Headteacher Message
Dear families,
We’ve made it to another half-term break and this one feels earned. This has been a very busy half-term, but has been one of the most positive, calm and productive half-terms in recent history!
So much to mention this week: first of all, a huge well done to our U9s and U10s boys’ football teams, who both reached their respective County finals at the weekend. These are fantastic achievements in themselves and reflect a lot of hard work, determination and teamwork across the season. Commiserations to our U9s, who gave it absolutely everything and were just pipped at the end – a tough way to finish, but they should feel very proud of their efforts. Meanwhile, a huge congratulations to our U10s, who retained their title and brought the trophy home for the second year running – a brilliant accomplishment. Thank you to Miss Lewis, Mr Halford and Mr Hughes for their time, energy and commitment in guiding the teams throughout the year. As well as the football, our athletics and netball teams represented the school (and all of Shrewsbury!) brilliantly in recent indoor athletics and netball finals. A fantastic second place finish for Coleham – well done! Our sporting teams can be very proud of their achievement hits term!
Years 3 & 5 had a fantastic time during their Egyptian Day in Year 3, and their Viking Day in Year 5 this week. The classrooms echoed with energy as pupils fully embraced their themes: Viking battle cries were heard and mummies were made (not mummies of children…).
We also celebrated an excellent individual achievement this week. George was crowned our school chess champion after an impressive series of matches. Not only that, but he also managed to beat me in what started as a very tight game before falling apart rather quickly once my attack was thwarted. Must try harder, Mr L – well played, George! The picture above captures the moment well: I was 2 moves away from a check-mate before it unraveled spectacularly, and if you look carefully, you can see a man in the exact breaking moment of realisation.
For me, the highlight of the week had to be the Year 1 ukulele concert. It was a joyful event, full of confidence and smiles. Music is so important and and it was wonderful to see them performing so proudly. A big thank you to Mrs Porrett for all of her work in bringing music to life for our pupils.
See the newsletter section about our new Family Forum to see how you can help shape our school better for the future.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. I hope you all have a restful half term break.
See you all in June!
Tom Larkham
Headteacher
Diary Dates for Summer
1st – 3rd June – Yr 6 Residential Trip
Tues 2nd June – Owls Family Lunch @ 11.30pm
Wed 3rd June – Rabbits Family Lunch @ 11.30pm
Wed 10th June – Shropshire Sings Event for Lunchtime Singing Club 3.15-7:00pm
8th – 11th June – Yr 6 Bikeability Training
Sun 14th June – Shrewsbury School Music Concert for Lunchtime Singing Club 3:00- 5:15pm
Wed 17th June – Musical Showcase Concert (for children in KS2 learning instruments)
Mon 22nd June – EYFS, Yr 1 & 2 SPORTS DAY @ 1:30pm
Wed 24th June – Yr 3 & 4 SPORTS DAY @ 1:30pm
Wed 24th June – Family Forum 6-7pm
Thur 25th June – Yr 5 & 6 SPORTS DAY @ 1:30pm
Friday 3rd July – Yr 4 Tudors Day
Tue 7th July – Yr 3 Recorder concert @ 9.15am
Wed 8th July – KS2 Disco 5:00-6:00pm
Fri 10th July – Yr 6 Leavers Assembly 1.30pm
Mon 20th July – Yr 6 Leavers Party
Last day in school – Wednesday 22nd July
Summer Holiday – 23rd July to 1st September
New School Year starts – Wed 2nd September
SEND May Newsletter
Our SENDCo Ms Jones would like to pass on the SEND Newsletter for families from Shropshire Local Offer
Read it HERE
PACC’s Healthy Lives Holiday Programme offers a variety of activities to support physical and mental wellbeing, providing children and young people with SEND with opportunities to catch up with friends and be active, and providing peer support for parent/ family carers.
Find out more about the programme HERE
Watch the video HERE
June E-Safety Newsletter
You can get up to date with information on online apps and risks to children with the Online Safety Newsletter.
Online Safety Newsletter Primary June 2026
See info about Pinterest, online scams, digital footprints, autosaving on Whatsapp, emoji meanings, Omoggle and ‘Retro-photos with friends’ app
Recruitment- Teaching Assistant
We are recruiting for an Early Years/KS1 Teaching Assistant.
More info can be found HERE
Please spread the word
Half Term Free Drop In Art Workshops
Ukraine Donations
We are collecting donations for children in Ukraine. Shropshire Supports Ukraine are arranging a transport and will be collecting from us. You can drop these in Reception.
- Children’s Clothes (must be clean and in excellent condition)
- Long lasting food items (rice, pasta, tea, coffee, biscuits etc)
- Toiletries and sanitary products
- Pain Relief (paracetamol and ibuprofen)
- Baby food & nappies
- Pet Food
- Toys
Family Forum – Let’s talk About School!
We’re launching a new Family Forum and would love you to join us.
The forum is an opportunity to talk together about how things work at Coleham. We’ll share how we do things and why, and we’re really keen to hear your perspectives too. It’s also a chance to ask general questions about decision-making and anything else about school.
It will be an opportunity to:
- talk openly about how things work at Coleham
- ask general questions about things like curriculum, assessment, routines, communication and decision-making
- help us improve how we explain what we do, and why we do it.
It would not be:
- about individual children
- a replacement for parent–teacher meetings
- a space for raising personal concerns or complaints
The first Family Forum will have a main focus around communication. This has come about directly from your feedback in our recent survey, where communication was highlighted as an area we can keep improving.
We hope to create a safe space for open, honest conversation so we, as a school, can better understand what parents & carers need from us in terms of communication.
Just as importantly, the forum will help us improve how clearly we explain our decision-making, whilst also helping parents & carers understand what information is most helpful, and what is realistically possible for us to provide as a school.
The first Family Forum will be on Wednesday 24th June, 6pm – 7pm. Please be aware this is an evening for ADULTS ONLY.
In the meantime, it would be useful to think about what questions you might like to ask, or what communication needs you have that are not currently in place. We also want to hear about what is successful for you as families.
We’re really looking forward to building a shared understanding and strengthening how we work together:
BVAF Competitions!
Poetry Writing Competition
Get ready to let your imagination run free in our poetry writing competition, inspired by our theme this year of “Fantasy”.
We’d love to hear all about the magic and mystery hiding in your imagination, from enchanted forests to curious creatures, secret spells or worlds that only you can dream up.
Write a short poem and share your most fantastical ideas with us.
And when you’re ready, simply email your poem to us.
Small prizes for the winning entries!
Deadline: 22 June 26
Category: All ages
Please note: We are unable to offer individual feedback and if you haven’t heard from us after the deadline, then assume that you have not been selected on this occasion.
Fantasy Drabble Contest 2026
Can YOU spin a fantastical tale, in EXACTLY 100 words?
No more, no less, Title Not Included: that’s a DRABBLE!
Whether it’s Epic, Urban, Cosy, or any other fantasy subgenre you love, whether it contains dragons or mermaids or devils getting stroppy with large rocks, your Drabble could win a prize and be read out as part of our poetry event – A Hive of Fantasy, on Friday 12 June.
There are 3 age categories:
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Up to 11
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12 – 16
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17 and over
To enter, simply email your drabble to us by 8 June, including your name and if you’re under 18, your age.
Good luck!
🏆 U10s – County Champions!🏆
What a game from our U10 boys in the county final at SEAH Stadium!
Facing HLC, the boys showed real character, going in 1–0 down at half-time. They continued to play as a team and kept their spirits high, showing great belief and determination, before turning things around in the second half to secure a fantastic 3–1 victory and become county champions!
This makes it even more special as it’s their second time reaching this stage, showing their consistency, determination, and quality as a team. To bring home the title again is a huge achievement for every single player.
An incredible performance from a fantastic group, thoroughly deserved. We loved watching every minute. Well done, boys!
U9s – County Final Runners-Up
What a fantastic Sunday watching our U9 boys represent Coleham in the county finals at SEAH Stadium!
The boys faced St Lawrence and, after going 2–0 down in the first half, showed incredible determination to bring it back to 2–2 in the second half. Despite their efforts, the game finished 4–2, meaning they are county runners-up.
An amazing achievement that the boys should be extremely proud of, reaching this stage is phenomenal. Well done, boys!
Well Done Year 6
We must start with congratulating our Year 6s for the perseverance, effort and resilience they have demonstrated in their SATs this week. They have approached them with hard work and maturity which is what matters. They have done their very best and can be very proud of themselves, whatever the outcomes! They are wearing their Leavers Hoodies with pride and can look forward to a fantastic 3 day trip to Pioneer making memories and enjoying their friendships.
♟️Mr Larkham’s defeat
George had already triumphed in Mr Williams’ Chess Tournament to claim the title of Coleham Champion but one challenge remained. One very important challenge.
The Headteacher.
What followed was a tense, tactical showdown. Pawns marched. Bishops sliced across the board. George played with the calm focus of a grandmaster. Mr Larkham remained confident.
Then came the moment.
Mr Larkham spotted what he thought was a brilliant checkmate. He leaned in. He smiled. He prepared to celebrate.
And George… quietly scuppered it.
One move. One twist. One headteacher suddenly out of luck.
George triumphed again. Mr Larkham has mysteriously not been seen in school since — though rumours suggest he is somewhere practising openings, muttering “Sicilian Defence” under his breath, and vowing a rematch.
Until then, George stands undefeated. Coleham’s champion. The student who toppled the Head.
