Headteacher News for December 2025
Dear Parents and Carers
Tetherdown Community Shines: Grants, Fundraising and National Recognition
It has been an extraordinary half-term for community spirit at Tetherdown, with families, pupils and staff coming together to support projects that enrich school life in meaningful ways.
£1,000 Tesco Stronger Starts Grant – Thank You, Community!
We are delighted to announce that Tetherdown has received £1,000 from Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme. This funding will help us enhance our growing Breakfast and After School Clubs with new games, creative play resources and indoor/outdoor sports equipment.
A huge thank you to everyone who placed blue tokens in our Tesco box — your support made this possible!
Quiz Night Success – Over £8,000 Raised!
Our annual Tetherdown Quiz Night was a fantastic evening of fun, teamwork and community warmth. Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of our families, the event raised a remarkable £8,000+ towards new OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) equipment. This transformational funding will help us continue building an adventurous, inclusive and joyful play environment for every child.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, donated and volunteered — what an achievement!
Tetherdown Pupils Take Their Community Work to Parliament
Our pupils’ dedication to kindness and connection has reached national attention. This term, Tetherdown children visited Parliament to share our school’s community programmes - from peer mentoring to intergenerational care-home visits — helping raise their profile as a model for building compassion and social responsibility.
Everyday Acts of Community
At school, children continue to support one another through:
- Lunchtime ambassadors in Y4
- Peer Mentors in Year 5
- Sports Leaders in Year 6
- Reading Buddies across year groups

Beyond the gates, Year 5 pupils volunteer with Foodbank Aid, and Year 4 children build friendships with residents at Springdene Care Homes. These experiences deepen understanding, empathy and real-world citizenship.
Together - through fundraising, volunteering, leadership and kindness — the Tetherdown community continues to make a real difference. Thank you for being part of it.
Climate Action Plan
We would like to share our Climate Change Action Plan recommended by the government. You can find more information about this guidance on our school website policy page.
Our school is committed to creating a more sustainable environment, and we are keen to involve the children in this journey. Through lessons and simple activities, we will help pupils understand climate change and how they can make a positive difference. Together, we can support our children in caring for the world around them.
Baby Joy & New Beginnings!
We are delighted to share that Ms Coburn and Ms Jones have both welcomed baby girls named Orla, and Ms Binger has welcomed a baby boy, Avery. We also say goodbye to Ms Lynch from Year 5 Komodos and warmly welcome Ms Hussain, who will be leading the class for the rest of the year.
Reception Stay & Play – A Growing Success! 🌟
Our Reception Stay and Play on Saturday 15th November was a fantastic success. We welcomed over 25 families for the second year running, giving prospective parents the chance to meet our team, ask questions about starting school, and experience what makes Tetherdown special.
Events like this really help families feel confident about their school choice. If you know anyone with a child starting school next year, please spread the word — personal recommendations make a huge difference. We have a few tours still running before the January school-choice deadline, and we’d love to welcome more families. Please do point them our way!
Winter Fair
A massive thank you to the new Friends of Tetherdown for all their hard work organising the Winter Fair. We are thrilled to let you know that we raised just over £10,000!! This will go towards developing the school playground and supporting other projects that enrich our children’s school experience. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped and came along to support the event.
Thank you also to our staff for supporting and preparing the children’s performances. It was a wonderful celebration of our school community, bringing families, staff and pupils together and showing what makes Tetherdown such a special place.
As we come to the end of the term, we’d like to wish all our families a wonderful and restful winter break. Thank you for your continued support throughout the term. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday 6th January. Enjoy the holidays and see you soon!
Annie Ashraf
Headteacher