Aureus Primary School

Our Year 6 production of Gross Buster! was a tremendous success and a wonderful showcase of the children's talents. The pupils delivered outstanding performances, impressing the audience with their excellent singing, hilarious comedy, energetic dancing and confident acting. Their hard work and dedication throughout weeks of rehearsals shone through in every scene, and they should be incredibly proud of what they achieved. A huge thank you must also go to the Year 6 staff, whose commitment, support and countless hours of preparation helped bring the production to life. Finally, we would like to thank all the parents and families who came to watch and for their continued encouragement and support – it was fantastic to see so many people celebrating this special achievement with our children.

We were delighted to welcome bestselling author Christopher Edge to our school for an inspiring and engaging visit. Christopher introduced the children to his latest book, How to Steal the Future, sharing fascinating insights into the story, its themes and the creative process behind his writing. Throughout the session, he captivated pupils with a range of exciting interactive activities that encouraged them to think creatively, and explore the imaginative ideas at the heart of the book. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were inspired by Christopher’s enthusiasm for storytelling. At the end of the visit, he kindly signed copies of his books, giving pupils a memorable opportunity to meet the author and celebrate their love of reading

Dear Parents and Carers,

Following the red weather warning for extreme heat which has now been issued for Wednesday and Thursday, we have made the difficult decision to close school early at 12:30pm on both Wednesday and Thursday this week.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We know that changes to the school day can be difficult for families, particularly at short notice, and we have carefully considered all possible options before making this decision. However, the safety and wellbeing of our children, staff and wider school community must come first.

The forecast temperatures, combined with the red warning and high humidity, mean that parts of the school site may become extremely uncomfortable and potentially unsafe during the hottest part of the day. Young children are more vulnerable to heat-related illness than adults, and despite the measures we already have in place, including encouraging regular water breaks, keeping children in shaded or cooler areas, adapting activities and relaxing expectations around uniform, the level of risk on these two
afternoons is too high for us to continue safely with a full school day.

School will therefore close to all pupils at 12:30pm. Please collect your child promptly at this time from their usual collection point. If your child is usually collected by another adult, please ensure arrangements are updated and communicated clearly with school in the usual way. Please note that Wrap will also be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Refunds or a credit note will be issued in due course.

Children should still come to school in cool, comfortable clothing, with a named water bottle and a sun hat. Please apply sun cream before school where appropriate. We will continue to keep children as cool and safe as possible during the morning session.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We appreciate that this may cause inconvenience, but we are confident that an early closure is the safest and most responsible decision in light of the current warning and forecast conditions.

Here at Aureus Primary School we were delighted to take part once again in the Festival of Voices this year, a wonderful celebration of music from Oxfordshire children. Held in the beautiful setting of Dorchester Abbey, the event brought together performers from five other schools, with all 500 seats in the venue filled by an enthusiastic audience. This year’s concert marked the 41st Festival of Voices, making it an especially significant occasion. Our pupils made us incredibly proud, showcasing not only their musical talent but also our core values of excellence, responsibility, kindness, and teamwork throughout their performance. We would like to thank Mrs. Dickerson and her team for organsing and taking the children to this wonderful event.

No Pens Day!
At Aureus primary school our children were encouraged to extend their oracy skills in a fun way, instead of writing, pupils share their ideas out loud, take part in discussions, and work together in activities like debates and role play. This helps them become more confident speakers and better listeners, making it easier to explain their thinking and learn from others. Our year 1 cohort embraced the day whole heartedly, converting the classroom into a grocery shop. In writing the teacher scribed a list for their picnic foods and the children then made their food out of playdough. Later in maths, set up a shop and introduced 20p and 50p coins. The children then got to visit the shop and use their coins to buy some 'food'.

Our Reception children had a wonderful visit to Sutton Courtenay Nature Reserve, where they explored the natural world as part of their learning about life cycles. During the trip, they observed how living things grow and change, developing a deeper understanding of the world around them. The children also took part in a fun and imaginative activity where they helped a bear build a safe shelter, thinking carefully about what it would need to survive – including water, food, air and shelter. It was a fantastic hands-on experience that brought their learning to life and encouraged curiosity, teamwork and creativity.

🎉 STALL HOLDERS WANTED! 🎉
🌞 Our FIRST EVER School Summer Fete 🌞
📅 15th July | 4:00–6:00pm
We’re excited to be hosting our first ever School Summer Fete and we’d love you to be part of this special event!
Are you a craft lover who makes, bakes, or sells something lovely? Do you have something you would like to promote ? We’re looking for friendly stall holders to help create a brilliant afternoon for our children and the wider school community!
If you’d like to run a stall or want more information, please get in touch via [email protected] — we’d love to have you join us!
Let’s make our first Summer Fete one to remember 🎪

🌟 Reminder: Please Accept Your Reception Place by Thursday 30th April 🌟

This is a friendly reminder to please accept your child’s Reception place by Thursday 30th April via the Oxfordshire County Council admissions portal 🗓️✅.

Accepting your place by the deadline is essential to secure your child’s start in Reception this September 🎒✨.

If you have already accepted your offer, thank you very much - no further action is needed 👍

If not, please log in to the Oxfordshire County Council portal as soon as possible to complete the process.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our school soon 😊🌈