white horse logo with values Love, Hope, Community
Stanford in the vale CE Primary SchoolStanford in the vale CE Primary School
High Street Stanford In The Vale Faringdon Oxon. SN7 8LH
Tel: 01367 710474 Fax: 01367 718429
Headteacher: Mrs Amanda Willis
Siams Outstanding and Ofsted Good Provider
Siams Outstanding and Ofsted Good Provider
Page Updated 17.07.20

School Closure Weekly Newsletter


Dear Parents

This is the last parentmail of the academic year and term and what a term it has been! One that will definitely go down in history! Firstly, I would like to thank you all so much for supporting your children at home with their home learning. We are very fortunate to have such caring, responsible parents, who want the best for their children. The work they have completed with you has been amazing. I hope you all get a lovely holiday and break from being stand in teachers. Saying that though, a few of you have requested Summer learning so I have attached a challenge you may wish to complete or some internet sites you may wish to go to. Totally up to you, no pressure!

Today we say goodbye to our Year 6 class. Their seven year journey with us is at an end! We had a lovely leavers zoom service this morning where the children recalled their favourite memories, listened to the leaver's song, recited a poem, were presented with Bibles and trophies and played a video they recorded - please look out for this on the school website, it is amazing! All the children have grown and developed so much and it has been lovely to see. Within the Leaver's Service we presented five awards, an Arts Award, School Sports Award, Progress Award, Endeavour Award and Personal Contribution to the School Award. This year the winners were:

  • Arts Award - Jade and Henry E
  • Sports Award - Katherine and Billy
  • Progress Award - Ryan
  • Endeavour Award - Grace
  • Personal Contribution to the School - Riley
I also received a lovely letter from Henry this morning which I have copied below:

Dear Mrs Willis,

This letter is to you and all the staff at Stanford Primary. I wanted to write to thank you for the amazing time I have had at Stanford Primary School. The opportunities have been astounding - the best activities and opportunities in any school! From PGL to having people from Africa doing their native dances, having Caribbean people show us how to play the steel drums, doing sweet shack and representing the school in various sport competitions. I have enjoyed every moment of my time at Stanford. I would like to thank every single one of you.

Even though this year we have had the coronavirus outbreak and missed things such as SATS, end of year Production and going to Fairford Airshow if it wasn’t for corona virus we would of done those things thanks to you, your amazing ideas light fires in our hearts and keep them going, things that we would of never done without you.

It is this primary school that has made me who I am, from the staff and teachers and friends and visitors everyone has made my Stanford primary experience as good as possible. Also amazing things that we support, like charities such as the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.

You have prepared me so well to go to secondary school. At the start of school it was settling in for a few years and then before you know it you’re getting ready to go to secondary. I will miss all the smiley faces when I come in to school; all the friendly faces that I know oh so well.

Have a great summer!

We wish all the Year 6s every success at Faringdon Community College, King Alfred's and Larkmead.

We are also saying goodbye to Harry H and Huey from Bluebell Class, Dewi, Stanley and Millie from Poppy Class and Heidi Lu from Sunflower Class. We hope they settle quickly into their new schools and make lots of new friends. At this time of year we also say goodbye to lots of families who have been with us for many years. Thank you for your support of the school over the years and working with us for the benefit of your child(ren). The families include: The Amies, Atkinson, Bignell, Browning, Chester, Cleeter-Forsyth, Edwards, Ellis, Geekie, Gooddard, Jepson, Leach, Lee, McCaugherty-Child, Palmer, Flynn, Atkins, Slatter and Happe. Everyone else we will see back on Thursday September 3rd, following the plan I sent home yesterday, including our new foundation children.

Many thanks to everyone who brought bags of unwanted clothing in for Bags to School. We raised £348.00 for the school.

We had to do a bit of catching up with 100 Club (as overlooked during the lockdown) so please find below the winners for the last five months:

  • March - 1st = Katie Amies, 2nd = Carrie Cleary
  • April - 1st = Lucy Ingles, 2nd = Emma Richardson
  • May - 1st = Douglas Geekie, 2nd = Jessica Smith
  • June - 1st = Laura Mabbott, 2nd = Laura Raggatt
  • July = Jade Wilson
The 100% Attendance Awards were presented to children who were at school everyday from September until lockdown. They included:

  • Foundation = Melody, Tilly, Bethany, Oliver H-R, Dylan S
  • Year 1 = James B, Lottie
  • Year 2 = Scarlett, Melissa, Lucca, Lilly L, Darcey, Merryn
  • Year 3 = Owen, Emilia, George
  • Year 4 = Daisy, Isabelle, Ella M, Aimee, Verity
  • Year 5 = Frank, Charlie, Emily, Arthur, Toby, Jacob, Alex
  • Year 6 = Poppy, William, Ryan, Zach, Grace, Billy
I also presented two full attendance medals to Merryn and Verity who have been at school everyday since September until today.

Please could I ask for some more chicken volunteers. I currently have no one looking after the chickens on Monday 20th July, Thursday 23rd July, Friday 24th July, Saturday 25th July, Sunday 26th July, Saturday 8th August through to Sunday 16th August, Saturday 29th August and Sunday 30th August. Please email me on: headteacher.3240@stanford.oxon.sch.uk if you can help.

We were kindly given a book by a family and I would like to end this parentmail with a couple of quotes from it:

'We don't know about tomorrow,' said the horse, 'all we need to know is that we love each other.' 'When the dark clouds come....keep going.' 'When the big things feel out of control...focus on what you love right under your nose.'
'Always remember you matter, you're important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can.'

Have a lovely Summer holiday.

Kind regards

Amanda Willis

Newsletter 10.07.20