Grange First Weekly News

It’s that time of year again when we focus on getting fit, active and having fun! This year, Mr Mac has chosen an exciting superhero theme. Children from Nursery to Year 4 will be working towards achieving Superhero Status by collecting stamps throughout the week. They will take part in a range of challenges designed to develop strength, calmness, resilience, creativity and teamwork. We are delighted to welcome a range of specialist coaches to Grange, who will lead workshops in:

• Gymnastics
• Yoga
• Haka
• Dance
• American football

Each year group will also enjoy their own Sports Day, and parents are warmly invited to attend. Please check the Diary Dates section for full details. What to wear:

• Children may wear sports clothes all week.
• On Sports Day, children should come in their Grange PE kit.
• On other days, they can wear shorts, leggings, joggers and a t-shirt or their PE kit.
• Trainers are essential, as children will be active every day.

We’re also hoping to start some mornings with a fun “Wake and Shake” on the yard from 8:40–8:45am. If you hear Waka Waka playing, it’s your cue to join in -children and grown-ups welcome!

Greggs Children's Cancer Run

On Sunday, many of our Grange families and members of staff joined us at Gosforth Racecourse for the Greggs Children’s Cancer Run. The sun was shining and spirits were high (despite the traffic jams!), as we came together to complete 1, 3 or 5 miles. We are incredibly proud of everyone who took part. Whether you ran, jogged or walked, your determination to keep going and cross the finish line was fantastic. Huge congratulations to all involved. What a brilliant achievement!

School Survey

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete our survey. We have received responses representing over 100 of our children, and I really appreciate the time and thought families have given to this. I will be carefully reviewing all of the feedback and will share a summary of the key themes and next steps with you after half term. If you would still like to respond, the survey will remain open for the next couple of days, so there is still time to have your voice heard. Thank you once again for your support. Parent/Carer Grange First School  Survey Summer Term 2026 – Fill in form

Goodbye to Mr Mac

Mr Mac has made the difficult decision to leave Grange at the end of this term. This has not been an easy choice, as he has been a valued member of our Grange family for the past five years. During this time, he has made an impact on so many children through his teaching, residential visits such as Hawkhirst and Robinwood, Physical Week, and sporting events across the Gosforth Trust and Newcastle. Mr Mac will be moving to Mary Astell School, working with students aged 11–16 who have found mainstream education challenging. One of his greatest strengths is building positive, supportive relationships, and we know he will make a real difference in his new role. He will be missed as both a teacher and our PE Lead, and we thank him for everything he has given to Grange.

OPAL

We received this email yesterday following a visit from an OPAL assessor on Monday: On behalf of the entire OPAL team, I am absolutely delighted to offer our warmest congratulations on achieving your second OPAL Platinum Award—the highest level of accreditation within the OPAL programme. This is a remarkable and rare achievement that reflects your school’s outstanding commitment to creating a rich, inclusive, and empowering culture of outdoor play. Platinum status is not awarded lightly. It recognises schools that go above and beyond in transforming the quality of children’s play experiences. Your journey is a shining example of how creativity, courage, and whole school cultural change can come together to make a lasting difference in children’s lives. I am so proud of this incredible achievement. THANKYOU to Mrs Kidd-Scannell and Mrs Crow who lead on OPAL, to our OPAL Play Team who meet weekly to look after our outdoor areas before the start of the school day, to our staff who do OPAL play duties in rain, snow and sunshine, to our families for their kind donations and to our children who enjoy using their imagination, creativity and energy on a daily basis. HOORAY! DOUBLE PLATINUM!

Grange Has Talent

WOW, WOW, WOW! We are incredibly proud of all the children who took part in today’s Grange Has Talent show. It was a wonderful celebration of our core belief that our children are: “Happy, confident learners, determined to be the best they can be.” The children s were so brave to perform in front of over 300 pupils and lots of members of staff. We were treated to an amazing variety of acts, including gymnastics, dance, comedy..... A huge thank you to parents for supporting their children with costumes, props and music, and a very special thank you to Miss Bovill and Miss Lightfoot, who have given up lots of their own time to organise auditions and rehearsals. It truly was a fantastic event, and we hope you enjoy the photos capturing some of our talented performers in action. I will share more on our Facebook page over the next couple of days