Newsletters

Friday 19th April 2024

The Good Shepherd

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The readings for the fourth Sunday of Easter demonstrate that Jesus Christ cares for us as a shepherd cares for his flock. Jesus explains that he is the good shepherd who knows his sheep and will do anything to save them. When he says sheep, Jesus means us, because he cares for us and for all people around the world.

If a wolf came to attack the sheep in a field, someone who did not care about them would run away, and the sheep would scatter. But Jesus loves his sheep so much he is prepared to die to save them from danger!

Sometimes it can be very difficult to stop someone or something that we do not like or that we know is wrong. We might be afraid that we will be hurt or laughed at.

There are many things that happen in the world that are not right. There are people around the world who have been forced to leave their homes because of fighting. There are people who do not have enough food to eat or clean water to drink. There are children who have to work and earn money to help support their families instead of going to school. 

Jesus wants us to follow his example. He asks us to care for all our brothers and sisters around the world, no matter who they are or where they come from. And he doesn’t want us to run away when things are difficult. He wants us to stand up for what we believe in and know to be right. 

Jesus loves everybody the same amount, no matter where in the world they are from.

SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY

We are proud of our school uniform and the way our children look. We ask all parents/carers to ensure that their children are dressed in the correct clothes and shoes, and follow the guidelines on jewellery.

PE DAYS FOR SUMMER TERM

Jewellery

Rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings are a hazard in school.

The wearing of earrings is discouraged in school. If parents opt for their child to wear earrings they must be small plain gold/silver studs only; hoops and large or dangly earrings are not permitted. Only one pair of small studs is allowed to be worn in school.

Children may also wear a watch. Watches should not be smart watches and not linked to mobile phones

If you can encourage your child to read for pleasure, they will really reap the benefits. It might not seem like a particularly important task, but actually, research shows that reading for pleasure can be directly linked to children’s success throughout their time at school and even into adulthood.

Reading for pleasure opens up new worlds for children. It gives them the opportunity to use their imagination to explore new ideas, visit new places and meet new characters. Interestingly, reading for pleasure also improves children’s well-being and empathy. It helps them to understand their own identity, and gives them an insight into the world and the views of others. Check out some of our top tips below, including articles on how to build a culture of reading at home, how to help your child choose books and more.

 

Upcoming Events and Important Dates 

Tues 30th April - Year 3 visit to the Moorland Discovery Centre

Wed 8th May - Coffee Morning 9:30 - 10:30am

Mon 13th May - SATS week

Fri 17th May - May Procession

Thurs 23rd & Fri 24th May - Year 5 Residential, Castleton

Half Term - 27th - 31st May

Mon 3rd June - INSET Day

Mon 17th June - Year 6 Crucial Crew

Wed 19th June - Francophone Day

Mon 24th June - Wellbeing Week

Weds 26th June - Sports Day

Thurs 4th July - Festival of Art

Fri 12th July - School Prom

Mon 15th July - Year 6 Performance

Fri 19th July - 1:30pm End of Summer Term

Summer Break - 22nd July - 3rd Sept

Wed 4th Sept - Pupils return to school

Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't.

There are only a few circumstances where a child is allowed to miss school, such as illness or where the school has given permission because of an exceptional circumstance.

However, if your child misses school without a good reason, local councils and schools can intervene and you may be issued a fine.

How much could I be fined if my child misses school?  

In the majority of cases, schools and local authorities will try and provide support to help you improve your child’s attendance first, but if this isn’t effective or the absence is for unauthorised term time holiday, parents may face paying a fine.

Currently, it’s the responsibility of the local authority to decide when to issue fines to parents, meaning the process varies from council to council.

However, under the new national framework, all schools will be required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.

From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.

This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.

In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.

Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.

Weekly Attendance - week beginning 15th April 2024

Our whole school attendance target for this academic year (23/24) is 96.5%

Follow the link below for further information:

NHS 'Is my child too ill for school?' guidance

10 Top Tops for Managing Exam Stress or Test Anxiety

Exam stress – sometimes referred to as test anxiety – is of course a long-running issue for children and young people. Many experts have suggested that the enforced break to traditional testing during the pandemic (specifically the relative lack of familiarity with exam situations) has exacerbated this problem for those who are currently in education.

The possible impact of exam stress on children’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is difficult to overstate – and students’ need for support is seldom greater than during these periods of their academic life. The guide below offers you ten practical tips for helping young people to manage exam stress or test anxiety and minimise its potentially detrimental effects.

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Huge congratulations to Emily.

During the Easter break, Emily attended a gymnastics competition at Concorde Sports Centre and achieved first place in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics heat.

Well done Emily, we are all so proud of you!

We are asking for your help and support by asking you to not send any nuts or products containing nuts into school with your children - we are a nut free school. We have children in school with severe nut allergies, if they come into contact with any nuts or nut products it can make them gravely poorly.

We are sure you understand the importance of assisting us with this by not sending any foods into school that will cause any of our children problems. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Library and Phonics books

Each week your child brings home books to share and enjoy with you at home. These books are sent home to support your child in developing their enjoyment and knowledge of books, early reading skills and speech and language development.

The school have spent a lot of money on the Read Write Inc books. Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that some of these books have not been returned or have been returned damaged. We understand that accidents do happen, and sometimes books are lost or damaged, but we need to replace each damaged or lost book. Regrettably, if books are damaged at home, we may need to ask the family responsible to pay for a replacement. Please ensure your children are careful when using the books at home or transporting them to/from school. We would appreciate any effort to make all the books available for every child's reading development.