Autumn Round-up!
Read on to find out what our schools have been up to during the Autumn term
Remembrance Day
Tillington Manor's Year 6 pupils proudly helped launch this year's Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. They demonstrated true pride, respect, and responsibility as they sang songs on stage to the audience and read names of the fallen soldiers. They observed a two-minute silence during our remembrance service. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
Woodthorne Primary Spreading Christmas Cheer
Pupils from Woodthorne Primary have been busy spreading festive cheer across the community this December. Their School Council worked hard to make and deliver Christmas cards to local neighbours, sharing kindness and connection with those around us. Meanwhile, their Head Boy and Head Girl represented the school beautifully during a visit to The Shrubbery Care Home, where they personally handed out cards to residents and spent time talking with them. Their visit became even more memorable when they met some unexpected guests, spider monkeys and penguins who were also visiting the care home for a Christmas treat! This has been a wonderful example of CARE, community and Christmas spirit, and we are incredibly proud of the compassion and enthusiasm shown by our children.
Berrybrook's Community Links with Wulfrun Rose Care Home
Berrybrook’s community links with their local care home, Wulfrun Rose, have continued to strengthen this term. Staff and children celebrated Diwali and learnt some traditional dancing as well as celebrating Christmas with residents at the care home for breakfast with Santa. In return, some of the care home staff and residents were invited to visit Berrybrook school to watch the KS1 Christmas Nativity performance. We look forward to continuing to work with Wulfrun Rose more in the future.
Harvest Festival at Woodthorne
Pupils, families and staff at Woodthorne came together once again this term to support their local community through their annual Harvest collection. Thanks to the generosity of pupils and their families, they gathered an incredible range of food and essential items for The Good Shepherd Foodbank. Their school’s Community Leaders played an important role in the project. They helped sort the donations, bag up items and load the van ready for delivery. This hands-on experience not only supported an important local cause but also helped pupils understand the impact of kindness, teamwork and community action. We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed. Your support makes a real difference to families across Wolverhampton, and we are proud to work in partnership with The Good Shepherd to help those who need it most.
Children In Need
This term, pupils and families at Woodthorne Primary have shown incredible generosity through a range of fundraising events. For Children in Need, the school raised an impressive £369. Children enjoyed wearing their own clothes and taking part in Woodthorne’s Got Talent, where pupils showcased a wonderful variety of acts and supported each other with enthusiasm and kindness. They also celebrated Christmas Jumper Day raising £311.00 for Save the Children. The children loved coming to school in their festive jumpers, and their donations will help support vulnerable children both in the UK and around the world. In addition, the school community raised a significant amount for the Royal British Legion through the sale of poppies. Pupils took great pride in supporting this important cause, helping us remember and honour those who have served. We are extremely proud of our pupils and grateful to our families for their continued support. Their contributions make a real difference both locally and nationally.
A special visitor came to Tillington - Pudsey Bear! A big thank you to BBC Radio Stoke for asking Pudsey to visit. He greeted the children as they arrived and then came to school assembly where they talked about the important funds raised by Children In Need and how they help.
Sledmere pupils are Express & Star Superstars
In November, a group of children and staff from Sledmere Primary visited the new Children’s Centre at Christ’s Heart Church in Swan Street for its grand opening. The children left the event as superstars featured in the Express and Star!
Bird's Bush has been nominated by Simpson Strong-Tie for their Do What You Can Day
Bird's Bush was delighted to be nominated by local business, Simpson Strong-Tie, as one of the recipients of their 2025 Do What You Can Day. Simpson Strong-Tie very kindly created an amazing digging area and improved the outdoor areas across school.
Every child at Bird's Bush received PTFA-funded Christmas books
Football Success at Woodthorne and Tillington Manor
It has been a great term for football at Woodthorne, with their academy teams achieving exceptional results. Their boys’, girls’ and mixed teams have played four matches against local schools and have won all four fixtures. The children have shown fantastic teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout every match. We are incredibly proud of how they have represented Woodthorne and look forward to more success in the new year. Well done to Tillington Manor’s amazing group of Y5/6 boys who played in the football tournament at Evans Park. Not all results went their way, but they won one game and draw one game - well done, boys. They demonstrated all of our core values and were exceptionally well-behaved.
Berrybrook & Woodthorne pupils met David Walliams
Pupils from Berrybrook Primary and Woodthorne Primary were invited to Wolverhampton Grand Station on Monday 20th October for an exciting author event, which was kindly arranged by Wolverhampton Grammar School in a city-wide initiative to boost literacy and festive spirit. Author and comedian David Walliams led the event where the audience of students from 26 schools across Wolverhampton learnt all about his books and the inspiration behind his stories and characters. He also launched his Christmas-themed new book – Santa and Son. The children were incredibly excited to meet David and had a wonderful time, thoroughly enjoying learning from him, with many children purchasing a signed copy of his new book to read before the official release! The pupils represented Berrybrook & Woodthorne beautifully, showing great enthusiasm, curiosity and excellent behaviour throughout the event. It was a memorable opportunity that has inspired lots of wonderful discussions and renewed excitement for reading back in school.
It's been a busy term at Berrybrook
In order to enhance the curriculum, many of Berrybrook’s year groups have taken part in educational visits this term to new and exciting places to further their learning.
- Nursery visited Lower Drayton Farm
- Year 2 made pizzas as part of their D&T learning at Pizza Express
- Year 1 went to Dudley Zoo to learn about animals and habitats for Science
- Year 3 visited Birmingham Museum to learn about the Ancient Egyptians in History
- Year 5 took part in a STEM event at RAF Cosford, visited David Walliams’ book event and also watched Kensuke’s Kingdom at the cinema as part of the INTO Film Festival
- A small group of Year 5 pupils took part in a Maths event arranged by Wolverhampton Girls’ High School
Over the coming months there will be many more opportunities for out-of-school visits, including two residentials planned in early 2026.
The 3 Ps
Tillington Manor had a visit from Lucy at Severn Trent Water to talk to them about water, the importance of it and key messages around how we can save this precious resource. The children LOVED the assembly especially when they talked about the 3 Ps that can be put in to a toilet - toilet paper, pee and poo! 💩
Panto Season is Here - Oh, yes it is!
Forest Hills’ staff and pupils really enjoyed the pantomime season, with Early Years and Key Stage 1 watching Robin Hood at Rugeley Rose Theatre and Key Stage 2 travelling to Wolverhampton Grand to watch Sleeping Beauty. They all had a wonderful time so … ‘we’ll have to do it again then won’t we! Woo.’ Mesty Croft had the pleasure of taking their KS2 pupils to watch Sleeping Beauty at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Tuesday 9th December. They were the most amazing audience and were fantastic ambassadors for the school. Once again, the panto was great fun and thoroughly enjoyed with lots of laughter and audience participation. Well done to James and Rosella in Year 3 who were brave enough to step up on stage and were given a prize for taking part! A big thank you to the staff at the Grand Theatre who look after us every year.
Christmas at Conkers
EYFS and Key Stage 1 got the festive season off to a super start at Bird's Bush with a trip to Conkers where they spent the day at Winter Wonderland. The children were not only treated to a train ride, a visit to Santa and a 4D cinema show - they even got to have their own personal elf escort for the day. Staff were super proud of their excellent behaviours on the trip and everyone had a brilliant day (even if lots of them were so tired they fell asleep on the coach home!)
Bird's Bush pupils enjoying their Christmas Lunch
Performing Arts Shine at Perry Hall This Festive Season
This festive season has been a truly exceptional one for Performing Arts at Perry Hall Primary. Their talented pupils have embraced every opportunity to showcase their creativity, confidence and hard work. The Performing Arts Club opened the celebrations in style by performing at the Christmas Lights Switch-On service at St Thomas’ Church. Singing to a packed congregation—including the Mayor and local MP—they delivered a beautiful performance that set the perfect tone for the weeks ahead. The club has also been busy preparing their production of The Wizard of Oz, which was proudly performed this week. Our young actors and actresses impressed everyone with their commitment, learning lines, mastering songs and refining their performances to bring this much-loved story to life. They also celebrated another successful Rocksteady Christmas Concert, where budding musicians confidently performed on their own instruments. Their enthusiasm and growing musical talent were wonderful to see. These are all alongside our Key Stage One Christmas shows, Carols and Craft activities across Key Stage Two and weekly music lessons from Wolverhampton Music School. What a busy term! Well done to all our performing arts pupils—your hard work and passion continue to make Perry Hall incredibly proud!
Sledmere Carol Concert
Sledmere Primary Years 3 and 4 sang their hearts out at the school’s carol concert down at Christ's Heart Church earlier in December. Their families and Sledmere staff filled the hall with only standing room remaining, and everyone enjoyed singing along with the children, followed by an evening walk home with a mince pie and a hot drink.
Hey Ewe!
A huge well done to Tillington Manor’s EYFS children on a super nativity performance.
Culture Day at Dunstall Hill
What a truly wonderful Culture Day Dunstall Hill shared! The atmosphere was filled with colour, joy, and pride as the children celebrated the rich diversity that makes our community so special. It was inspiring to see the children embracing one another’s cultures and traditions with such enthusiasm, curiosity, and respect. A heartfelt thank you to all our families, staff, and children for the effort, creativity, and spirit you brought to the day from the beautiful traditional outfits and delicious food to the music, dancing, and art that connected everyone. Days like these remind us how powerful it is to learn from and celebrate each other. Together, they created a day full of belonging, understanding, and pride, a true reflection of the Dunstall Hill community.
Mesty Christmas
Mesty Croft Primary held their Christmas Fayre 'Mesty Craft' at the end of November. Families had the opportunity to create a Christmas-themed craft activity in each year group across school; their Choir performed around the Christmas Tree and the Hall hosted a Grand Raffle, Bottle Tombola and individual craft stalls. It was a fantastic evening, well attended and supported by their school community.
Berrybrook Primary awarded ATTUNE Bronze
During the past 12 months Berrybrook Primary has been working on the ATTUNE project with Wolverhampton Educational Psychology Service, which aims to support schools and settings in Wolverhampton to develop and enhance their whole-school approach to trauma informed & attachment-aware practice, to promote well-being and anti-bullying practice. After much hard work, Berrybrook has recently achieved Bronze level within this project and is now a Bronze ATTUNE school. They will continue working on ATTUNE and hope to achieve Silver soon. Congratulations on a great achievement! “ATTUNE schools are; Attachment aware; Trauma informed; they focus on building Trusting relationships; seek to Understand the individual needs of their learners and wider community; take a Nurturing approach, and recognise the importance of a whole school approach to promoting Emotional wellbeing.”
Sledmere is Top of the Rocks
Congratulations to Sledmere Primary on being the highest scoring school in the Trust’s Times Tables Rock Stars competition during Maths Week England.
Celebrating Success: Sports Coach of the Year
Perry Hall is delighted to share that staff member Adam Boneham has been awarded Sports Coach of the Year by the Wolverhampton Sports Advisory Council at their annual awards ceremony on 4th November. This fantastic achievement reflects Adam’s continued hard work, dedication and passion in supporting Perry Hall pupils through both sports clubs and curriculum lessons.
Messages from our CEO & Chair of Trustees
As we come to the end of another busy and rewarding term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and commitment to our school community. Your partnership, encouragement, and trust play a vital role in helping our children thrive, and we are incredibly grateful for the positive contribution you make to school life every day. I would like to wish you and your families a very happy, peaceful, and restful Christmas, along with every good wish for the New Year. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year and continuing our work together to support all our children and families. Thank you once again for your ongoing support. I wish you a wonderful festive break and a happy New Year. Amarjit Cheema CEO
Dear Parents The autumn term is now at an end and I and my fellow Trustees wish you and your families a happy Christmas and New Year. Kind regards Andrew Brocklehurst Chair of Trustees