Dear Parents and Carers, 

Happy New Year and welcome back to the spring term. Despite the chilly and now wet start to the year, it has been lovely to see the children return to school so positively, full of enthusiasm for the new topics and learning opportunities ahead. 

If you missed our newsletter on 19 December, you can find it here: https://www.htpd.surrey.sch.uk/page/?title=19+December+2025&pid=499  Some highlights included: 

We were delighted to share that the HTPD Christmas Fair and Santa’s Grotto raised an incredible £9,000. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise these events and to all families for your generosity and support. 

Thanks to your kindness, we were able to cover the costs of the HT Play and PD Nativity, as well as make a donation of £760 to Real Change Guildford. This contribution will help people rebuild their lives away from the streets and reflects the strong sense of community and compassion within our school. 

We will soon be saying farewell to Jane Bennett as she begins her well-deserved retirement. We would like to celebrate her many years of dedication and service to HTPD and wish her every happiness in the future. We are pleased that she will continue her role as Clerk to the Governors. 

At HTPD, we pride ourselves on our strong pupil attendance. As you may be aware, attendance is a national priority and is closely monitored both within school and by our Surrey County Council Attendance Advice & Intervention Officer. Schools now also have attendance improvement targets, meaning that monitoring and scrutiny of attendance data is increasing. 

So far this academic year, 85 pupils (16%) have been absent immediately before or after a school holiday. Absence for family holidays and visiting family overseas is the greatest issue we face in improving our school attendance. Last academic year, I quoted recent research from the Department for Education (March 2025), the link between attendance and attainment in an assessment year, which highlights the importance of regular attendance: 

‘At KS2, pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 (95–100% attendance) were 1.3 times more likely to achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths than those with 90–95% attendance. Missing just 10 days reduced the likelihood of reaching the expected standard by around 25%. Pupils with very high attendance were also 1.8 times more likely to achieve the standard than persistently absent pupils.’ 

Our own school data reflects this national picture, showing a clear link between lower attendance and reduced progress and attainment. While we understand that illness is sometimes unavoidable, we strongly encourage families not to take holidays or extended visits during term time. Our term dates are published well in advance, https://www.htpd.surrey.sch.uk/page/?title=Term+Dates&pid=50, and every day in school really does matter. 

The start of a new year is a great opportunity for us all to reset. We kindly remind families to ensure that children bring only a healthy, unpackaged snack for break time and that water bottles contain water only. Please also ensure children are wearing the correct school uniform. As we aim to spend as much time outdoors as possible, please make sure your child brings a coat to school every day. We will, of course, encourage them to wear it! 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. 

Best wishes, 

Vicky 

Whole school notices:

CLOSING DATE FOR PRIMARY APPLICATIONS – 15 January 2026

The deadline for applications to Year R and Year 3 for September 2026 is Thursday 15 January. Online applications can be made via Surrey County County’s website: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/primary-junior-and-infant