SGFS - Summer 2 Newsletter 2026

Mr Adams' Introduction

Who can believe that the final part of the school year is upon us...!? And what a year it has been!

Our children here at South Gosforth First School have achieved so much and I am proud of every single one of them for all of their hard work and for being the amazing little people that they are. Our children really do live our SGFS core values every single day and I want to say a huge thank you to them and also all of our families for all of your support this year - Everyone at SGFS feels really lucky to have such an engaged and supportive school community and we know that this will continue to evolve and grow next academic year and beyond!

We have been focusing on 'Play' for our children this half term and we are really proud to let all of our families know that we were re-accredited with the OPAL Platinum Award this week. Our OPAL assessor, Andrea Caine shared the following statement after her visit on Monday

On behalf of the entire OPAL team, I am delighted to offer our warmest congratulations on achieving your second OPAL Platinum Award — the highest level of accreditation within the OPAL programme. This is a remarkable and rare achievement that reflects your school's outstanding commitment to creating a rich, inclusive, and empowering culture of outdoor play. 
Platinum status is not awarded lightly. It recognises schools that go above and beyond in transforming the quality of children's play experiences. Your journey is a shining example of how creativity, courage, and whole-school cultural change can come together to make a lasting difference in children's lives.
At South Gosforth First School, your approach to outdoor play has been both innovative and inspiring 
The impact on your children is clear: they are more confident, adventurous, resilient, and connected.

We are really proud of achieving this accreditation, as we see the huge benefits that our wonderful play offer has for our children, ensuring that their lunch times are fun, enjoyable and fulfilling, meaning that they are settled and ready to learn each afternoon.

As everyone departs for their well-deserved Summer break, I would like to say that I hope that everyone has the most wonderful, relaxing and enjoyable holiday. I am looking forward to seeing all of our pupils and families (both old and new) back in school bright and early on Wednesday 2nd of September (Tuesday 1st of September is a training day) refreshed, reset and ready to start a brand-new year here at SGFS! - Mr Rob Bradley-Adams