Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 15th September 2023
Date: 13th Sep 2023 @ 4:04pm
We have had a fabulous first full week in school. Fortunately, the weather has been a lot cooler, which has certainly helped! I have seen many children working hard and coming to me for special, gold Head Teacher Award stickers. As I always say to the children – I only give them to the best, so they must be one of the best! Children receive special stickers from me for trying hard, following our expectations, going ‘Over and Above’ and many other reasons. It is a real treat for me when they arrive at my office with such excitement and enthusiasm!
Extra-Curricular Clubs
You will have received information yesterday with regards to our extra-curricular clubs. We are very fortunate that our talented staff our able to offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities this year. These are not all after-school as some also take place during lunch times and may vary each term depending on staff availability. Places are limited – if School Spider lets you complete a form for your child, then they have a space. If it does not, this is because the places are already full but we will offer more next half term, so do please try again.
Reminder - Attendance
This year, we are going to be having a big focus on attendance. You may be aware from the media that attendance in schools has dropped significantly since COVID and as a result, the national attendance figure last year was 92.5%, in comparison to around 96% previously. As a school, our attendance has also fallen from around 96% before COVID to 93.42% last year. For a child, this equates to almost half a day per week in lost learning, which over the course of a school year is around 4 weeks of missed learning, putting children at a huge disadvantage.
The magic number that we are aiming for is 96% and above and for the children who achieve this, we will be putting is some special rewards for attendance.
From next week, I will be sharing the weekly attendance figures for each class on my Head Teacher Blog. At the end of each term there will be certificates for all children who have attendance at 96% or more and a special prize draw of a £15 Argos voucher for those children with 98% attendance or more. Each term will be a ‘new start’ so if someone didn’t manage to make the percentage in one term, there will be future chances.
During COVID, the message from the government was very much for everyone to stay at home even if you had a little sniffle. It is hard to move away from this after we had it drummed in to us for so long, so to help, please find some guidance from the NHS around Is my child too ill for school? and a Guide for Parents on School Attendance below from the Department for Education.
Weekly Attendance
Congratulations to Sandymere, who have had the highest attendance this week.
Hatchmere 95.24%
Sandymere 100%
Delamere 96.67%
Oakmere 96.36%
Linmere 97.39%
Blakemere 95.56%
Reminder - Morning Routine
The school gate opens each morning at the beginning of the day at 8.35am. The children are able to go straight to class and get on with the activities that are there for them. Our register is taken at 8:45am promptly and as such, if your child is not here at 8:45am, they will be marked late on the register. Please ensure that your child is in school a few minutes before 8:45am so that they are on time for the register. I will now be closing the gate a couple of minutes before this time. The whole school goes in to Collective Worship each morning at 8:50am and if children are late, it can be unsettling for them to have to walk in to Collective Worship late in front of the whole school as well as distracting for the children that are already there. Your support with this would be greatly appreciated.
Reminder - Uniform
The children have all looked so smart as they returned to school on Monday, thank you for your support with this. A gentle reminder that our school uniform consists of grey trousers or grey skirt, a light blue polo top and a sweatshirt/ cardigan with the school logo. The sweatshirt/ cardigan is the only branded item that is required in order to keep costs as low as possible for families. Socks should be grey or white and tights should be grey or black. Children can also wear grey shorts or blue and white checked dress/ playsuit in the warmer weather. Children should wear black school shoes, not trainers. I do understand that circumstances sometimes mean that trainers may need to be worn and I do not mind this if adults have had a conversation with me.
Applying for Secondary School Places for September 2024
If you have a child in Year 6, the application round has now opened for you to apply for a secondary school place. It is very important that you do this before the deadline, which is 31st October 2023, otherwise your application will be classed as a late application and could have a severe impact on your preferred school choice. Results are available from 12.30am on 1st March 2024. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in on this link. Before making your application, it is important you view the Transferring to Secondary School Booklet to help you with your choices.
As a school, we are a partner primary with both The Winsford Academy and Hartford CE High School which means that applications for children from our school are considered above some other categories, should the school be oversubscribed. However, you have the option to apply for 3 secondary schools of your choice. Further details with regards to this can be found in the ‘Transferring to Secondary School’ information booklet in the link above.
Currently, I am aware of the following secondary school Open Evenings.
Tuesday 19th September 2023 4.00pm Weaverham High School
Wednesday 20th September 2023 4.30pm The Winsford Academy
Thursday 21st September 2023 time? The County High School Leftwich
Thursday 21st September 4.30pm Tarporley High School
Tuesday 26th September 5.00pm Rudheath Senior Academy
Wednesday 27th September 6.00pm St. Nicholas Catholic High School
Thursday 28th September 5.00pm Hartford Church of England High School
I don’t currently have any Open Evening information from Middlewich and I am unaware of the time that the The County High School Leftwich begins – please contact schools directly for more information and also as some schools prefer you to let them know you are attending.
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2024
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2023, or know of a child who is, then the application round is also open for them to apply for their Reception place. The timescale is slightly different for this and you have until 15th January 2024, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Primary School Booklet. Results are available from 16th April 2024. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in on this link. If you would like to visit Over St. John’s with a view to a Reception place next September or know of someone else who would, please do just ring the office and we will arrange a time to suit yourselves and us. We do not hold an open morning as I prefer people to see us as we are on a daily basis and have more personal time during a look around with me to ask any questions that they may have.
#WakeUpWednesday
Almost half (46%) of 8 to 11 year-olds in the UK play online video games with people that they don’t necessarily know, while 55% of parents of young gamers worry that their child might be pressured into making expensive in-game purchases.
Most children find gaming immensely enjoyable, but its volume of potential risks – and capacity to influence behaviour – often make it problematic for parents. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide suggests some sensible ground rules for promoting safer, healthier gaming habits.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £2.70 per day, £13.50 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 as we do not accept cash in school.
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.
Absence during Term Time
Please may I remind you that schools are not allowed to authorise pupil holidays in term time. Any child going on holiday in term time will receive an unauthorised absence. Our registers are regularly checked by the Education Welfare Service and parents may be issued with a fine from the Local Authority for unauthorised absence, which is currently £60 per child, per parent and this rises to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.
Confirmed Dates for the Autumn Term 2023 – new dates highlighted
Thursday 21st September: Oakmere trip to Crown Farm Quarry
Friday 13th October: Individual photographs
Tuesday 17th October: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Thursday 19th October: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.10pm – 5.10pm
Friday 20th October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Monday 30th October: school gates open at 8:35am
Monday 13th November: Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying
Tuesday 12th December: Carol Service in St. John’s Church at 1.30pm. All welcome. Collection of all children from church.
Thursday 14th December: Whole school pantomime – Aladdin – at Northwich Memorial Court
Friday 15th December: End of term at 2pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon