Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 25th April 2025
Date: 25th Apr 2025 @ 12:35pm
Welcome back to the Summer Term and I hope that you all managed to spend some precious time with family and friends. Time flies as we enter our final, busy term - let’s hope the weather lives up to the term’s name! Lots of dates have been added to the list below, so do please take a look and make a note.
Oakmere Art
The children in Oakmere have had an artist called Caroline Daly working with them on Tuesday and Friday this week for a Winsford wide project. She has been gathering design ideas for a large rocket that is going to be displayed in the town centre. On Tuesday she worked with the children to celebrate everything that they liked about Winsford and today the children have been using some of their designs to decorate a wooden rocket. I will let you know when the finished piece goes on display in the town centre so that you can go and see our children’s fabulous contributions for yourselves.
Winsford Junior Mayor
For the past few years, the Town Mayor has invited all Primary Schools in Winsford to take part in the ‘Junior Mayor’ competition. The idea is that youngsters of primary school age write to the Town Mayor saying why they would like to be Junior Mayor and what they would like to achieve for the benefit of our Town. The competition has been a great success, with the current Junior Mayor, Nevaeh Rustage having carried out quite a few ‘civic duties’ during the past year.
The Town Mayor is now inviting children to write in again, with a view to becoming Winsford’s Junior Mayor from the end of Nevaeh’s term in May until May of next year. Everyone who writes in will receive a small souvenir and the winner, as chosen by the Town Mayor elect, will be invested with the junior robes and chain of office at the annual meeting of the Town Council.
This really is a lovely way of encouraging local children to take an interest in their community at a very early age and the Town Mayor is delighted to invite children from our school to take part. There is no set format for entries – simply a letter to the Town Mayor explaining why they would like to be Junior Mayor of Winsford and what they would like to do during their year in ‘office’. The competition applies to any child of primary school age although as the ‘term of office’ straddles 2 school years, the role is probably best suited to children who will still be at Primary School in May 2026 i.e. current year 4 or 5
If your child is interested, the closing date for entries is Wednesday 7th May 2025, and entries should be sent to ‘Junior Mayor Competition’, Winsford Town Council, Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 1AH, or emailed to ehaspell@winsford.gov.uk or mail@winsford.gov.uk.
Attendance
As always, we are looking for attendance to be at least 96%. For the school this week we are at 97.66% which is a fabulous achievement – thank you! Since September, we are on 94.87%.
Here is a rundown of each class attendance this week:
Hatchmere: 96.02%
Sandymere: 100%
Delamere: 92.11%
Oakmere: 99%
Linmere: 98.08%
Blakemere: 99.52%
Well done to Sandymere for the best attendance this week who will receive our trophy in Collective Worship next Friday. It is fair to say that almost all of those percentages are fabulous and could easily be winners any other week - so well done on some great attendance this week!
As always, I appreciate how difficult it is when there is illness circulating but also appreciate you checking Is my child too ill for school? and being reassured that we will send them home if they are too ill to be in school. You might also be interested in this link from the Government about support for parents for attendance:
Improving School Attendance - Government Support for Parents May 2024
#WakeUpWednesday
Making friends online can open doors to exciting new experiences - but it can also expose children to serious risks. Around 19% of children aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales have chatted online with someone they’ve never met face to face. National Online Safety’s latest #WakeUpWednesday guide explores how young people form connections online and what trusted adults should know.
With expert advice on encouraging safer habits, spotting red flags and keeping communication open, this week’s free guide offers valuable guidance for parents and educators alike. It’s all about helping children navigate online friendships safely, confidently — and most importantly, happily.
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 currently cost £3 per day, £15 per week.
From Thursday 1st May next week, the cost will rise to £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.
Confirmed Dates for the Summer Term 2025 – new dates highlighted
Dinner Week 2
Monday 28th April: Y6 swimming begins
Monday 5th May: School closed for May Day Bank Holiday
Tuesday 6th May: Class photographs
Thursday 8th May: Red, white and blue non-uniform day for VE Day
Monday 12th to Thursday 15th May: KS2 SATS week
Tuesday 20th May: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Wednesday 21st May: Blakemere Snaptrap presentation (online awareness) at St. Joseph’s
Thursday 22nd May: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.15pm – 5.15pm
Friday 23rd May: School nurse to do Y6 and Reception height and weight screening and Reception vision and hearing screening
Friday 23rd May: School closes at 3pm for half term
Monday 2nd June: School opens at 8.35am
Monday 2nd June – Friday 13th June: Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check window
Tuesday 3rd June: Witton Dental Practice visiting to talk to each class
Wednesday 4th June: Reception new starters meeting at 4.15pm in Hatchmere classroom
Monday 9th June: Phonics Screening Week for Year 1
Monday 9th June: New Starters Group A Session 1 - 1.15pm – 3.15pm
Monday 16th June: New Starters Group B Session 1 - 1.15pm – 3.15pm
Thursday 19th June – Friday 20th June: Y4, Y5 and Y6 London residential
Monday 23rd June: New Starters Group A Session 2 - 1.15pm – 3.15pm
Monday 30th June: New Starters Group B Session 2 - 1.15pm – 3.15pm
Tuesday 1st – Wednesday 2nd July: The Winsford Academy Induction days for Year 6
Friday 11th July: Annual Reports due out
Friday 18th July: Leaver’s Service in St. John’s church at 9.15am. All welcome.
Friday 18th July: School closes at 2pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon