Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 2nd October 2026
Date: 1st Oct 2026 @ 3:51pm
Football Success at The Winsford Academy
Our football team enjoyed some sporting success this week when a squad of 14 children travelled to The Winsford Academy to take part in a 5-a-side football competition.
The team played three matches in total, winning two and narrowly losing one. Throughout the competition, the children demonstrated excellent teamwork, determination and sportsmanship, representing the school brilliantly and truly letting their light shine both on and off the pitch.
A special mention must go to Kora, whose spectacular save brought a huge cheer from everyone watching and proved to be one of the highlights of the afternoon!
Well done to all of the children who took part. They should be very proud of their performance and the positive way in which they represented Over St. John's.
Mid Day Assistant
We are currently looking to recruit a Midday Assistant to join our happy and caring school team. This is an important role within the school, supporting children during lunchtime, helping to organise activities and ensuring that lunchtime remains a safe, positive and enjoyable part of the day.
We are looking for someone who enjoys working with children, w orks well as part of a team and is keen to make a positive contribution to school life. Full training will be provided.
If you, or someone you know, may be interested in becoming part of our Over St. John's family, please see the attached advertisement for further details and information on how to apply. We would be delighted to hear from you.
Morning Routine - Reminder
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 as I close the gate a couple of minutes before this time. If you arrive before 8.35am, please remind your children that they should stay by your side as it is not a play area - Delamere Street is a very busy road and traffic also turns into our car park – they should not be playing and running around outside whilst waiting as it is a car park and not a playground.
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.
Absence During Term Time – Government Regulations including Fines
Penalty Notices are issued for irregular attendance, not just holidays, with days off here and there throughout the term.
The National Framework for Penalties 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 (e.g. £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).
Uniform
The children have all looked so smart as they returned to school on Tuesday, 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 (does not need the logo) 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.
Operation Encompass
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/
Applying for Secondary School Places for September 2027
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 2026, otherwise your application will be classed as a late application and could have a severe impact on your preferred school choice. Results are available on 1st March 2027. 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 chrome- Secondary School Booklet 2027 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 ‘Secondary School Booklet 2027’ link above.
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2027
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2027, 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 2027, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Primary Booklet 2027 . Results are available from 16th April 2027. 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
Looksmaxxing encourages people – particularly young men – to 'improve their appearance' through everything from grooming, skincare and exercise to far more questionable techniques. As this trend becomes increasingly visible on social media, our #WakeUpWednesday guide explores how appearance-focused content can affect boys’ confidence, self-worth and body image, while exposing them to misleading or potentially dangerous advice.
The guide also examines how looksmaxxing content can become increasingly extreme, with links to obsessive behaviours, mental health difficulties and harmful online communities. It offers practical advice for parents and educators on spotting changes in behaviour, recognising looksmaxxing terminology, understanding what young people may be seeing online and opening supportive conversations about appearance, influencers and unrealistic expectations.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £3.20 per day, £16 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 Autumn Term 2026 – new dates highlighted
Sunday 4th October Harvest Service at St. John’s Church 10.30am
Friday 9th October Flu vaccinations
Tuesday 20th October Pupil Consultation Evening 3:15pm -5:30pm
Thursday 22nd October Pupil Consultation Evening 3:15pm -5:30pm
Friday 23rd October School closes for half term at 3pm
Monday 2nd November School closed for INSET day
Tuesday 3rd November School opens at 8.35am
Sunday 6th December Christingle Service at St. John’s Church at 10.30am
Wednesday 16th December Carol Service in St. John’s church at 1.30pm. Collection from church
Thursday 17th December Whole school pantomime visit
Friday 18th December School closes at 2pm
Tuesday 5th January 2027 School opens at 8.35am
Have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon