Caring Curious Courageous

Enabling all children to learn and grow

Dear Families,

As the end of the first term draws to a close, I would like to thank you for the many ways you support our school community. We value the strong partnership between families, carers, and the school, as working together helps all children to flourish during their time at The Vineyard.

Our shared commitment to being caring, courageous, and curious is at the heart of what makes The Vineyard such a special place. I have received a great deal of positive feedback about the warm, welcoming atmosphere within our school, which reflects the care shown to one another, the courage to try new things, and the curiosity that drives learning and growth. Thank you for the role you play in nurturing these values.

As we come to the end of term, we recognise that families mark this time of year in different ways. For those who celebrate Christmas, we wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas. For those who do not, we wish you a restful and positive holiday period. We hope the break provides everyone with time to rest, reflect, and spend time in ways that are meaningful to you.

Please see below the learning bulletins for the next half-term, along with a message regarding academisation and more about our Key Stage 2 success.

Updated Significant Dates 

Best wishes for the next couple of weeks, and we look forward to seeing you all in January 2026.

Frances

Frances Bracegirdle

Headteacher - headteacher@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk

Learning Bulletins for Spring 1 

Please find the learning bulletins for the first spring half-term below. These detail the learning for each year group for every subject. You can also find some suggested activities to support your child's learning. For Gems families, as the children follow most of the curriculum for their year group (EYFS, Year 1 or Year 2), please refer to the relevant year group’s bulletin.

Reception        Year 1          Year 2          Year 3          Year 4           Year 5          Year 6

Ms Reilly and Mrs Dempster 

Assistant Headteachers for Teaching & Learning

Phonics Screening Check for Year 1 and Year 2 Families 

We will be holding a Phonics Screening Check Workshop on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th January at 3.30pm in Diamond Class. 

This workshop is for ALL Year 1 families and for Year 2 families whose children did not pass the screening check in Year 1. Families can choose to attend either workshop. 

This workshop will explain: 

• What the Phonics Screening Check looks like in July
• How it is carried out
• How we prepare the children through mock screenings throughout the year
• Some practical ways you can support your child’s phonics learning at home

Attending this session will help ensure you are fully informed and confident about the phonics screening process and how best to help your child succeed. We strongly encourage all parents to attend one of the sessions.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Miss Lucey

Reading/Phonics Lead 

Report from the Governors - 2H Autumn term 2025

One of the major topics governors have been discussing this year is how joining an Academy Trust will benefit our school in the long-term.  This is an important decision that impacts our school’s future ambition and opportunities for our children.   To help parents understand this further, Frances Bracegirdle will be giving a presentation next term about how joining Bourne Education Trust aligns with The Vineyard’s long-term goals.  We will share the exact date early next term and we encourage all parents to attend.  

Governors are responsible for overseeing the management side of a school. We focus on ethos, strategy, policy, budgeting, and staffing, working alongside senior leaders and supporting teachers to provide excellent education to children. 

The Vineyard’s Governing Board is made up of 13 governors: the Headteacher; two parent governors; a local authority governor; one staff governor and eight co-opted governors. Our current board members and a brief profile of each of them can be found on the school website.

Please see the link here for more information from the Governors.