Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 20th December 2024
Date: 20th Dec 2024 @ 1:02pm
Phew! We made it! It has been an incredibly busy week in school as we have had Secret Santa, Christmas lunch, Carol Service rehearsal and the Carol Service itself as well as keeping going with all the exciting learning that goes on in school. I, for one, am ready to put my feet up as I’m sure that many of you are. As the year draws to a close, I would like to say a huge thank you for all the continued support that you offer to the school and for all your good wishes, cards and gifts. As educators, we consider ourselves to be very lucky to be responsible for future generations and we find ourselves even more lucky to work in a fantastic school, with wonderful children, staff, governors and parents – thank you.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and look forward to seeing everyone again the new year.
Illness
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?
Weekly and Termly Attendance
We gave out certificates this afternoon for those with 96% attendance and above through out the Autumn Term.
We also did the draw for the £15 Argos voucher and congratulations to Molly in Sandymerewho was the winner – happy spending!
Overall this term our attendance is 94.18% which is lower compared to last year (94.93%), so as you can see we still have some work to do!
This week, the class with the best attendance is Hatchmere.
Hatchmere: 95.40%
Sandymere: 93.57%
Delamere: 94.48%
Oakmere: 93.76%
Linmere: 93.47%
Blakemere: 94.60%
#WakeUpWednesday
Social media apps, such as TikTok and Instagram, are immensely popular among children and young people: Ofcom found that 96% of children have their own profile on at least one of these platforms by the age of 17. These apps feature short-form, algorithmically tailored content, ensuring that their users spend as long as possible viewing posts and videos.
As parents and educators, it is vital for us to safeguard the children in our care if – or more likely, when – they use social media. However, the question then becomes “what exactly can we do?” This week’s expert-led guide is here to answer precisely that: offering top-level advice on keeping children and young people safe as they navigate the digital landscape.
Absence During Term Time – Reminder
As shared towards the end of last term, 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).
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2025
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2025, or know of a child who is, then the application round is open for them to apply for their Reception place and you have until 15th January 2025, but before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Primary School Booklet. Results are available from 16th April 2025. 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.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £3 per day, £15 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.
Confirmed Dates for the Spring Term 2025 – new dates highlighted
Dinner Week 1 (no jackets Monday or Tuesday)
Monday 6th January 2025: School opens at 8.35am
Wednesday 15th January: Applications close for Reception places for September 2025
Wednesday 22nd January: Governors visiting school for the afternoon
Wednesday 29th January: Blakemere to visit Winsford Library
Wednesday 5th February: Linmere to visit Winsford Library
Tuesday 11th February: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Wednesday 12th February: Oakmere visit to Winsford Library
Thursday 13th February: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.15pm – 5.15pm
Friday 14th February: School closes for half term at 3pm
Monday 24th February: INSET day – school closed
Tuesday 25th February: school opens at 8.35am
Have a lovely Christmas.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon