Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 6th November 2026
Date: 6th Nov 2026 @ 10:54am
SIAMS Inspection Report
Earlier today, I shared some exciting news with families regarding our recent SIAMS inspection and the publication of the final inspection report.
I would encourage all parents and carers to take a few moments to read the email that was sent home, together with the attached report. The report recognises many of the things that make Over St. John's such a special place to learn and grow, including the strength of our Christian vision, our commitment to nurturing every child and the positive relationships that exist across our school community, where ‘compassion and ambition walk hand in hand.’
I am incredibly proud of what the report says about our school, but most importantly, I am proud of our children. Throughout the inspection, they truly let their light shine, speaking confidently about their experiences, demonstrating kindness and respect, and showing the inspector exactly what it means to be part of the Over St. John's family.
My thanks go once again to our wonderful staff, governors, parents and carers for your ongoing support. This outcome reflects a genuine team effort and something that our whole school community can celebrate together.
Christmas Activity Day at St. John’s Church Hall
I know it's only November, but I couldn't resist sharing what sounds like a truly lovely opportunity for our children and families!
St. John's Church will be holding a Christmas Activity Day on Saturday 28th November, from 9.30am until 3.00pm. The day will include Christmas crafts, storytelling, singing and other festive activities, as well as a hot dog or pizza lunch, all completely free of charge.
This is a wonderful opportunity for children to enjoy some festive fun in a safe and welcoming environment, whilst perhaps giving parents and carers a chance to tackle a little Christmas shopping, wrap a few presents or simply enjoy a few hours to themselves before the busy festive season begins.
Places are limited to 30 children, so a registration form will be sent out via School Spider on behalf of the Church. If you are able to complete and submit the form, your child has secured a place. Once all places have been filled, the form will automatically close and you will not be able to complete it.
We are incredibly grateful to our friends at St. John's Church for providing such a generous opportunity for our families. Events like this are a wonderful example of the strong partnership between our school and church communities and help us to continue letting our light shine beyond the school gates.
I am sure the children who attend will have a fantastic day!
Please see the separate communication sent home via School Spider.
#WakeUpWednesday
From sponsored posts and influencer promotions to adverts hidden within games and videos, children encounter online advertising almost everywhere. But can they always tell when they're being sold something? With young people particularly susceptible to persuasive marketing, it's important to understand how adverts can influence their choices, expectations and spending habits – often without them even realising.
This week’s Wake Up Wednesday guide explores the risks of advertising aimed at children, including misleading claims, unrealistic beauty standards, inappropriate promotions and pressure to make purchases. It also offers practical advice for parents and educators on helping young people recognise sponsored content, think critically about marketing messages, avoid unintended spending and develop healthier relationships with online advertising.
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).
Upcoming Services at St. John's Church
We are fortunate to enjoy such a close relationship with St. John's Church and would like to remind you of one of their upcoming services that families may wish to attend. St. John's will also be holding a Christingle Service on Sunday 6th December at 10.30am. A Christingle is a decorated orange which symbolises Jesus as the Light of the World and is traditionally used during a special service celebrating hope, light and generosity. It is always a lovely occasion for families to attend together.
If you are planning to attend the Christingle Service, please let us know when we contact you later in the term, as the church would like an indication of numbers so that enough Christingles can be prepared. We will send out further information nearer the time and include a survey on School Spider.
Services at St. John’s church provide wonderful opportunities to strengthen the links between our school and church communities. As a school whose vision is to 'Let your light shine' (Matthew 5:16), these shared celebrations help us come together, support one another and shine our light within the wider community.
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/
Families receiving Free School Meals
Support with food during the school holidays through the Crisis and Resilience Fund is now open again for applications.
This support is available for £30 per week per school age child that receives income based Free School Meals if families are struggling to meet these additional costs during the school holidays.
This payment will cover the combined October half term and Christmas holidays period of 3 weeks, and therefore if successful, an award of £90 will be given per eligible child, which will be paid via a payment to your bank account.
To apply or find out more details, you can visit
School Holiday Support Payment | Cheshire West and Chester Council
If you're not in receipt of Free Schools Meals but need help with a sudden financial crisis, you can apply for our Crisis Payment scheme
Crisis payments | Cheshire West and Chester Council
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2026
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.
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
Friday 13th November Children in Need Non Uniform Day
Tuesday 24th November Reception and Y6 height, weight, eyes and ears check with school nurses
Wednesday 25th November Christmas Disco 5.30pm – 7pm
Wednesday 2nd December Christmas Movie Night 5pm – 6.45pm
Thursday 3rd December Christmas Fair 3pm – 4pm
Sunday 6th December Christingle Service at St. John’s Church at 10.30am
Wednesday 9th December Book Start Bear visiting Hatchmere and Sandymere
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 with moments where your families light can shine.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon