Weekly Newsletter

Headteacher - Mr J Parkinson

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Miss L Whale

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Mr K Reynolds

Good afternoon parents and carers,

It has been another very festive week at Larks Hill! From performances and sports festivals to Christmas celebrations and community visits, our children have risen to the challenge and enjoyed taking part in a wide range of events both in and out of school. Thank you, as always, for your continued support during such a busy time of year.

We are pleased to announce that Larks Hill staff will be attending on Sunday, 18th January 2026 and we encourage as many of you to join us as possible.

On Monday morning the whole school took part in the Reindeer Run to raise funds for the Prince of Wales Hospice.

Everyone took part, including some of the teachers and we raised over £2000 for the hospice!

Thanks to everyone in the Larks Hill community for their generosity, we know the Hospice greatly appreciate it.

On Monday afternoon, KS2 enjoyed their Christmas Movie Afternoon, watching a festive film with blankets, biscuits and milk. EYFS and KS1 had their turn on Thursday afternoon. It was clear that all pupils had a wonderful time!

On Tuesday, KS1 enjoyed their Christmas Party complete with snacks, games and plenty of festive cheer. Meanwhile, KS2 visited Wakefield Theatre Royal to watch Jack and the Beanstalk. As always, it was an excellent performance and pupils superbly represented Larks Hill.

On Wednesday morning, our choir performed at DeLacy Gardens Care Home. Their singing was warmly received by residents and carers. Year 5 also attended the Christmas Extravaganza at Carleton High School to enjoy performances from their talented students.

Year 3 Also performed their Christmas guitar concert to their Parents & Carers. Their skills and confidence are growing every week. Well done Year 3! For their excellent performance, the whole class have been awarded star of the week.

We also enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Dinner day. A very special thanks to our fantastic catering team for providing such a delicious lunch!

On Thursday after school, pupils from Years 3 and 4 took part in the Rackets Festival at Pontefract Squash Club. They were coached by James Willstrop, former World Number 1 men’s squash player!

Later that evening, we welcomed families to our annual Winter Wonderland. The evening was a huge success, filled with stalls, music and games. A big shout out to our parent helpers for their hard work in helping us to run this. Without your support, we know events like this just wouldn’t be possible so on behalf of school, thank you! As well as this, thank you to Mr and Mrs Bird who brought their fantastic brass band (joined by Olivia) to play festive music throughout the evening. It was absolutely brilliant and we were very lucky to have them perform. Another thanks goes to our wonderful choir who returned to perform and sang beautifully. Our dedicated JLT also worked hard to support stalls and activities throughout the evening -thank you for your commitment and enthusiasm.

A huge thank you to all parents, parent helpers, pupils and pupil leaders for their support in ensuring the events across school have run so smoothly. Your time, enthusiasm and involvement make an enormous difference.

A separate and heartfelt thank you to all staff, from teachers and support staff to the office team and Mr Pugh, for their hard work, flexibility and commitment throughout this busy period. Your efforts are very much appreciated!

We are very proud to share that Oliver in year 2 has recently competed another Karate competition, this time, in Scotland for the Scottish Karate Championship's. He entered into 4 categories and won 4 gold medals! Following on for this incredible success, he then went on to win the Grand Champion trophy for his age category. Well Done Oliver!

Monday, 15th December - Year 1 & 2 Nativity Performance - 9.30am - 10am

Monday, 15th December - EYFS Nativity Performance 2.30pm - 3.15pm

Monday, 15th December - Year 1 & 2 Nativity Performance - 5.30pm - 6pm

Tuesday 16th December - EYFS Nativity Performance 9.30am-10.15am

Tuesday, 16th December - KS2 Students to Visit St. Giles

Thursday, 18th December - Last Day of School

Friday, 19th December - INSET Day

Monday, 5th January - INSET Day

Tuesday, 6th January - Back to School

Reggie - EYFS

All of Year 3

Maddie - Year 4

Harry- Year 5

Toby - Year 6

Toby B- Year 6 for outstanding writing this week.

Charles Q - Year 1 for running 3K in 19 minutes!

This week the top 3 TT Rockstars scorers from each class have received a special certificate and sweets for their efforts during all tournaments this term.

Wishing all families an enjoyable weekend ahead!

Yours sincerely,
Mr Reynolds

Next week's school lunch menus is Week 3.

Next week's menu is Week 2.