Head Teacher Blog: Friday 13th February 2026

Date: 13th Feb 2026 @ 10:33am

It’s a long blog this week!

Pupil Consultation Evenings

Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our Pupil Consultation Evenings this week. Your commitment, conversation and partnership mean so much. When school and home work together, children benefit enormously and it was wonderful to share their progress, strengths and next steps with you.

Unfortunately, some families did not book a slot and some who had booked did not attend. I completely understand that unexpected things happen and evenings can be busy. But when appointments are missed without notice, it results in valuable staff time being lost. Teachers prepare carefully for each meeting - reviewing work, gathering evidence and staying late - so that every family receives meaningful feedback. When these appointments aren’t used, this time cannot be regained. Your child’s learning is important, and we want to ensure every family has the opportunity to talk with their class teacher.

If you missed your appointment or didn’t get chance to book, please contact the school office to arrange a new meeting. We are more than willing to find another suitable time so we can discuss your child’s progress properly. Even a brief conversation can make a big difference and we do not want anyone to miss out. Thank you again to all who attended - your support is genuinely appreciated and for those who still need to meet with us, please do get in touch so we can set up an alternative appointment. We look forward to speaking with you soon and continuing to work together for the benefit of every child.

School Gate Opening

I need to address an issue that has become increasingly concerning during morning drop-off/ afternoon pick up. Recently, we have seen a number of children running around the car park and surrounding areas before the start of the school day and younger children coming with adults for collection at the end of the day. I must be absolutely clear: children must remain with their adult at all times before the school gates open.

Any car park is not a safe place for children to be moving around independently. Delamere Street is extremely busy and with cars arriving, reversing and manoeuvring, it only takes a moment for a potentially serious incident to occur. During this time of day, children are the responsibility of their accompanying adult and we rely on your vigilance to keep everyone safe.

I would also like to gently remind families that there is no need to arrive early and wait around. When children arrive too early, they often become restless or bored because they have to hang around, which naturally leads to running about and making it difficult for families to manage the area safely. Unfortunately, this also means that minor incidents may occur - incidents that then take staff away from valuable teaching time during the day if they have happened in the morning.

To support a smooth and calm start for everyone:

• The gate opens at 8:35am.
• The gate closes at 8:42am.

Arriving between these times means your child can walk straight into class without waiting around, reducing restlessness and helping them settle quickly - and safely - into the day.

I’m asking for your cooperation so that we can maintain a safe, calm and orderly start for all our children. Your support in keeping them close by your side until they are safely through the gate is not only appreciated but essential. Thank you.

Children’s Mental Health Week

This week in school we have been proud to take part in Children’s Mental Health Week, a reminder of how important it is to support every child’s wellbeing—both in and beyond the classroom. Our theme throughout the week has been about celebrating who we are, valuing each other, and recognising the strengths that make our school community so special.

We began with a Collective Worship focused on inclusion and belonging, reflecting on how we can help everyone feel welcome, safe, and valued. The children shared thoughtful ideas about kindness, acceptance, and the small everyday actions that make a big difference – even just saying ‘hello’ to someone.

On Wednesday, we enjoyed “Come Dressed as Yourself Day,” where children and staff came in outfits that expressed their personalities and interests. It was a joyful celebration of individuality, and it sparked some wonderful conversations about confidence, identity, and being proud of who we are.

Throughout the week, each class took part in a range of activities linked to wellbeing, creativity and emotional health. There was so much thoughtful work happening across the school, and I’d encourage you to take a moment to visit the class blogs to see in more detail what the children have been doing.

As always, thank you for your continued support in helping us nurture a community where every child can flourish.

Holiday Vouchers for Free School Meals – Support Continuing but Changing from April 2026 

February half term 2026 will be the final school holiday period where free school meals support is provided automatically in the form of a voucher. However, support will still be available. From April, families who need help will be supported to apply through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. There is nothing families need to do at this stage. The Council will share clear information ahead of April about how to apply and what support is available.

If you need help now, cost of living advice and support is available through the Council website. You will also find attached leaflets providing information about Healthy Start and some of the other support available to residents of Cheshire West and Chester.

Cost of living | Cheshire West and Chester Council

Benefits Calculator 

You may not be receiving all the financial support you’re entitled to. The council’s online benefits calculator can quickly show whether you could claim extra help. 

Benefits Calculator

Before you start make sure you have some accurate information to hand about your; 

• savings 

• income, including your partner’s (from payslips, for example) 

• existing benefits and pensions (including anyone living with you) 

• outgoings (such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments) 
• Council Tax bill 

World Book Day

We are looking forward to celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th March and we are excited to share our whole‑school theme for this year: Reading the Rainbow.

Each class will be exploring a colour‑themed book for the day - stories such as The Proudest Blue, The Day the Crayons Quit or The Colour Monster. Teachers will use their chosen book to inspire a range of reading, creative and learning activities throughout the day.

To help us bring our ‘Reading the Rainbow’ theme to life, we would love all children to come to school dressed in bright, colourful clothes. Weather permitting, we hope to gather on the playground to create our very own OSJ Reading Rainbow.

In addition, we are pleased to share that our Reading Champions will be hosting a Book Activity Craft Session after school from 3:00pm–4:00pm. A poster with details is attached.

Finally, please look out for a special World Book Day ‘Sneaky Peek’ blog, where we will share the books that each class will be exploring. Class blogs that week will also include photos and highlights of the activities taking place.

World Book Day Libraries Update

We have received the following information from our local library:

World Book Day is a very big thing, obviously, for public libraries. Please find attached a poster about the quiz and treasure hunt that will be available in our libraries. Due to an issue with book suppliers, we are unable to offer £1 World Book Day books at our libraries this year but we are offering lots of other events – see What’s on in our Libraries | Cheshire West and Chester Council for our list.

Public libraries are hosting their highly successful Fancy Dress Swaps again this year in preparation for World Book Day. Using the scheme could not be easier: donate any unwanted costumes to the library or see what outfits they have and take them for no charge, it’s that simple. Participating libraries are Barnton, Frodsham, Hope Farm, Little Sutton, Wharton and Winsford. And why not use the opportunity to borrow a book or join the library while you’re there? Joining a child is free and easy and does not require ID and you can borrow up to 20 books for free. There are no late charges for Under 13s.

#WakeUpWednesday

Likee is a free video-creation and editing app similar to TikTok. It has a global community of more 200 million users who the app enables to create any type of video, add their own special effects and then upload and share their content with the world. The app is largely used to create short music videos which users can star in and edit any way they want, using the 'Magic Video Maker'. Users share their videos on the platform as well as having the option to share across other social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram. Due to the amount of sexually suggestive music videos available on the app, it has a recommended age of 16+ (although the App Store rate it as 17+).

In this week’s guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as online grooming, cyberbullying and inappropriate content.

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

As I have shared a number of times previously, there have been some changes to the way that Penalty Notices are issued for absences during term time. Penalty Notices are issued for irregular attendance, with days off here and there throughout the term including holidays.

The new 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).  ​

School Dinners

School dinners cost £3.10 per day, £15.50 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.  Dinner money must be paid in advance via School Spider.

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.

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 Spring Term 2026 – new dates highlighted

Dinner Week 1

Monday 23^rd February: School opens at 8.35am

Monday 23^rd February: Canal and River Trust Water Safety Assembly

Thursday 5^th March: World Book Day – Reading the Rainbow

Wednesday 1^st April: Easter Service in St. John’s Church at 9:15am. All welcome

Wednesday 1^st April: School closes at 2pm

Monday 20^th April: School opens at 8.35am

Well done if you’ve managed to keep reading to the end this week – you deserve a holiday! Have a lovely half term holiday.

Take care,

Mrs E Snowdon

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