Welcome to a round-up of news from Grayswood CE Primary School this past month.

We have had an exciting start to 2026 with trips, special visitors to school, and an exciting competition win!

Visit from Bishop Paul

We had a wonderful visit from Bishop Paul earlier this month. It was his first visit to Grayswood CE Primary School. He led a whole school collective worship to begin our day, which the children thoroughly enjoyed, and then Miss Cole gave him a tour of the school. Bishop Paul was very complimentary about his visit, afterwards commenting: 

"I was quite astounded by the conversation that we had in collective worship. The children were
so attentive, polite and curious"

"The tour of the school gave me further insight into the culture of the school. You clearly have a very dedicated staff who are much respected by the children. I was also very impressed by the ways in which children were so delighted to explain to me what they were learning and so articulate in asking me questions too. You must be rightfully very proud of them."

Year 1 Rural Life Trip

On Monday 19^th January, Woodpeckers went on their annual visit to the Rural Life Centre in Tilford.

In class they have been learning about toys from the past and wanted to find out more about them. Nick and Pam were our hosts for the day, each of them leading a workshop session for the Year 1s. The children were given time to play with some toys from the past 100 years, as well as exploring some old photographs and talking about the playground games children used to play at school.

After everyone had done both sessions, the Woodpeckers had time to look around the other parts of the museum - of which there are many - and take a quick glimpse at what rural life was like. As the museum is still closed to the public for the winter, we were able to have the whole site to ourselves and enjoyed being able to get a good look at all the things there. Nick and Pam did a great job engaging the children and said how wonderful the Year 1s were - so well done Woodpeckers!

Year 5 Science Trip

The highlight of the month for many of our Year 5 class was their incredible trip to the Winchester Science Museum. The planetarium show was utterly immersive - a breathtaking journey through the solar system that left everyone wide-eyed with wonder. Afterwards, we explored the interactive space exhibits, experimenting, investigating and discovering. The day finished with a brilliant workshop on designing a spaceship, where the children tested different materials and applied their scientific thinking to choose the most suitable one - gold! It was hands-on, inspiring and enormous fun. Many thanks to the parents who supported.

Food Bank Visit

Recently, some of our School Council members had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Haslemere Foodbank. We were warmly welcomed by Jo, who shared how the foodbank supports families in our local community and why this work matters.

The children rolled up their sleeves and joined the volunteers in sorting donations. They put their Maths skills to good use by organising items by expiry date, helping to make sure every donation can be used.

We’re incredibly proud of how thoughtfully and enthusiastically the children represented our school. It was also a valuable chance for them to see exactly where our Harvest donations go and how they make a real difference to local families. A meaningful experience for everyone involved and we hope to go back again next term!

Winning Woodpecker

We’re delighted to share some wonderful news from our school community. One of our Year 1 pupils has been chosen as a winner in the Diocese Net Zero Competition!

Children were invited to imagine and illustrate what a Net Zero School of the future might look like, and Amy's thoughtful, creative design really shone.

As a winner, Amy's artwork will appear in the 2026 Net Zero Schools Calendar. She will also receive a £50 gift voucher, and the school has been awarded a £1,000 prize to support new net‑zero initiatives that will benefit everyone.

We’re so proud of this fantastic achievement and the inspiration it brings to our whole school as we continue working towards a greener future together. Well done Amy!

Drama Workshop for KS1

"We played a lot of different games, one called 'Bop' which I really enjoyed. Then we held a game show, where we took turns in being the host and interviewed our classmates.

It was a really fun activity to do with my class”.

Fundraising update

We have been informed that our Reindeer Run from back in December raised a staggering £1,212.68 in sponsorship for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care.

Well done to all of the children and thank you to everyone for their kind donations.

We have also recently been made aware that our fundraising for The Royal British Legion and their Poppy Appeal made a fantastic £194.80. 

Great effort everyone, it makes such a difference to our local community. 

Good attendance is not just valuable, it's essential. Good attendance promotes good outcomes for pupils and provides them with the very best opportunity to reach their potential.

We regularly track the attendance for each child and communicate with parents where any concerns may be emerging. The government class attendance below 90% is as 'persistently absent' and under 50% 'severely absent'.

The percentage attendance figures for each class as a whole in January are:

Food Banks

As a school we are able to refer families who may need a little extra support to the local food banks in Haslemere (Haslemere Methodist Church) or Godalming (if you live in or around Witley).

Even if it's just a one-off visit you need to help you during a difficult time for you and your family.

If you would like to know more please email our Home School Link Worker, Sarah De Marcos (in confidence) at:

hslw@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk
 

Hosting a party? 

A reminder that you can hire our school hall for your parties, events or clubs. It's available after school, at weekends and during the school holidays.

To find out more please contact our School Business Manager, on sbm@grayswood.surrey.sch.uk