Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 10th July 2026
Date: 9th Jul 2026 @ 2:04pm
Uniform and Equipment for September – A Gentle Reminder
As we begin to look ahead to September, I would like to share a few reminders regarding school uniform and the items children bring into school.
Our uniform remains simple and practical: a light blue polo shirt, blue school sweatshirt or cardigan, grey trousers or skirt and sensible black school shoes (not trainers). During the warmer months, children may also wear grey shorts or a blue and white checked summer dress. Our PE kit consists of a plain white t-shirt, plain black shorts, black joggers for cooler weather and black pumps or trainers for outdoor PE.
All stationery and learning resources are provided by school, so there is no need for children to bring in pencil cases, pens or any equipment from home.
As many of you know, we do not have separate cloakroom facilities and storage space within classrooms is very limited. With this in mind, please do not purchase school bags for September. Snacks can fit into pockets, drinks bottles can be stored in classrooms and packed lunches can be carried in by hand before being placed in the designated storage areas.
A reminder too that all uniform, PE kit, drinks bottles and lunchboxes should be clearly named. Each year we end up with a sizeable collection of unnamed items, making it very difficult to return them to their rightful owners. A name on an item can save a great deal of time and helps us reunite children with their belongings quickly – as well as saving you lots of money in replacements!
Keeping belongings to a minimum helps us to maintain tidy, uncluttered learning environments and is important for health and safety reasons. Thank you, as always, for your support in helping us make the best use of our classroom spaces.
Summer Reading Challenge
With the summer holidays just around the corner, I would like to encourage all of our children to take part in this year's Summer Reading Challenge, organised by Cheshire West and Chester Libraries.
Reading over the summer is a wonderful way for children to maintain and develop their reading skills whilst also discovering new books and authors. The challenge is free to join through our local library and there are rewards along the way for children who take part. There is even a trophy available for the primary school in each area with the most children completing the challenge – we want to win it!
Further information can be found in the attached leaflet or by visiting www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/read .
Good luck to everyone who takes part – I look forward to hearing about the books that have been enjoyed over the summer break.
St. John’s Church Celebration of Summer - Reminder
Everyone is warmly invited to St. John's Church's Celebration of Summer on Saturday 11th July. The event will include a variety of activities for families, alongside music, crafts, refreshments and much more throughout the afternoon.
As part of the event, artwork created during the recent Interfaith Week involving schools across the town will be on display in church. Following the wonderful discussions and creative work that took place in school, it would be lovely for the children and their families to have the opportunity to see the finished artwork displayed as part of the wider community celebration.
We hope that, if you are able to, you will enjoy the activities on offer and take the opportunity to have a look at the children's artwork at the same time.
Green Uniform and Baby Bank - School Uniform Support - Reminder
We have been asked to share some information about a local uniform support offer from Green Uniform and Baby Collective (GUBCo), who have worked with us previously to support families with uniform and school shoes.
They are continuing and expanding their programme for the next academic year, offering support to families who may need help accessing good-quality school uniform. Families can apply directly using this form and any support will be arranged for collection over the summer break.
Further information, including how to apply and some frequently asked questions, can be found via this link
If this is something that may be helpful for your family, please do take a look.
#WakeUpWednesday
For many young people, the summer holidays can easily become dominated by phones, gaming, streaming and social media. This week’s guide offers reassuring, realistic advice for parents, carers and educators who want to encourage 11- to 16-year-olds to spend more time offline without making technology feel like the enemy.
From phone-free challenges and micro-adventures to active travel, outdoor clubs and creative alternatives to scrolling, the guide focuses on small, achievable changes. It also highlights the importance of giving teens choice, responsibility and social motivation, helping them build confidence, wellbeing and healthier habits throughout the summer.
Support for Families – Summer Holidays
We have been asked to share some information about support that is available to families over the summer holidays through the Council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Families who are currently in receipt of Free School Meals may be able to apply for financial support to help with food costs during the holidays. Applications will open at the end of June and remain open throughout the summer break. Further information, including how to apply, can be found via Crisis and Resilience Fund link.
We know that the school holidays can sometimes place additional pressure on families, so if this is something that may be helpful, please do take a look. There is also a wider range of support available through the Council for anyone who may need it.
As always, if you would prefer to speak to us in school, please do not hesitate to get in touch — we are here to help.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £3.20 per day, £16 per week. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive free meals as part of the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme.
If you are in receipt of benefits and think that you may be entitled to free school meals, please click here for more information and support and how to apply. It is very important to apply for free schools meals whatever year your child is in, even if you receive the UIFSM in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, as the school receives a sum of extra money to further help support your child and their education.
Illness - Reminder
It is that time of year when so many people are catching lots of different bugs that are going around. With some of these, it is important that your child stays at home to avoid passing the illness around but there are others that they are perfectly fine to come to school with. I am re-sharing a link that gives you an idea of some common illnesses and whether you should keep your child at home or send them in to school: Is My Child too Ill for School?
Absence During Term Time – Reminder
Penalty Notices are issued for irregular attendance, with days off here and there throughout the term including holidays.
The National Framework for Penalty includes:
A Penalty Notice must be considered for 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period – these days do not have to be all at the same time, they can be a couple of days here and a couple of days there; they can be a combination of a couple of days holiday and a couple of days absence at other times too.
An increase to the amount of a Penalty Notice is now £160 if paid within 28 days, and £80 if paid within 21 days. This fine is issued to each parent separately for each child, so both parents receive the £80 fine, meaning that for one child it equals £160 (£80 for Mum and £80 for Dad) if both parents take the child.
A second Penalty Notice could be issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3 year period being charged at a higher rate of £160 with no option for this second offence to be discharged at the lower rate of £80.
A national limit of 2 penalty notices that can be issued to a parent for the same child within a rolling 3 year period, so at the 3rd (or subsequent) offence(s) another tool will need to be considered (such as prosecution or one of the other attendance legal interventions).
Operation Encompass – Reminder
As a school, we participate in a police-led initiative called Operation Encompass, a scheme which ensures that we can better support any child where a domestic incident has been reported to the police from their home.
Following a domestic incident, the police will make contact with the school and communicate relevant information to nominated, fully trained school staff. This will ensure that we are made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe, supported and listened to.
Each school has a member of staff called a key adult who is trained to liaise with the police, when required, whilst ensuring support is available to the child. If you would like to speak to someone further about the initiative, or require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs Bettley as the key adults for Over St. John’s.
We are committed to working in partnership with local relevant organisations to safeguard and protect children across Cheshire and provide the best possible care and support for our pupils.
You can find out more about Operation Encompass via the following site: http://www.operationencompass.org
Confirmed Dates for the Summer Term 2026
Dinner Week 1
Tuesday 14th July: Wheelie Day (details sent home)
Wednesday 15th July: Movie Night (details sent home)
Friday 17th July: Leaver's Lunch
Tuesday 21st July: Leavers’ Service at St. John’s Church 9.15am
Tuesday 21st July: School closes for the summer at 2pm
Wednesday 2nd September: School opens at 8.35am
Wishing you a lovely weekend — and moments where your family’s light can shine brightly.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon