Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been wonderful to welcome children and families back into school this week. Overall, the children always impress us with how well they settle back into the school routine although we know this can be tricky for some children. We will continue to support them over the coming weeks as they transition back into school life.

Next week, we look forward to welcoming our Reception children into school full time from Monday and our Nursery children will start to build up their time in school without their parents over the course of the week.

Class Dojo

All parents should now be attached to their child’s class via Class Dojo. If you are not yet connected, please speak to your child’s teacher who can issue an activation code. Class Dojo is a wonderful way to connect with your child’s learning and access useful reminders about upcoming school wide or specific class events. You also have the ability to message the class teacher directly. Please be aware that any urgent messages should be passed via the school office as once the teachers are in class with the children they won’t necessarily have the opportunity to view or reply to messages. Teachers may not access messages outside of their working hours and so if you send a message in the evening, you may not receive a response until the following morning.

Attendance and Punctuality

Attendance and punctuality will continue to be a priority for us this year. regarding pupil absence and punctuality.  Our overall attendance for the 2024-25 academic year was 94.07% and the Government target is 95%.  For a pupil to have more than 95% attendance they will have had less than 10 days off over the academic year. 

Please see below a reminder of the changes nationally that came into effect at the start of last academic year and remain in place going forward. Our school has a duty to follow these.

·     Increased fines (£160, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days) for pupils who have unauthorised absence (10 days).  This will be over a rolling period of 10 weeks and can roll over terms, e.g. summer term plus autumn term.

·     Punctuality - arriving late after the register has closed will mean a ‘U’ code is applied which counts towards an unuthorised absence.

·     Direct work with families where absence or punctuality are an issue.

·     Absence from school including leave of absence will be challenged.

School Uniform and PE Kits

We expect all of our children to come into school each day with the correct uniform.  In KS1 and KS2, children can choose to wear a white collared shirt with a school tie or a plain white polo shirt alongside a charcoal grey skirt/trousers.  Shoes must be black and not trainers.  Our EYFS children wear a white polo shirt and sweatshirt and charcoal grey skirt or trousers. 

Up until October half term, blue checked summer dresses can also be worn.  We do not stipulate logos on jumpers, as we appreciate the cost involved but they are available from local school outfitters, should you wish to purchase. 

PE Kits

We wear our PE kits for two days a week and want all of our children to look smart whilst they are in school or representing Olton at an event.  Our PE consists of a plain royal blue t-shirt and black jogging bottoms/shorts/sweatshirt/hoodie.  Children can also wear their school jumper or sweatshirt on PE days.

Branded items with a logo or football kits are not allowed for school PE kit.

School lunches

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal however, you may choose to send your child into school with a lunchbox.

Each Friday we will attach the school lunch menu for the following week with the weekly newsletter. If your child is having school lunches, please share the menu with your child and discuss with them what they will order for lunch. As part of their daily routine, all children will be asked to make their lunch choice each morning and so particuarly for our younger pupils, it helps them to be familiar with this before they come into school each day.

Snacks

IN EYFS and KS1 children will continue to have a snack, such as a piece of fruit, provided each day. In KS2 pupils should bring in a healthy snack, fruit, vegetable based to sustain them until lunchtime.  Crisps, chocolate and sweets are not allowed at breaktime - please support us in speaking to your child about this - especially if they bring in a packed lunch each day and may be tempted to eat some of the contents at breaktime.

School Office

As you can fully appreciate the office is a very busy environment.  To assist the smooth running of the office, please can you ensure that your child has all their necessary items they need for the day (e.g. lunchbox, water bottle, coats, after school club kits, etc).  This will also help your child to become responsible for their own property.  Any late items will be distributed when staff are available.

Cash

Can we politely remind you that we are a cashless school and use ParentPay for the large majority of school events.  As a general rule the office staff are unable to accept cash.  The purchase of uniform items, PTA and other events may be an exception to this rule and you would be notified, if this was the case.

Reminder of start and finish times

We shall be sending out our usual newsletter on from Friday 12^th September, but wanted to send out a few reminders today to help the year ahead run smoothly. We are much looking forward to working in partnership with our families again this year to help each child be the best that they can be.

Best wishes,

Mr L Chamberlain          Mrs E Gray

Head Teacher                  Deputy Head Teacher