Headteacher Message
Dear Families,
Welcome back to Autumn 2! It’s only been 4 days but I already feel like we are properly up and running again. The 2 week break has refreshed and rejuvenated everyone and I have been so very impressed with the positive attitude and cheerful attitude of everyone this week.
We’ve already had a Greek Day in Year 5 with dozens of excellent costumes, sporting fixtures and I had a fun morning with Year 6 today getting my hands dirty (literally) with a heart & lung dissection.
This half-term is always incredibly busy, so please keep an eye on the website calendar for important dates, including: nativities (week of 7th December) and parent / carer consultation evenings (next week).
There is also our annual parent & carer survey opening on Monday: we value feedback immensely, so please do fill out your surveys and tell us what you think.
Finally, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at tonight’s Family Bingo – who will win the LUXURY HT Teatime at House Coffee?
Have a lovely weekend!
Tom Larkham
Headteacher
What’s on next week?
Tuesday
Yr 5 & 6 Author Event
Badgers Trip (morning) to Shrewsbury Museum for Nursery Rhyme Week
Miss Cox & Miss Lucas Parent’s Evening
Wednesday
Foxes Trip (morning) to Shrewsbury Museum for Nursery Rhyme Week
School Food Roadshow for Year 2 pupils and their families!
(We would love to see lots of Year 2 Parents & Grandparents. Turn up for a 2:00pm show in the school hall. You won’t want to miss it!)
Scootability sessions for Yr 1 in school
Parents Evening
Thursday
Parents Evening
Yr 5/6 Author Visit-10th November
Booka Bookshop has arranged a brilliant Author event for Year 5 & 6. This links to Year 6’s history topic on WW2 and Remembrance Day.
Tia Fisher is visiting to talk about her new book Operation Doodlebug!
It’s spring 1944 and Stan’s father bravely enlists for D-Day, swearing he’ll return safely. When he’s reported ‘missing, presumed dead’, Stan refuses to believe it. As the doodlebugs start to fall on Croydon, could a letter hidden in a bomb hold the proof his father is still alive? Evacuation gives Stan and his friends the chance to deliver the letter and reveal the truth… discovering in the process what bravery really means.
If you would like your child to have a signed book on the day of Tia’s visit, please purchase one via Booka Bookshops website.
Books cost £7.
Click HERE
Important! So Booka can compile a list a books to bring to school, when you get to checkout make sure you enter:
- your child’s name and surname in the ‘First Name’ box
- your child’s class and school in the ‘Last Name’ box
- select ‘Collect in Oswestry’ so you don’t get charged for shipping.
- fill in your billing address and email address as normal
This promises to be a brilliant visit.
Kind regards,
Miss Othen
Book Loving Business Manager
Parent & Carer Survey 2026-27
It’s time for the annual Parent & Carer Survey! We genuinely want to hear your valuable feedback and insights, both the positives and the areas we need to do better in, about our school and the education we provide.
It is these valuable insights of our families that allow us to make better decisions moving forward as the world changes around us. We carefully analyse trends and patterns at a strategic level to ensure that we are doing the very best that we can for our whole community, and of course the many positive comments we receive are a welcome boost to those staff working incredibly hard.
Please remember that this survey is anonymous: we are unable to manage any unique, anonymous concerns through the survey so if there are any pressing matters you need resolving, please contact the school directly by emailing: admin@col.318education.co.uk
PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE OR USE THE QR CODE BELOW
The survey runs for 3 weeks until Friday 27th November.
E-Safety Newsletter – November 2026
This months Newsletter focuses on the dangers of Online grooming and advice for parental controls.
Give it a read below
PDF publication card – preview
Online Safety Newsletter Primary November 2026Open PDF document
Times Tables Rock Stars Dress up day
As part of Maths week, Tuesday 17th November will be a dress up day celebrating Times Tables Rock Stars.
Come to school in your own clothes and funky hair, reaching for denim, check shirts, trainers, leathers from your wardrobe.
. 
🏺⚡ Year 5 Ancient Greek Day! ⚡🏺
What a fantastic way to celebrate the end of our Ancient Greek topic!
The children looked absolutely fabulous in their Ancient Greek costumes and fully embraced the day from start to finish. 🇬🇷
We were delighted to welcome Shrewsbury Museum, who led an exciting Ancient Greek workshop. The children had the unique opportunity to observe and handle genuine artefacts from Ancient Greece, bringing their learning to life and helping them gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating civilisation.
The excitement continued with our own Ancient Olympics, where pupils tested their athletic skills in javelin, discus, standing jump and a mini marathon. 🏅🏃♂️
In art, the children explored the beauty of Greek architecture, learning about the different orders of Greek columns and demonstrating incredible draughting skills in their detailed drawings. ✏️🏛️
To round off the day, the children took part in an Ancient Greek quiz, showcasing just how much they have learned throughout the topic. We were so impressed by their knowledge and enthusiasm!
A wonderful day of learning, creativity and fun, and a super way to finish our Ancient Greek topic. Well done, Year 5! 👏✨
❤️🩺 Year 6 Get Hands-On with Heart Science! 🔬
Today, Year 6 enjoyed an unforgettable science lesson as Headteacher, Mr Larkham stepped back into his science roots! 🥼✨
Donning a lab coat, Mr Larkham led the children through a real sheep’s heart & lung dissection as part of their learning about the circulatory system. ❤️
This was hands-on learning at its very best: pupils explored the different parts of the heart, examined how it works, and were amazed to discover just how large the aorta really is… the circulation knowledge is sure to stick when you get to push your finger through the aorta!🫀
The curiosity shown by our Year 6 scientists were wonderful to see. 🌟🔍
At our school, we believe that rich experiences and a creative curriculum help children develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. 💡🎓
Well done, Year 6! We may have a few future doctors, scientists and veterinarians in the making!
Remembrance Service
School Councillors had a special opportunity to attend a Remembrance Ceremony at Longden Road Cemetery alongside the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The Royal British Legion, Shrewsbury Town Council, and the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick.
The children spent time exploring the Commonwealth War Graves and learning about the brave soldiers who are buried there. They were surprised to discover that many of the servicemen had come from different parts of the world and were laid to rest far away from their homes and families. It helped us all to understand why Remembrance is so important.
One of the highlights was chatting with ex-serviceman, who shared stories about the countries they had served in during their military career. We learned about the important role of the bugle in military regiments where different bugle calls were used throughout the day to signal duties, meal times, and other activities.
It was a moving experience that helped bring history to life and reminded us of the sacrifices made by so many people to protect our freedoms today.
Lest We Forget. 🌺
Visiting Live Band!
It was great to have the Shropshire Music Live Band visit us! They played and sang a range of music from Opera, Folk, Rock and Modern and we all joined in with some Scat singing, a form of jazz improvisation where we used nonsense syllables instead of traditional lyrics. We were all inspired by the musicians and range of instruments.
