Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Parent Survey
Please be aware that we  will be launching a Parent Survey next week. As a vital part of our school community, your feedback is incredibly important to us as it provides an essential opportunity for us to gauge your views about your child's education across several key areas of the school. Most importantly, it allows us to truly listen to your experiences so that we can take meaningful action on the points raised and continue to improve our school provision.

To ensure we are providing the best possible education and support for our students, we would like to hear your perspective. Of course we welcome positive comments so we know which areas are working well and should be maintained but we also value constructive criticism, as it helps us identify where we can evolve. We encourage you all to participate so that we can hear the parent voice in all its forms.

Please keep a look out for the email containing the survey link, which will be sent out next week. Thank you for your continued support and for being such a crucial part of our community.

World Book Day
It was truly wonderful to see our school community  celebrate World Book Day this week. The corridors were filled with a vibrant array of book characters and it was a joy to witness the incredible creativity displayed by both students and staff alike. From hand-crafted literary legends to contemporary heroes, the effort put into these costumes brought a fantastic energy to the school and sparked brilliant conversations about our favourite stories. These celebrations are a testament to the imagination of our students and a reminder of the shared joy that reading brings to us all; thank you to everyone who participated and made the day so memorable.

Creative Ways to encourage reading
The National Literacy Trust shows a decline in reading for pleasure among young people, with only 32.7% of eight- to 18-year-olds enjoying reading as a pastime in 2025. This is a particularly sad decline when we know that reading regularly enhances cognitive function and empathy while significantly reducing stress and boosting academic success. Therefore please do support the school in actively encouraging your child to read (or continue reading) regularly. Please find attached ideas on how parents/ carers can encourage reading from the National College.

World Sleep Day 2026
World Sleep Day 2026 is Friday 13th March and incorporates the theme Sleep Well, Live Better. Students and staff are invited to wear a sleep mask and or fluffy socks alongside their uniform.

The scientific evidence is clear: your sleep is essential to health and wellbeing. Good sleep promotes wellness and resilience while poor sleep negatively impacts almost all aspects of your body and mind. Your sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise!

It is recommended teenagers have, on average, 8-10 hours of sleep a night. But, when it comes to good sleep, it isn’t just about the number of hours we sleep, it is also important that our sleep is good quality. This means that we fall asleep relatively quickly, we don’t wake up too often during the night, and that the amount of time spent in bed asleep is high. Generally, sleep is said to be of good quality if:

• the time it takes to fall asleep is less than 30 minutes,
• wakefulness once asleep is under 30 minutes,
• achieve the recommended sleep length for their age; and
• the percentage of time in bed spent asleep is more than 85%.

Please do take the opportunity to speak to your child and read the tips to encourage sleep health.

 Tips for parents and carers:

• Create a calm, relaxing bedroom environment.
• Avoid screen time before bed.
• Establish a bedtime routine.
• Try to keep the bedroom free of screens and electrical devices.
• Encourage reading or quiet music instead of screen time.
• Try not to encourage young people to eat or drink anything before bed.
• Encourage young people to take a bath or shower before bed.
• Keep a diary to see if there are any patterns or behaviours that might be contributing to disrupted sleep.
• Seek medical advice if you are concerned about your child's sleeping behaviour.

Young Carers Action Day - Wednesday 11th March
On Wednesday 11th March, we will be observing Young Carers Action Day. This is a national event dedicated to raising awareness of the incredible contribution made by young people who help look after a family member or friend with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or substance misuse issue. According to research, as many as 1 in 5 children in the UK are young carers. These young people often balance their education with significant responsibilities at home, from practical tasks like cooking and cleaning to providing vital emotional support.

As a school, we want to ensure that every young carer is identified and supported so they can achieve their full potential.

Through our partnership with Imago Young Carers Services, students can access:

• One-to-one support and wellbeing advice.
• Respite activities and trips to meet other young carers and have fun.
• School-based support to help balance homework and caring roles.

How you can help: If your child has a caring role at home, please let us know. We want to ensure they have the right support in place to thrive both at home and in the classroom.

For more information on the services available, or to register for support, you can visit the Imago Community Website or contact the school’s Young Carer Lead Mrs Kerai via safeguarding@townleygrammar.org.uk.

Kind regards,

Miss Mitchem
Deputy Headteacher