Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 22nd September 2023
Date: 22nd Sep 2023 @ 1:58pm
What a wet and wild week we have had! I think the nicest day was yesterday, luckily for Oakmere, when they went off on a trip to Crown Farm Quarry. However, it was the shortest trip our school has ever done as the coach had to turn around and come back when they got there after a hornets nest was discovered, making it unsafe for the children to visit. Oakmere did have a lovely coach ride out though! The trip will be rescheduled and we will keep Oakmere adults informed as to the new arrangements.
I have had the pleasure of showing a number of prospective parents around the school this week for children looking to join us next September. It is so lovely to walk around school and see how hard the children are working, how welcoming they are to visitors and how polite and courteous they are. Definitely children to be proud of!
Attendance
As previously shared, this year, we are having a big focus on attendance. I have attached the most recent copy of our Attendance Policy – this is a Winsford Education Partnership (WEP) policy that is used by all the schools within the town, who all have the same procedures.
Something new that we are going to be doing this year are ‘Welcome Back’ meetings – where a child has had an absence of at least 5 days, the children and their adults will be invited to a meeting with myself to discuss the reasons that the child was off and any support that can be put in place to increase their attendance.
It is important to note that Fixed Penalty Notices can also be issued for irregular attendance – not just for holidays – when there are 5 or more days absence over the course of a term.
Class weekly attendance has been quite low this week with a number of children being absent. Please remember that everyday counts!
|
Attendance during one school year |
Equivalent Days |
Equivalent Sessions |
Equivalent Weeks |
Equivalent Lessons Missed |
|
95% |
9 Days |
18 Sessions |
1.4 Weeks |
45 Lessons |
|
90% |
19 Days |
38 Sessions |
3.4 Weeks |
95 Lessons |
|
85% |
29 Days |
58 Sessions |
5.4 Weeks |
145 Lessons |
|
80% |
36 Days |
72 Sessions |
7.1 Weeks |
180 Lessons |
|
75% |
48 Days |
96 Sessions |
9.3 Weeks |
240 Lessons |
Well done to Linmere with the highest attendance this week:
Hatchmere 91.43%
Sandymere 93.33%
Delamere 93.33%
Oakmere 93.64%
Linmere 96.09%
Blakemere 93.33%
Parking
I have had a few adults approach me about the parking situation outside school at the start and end of the day. Please may I remind everyone to park considerately to make sure that all the children and adults arriving and leaving school are safe? If you have any concerns about parking outside school, please inform our local PCSO who can monitor the situation and take any necessary action.
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.
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 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 – 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
It’s a description of encryption proscription! The world’s most popular instant messaging service, WhatsApp, has been appearing in the headlines even more often than usual recently over its opposition to aspects of the UK government’s Online Safety Bill.
Encrypting messages to protect users’ privacy has undeniable merit, but it also poses obvious risks – especially to young people. Updated to reflect the newest version of WhatsApp, today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide brings trusted adults the latest essential info.
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
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