Caring Curious Courageous

Enabling all children to learn and grow

Dear families,

Frances Bracegirdle

Headteacher - headteacher@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Workshop

All families are invited to join the annual RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) presentation next week on Monday 19th, online at 9:30am. Join via this link.

It is an opportunity to share how we teach this part of the curriculum to the children in the second half of the Summer Term. It covers the vocabulary and resources that we use for learning about bodies, growing up and keeping themselves safe from Reception to Year 6.

Parent Governor elections

Please remember to vote using the link from the school communications system.  Each parent is entitled to vote once for up to two candidates (see statements here from each candidate), matching the two vacancies that we have.  The deadline for voting is noon on Thursday 22 May.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
Celebrating Community & Wellbeing at The Vineyard

We’re looking forward to celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week at The Vineyard during the week beginning 19th May. Although the national week runs from 12th–16th May, we’ve chosen to mark it the following week to ensure our children – particularly those in Year 6 – can fully take part after their SATs assessments have concluded.

This year’s theme is community, and we’ve planned a week of simple, thoughtful activities designed to help children and staff connect, show kindness, and strengthen emotional wellbeing.

Recent research from the University of Oxford, titled “Kindness in Schools: Building a Culture of Care and Belonging” (2024), found that small daily acts of kindness—like smiling or checking in on a friend—can lead to measurable improvements in children’s wellbeing, resilience, and sense of belonging at school. These findings highlight the power of positive community habits and the important role schools play in shaping them.

Here’s how we’ll be celebrating:

😊 Smile For Five Challenge
Encouraging children to share five smiles a day—to connect, include, and uplift others.

Kindness Angels Challenge
A surprise activity to spread kindness across the school—more to be revealed soon!

Five Tweaks to Wellbeing
Each day, we’ll explore one of the NHS 5 Steps to Wellbeing, with small, practical ideas staff & children can try at school and at home.

Smile For Five Badges
On Thursday and Friday, we’ll be selling special badges on the school drive. All proceeds will support fundraising for The Vineyard.

Thank you for supporting this important week and helping us grow a kind, connected, and resilient school community 💛

Ms Reilly 

Mental Health Lead

Celebrating Diversity Workshop & Staff Impact

We wanted to take a moment to share the success of our recent Celebrating Diversity Workshop for Families, led by our Racial Justice Lead and Year 3 class teacher, Steph Sanchez. The workshop was well received and sparked powerful conversations around racial justice and our school’s ongoing action plan.

What We Shared:

• Our whole-school approach to addressing racist incidents.
• The conversations and learning we are engaging in with children to nurture understanding, empathy, and respect.
• The positive work of teaching staff in modelling inclusive values and creating a safe space for all.

Family Feedback:
Families expressed deep appreciation for the efforts of all staff in fostering a community that embraces diversity and actively challenges racism. They were particularly encouraged by how we talk to children honestly and sensitively, and many said they felt proud to be part of a school with a clear mission to celebrate difference and stand up for justice.

Thank you for the role each of you plays in making this possible. These conversations can be complex, but your courage, care, and commitment are making a real impact – not just on our children, but on their families too.

As part of our discussions, we shared the image below as a reflective tool for adults to use and families who attended felt it was a meaningful resource.

Miss Sanchez and Ms Reilly 

Instrumental lessons - summer 2

If your child is going to continue with their instrumental lessons no action is needed, and you will now be billed for the second half of the term.

If you would like to cancel without incurring charges, please email music@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk by Wednesday 21 May.

Vineyard Talent Show – Sign-Up Now Open!

Vineyard's Got Talent will be taking place after the May half-term, offering students a chance to showcase their skills! We’re looking for talented individuals and groups from across the school to audition and take part in this exciting event.

Children are encouraged to sign up from 12th May. This year, we are accepting performers across a wide range of specialisms, including music, drama, comedy, magic, gymnastics, dance, sport skills, and more. Please note that children must provide their own instruments (except for the piano) and any props needed for their performance.

Please see the key dates for the event below: 

• w/b 12th May: Performer sign-up sheets available in each class

• Round 1 – w/b 2nd June: Class Auditions

• Round 2 – w/b 9th June: Semi-Finals

• Round 3 – 1st July: The Final  

Sign-up sheets for this year’s talent show are now available in each classroom. Children who wish to take part should write down their name, the piece they will perform, and any instruments or props they will need.

If your child is interested in participating, please read the following guidelines carefully:

• Children must perform the same song or piece in each round. They cannot change instruments.
• Each child may only sign up once. They can either perform solo or as part of a group—not both.
• Group performances are limited to a maximum of six members.
• Costumes and props may only be used in Round 3 (the Final).
• For Rounds 1 and 2, children must find their own backing track (e.g. from YouTube). If they reach Round 3, a playlist will be created for them. If they are struggling to find a backing track, they should speak to me.
• Round 2 will take place in the music classroom.
• Children are expected to rehearse at home and during break/lunch times in the playground. If they are working with a friend (e.g. a piano accompanist), they may ask to use the practice room or piano in the music classroom.
• All children must bring in their own instruments and any sheet music or lyrics. The only school instruments available to borrow are pianos, drum kit and percussion. They must write this down on the sign-up sheet and speak to me in advance

We can’t wait to see and hear all the amazing talent we have here at Vineyard!

May Half-Term Challenge - Park Run 

We would like to invite as many children as possible to compete at a local children’s Park Run over half-term. 

Park Run is a registered charity that offers free, community-based events where everyone is welcome. People are invited to walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Junior Park Run, dedicated to 4-14 year olds and their families, is 2km and takes place every Sunday morning.

What we would like you to do:

1. Check out the location of your nearest children’s Park Run (although there is a popular Richmond Park Run, they do not currently hold a specific 2km children’s event); the nearest to school is Moormead. Bushy Park holds a weekly children’s event, with ample free parking just inside the park’s Hampton Court entrance. 

2. Sign up online and print out a bar code for your child(ren). The website is https://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/juniorevents/#geo=3.68/54.91/-3.42 Look at the red ‘register’ button in the top right corner.

3. Run at an event that takes place at 9am on Sunday 25th May or Sunday 1st June.

4. Email your child(ren)’s finish time to their year group inbox as proof of having taken part (every entrant receives an email notification of their time on the morning of the race). 

What we will do: 

1. Recruit an elite team of Year 6 students, who will work in pairs to calculate the fastest average time per class.

2. Hold assemblies to celebrate everyone’s achievement who took part.

3. Award a prize to the class with the fastest average time as well as the highest percentage of the class who have entered. 

4. Award a prize to the single overall strongest competitor. This is open to children of all ages as Park Run calculates each runner’s score as a percentage of the world record for their age and sex. 

Making a regular date at Park Run would complement the development of children’s stamina. This is the focus of the sustained activity during summer PE lessons: children build stamina over a longer distance than they have worked on to date. 

Update on Class Reallocation 

Traditionally at The Vineyard, classes are reallocated at the end of each academic year. This approach has been reviewed by SLT and you can find our updated policy here. 

The key update involves which year groups will be reallocated at the end of each year (see below). 

We have made the decision not to always reallocate all the classes, as there is often no need to do so. If we decide to reallocate an additional year group, those families will be contacted via email. Information regarding your child's new class will be sent out with the end of year reports on Friday 18th July. If you have any concerns, please contact a member of the headship team. 

Alice McArdle- Assistant Headteacher 

Music, Community, and Generosity Shine at our Magic of Music Fundraiser

On Wednesday, 14th May, the Bingham Riverhouse was alive with music and community spirit as the Friends of the Vineyard hosted our Magic of Music fundraising event. The purpose was close to our hearts, raising funds to enrich the school’s music programme and make music education accessible to even more students and children in the Richmond area. We are working on the final count, and we are on track to raise over £10,000!

Our talented students gave outstanding musical performances, guided by the tireless work of our music teachers, Daniela and Aimee. The evening was further enlivened by our own Rocksteady teacher, Dom, and his jazz band, who entertained guests throughout the night.

We were also honoured by the presence of special guests Sarah Olney MP and Richmond’s newly appointed Mayor, Penelope Frost.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated incredible auction items, from within the school community and beyond, and to all who attended and embraced the spirit of the evening. Your support will truly make a difference.

If you couldn’t make it to the fundraiser, there’s still a wonderful way to contribute. If every family in our school donated the cost of just two coffees per month to Friends of the Vineyard, together we could raise over three times this amount in a year!

Every small contribution adds up to something extraordinary for our children’s education. To join in, please visit our donation page. Thank you all for your continued support.