Prestfelde Printing Workshop
Mrs Davies and a group of Year 5 artists headed to Presfelde School where they were treated to a screen printing workshop. Thank you so much to Presfelde for inviting us-they had a brilliant day!
🏉 Her Try Time Festival 🏉
We took all of our Year 5 and 6 girls to the Her Try Time Festival over at SCAT, run by Embrace, to celebrate their success of completing the Her Try Time rugby programme.
The festival was all about giving girls the opportunity to take part in sport in a non-competitive environment, have fun, build confidence and enjoy being active together — and what a brilliant morning it was! With a total of 222 girls attending, it was amazing to see so many girls smiling, encouraging one another and enjoying sport. It was fantastic to see the children building a love for sport and physical activity, without the pressure of competition, simply enjoying taking part and having fun together.
The girls took part in a carousel of activities, practising and developing their tag rugby skills, before finishing with some friendly tag rugby matches. Their teamwork, enthusiasm and positivity throughout were fantastic to see and they represented the school brilliantly.
We were also lucky enough to have women rugby players from Shrewsbury RUFC there supporting the event. Shrewsbury Rugby Club are also encouraging young children to get involved in games and fun rugby activities. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
A huge well done to all of the girls involved!
Yr 5 Art Workshop with @ BVAF
Fifteen Year 5 creatives unleashed their inner artists at a brilliant Belle Vue Arts Festival workshop. We always love Art Teacher Mr Griffiths’ workshops… and here’s a fun fact: he was Miss Heap’s Art Teacher when she was at school!
With 2026’s festival embracing a fantasy theme, our young artists rose to the challenge, painting a sky full of soaring dragons. Their magical masterpieces are set to be proudly displayed at the festival gallery in June🐉🎨
Year 5 Viking Day
Year 5 didn’t just learn about Vikings — they became Vikings.
With fierce face paint, braided hair, and costumes worthy of a Norse saga, our pupils stormed into school ready for adventure. They painted shields, crafted their own Viking‑style jewellery, performed their battle cries on green screen and mastered the strategic Viking game of Kubb.
But the moment that will be remembered for years to come happened on the hill. Standing tall against the wind, the children re enacted their Viking battle cries — this topic inspired incredible writing- and some of their strongest work this year.
Viking Day brought history roaring to life!
Last week we tested our Viking longboats and you can see how we got on here:
Yr 1 Ukulele Concert
Mrs Porrett has been teaching Year 1 how to play the ukulele, and they showed off their skills by performing to parents. Learning to play an instrument takes patience, focus, and a lot of practice. Their confidence has grown week by week, and it was wonderful to see them proudly strumming along and sharing what they’ve learned.
5 Star Hygiene
The Food Standards Agency visited today!
Coleham School was awarded 5 stars.
Well done to all the team!
Indoor Athletics and Netball County Finals
We took two teams to the School Games County Finals after winning the qualifiers to represent Shrewsbury.
To get to this stage is a brilliant achievement in itself, and both teams should be extremely proud of reaching this level.
The netball team performed incredibly, scoring 34 throughout the tournament and finishing in 2nd place. The games were extremely closely matched, and to score that many goals was a brilliant effort and result.
The athletics team adapted brilliantly to a changed format, with two brand new events and some events run as relays rather than individual races. Despite this, the girls listened carefully, quickly understood the changes, and performed superbly. The results were very tight, with the team finishing in 3rd place.
Well done to all who took part, they should be very proud of how strongly they represented the school.
Mental Health Week
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. We’ve been talking about activities that make us feel good and have practised some yoga with Yoga Teacher Dionne. Year 6 made some positive affirmation bunting. Mrs Stewart ran her biggest Zumba class to date which we loved! The best way to finish the half term, all together with mood boosting music, happy faces and feel good exercise. The staff even enjoyed some relaxation at Miss Salter’s art class after school. We’re all ready to continue the rest, relaxation and connection with families and friends over half term.
Yr 3 Liverpool Trip
Year 3 took a trip to Ancient Egypt during their visit to Liverpool World Museum. It was fantastic! They were able to view genuine artefacts and real mummies in the Egyptian Gallery which were 4,000 years old! Wow! Then they got some hands on experience, working together to mummify a ‘person’ in an interactive and gruesome workshop.
They explored the Wild World Collection : Dinosaurs and natural history and then rounded off the day with a wonder around the Walker Art Gallery..
History, Science and Art all under one roof!
Yr 3 Egyptian Day
Year 3 became Egyptians for the day to ‘wrap up’ their history topic. We’ve been stepping back in time to write hieroglyphs on papyrus, make Egyptian Gods & Goddesses Top Trumps and wrap up some mummies! We’ve now completed our history topic and are experts in Egyptology! What a lovely way to end the term.