Mrs Scarth's End of Spring 1 Letter

13^th February 2026 

Dear Parent/Carer 

We have come to the end of a super Spring Term, with each year group enjoying opportunities across our wider curriculum offer. In January, the singing club represented Oatlands Juniors at Young Voices in Sheffield Arena, singing their hearts out and having a fabulous time alongside children from across our region. Year 3 braved the weather to learn all about animals and their environments, on their trip to Flamingo land. The written work based on this trip that I have had the pleasure of reading certainly captures their fascination with curious creatures and their highlights of the day. PE lessons in Year 4 this term have been at Harrogate Racquets where the children have developed their skills to become brilliant badminton players. Next half term, Year 5 are looking forward to performing their class Easter assemblies to parents and learning all about space when the Planetarium comes to school.

A huge thank you to all our parent helpers who have supported our pupils in school or accompanied classes on trips. It really does make a difference and I really appreciate your time and generosity.

We have lots of exciting things planned for next half term and I have included the 2026 Spring Term calendar of events, for your reference. The Spring term curriculum overviews are also on the school website for each year group:

Spring Curriculum

We always welcome parent/carer volunteers to help with any school trip or into school to read with children. If any of the topics for next half term are of a particular interest to you, then please contact your child’s class teacher. It is always great to have parents enrich our curriculum, sharing their interests and expertise.

Farewell to Mr Sheriff OBE

A special surprise assembly was held in school to say a fond farewell to Mr Sheriff, CEO and founder the Red Kite Learning Trust. The children presented him with works of art depicting the Yorkshire Dales and the Munro mountains of Scotland. These were created by 12 pupils from across the school with local artist, Hannah Alderson. Y6 pupils wrote a wonderful poem inside a beautifully designed card. Mr Gray presented Mr Sheriff with a cherry blossom tree from all the staff. We will all miss Mr Sheriff very much, as he was always a visible and supportive leader, championing our school and caring for everyone in our school community. We wish him all the very best for a happy retirement.

PTA Update – A Fun & Fabulous Few weeks!  

We'd like to start by saying a huge, THANK YOU to all our amazing parents, carers and staff! Your support powers everything we do, from Bingo night to the summer fair, movie nights to Christmas & Valentine's shops. We truly couldn’t do it without you.

Here’s what’s coming up, and it’s a busy spring term

👕 Uniform Sales – New System
Uniform will now be available at set times throughout the year.
First up: you’ll be able to shop pre-loved uniform at the Parent Evenings on 23rd, 24th, 25th & 26th February.
Payments can be made via honesty box or by scanning our QR code on the day.

🍫 Wonderlicious Bars – End of February
Back by popular demand! We’re bringing Wonderlicious Bars to school again at the end of February. Will you find a golden ticket? Just in time for World Book Day fun!

🎬 Movie Nights – 4th & 5th March
Grab the popcorn! We’ll be hosting two cosy Movie Nights on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th March. Film announcements and booking info will be coming soon… stay tuned!

🧁 Mother’s Day Cupcakes
Delicious Mother’s Day cupcakes will be available for the wonderful ladies in your life — the perfect sweet treat for someone special.

🦘 MUGA Sponsored Bounce – 20th March
Get ready to bounce, boing and boogie! Our Sponsored Bounce will take place on 20th March, raising vital funds for the new MUGA. It's "bounced to be" a firm favourite, fun, energetic, and all for a brilliant cause!

🎭 Enchantica’s Masked Ball – 21st March
The magic continues the very next day for our adults with Enchantica’s Masked Ball! Expect sparkle, and enchanting entertainment, all supporting our MUGA fundraising.

🤝Volunteers 
We’re always grateful for an extra pair of hands! If you’d like to manage our pre‑loved uniform, or if you’re interested in volunteering to join the committee to help organise any of our upcoming events, we’d love to hear from you.
Please email ptaoatlands@gmail.com.

Thank you again for helping us bring fun, creativity and community spirit to our school, your involvement really does make all the difference.

Your PTA

🎯 Project MUGA

We are excited to share an update on Project MUGA!

Our goal is to raise £65,000 to build a brand-new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) on the school playing field. This will provide a safe, purpose-built space where all pupils can play, enjoy sports, and stay active all year round.

We are aiming to complete the project by Summer 2027 — and we need your support to make it happen!

💛 How You Can Help

There are lots of ways to get involved:

• Local business sponsorships

• One-off donations from parents and families

• Supporting and attending our fundraising events (Spring Ball, Sponsored Bounce and more)

• Taking part in the PTA Lottery

• Sharing new, creative fundraising ideas and getting involved in community activities

Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our goal.

📲 Scan the QR code to find out more 

📧 Or email ojsmuga@gmail.com to get in touch

Together, we can create an amazing new space for our children to enjoy for years to come!

NSPCC Number Day

The children were certainly inventive in their outfits for NSPCC Number Day, this year! We raised £133 for this important charity. Thank you for your donations.

Safer Internet Day

Parent Consultations

A reminder that these start on the first day back after the half-term holiday. Bookings for parent consultations are now closed. If you have had any difficulties making a booking, please contact our admin team after half term. We look forward to meeting with you.

-Monday 23^rd February Years 5 and 6

-Thursday 24^th February Years 3 and 4

-Wednesday 25^th February Years 5 and 6

-Thursday 26^th February Years 3 and 4

World Book Day - Thursday 5th March 2026

As you will already know, this year is the Year of Reading and we are looking forward to this year’s World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. If your child is keen to dress up as a book character, they are most welcome to – we love seeing their enthusiasm and creativity! However, there is no pressure to do this; if they prefer not to, they should wear their school uniform as normal.

There will be lots of enjoyable reading and book-related activities planned for the day so we would encourage pupils to bring in any favourite books on the day to share and talk about with their classmates.

Date for the diary

Class photographs - Tuesday 21st April 2026

I look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday 23^rd February at 8:55am. Let’s hope we see some dry, bright weather!

Wishing you all a lovely half-term holiday, and Valentine’s Day!

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Estelle Scarth

Headteacher