6th March, 2026


Dear Parents/ Guardians,

What a great week in school! World Book Week always provides so many opportunities for the children to join together to celebrate the joy of reading. The pinnacle of the week was of course Thursday when everyone joined in by dressing up as book characters- it was quite a sight. Hopefully all the children enjoyed the day and will be picking up a book this weekend!

Other events taking place this week included the Year 6 Evacuee Day, Aim High Maths day, Year 2 football tournament at St Georges, class visits to Hersham Library and of course - Ruby Class Mission Week. Thank you for all your support throughout the week, whether you were helping with transporting children, attending events or finding costumes!

We saw glimpses of the sunshine this week, let's hope it returns for the weekend.

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

Reading Shed

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are delighted to announce that, as part of our whole-school Book Week, we are launching our brand-new Reading Shed! This exciting addition to our school will give children a wonderful new way to explore stories and develop a lifelong love of reading.

The Reading Shed will act as our very own school lending library — children can choose a book to take home, enjoy, and return for someone else to discover.

Inside, you will also find our special collection of “100 Books to Read Before You Leave Cardinal Newman.” These books have been moved from the school library so that children can enjoy sharing these much-loved stories at home. Each one is clearly labelled to make them easy to spot.

Our aim is to fill the shed with a wide range of books to inspire readers of all ages and interests. We simply ask that once your child has finished a book, it is returned to the shed so another family can enjoy it too. The Reading Shed will be open after school each day for families to access.

If you would like to donate books to support the Reading Shed, please bring any donations to the school office rather than placing them directly in the shed, so that we can monitor and organise them appropriately.

If you have any questions, or if there are particular types of books you would like to see included, please do get in touch — we would love to hear your suggestions.

Best wishes,
Mrs Hartfield

 

Brooklands Card - free entry

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office. The card covers entry to the Museum for up to 2 adults and 3 children. 

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

 

Planet Soccer now accept Childcare vouchers!

Inset Day Camp

 

Easter 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.

 


06 Mar 2026
World Book Day
We’ve been celebrating a whole week of reading across the school, with activities designed to spark excitement and help children discover new stories. Throughout the week, teachers swapped classes to share their favourite books, classes took part in a reading marathon, and children joined a ra...
Read more
06 Mar 2026
Y6 WW2 Evacuee Day
On Evacuee Day, Year 6 stepped back in time to explore what life was like for children during World War II. Dressed in period-style clothing, they took part in a series of immersive, hands‑on workshops, including making gas masks, cooking with rationed ingredients, and discovering what daily life lo...
Read more
04 Mar 2026
Young Artists' Summer Show 2026
14 July – 30 August 2026​ Weston Studio | Burlington House​ ​We are proud to share artwork selected to be submitted by our Year 4, 5 and 6 children for display in the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2026 — a prestigious national exhibition hosted by the Royal Academy of Ar...
Read more

Weekly Class Attendance


Parents Association Notes

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

Spring Disco - March 20th

 


Brooklands Museum - Free entry!

If you would like to book the Brooklands Museum card for a weekend, please contact the office. The card covers entry to the Museum for up to 2 adults and 3 children. 

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 

INSET Day Camp

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) 


Topaz class Mission Week
All Day
from 09 Mar until 12 Mar
09
March
Ruby class forest school pm
All Day
12
March
Topaz class assembly
8:50am – 9:20am
12
March
Inset day (school closed for children)
All Day
13
March
Violet class Mission Week
All Day
from 16 Mar until 20 Mar
16
March
Topaz class forest school pm
All Day
19
March
Violet class assembly
8:50am – 9:20am
20
March
Y2 Great fire of London
2:30pm – 3:00pm
20
March
Y2 Cake sale
3:00pm – 3:30pm
20
March
Y4 Hooke Court meeting for parents
8:30am – 9:00am
25
March
Y4 Dorking Halls Primary Festival
6:00pm
25
March
End of Spring term ( Half Day)
All Day
27
March
Easter holidays
All Day
from 30 Mar until 10 Apr
30
March
Start of Summer term
All Day
13
April
Y3 Cake sale
3:00pm – 3:30pm
17
April

To see the full Calendar of Events, click here.


School Day: 8.40 am - 3.15 pm     Office opening hours: 8.00 am  - 4.00 pm Monday - Friday

Arch Road, Hersham, KT12 4QT    T: 01932 222536   E: office@cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk