all of the parents and carers who came along. We appreciate the time spent encouraging the children to practise playing their instruments at home.

Notices and requests

HT Friends Coffee Afternoon

Thank you to everyone who attended the coffee afternoon on Thursday, it was lovely to see you all!

Tennis Balls needed!

We would like to kindly request donations of any tennis balls you no longer need. We go through quite a few over the course of the year, and your support would be greatly appreciated!

Parent Survey

Just a reminder that our parent survey can be found here. The survey will close at midnight on Sunday 13 July; many thanks to all those parents who have completed it so far.

Leavers

If there are any parents with children in Reception to Year 5 who are leaving the school at the end of term, please contact Mrs Prendergast (lprendergast@htprimary.com) for a leaver’s form. Richmond Admissions are starting to make offers for September admission. Many thanks.

2025 Summer Reading Challenge – Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors.

The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest children’s reading initiative for 4 –11-year-olds and is produced by The Reading Agency and delivered by public libraries. We hope that this year’s theme will inspire children to tap into a world of imagination through reading, exploring the magical connection between storytelling and nature.

From Saturday 5 July 2025 the children can sign up for the challenge at their local Richmond upon Thames library and receive a Story Garden pack. To take part, they need to be a member of the library and have their own library card. For each of six library books they read they can collect a sticker for their pack. Children can update their progress through the challenge at any library in the borough. Everyone who reads six library books is rewarded in the library with a medal and certificate.

Story Garden ends in the borough on Saturday 6 September 2025. More information is available here https://www.richmond.gov.uk/summer_reading_challenge

Celebrations!

Our Values Champions

Congratulations to this week’s values champions:

James, Nina, Tom, Keira, Christopher, Anna, Magnolia, Kamaya, Agnes, Kosei, Zoe, Amelie, Lexi, Morgan, Bulut, Haya, Arda, Matias, Scarlett, Juliao, Hazel, Paven, Ichika and Year 6 for their fabulous production!

P.E Star

Congratulations to Sheldon in Bumblebees.

Music star

Congratulations to Kosei in Dragonflies.

Attendance

95% overall: Well done to this week’s winners, Bumblebees with 100%.

Dates for your diary

Monday 14th July End of year reports go home

HT’s Got Talent auditions

Tuesday 15th July HT’s Got Talent

Thursday 17th July Reception to Bocketts Farm

Sports and Music award assembly

Monday 21st July Star award assembly

Nursery Concert 9.00am

Tuesday 22nd July End of term – 2.15pm

Safeguarding

Online

In school, we have a very secure filtering system called SENSO, which helps us to monitor the usage of computers in school, ensuring that websites and content are suitable for whoever is using the machine and keeping children safe online. However, this filtering system is only available at the school, and so we are asking all parents to ensure that any devices used at home (online gaming consoles, laptops, tablets, phones etc) that their children may have access to have suitable filtering and monitoring controls fitted. Whilst each home system will be different, we are happy to recommend the NSPCC website here, which is a link to Parental Controls for devices. The best way of checking that children only access appropriate content at home is by parents keeping a close eye on all devices and ensuring that children are in a shared space when using them. If you have any further queries, do contact Mr George at school.

Community events and initiatives

Current years 5, 6 and 7 who cannot yet swim 25m

Pools on the Park and Teddington Pools & Fitness Centre are offering Summer Splash crash courses for children in current years 5, 6 and 7 who cannot yet swim 25m. This is open to children who either live in the borough or attend school in the borough. The 5-day course costs £5.

Applications will be accepted from 7th July 2025

Summer Splash

The Summer Splash programme will return this summer, providing crash courses to children in school years 5, 6 and 7 who are unable to swim to a level expected for their age.

Summer Splash 2025 – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

MET IN THE PARK

The Met Police South Richmond SNT are running the highly successful Met in the Park, in Old Deer Park, Richmond on the 6th August between 1100 and 1700. This is a completely free family fun day, with dogs, horses, interactive crime scene for kids as well as London Fire Brigade and vintage army vehicles. They will also have free fun fair rides and lots of other activities. They would love to have as many families attend to meet the various departments of the police and to enjoy a free day out in the summer holidays.

Love, Aspiration, Community