Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 8th September 2023
Date: 8th Sep 2023 @ 2:26pm
Welcome back to our new school year! It has been a real pleasure to see all the children back in school again, looking so smart, hearing their stories from the summer and we are really looking forward to the journey ahead as we go through the school year. I hope that you all had a lovely break over the summer, despite that fact that it was mostly a washout and I would like to thank everyone for all your kind thoughts, cards and gifts at the end of the last academic year.
A special welcome to all our new children this year as we welcome Oliver in Year 2 and Sophie, Grace, Nellie, Finlay, Robyn, Reggie, Holly, Roxie, Myah, Coby, Dakota, Archie, Natan, Molly, Zaylah, Max, Leighton, Kora, Binx, Heath and Freya in to Reception. They have been busy getting stuck in to all that school life has to offer and have settled really well, as if they have always been here! We are sure that they will all be very happy.
We also welcome two new faces to the staff team this year. A very warm welcome to Mrs Skelley who is with us one day a week leading Maths and supporting children with Maths in Years 4 – 6 and also to Mrs Wright who is working with Mrs Bettley in Year 1. I am sure that our school community will make them feel very welcome.
Communication via School and Home
For those of you who are unfamiliar with my blog, this is something to keep your eye on every Friday (or the majority of Fridays, depending on my calendar!) This is my main form of communication with you all and I provide updates as to what has been going on in school, information about forthcoming events as well as other information that I think you may find useful. In terms of communication, please keep your eye on our website as teachers update the class pages with information and blogs, generally on a weekly basis. We may also send texts or e mails home as quick updates and reminders to information that has generally already been shared with you via e mail or the school website. If you think that you have not had the information in the text previously, please do check the website and letters that have been sent home.
If you need to pass a message on to a teacher, I am always available at the start of the day so you can do so via myself, an e mail or a phone call to the office and the class teacher will get back to you if needed.
Extra-Curricular Clubs
As well as our usual after school Sports Clubs, this year we will be offering a wide range of extra-curricular activities led by our talented staff. These will not all be after-school as some will also take place during lunch times and may vary each term depending on staff availability. Please keep your eyes peeled for information coming next week with regards to these and if you would like your child to attend, sign up as per the instructions on the letter. Places are limited and will close when all the places are taken.
Attendance
This year, we are going to be having a big focus on attendance. You may be aware from the media that attendance in schools has dropped significantly since COVID and as a result, the national attendance figure last year was 92.5%, in comparison to around 96% previously. As a school, our attendance has also fallen from around 96% before COVID to 93.42% last year. For a child, this equates to almost half a day per week in lost learning, which over the course of a school year is around 4 weeks of missed learning, putting children at a huge disadvantage.
The magic number that we are aiming for is 96% and above and for the children who achieve this, we will be putting is some special rewards for attendance.
From next week, I will be sharing the weekly attendance figures for each class on my Head Teacher Blog. At the end of each term there will be certificates for all children who have attendance at 96% or more and a special prize draw of a £15 Argos voucher for those children with 98% attendance or more. Each term will be a ‘new start’ so if someone didn’t manage to make the percentage in one term, there will be future chances.
During COVID, the message from the government was very much for everyone to stay at home even if you had a little sniffle. It is hard to move away from this after we had it drummed in to us for so long, so to help, please find some guidance from the NHS around Is my child too ill for school? and a Guide for Parents on School Attendance below from the Department for Education.
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.
Uniform
The children have all looked so smart as they returned to school on Monday, 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 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/
RAAC in Schools
There has been no escaping the media reports about RAAC in schools over the past week or so. We are all back in school as normal and I would like to confirm that our school was assessed through a visual survey in 2022, which concluded that there was no RAAC present.
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 19th September 2023 4.00pm Weaverham High School
Wednesday 20th September 2023 4.30pm The Winsford Academy
Thursday 21st September 2023 time? The County High School Leftwich
Tuesday 26th September 5.00pm Rudheath Senior Academy
Wednesday 27th September 6.00pm St. Nicholas Catholic High School
I don’t currently have any Open Evening information from other schools (Hartford, Middlewich, Tarporley) and I am unaware of the time that the The County High School Leftwich begins – 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
National Online Safety believe that all parents, carers, teachers and trusted adults should be empowered with all the information needed to have informed and age-appropriate conversations about online safety with children and so, every Wednesday, they produce practical, easy to follow guides which focus on specific risks that they think adults and children need to be aware of. I share this information with you on a Friday.
Around one in four social media users watch other people’s content in real time on those same platforms. What’s more, Ofcom estimates that 58% of children in the UK have consumed video content this way – with many also creating and broadcasting their own material online.
Live streaming, as it’s known, has become immensely popular – with some streamers drawing tens of millions of followers. Among those viewers, however, lurk individuals who may pose a threat. This #WakeUpWednesday, find out how you can help to protect young live streamers.
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 19th October: Pupil Consultation Evening 4pm – 6pm
Thursday 21st October: Pupil Consultation Evening 3.10pm – 5.10pm
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