Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 3rd July 2027
Date: 2nd Jul 2026 @ 8:16pm
You may wish to put the kettle on before starting this week's blog! Last week seemed to disappear in a blur of trips, events and end-of-year preparations, meaning that the blog quietly slipped down my ever-growing to-do list. As a result, this week's edition is something of a bumper two-for-one, bringing together highlights from the last fortnight and celebrating all the wonderful things that have been happening in school.
Key Stage 1 Visit to Delamere Forest
There was great excitement amongst our Key Stage 1 children as they headed off to Delamere Forest this week for a day of outdoor adventure. Hatchmere class enjoyed the Room on the Broom trail and, with plenty of energy to spare, also managed to make their way around the Gruffalo trail whilst searching for the perfect wand along the way.
Sandymere and Delamere classes took part in the Gruffalo trail, as well as enjoying activities such as den building and bark rubbing. The children loved exploring the forest and making the most of the opportunities to learn outdoors.
All of the children also had the chance to play on the fantastic new play equipment, which was a huge hit. By the time we climbed back onto the buses, there were some very tired little legs and some very quiet journeys home! The overwhelming verdict from the children was that it was "the best trip ever!" which I think says it all.
A huge thank you to everyone who made the day possible. The children had a wonderful time and created lots of happy memories along the way.
Sports Day Events
Our Sports Day looked a little different this year due to the extreme temperatures, but despite the heat, it was still a very successful day.
Key Stage 1 enjoyed a shortened version of Sports Day in the morning and, whilst it was incredibly warm, there was certainly no shortage of enthusiasm, smiles and encouragement. One particular highlight for me was the tug of war. There was some fierce competition taking place – mainly from the staff at either end of the rope! The children thoroughly enjoyed cheering everyone on and having a go themselves.
Key Stage 2 spent the morning taking part in a wide range of wellbeing activities, including archery, parachute games, dancing and mindful colouring, amongst many others. Unfortunately, we knew that the afternoon temperature would rise to the point where it would be simply too hot for the planned races to take place safely and so had previously cancelled it. I would like to thank the children for the maturity and understanding they showed when plans had to change, and also extend my thanks to parents and carers who, understandably, will have been disappointed not to be able to come and watch the races this year.
A huge thank you goes to Mrs Teece and Mr Burgess for all of their organisation, as well as to the rest of the staff team for the many hours of planning, preparation and support that often go unseen. I would also like to thank our PTA for providing refreshments for adults and, perhaps most importantly on such a hot day, much-needed ice pops for the children!
Whilst it wasn't quite the Sports Day we had originally planned, it was a wonderful morning filled with fun, teamwork and smiles, and I am grateful to everyone who helped make it such a success.
Year 5 Visit to The Winsford Academy
I had the pleasure of spending another day with our Year 5 children last week when they attended a taster day at The Winsford Academy. The children had a fantastic time and enjoyed a range of different lessons and activities throughout the day.
They took part in a Science lesson where they created a Cartesian Diver, an Art lesson involving collage work, and a Spanish lesson. The Science and Art activities were great fun and gave the children lots of opportunities to get hands-on with their learning. However, we have to confess that the Spanish lesson, which took place in a lovely air-conditioned classroom at the end of a very hot day, was particularly enjoyable!
The Academy looked after us extremely well throughout the day, providing the children with snacks, lunch, drinks and even ice lollies to help keep everyone cool in the heat. The only challenge came at the very end of the day when we faced the walk back to school in the middle of the heatwave – phew!
The children represented Over St. John's wonderfully, demonstrating excellent behaviour, enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the day. We are very grateful to The Winsford Academy for giving them such a warm welcome and providing such a positive experience.
Agents of Change
Our Agents of Change have asked me to share some information with you following on from their plastic survey a couple of weeks ago – they have shared this information with the school in Collective Worship and have produced a leaflet for you all to look at with their findings and suggestions. Please take a look below along with a copy of the ‘Waste Funnel’ which your children should be able to tell you about.
St. John’s Church Celebration of Summer
Everyone is warmly invited to St. John's Church's Celebration of Summer on Saturday 11th July. The event will include a variety of activities for families, alongside music, crafts, refreshments and much more throughout the afternoon.
As part of the event, artwork created during the recent Interfaith Week involving schools across the town will be on display in church. Following the wonderful discussions and creative work that took place in school, it would be lovely for the children and their families to have the opportunity to see the finished artwork displayed as part of the wider community celebration.
Please see the attached poster for details. We hope that, if you are able to, you will enjoy the activities on offer and take the opportunity to have a look at the children's artwork at the same time
Green Uniform and Baby Bank - School Uniform Support
We have been asked to share some information about a local uniform support offer from Green Uniform and Baby Collective (GUBCo), who have worked with us previously to support families with uniform and school shoes.
They are continuing and expanding their programme for the next academic year, offering support to families who may need help accessing good-quality school uniform. Families can apply directly using this form and any support will be arranged for collection over the summer break.
Further information, including how to apply and some frequently asked questions, can be found via this link
If this is something that may be helpful for your family, please do take a look.
Support for Families – Summer Holidays
We have been asked to share some information about support that is available to families over the summer holidays through the Council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Families who are currently in receipt of Free School Meals may be able to apply for financial support to help with food costs during the holidays. Applications will open at the end of June and remain open throughout the summer break. Further information, including how to apply, can be found via Crisis and Resilience Fund link.
We know that the school holidays can sometimes place additional pressure on families, so if this is something that may be helpful, please do take a look. There is also a wider range of support available through the Council for anyone who may need it.
As always, if you would prefer to speak to us in school, please do not hesitate to get in touch — we are here to help.
KidsFest at Trentham Gardens
We have been asked to share information about a new family event taking place at Trentham Gardens during the summer holidays. KidsFest will be held on Sunday 26th July and promises a range of activities for children and families, including live music, character appearances, games and entertainment.
If you are looking for ideas to keep the children busy over the summer break, this may be something of interest. Please see the attached poster for further details.
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.
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.
Illness - Reminder
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?
Absence During Term Time – Reminder
Penalty Notices are issued for irregular attendance, with days off here and there throughout the term including holidays.
The 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).
Operation Encompass – Reminder
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
Confirmed Dates for the Summer Term 2026
Wednesday 8th July: Summer Disco 5.30pm – 7pm
Tuesday 14th July: Wheelie Day
Tuesday 21st July: Leavers’ Service at St. John’s Church 9.15am
Tuesday 21st July: School closes for the summer at 2pm
Wednesday 2nd September: School opens at 8.35am
Wishing you a lovely weekend — and moments where your family’s light can shine brightly.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon