Newsletter 24th July 2026
24th July 2026
Dear Parents / Carers
As we reach the end of the summer term, we would like to take this opportunity to share an update on the exciting events that have taken place at our school. It has been a vibrant term, filled with enriching activities and memorable moments for our pupils, and we are very grateful for your continued support and involvement throughout. Your thoughtful gifts, messages and emails have been greatly appreciated by our staff.
A special thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for our celebratory Leavers Assemblies this week.
We wish you all a wonderful summer holiday filled with joy and relaxation. Please note that pupils will return on Monday 7th September, while staff will be back on the 3rd to prepare for the new term.
Leavers Assembly
This week we enjoyed two celebration leavers assemblies, to send off our amazing 2026 leavers.
There was much to celebrate: huge strides in communication, friendships, behaviour, physical skills, reading and more were highlighted in the gatherings. Each one of our learners leaves a little something in the Mill Water heart and hopefully takes a lot of happy memories with them. I’m often asked if it makes me sad to say goodbye and I always answer the same way: We feel lucky to have cared about something so much, that it means we will miss them.
Thank you to all the parents and carers of leavers, who have supported Mill Water over the years.
Year 6 and 11 Prom
We had the best time at the year 6 and 11 prom this year! Pupils enjoyed playing games, dancing and celebrating with their friends. It was a wonderful way to mark the end of their Mill Water journey and the start of exciting new adventures.
Performance at Phoenix Theatre
A group of pupils performed at the Phoenix Theatre alongside the Paddle Boat Theatre Company every pupil shone brightly on stage at the Phoenix Theatre. It was truly a joy to see such a strong turnout from our supportive audience.
All the pupils should feel incredibly proud of their participation and the dedication they showed during rehearsals and the performance. Their hard work truly paid off in a memorable and inspiring event for everyone to enjoy.
Good News Stories for 2025-26
We have had lots of great achievements and positive news stories across the whole school this year, and it has been a pleasure to celebrate the progress and successes of our pupils. Every child should be so proud of themselves for everything they have achieved over such a fantastic year.
We have celebrated lots of big achievements and milestones across Red and Blue Classes this year, with wonderful progress in communication using AAC devices, toilet training, and smooth transitions throughout the school day. We are incredibly proud of the children’s hard work and grateful for the fantastic support from staff and families.
Orange Class has had a fantastic year, filled with fun, messy play, exciting trips and many opportunities to learn and grow together. The children have enjoyed visits to local parks and Escot, along with their termly Stay and Play sessions. It has been wonderful to see so many WOW moments and excellent progress across the class.
Purple Class has had such a fantastic year!
We’ve seen huge improvements in communication—using our voices and AAC devices to share ideas, say what we need, and connect with others. We’ve made loads of progress with phonics and reading, and everyone has loved our daily fun sessions. In lessons, the attention has been great and everyone’s been really keen to join in. We’ve built some fabulous friendships too, with lots of kind interactions and teamwork.
And the best bit? We’ve had brilliant fun together while learning lots.
We have had a fabulous year in Lavender class! We have loved our music sessions with Charlotte, trips to the park and supermarket, and lots of messy but fun Bucket sessions! We are so proud of the progress the children have made in their communication and independence, and the staff have loved sharing every single one of these special moments with them. Thank you all for a wonderful year!
Pink Class have thoroughly enjoyed their swimming sessions this year, with their final session taking place this week. It has been lovely to see everyone take part and enjoy the experience, and we are proud of all the children’s participation and enthusiasm.
We had lots of fun together this year and made really good progress. In games, we worked hard on playing with our peers—following rules, taking turns, and joining in appropriately. It was great to see confidence grow as everyone practised how to play fairly and share activities.
In reading and writing, we made clear progress. We developed skills through regular practice and focused on trying our best, taking pride in our work, and having a go even when things were tricky.
We also learned a lot out and about. Our visit to Crealy was action-packed and full of excitement. The bird hide visit was calmer and more thoughtful, and we enjoyed being observant while we watched what was happening. We also visited different play parks, which supported our movement, teamwork and social skills.
Topic learning included making sandwiches, learning about habitats, investigating light, and exploring local and abroad day trips and holidays. Overall, it was a busy, positive year with lots of learning and plenty of moments to remember.
Bronze and Gold classes have developed their skills when accessing the community. They have been using skills they have learnt in class, such as communication and following instructions. They have transferred these skills to when they are out and about making choices and beginning to learn to wait. In class they enjoyed train week and were motivated to make their own carriage.
Mint class have had a wonderful year. They have learnt how to use their communication devices more confidently to request, comment and share opinions. They have developed physical skills, stamina and confidence. They can now engage for longer, turn take and work as part of a class. It has been a year full of wow moments.
Silver class have had a fantastic year! What a team they have made from training and completing the TenTors challenge, planting trees at Haldon forest, creating numerous enterprise projects that have been sold to parents; to using all they have learnt in terms of communication, using money, socialising and being in the community to enjoy a trip to order their own portions of chips and celebrate being together in the park. Seeing them together in a group; independently socialising and making conversations with each other about what they were doing and enjoying was a huge moment of pride! What amazing progress they've made since September!
Peach Class have had a fantastic year developing their friendships in school and growing in confidence out in the community. They’ve enjoyed real‑life learning experiences, from trips to the shops and the cinema to exploring their farm‑animal topic in the spring. They love a map and can enthusiastically name many places to visit in the local area, and most recently they’ve had great fun investigating different ways to keep cool in the hot weather.
White Class have been busy exploring local places and maps this year. We have particularly enjoyed looking at maps of Crealy, Escot and World of Country Life, identifying symbols and learning about environmental print. Pupils have shared their preferences and talked about the activities they enjoy at each location. The class have also developed a real love of music and singing, making requests for their favourite songs every day.
Physiotherapy
For any physiotherapy concerns that cannot wait until September. please contact Vranch House in Exeter - 01392 468558
Orthotic Contact Details
Exeter Mobility Centre
20 Hennock Rd East, Matford, Exeter EX2 8RU
Insoles / Boot / Splints
Tel: 01392 547400 ext 2
Email: Opcare.exeterorthotics@nhs.net
Wheelchairs
Tel: 01392 547400 ext 4
Email (repairs): Rduh.emcsupport@nhs.net
Email (enquiries / reviews): Rduh.emcwheelchairs@nhs.net
We hope you have a good summer!
Janet and Louisa
(Physiotherapy team)
Dates for your Diary
Friday 24th July
Summer Term Ends
Thursday 3rd September
Non-pupil Day
Friday 4th September
Non-pupil Day
Monday 7th September
Autumn Term Starts