Weekly Bulletin:Friday 2nd October 2026
Headteacher’s message to parents/carers
Dear Parents/Carers,
Amazing news! We’re so proud to share that after this week’s final audit, when we welcomed a special visitor in to observe a Tunbury lunchtime, we have been granted our Opal Platinum award. Thanks to the hard work and creativity of our Play Team (the Tunbury adults who work at lunchtime) and the leadership of Miss Morgan (Curricular Lead for Play) and Mrs Box (Play Coordinator), we have made it all the way to Platinum! This puts Tunbury in the top 2% of primary schools in the country, a huge accolade and testament to the quality of our play provision. Here are Miss Morgan and Mrs Box beaming with pride at our award. 
We are truly grateful to our fabulous TSA for funding this programme for the benefit of all of our children, which everyone agrees has made a huge difference to children’s school experience. If you’d also like some slices of ‘hard data’, it’s clear that Opal has been successful in numerous measurable ways. Most importantly, it has increased children’s enjoyment of lunchtime. It has also reduced the number of first aid treatments at lunchtime, reduced the number of behaviour incidents at lunchtime and reduced lost learning time immediately after lunchtime. Staff are reporting higher levels of children’s teamwork and resilience. Even further than this, here’s an interesting fact from beyond the Tunbury school gates: the percentage of parents/carers reporting that children frequently play outdoors at home has increased from 46% to 84%. Amazing!
Our Opal journey doesn’t end here and next, we are embarking on redesign and reopening of the pond area. We’ll continue to share updates via facebook and on the Opal page of our school website at www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Opal . We also continue to get requests from other local schools who would like to come and visit our lunchtimes, which just confirms that children in Team Tunbury are lucky to experience this every day.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Best wishes
Ruth Austin
Headteacher
Notices
Harvest Donations: Next week, we will be starting our Harvest donations, as we always do at this time of year. We’re pleased to have Reverend Roe from Walderslade Baptist Church leading our harvest assemblies in school on Tuesday 13th October. After this, Medway Foodbank will be collecting our donations. If you are able to donate to this worthy cause, please see below a list of items which Medway Foodbank currently need. Thank you for your generosity, which helps others in our local community as well as showing our children the importance of giving and sharing. Home | Medway Foodbank
New Entrants events:
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Do you have a child starting school in September 2027? Whether you already have older children with us or are brand new to Team Tunbury, please come and see us! Please book at: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.uk/code/dctub and then enter the following code dctub Presentation and School Tours 20 minute presentation from Headteacher and EYFS lead in the school hall, followed by a school tour. Please book at: |
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Tuesday 3rd November, 9.15am |
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Tuesday 3rd November, 6.00pm |
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School Tours Small group tours of the school with School Leaders and Year 6 children (with no presentation/meeting in the hall first). We book up to 4 families onto each tour. Please book at: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.uk/code/dctub and then enter the following code dctub |
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Friday 13th November, 9.00 and 10.00 |
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Wednesday 18th November, 12.30 and 1.30 |
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Thursday 26th November, 9.00 and 10.00 |
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Tuesday 1st December, 12.30 and 1.30 |
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Wednesday 9th December, 9.00 and 10.00 |
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Stay and Play sessions for pre-school children with their parents/carers Come and play in school! These sessions are an hour-long visit for you and your child, for children aged 2.5 years and over, attending with their parent. You’ll stay and play in a Reception classroom and our Reception outdoor learning area. Tunbury staff will be with you to guide your learning and answer any questions. To book onto one of these sessions, please email us at office@tunbury.kent.sch.uk |
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Monday 16th November 3.30 - 4.30 |
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Tuesday 8th December 9.00 - 10.00 |
Volunteers in School: Would you like to start volunteering in school to listen to our lovely children read? This is suitable for parents/carers or other relatives with any spare time. We’re looking for new volunteers this year and
we will train and support you, so please do get in touch at office@tunbury.kent.sch.uk
Flu Vaccination Programme: Monday 30th November for all year groups. Please see the letter which was emailed last week and published in the Parents – Letters and Forms section of our website: www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Parents/Letters-Forms/. Please note the e-consent portal closes at 4 pm on 25th November, and NHS cannot accept late consents or consents on the day of vaccination.
If any parents/carers are having issues completing the online consent form, please call the immunisation team via: Text chat: 07700140385 Live chat via website: www.kentcht.nhs.uk/imms Email: kchft.cyp-immunisationteam@nhs.net Telephone: 0300 123 5205
Weekly Class Attendance: This is a weekly feature on our bulletin to highlight and celebrate good levels of attendance. Our top class in KS1 is Owls class and our KS2 winners are Ruby Class! Great work!
Tunbury Primary School Facebook: Please take a look at Tunbury Primary School | Chatham | Facebook and follow us to keep up to date with all things Team Tunbury. This week we’ve posted about Year 3 woodland school, our Opal award and much more!
Team Points: A change in the lead, with Holmes team overtaking Attenborough this week. Congratulations Yellow Team!
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Rowling |
Attenborough |
Holmes |
Hawking |
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2968 |
3049 |
3282 |
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Dates for your Diary
Term dates for 2026/27: www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Parents/Term-Dates-26-27/
Term 1
Monday 12th October – Walk to Walderslade Woods and Sarsen Stones – Year 3
Thursday 15th October – Year 2 Toy Day NEW
Tuesday 20th October / Thursday 22nd October – Parents’ Consultation meetings
Wednesday 21st October – Viking Day – Year 5
Thursday 22nd October – Ancient Greek Workshop – Year 6
Thursday 22nd October – Last Day of Term 1
Friday 23rd October – INSET DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS
Term 2
Monday 2nd November – First Day of Term 2
Tuesday 3rd November - New Entrants for September 2027: Presentation and School Tour 9.15am and 6pm
Wednesday 4th November – Friday 6th November – Year 6 Residential Visit to Grosvenor Hall
Thursday 5th November – TSA Fireworks
Monday 9th November – Open Afternoon, Year R – 2 pm
Tuesday 10th November – Open Afternoon, Year1 / Year 2 – 2 pm
Wednesday 11th / Thursday 12th November – Individual/Sibling photos – Tempest Photographers
Thursday 12th November – Open Afternoon, Year 3 / Year 4 – 2 pm
Friday 13th November - New Entrants for September 2027: School Tour 9 am and 10 am
Friday 13th November – Open Afternoon – Year 5 / Year 6 – 2 pm
Monday 16th November - Stay and Play sessions for pre-school children with their parents/carers, 3.30-4.30pm
Wednesday 18th November - New Entrants for September 2027: School Tour 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm
Thursday 26th November - New Entrants for September 2027: School Tour 9 am and 10 am
Monday 30th November – NHS Flu Vaccinations
Tuesday 1st December - New Entrants for September 2027: School Tour 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm
Tues 1st to Thurs 3rd December – TSA Christmas Present Room
Friday 4th December – Great Fire of London theatre in-school experience for Year 2
Tuesday 8th December - Stay and Play sessions for pre-school children with their parents/carers 9-10am
Wednesday 9th December - New Entrants for September 2027: School Tour 9 am and 10 am
Wednesday 9th December – Year 1 Christmas Production 2 pm
Thursday 10th December – iRock Concert, Main hall, 9 am
Thursday 10th December – Reception Nativity 2pm
Friday 11th December – Christmas Dinner Day
Monday 14th December – Norman Day, Year 4
Wednesday 16th December – Year 2 Christmas Production 1.30 pm
Friday 18th December – Carols on the Playground, Year 3/Year 4 – 2.45 pm
Year 5/Year 6 – 3 pm
Friday 18th December – Last Day of Term 2
Term 3
Monday 4 January – INSET DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS
Tuesday 5th January – First Day of Term 3 for pupils
Tuesday 12th January – Start of Swimming lessons for Lilac class
Monday 1st February – Walk to the Co-op – Year 3
Wednesday 3rd February – Young Voices O2 Concert
Tuesday 9th February – Safer Internet Day
Tuesday 9th February / Thursday 11th February – Parents’ Consultation meetings
Thursday 11th February – Amazing Animal in-school experience for Year 1
Friday 12th February – Last Day of Term 3
Term 4
Monday 22nd February – First Day of Term 4
Wed 24th to Thurs 25th February – TSA Gifts for Her Present Room
Monday 1st March – Book Week
Monday 1st March – Mayan Day – Year 3
Monday 1st March – Open Afternoon, Year 5 / Year 6 – 2 pm
Tuesday 2nd March - Open Afternoon, Year R – 2 pm
Wednesday 3rd March – Open Afternoon, Year 3 / Year 4 – 2 pm
Thursday 4th March – World Book Day with dressing up
Friday 5th March – Open Afternoon, Year 1 / Year 2 – 2 pm
Thursday 25th March – Last Day of Term 4
Term 5
Monday 12th April – First Day of Term 4
Tuesday 20th April – Start of swimming lessons for Scarlet Class
Monday 3rd May – Bank Holiday – School Closed
Monday 10th-Thursday 13th May – Year 6 SATS Week
Monday 17th May – Anglo Saxon Day – Year 3
Monday 24th May – STEAM Week
Friday 28th May – Last Day of Term 4
Term 6
Monday 7th June – INSET DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS
Tuesday 8th June First Day of Term 5 for pupils
14th June to 17th June and 28th June to 30th June – Bikeability training – Year 5
Wed 16th to Thurs 17th June – TSA Gifts for Him Present Room
Friday 25th June – Sports Day
Friday 2nd July – Reserve Sports Day
Monday 5th July – INSET DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS
Friday 9th July – End of year reports sent home to parents /carers
Monday 12th July – Hero and Heroines Day – Year 3
Friday 16th July – TSA Dare to be Different Day
Wednesday 21st July – Last Day of Term 6 / Academic Year
Class Assemblies
Class assemblies will be held in the school hall on Friday afternoons. Parents/carers and family members from each class are warmly invited to join us in school for these events, as our children love to share their learning with you. Please come to the front of the school and wait outside the hall entrance doors. You will be invited in at just before 2.50pm. The assembly will begin at 2.50pm and last for about 10 minutes, finishing in time for you to collect your children at the end of the school day, as normal.
Friday 13th November – Ruby Class Assembly
Friday 20th November – Crimson Class Assembly
Friday 27th November – Emerald Class Assembly
Friday 15th January – Scarlet Class Assembly
Friday 22nd January – Indigo Class Assembly
Friday 29th January – Pink Class Assembly
Friday 5th February – Lavender Class Assembly
Friday 26th February – Violet Class Assembly
Friday 12th March – Magenta Class Assembly
Friday 19th March – Amber Class Assembly
Friday 23rd April – Turquoise Class Assembly
Friday 30th April – Lilac Class Assembly
Friday 7th May – Sapphire Class Assembly
Friday 21st May – Blue Class Assembly
Friday 28th May – Red Class Assembly
Friday 11th June – Owls Class Assembly
Friday 18th June – Bears Class Assembly
