Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Monday 15th December 2025
Date: 15th Dec 2025 @ 12:20pm
I thought that I would do an ‘in-between last Friday and Monday’ blog this week as I know that I won’t have time towards the busy end of this week.
Thank you so much to everyone that supported our Christmas Fair on Friday – from the staff, to the PTA and all our volunteer helpers as well as those who were able to come after school and enjoy the fun. It seemed to be a very successful evening and Father Christmas told me that he had had a wonderful time meeting our gorgeous children.
There were quite a number of Secret Santa gifts left over from those who had booked but were unable to make it. Information was sent home earlier today about an extra opportunity to purchase gifts, should you so wish – please check your School Spider notifications for more details.
Wednesday sees our traditional Carol Service in church at 1.30pm. As previously shared, the children in Hatchmere will lead the nativity, the children in Blakemere will be reading the story and it will all be interwoven by the wonderful singing of our children. Pick up on Wednesday will be from church straight after the Carol Service (it lasts just over an hour). As such, to keep the children’s belongings to a minimum to save on space in church, please only send them with their coat, snack and packed lunch, if not having the school Christmas dinner. They will not need their bags, reading folders etc on Wednesday.
Thursday sees our traditional pantomime visit to see Aladdin at Northwich Memorial Court. Children will only need minimal belongings this day too as they won’t be using reading folders etc. As previously shared on School Spider, please send them with their coat and a drink and a snack that can fit in their pocket. Lunches will be as normal, although a little later, on return to school.
A little reminder that we finish at 2pm on Friday.
As the year draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. We have a fantastic school, amazing staff, supportive parents and above all, wonderful children and I look forward to continuing working together with you all in 2026. Thank you.
E-Bike and E-Scooter Safety
We have been asked to share some information with regards to e-bikes and e-scooters by Cheshire Police.
We understand that many parents/guardians/carers/Father Christmas/Santa are looking at Christmas lists and the request for e-scooters and e-bikes are coming in top of the list. When we stop e-bikes and e-scooters, the biggest response we get is that the person did not know they were illegal and were not told upon purchase. Sadly, this is not something that can be taken into account when seizing the item and in most cases it can never be returned unless it meets specific criteria such as insurance, tax and a license for some (private e-scooters cannot be insured by anyone). Before spending a significant amount of money on these, we want to educate everyone about the law and also how to keep their child safe. No one wants their Christmas ruined and no one wants to ruin it, especially the police. Please take a look at the attachment below for more information.
Attendance - Reminder
This year, we are going to continue our focus on attendance as we definitely made some improvements on the previous year, going from 94.1% to at the end of 2024 to 94.76% at the end of last year. This is a fantastic improvement on which I am sure we can build this year to get closer to our pre-COVID levels of around 96%
The magic number that we are aiming for is 96% and above and for the children who achieve this, we have some special rewards. 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. But what does 96% attendance look like? This table may help to give you an idea.
|
Attendance during one school year |
Equivalent Days |
Equivalent Sessions |
Equivalent Weeks |
Equivalent Lessons Missed |
|
95% |
9 Days |
18 Sessions |
1.4 Weeks |
45 Lessons |
|
90% |
19 Days |
38 Sessions |
3.4 Weeks |
95 Lessons |
|
85% |
29 Days |
58 Sessions |
5.4 Weeks |
145 Lessons |
|
80% |
36 Days |
72 Sessions |
7.1 Weeks |
180 Lessons |
|
75% |
48 Days |
96 Sessions |
9.3 Weeks |
240 Lessons |
Children understandably get ill from time to time and it can be easy to wonder whether they should be in school or not, so to help, please find some guidance from the NHS around Is my child too ill for school?
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).
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2026
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2026, 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 2026, 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 2026. 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.
Tea Time with Santa
I have been asked to share the following opportunity with you all that your families may enjoy: The Riverside Inn in Acton Bridge are hosting aTea Time with Santa Claus event for local families. It is a free event and the only payment necessary will be if you would like to order food or drink- this can be ordered on the night.
Date: Sunday 21st December
Time: 4-6pm (Santa arriving at 4:30pm)
Includes: Festive children’s tea, meet and greet with Santa, photos and gifts!
Please see the attached poster below.
#WakeUpWednesday
When parents and carers finally have the chance to spend some quality time with their child over Christmas, many face a familiar struggle to prise their young ones' attention away from their phone, console, tablet or computer. Fun family bonding over the festive period, however, doesn’t have to exclude devices. There are sackfuls of Christmas activities and ideas online which grown-ups and children can enjoy together. #WakeUpWednesday have compiled their own ‘nice list’ of seasonal suggestions of how to make the most of the online world this Christmas. In this guide, you'll find ideas such as video calling relatives, playing video games as a family and listening to your favourite seasonal songs online.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £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.
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.
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 Autumn Term 2025 – new dates highlighted
Wednesday 17th December: Carol Service in St. John’s church at 1.30pm Pick up from church
Thursday 18th December: Whole School Pantomime trip
Friday 19th December: School closes for Christmas at 2pm
Monday 5th January 2026: School closed - INSET
Tuesday 6th January 2026: School opens at the usual time
Tuesday 13th January: PTA Meeting at The Gate at 7pm – all welcome
Have a lovely Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon