Weekly Newsletter

Headteacher - Mr J Parkinson

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Miss L Whale

Associate Assistant Headteacher - Mr K Reynolds

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week at Larks Hill has been another positive one, with pupils taking part in a range of opportunities both in and out of school that have celebrated creativity, teamwork and community involvement.

On Tuesday, a group of six pupils from Larks Hill, selected from the many entries submitted, attended the Junior Civic Society Anti-Litter Poster Competition presentation at Pontefract Library. All entries were recognised; however, there could only be one winner from each school. A huge well done to Olivia T (Year 3), who created the winning poster for Larks Hill and received a trophy in recognition of her fantastic effort. The posters will now be displayed in and around the library to support the Keep Britain Tidy Great Spring Clean 2026 initiative. We are incredibly proud of all of our pupils who took part.

On Wednesday, pupils from Years 5 and 6 attended the Inclusive Festival at A1 Football Factory. They took part in a range of activities including football, relay races and team games. It was fantastic to see so many ‘Spirit of the Games’ stickers awarded, recognising teamwork, determination and sportsmanship. Our pupils represented Larks Hill brilliantly, as they always do.

Across Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, we held our Easter Afternoon Tea events. These were truly delightful occasions and a wonderful success. The hall was filled with a warm, welcoming atmosphere as children, and families came together to enjoy an afternoon of conversation, laughter, and delicious treats.

The tables were beautifully arranged, with a lovely of selection of sandwiches, cakes, and pastries. A special thank you goes to everyone who contributed their time and effort in preparing for this event. Your hard work and attention to detail made the event feel extra special.

Yesterday, as part of the PAT Games, selected girls from Years 5 and 6 took part in a Tag Rugby competition. Despite some strong competition, our pupils demonstrated excellent resilience, determination and sportsmanship throughout. We are very proud of their efforts.

Our Eco Team have also been working hard this week to raise funds to develop a school pond within the EYFS wildlife area, encouraging more wildlife into the space. As part of this, they organised a ‘Guess the Name of the Cuddly Pig’ competition, which proved very popular across school. Congratulations to Jenson - Year 2, who correctly guessed the name Link, and was announced as the winner in today’s celebration assembly.

Today, we also enjoyed our annual Easter Bonnet Parade, a much-loved tradition at Larks Hill. It was fantastic to see so many creative and colourful entries from across EYFS, with pupils proudly parading their bonnets around school this morning. Our JLT, alongside our Head Boy and Head Girl, had the very difficult task of selecting the winners. A huge well done to the EYFS pupils who were awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! Thank you to all parents and carers for your support in helping to create such wonderful bonnets and for contributing to what was a truly special experience for our youngest pupils.

There was also a competition for the best decorated Easter egg, and the standard was incredibly high this year! The creativity, imagination and care that had gone into each design was amazing. Once again, our JLT had the very difficult task of choosing the winners, but after much deliberation, they selected the following for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

A huge well done to everyone who took part - every entry was fantastic. It was a real highlight this week to see them displayed around school throughout the week. Thank you to all parents and carers for your support with these.

Attached to this newsletter is a short guide from Stop It Now with practical advice to help keep children safe online. It includes key reminders around setting expectations, protecting personal information and ensuring children know how to report concerns.

We encourage parents and carers to take a few moments to read this and use it to support conversations at home.

Reggie - EYFS

All of Year 1

Ava - Year 2

Dinanya - Year 3

Isabelle - year 4

Austin - Year 5

Lucas - Year 6

Olivia C (Year 5) – for the kindness and inclusivity she showed towards others during the Year 5/6 Inclusive Festival, ensuring all team members felt involved, alongside consistently demonstrating excellent manners.

Harry - Year 3

Jacob - Year 3

Charlie - Year 4

Lochlan - Year 4

Monday, 13th April - Back to School

Tuesday, 21st April - First Aid in Schools Workshops

This week's CATS spotlight goes to Oliver M - Year 2.

Oliver has been in Malta this week participating in the Malta Open and WKA World Championships.

So far, he has come 1st in one of his categories, won a silver medal in the sparring under 6's category, become a bronze world medalist in Kata under 7's category and is competing for another world category medal in sparring tomorrow!

What an incredible achievement Oliver. Well done!!!

We will be attending Junior Park Run again on Sunday, 19th April at 8:45am. We are delighted that a number of Larks Hill pupils have already signed up to take part. Miss Whale, Mrs Smith & Miss Jones will be there to support our runners.

Junior parkrun is a free, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Junior parkrun is 2k in length, dedicated to 4-14 year olds and their families and friends of all ages. Junior parkrun is positive, welcoming and inclusive, there is no time limit and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along and you can attend every week or just whenever you can.

You must register in order to take part. You can register for parkrun for free here - www.parkrun.org.uk/register/ or scan the QR on the poster below.

Further information about the course, rules & guidelines and facilities can be found here. home | Pontefract junior parkrun | Pontefract junior parkrun

We hope to see and many families there as possible on Sunday 19th!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We hope all of our families have a wonderful and restful Easter break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the start of the Summer Term on Monday 13th April.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Reynolds

When we return after Easter, we will be on Week 1 of the new Summer menu.

The Maths Challenge for the Easter Holidays is to answer as many questions as you can manager over 2 weeks. (Curfew 8pm - 7am)

Please see some information below regarding an understanding autism course provided by Wakefield Council at the Pomfret Family Hub.

Are you having a New Year clear out? Have the children grown AGAIN?

We are pleased to be running a clothing collection to support The Clothing Bank and our local community in Pontefract.

We would be grateful for donations of clean, good-quality women’s, men’s and children’s clothing that you no longer need. All items should be bagged and can be brought to the school office or taken directly into your child’s classroom.

Donations will be accepted throughout this half term and next half term. Your generosity will help support families within our local area, and we thank you in advance for your continued support

Please follow this link if you would like to find out more about The Clothing Bank. https://theclothingbank.org.uk/mission/

Due to a recent increase in demand for our Wraparound After School club, we have taken the decision to increase our capacity from 15 to 18 children per day. We hope this will help out those families that need childcare either on a regular or ad hoc basis.

If you haven’t used our Wraparound After School Club before, please drop in to the office to sign the agreement form.

The Club runs from 3.15pm-5.45pm Monday-Thursday and costs £12 per session (or £10 each for siblings).

Children can take part in games, activities, crafts and more! We also offer a selection of snacks and light bites for them to enjoy.

From next week we will also be launching our new Friday offer! Friday club will run as the rest of the week but at a discounted price of £8 for the full session, or £5 for a 4.30pm pick-up. This could be an opportunity for parents to get ready for the weekend, do some shopping or run any errands that need doing without the children there.

Places should be booked on MCAS by Friday of the preceding week, please give us a call if you need to book after this deadline and we will see what we can do.

Featherstone Lions ARLFC are running Easter Holiday Camps for children aged 5–11 as part of the Wakefield Happy Healthy Holidays programme.

The camps will run Monday 30th March – Thursday 2nd April - 10:00am – 3:00pm each day

The programme includes multi-sport activities, games, crafts, and Easter themed activities, along with a healthy hot or cold meal provided each day.

Places are free for children eligible for benefit-related free school meals, with a limited number of paid places available (£10 per day).

They also have SEND places available and a sensory room to support children who may benefit from a quieter environment. Places can book now by scanning the QR code on the poster.

Barnsley FC Community Trust are running football camps throughout the Easter Holidays.

Places can be booked by scanning the QR code on the attached poster

Elite Kids Coaching Holiday Camps are open to children in the local area and provides a fun, safe environment for them to stay active during the school holidays. All key information, including dates, times and booking details, can be found on the attached poster.

Ackworth Tennis Club invites you to join them for their Open Day on Sunday 26th April from 2:30-5pm to try tennis for free, all are welcome - staff, pupils and parents!

The Ackworth Tennis Club Open Day is a great opportunity for juniors and adults to try out some free coaching. Families can also come down to the tennis club to have a knock around with each other. All equipment is provided all you need to do is turn up in your sports gear and trainers. We will also be providing information about membership if you wish to sign up. We look forward to seeing you at the club!

To book yourself onto a coaching session or chance to play please sign up for FREE on: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/ackworthtennisclub/EventsV2

Families are invited to The Hepworth Wakefield to enjoy creative workshops, Garden Play, trails and activities every day during the school holidays Saturday 28th March - Sun 12th April.

Family activities are FREE with an exhibition ticket.

Entry to the exhibitions is FREE for under 18s/Wakefield residents and members.

If you live outside the Wakefield District and are visiting with under 18s, you can use discount code FAMILY50 for 50% off. Book online or in person (valid Saturday 28th March - Sun 12th April). Full price entry to the exhibitions is £13/£11

Castleford Roman Festival with Wakefield Council’s Events and Festivals Team

Saturday 30 May 2026, 10am-4pm

Castleford Town Centre

Step back in time at the Castleford Roman Festival—a day of free, family‑friendly fun right in the heart of Castleford Town Centre!

Browse the bustling Roman Market, join Legionary Marcus Valerius Calvinus for immersive guided tours, and enjoy theatre performance ‘A Day in Lagentium’.

Young explorers can get hands‑on with a mini archaeological dig, along with crafts, face painting, and street entertainment throughout the day.

Find out more at expwake.co/RomanFest