Dear Parents and Carers,

Just before we break up for a well deserved Easter break, I just wanted to draw your attention to a few areas of school life that we need to ensure are consistent after Easter so that we have a great summer term.

Attendance and punctuality

As you are all aware, attendance is both a school priority and a national priority. Attendance nationally is still lower overall than it was before 2020. Currently our attendance stands overall at 94.59% and as a school we aspire this to be at last 96%. For some of our children, arriving late to school significantly impacts their attendance score and also it means that they miss the crucial start of a lesson which can add to a child’s anxiety.

If for whatever reason, your child arrives late to school, as parents and carers, you are required to bring your child into the office to sign them in and provide a reason for their lateness. Myself, Mrs Gray and Mrs Hopcraft (Attendance Officer) are always happy to work with families to find solutions wherever possible to supporting attendance.

Uniform and PE Kits

Just a reminder that our school PE Kit consists of a blue T-shirt and plain black shorts, black joggers and black sweatshirt/hoodie. Trainers should be plain black or white. We have had some variation recently with designer logos and this has detracted from our aim of having an affordable and smart looking PE kit.  All PE uniform items should be plain and unbranded.

For our school uniform, children in the summer term can choose to wear, blue checked dress, dark grey trousers or shorts or skirts, white collared shirt with a tie or a plain white polo shirt. Trainers should not be worn with school uniform.

Behaviour Expectations

During the Summer term we are going to be completing our annual review of our Relationships (Behaviour) policy. To do this we shall be taking the view of children, staff and parents to help us refine our systems and processes further. We will be reminding children about our behaviour expectations in lessons, unstructured times as well as when they are leaving school to go home. In the spirit of working together, we always value your support when we require your assistance or if a member of our team makes contact with you.

Jewellery

Please can we remind parents that children are only permitted to wear simple silver or gold coloured studs (hooped earrings, even small hoops are not permitted for health and safety reasons). These must be removed for PE and Games lessons or covered with plasters brought from home. Children are allowed to wear a watch, but smart watches are not allowed, which must also be removed for PE/Games. 

Hair/Headwear

Hair bands, scrunchies or clips must be white, black, grey or navy.  No fancy or ornate hair accessories are allowed.  Hair colourant, excessive use of hair gel or patterns shaved into the hair are not permitted.  Religious headwear should be in line with school uniform colours of black, grey or navy.

Children are not permitted to wear coloured nail varnish or have acrylic nails/nail extensions.

As ever, please do come and speak to myself or Mrs Gray or our family support team if we can help in any way.

Thank you for helping us ensure we take pride in our kits and uniforms and our sense of being a school family is further strengthened.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Chamberlain                    Mrs Gray

Head Teacher                        Deputy Head Teacher

As the school bell rings for the final time this term, we prepare to say goodbye to a remarkable teacher who has left a lasting legacy at Olton Primary.

It is rare to find a teacher whose impact spans decades, but Mrs Wallam is truly an institution. Having joined Chapel Fields Juniors before it was renamed Olton, she has dedicated over 36 years to our school. In that time, she has taught over 1,000 children, including the mums and dads of many of our current pupils.

Teaching was never just a career for Mrs Wallam; it was her true calling. Throughout her working life, she only ever wanted to be a teacher, and this lifelong vocation has been evident in every lesson she taught. We feel incredibly privileged to have had such a dedicated and inspirational teacher as part of our team.

Beyond the classroom, Mrs Wallam has been a pillar of leadership as our Science and RE lead. She has also been a vital mentor, supporting many newly qualified teachers (NQT/ECT) as they began their own careers. A true champion of creativity, her unforgettable lessons are a cherished part of our community and will be remembered by families for years to come.

We wish her nothing but the best in a very well-deserved retirement.

Mr L Chamberlain & Mrs E Gray and all the Olton team

This week we bid a fond farewell to another valued member of the Olton team who has helped shape the minds of our pupils over the last ten years.

Mrs Bramble has worked at Olton for over 10 years, serving as a dedicated lead for World Studies across the school. In this role, she has been instrumental in broadening our pupils' horizons and fostering a sense of global citizenship.

Her passion for her subject and her unwavering dedication to the children will be greatly missed by staff and students alike.

We wish Mrs Bramble much happiness and success in her new role. Thank you for everything.

Mr L Chamberlain & Mrs E Gray and all the Olton team

Dear Year 4 Parents/Carers,

We are pleased to inform you that Year 4 swimming lessons will recommence in the summer term.

Swimming timetable

• Wallabies – Monday at 10:30am
• Possums – Monday at 11:00am
• Dingoes – Tuesday at 10:30am

Swimming lessons are paid for by the school from our budget. However, we kindly request a voluntary contribution towards the cost of the coach. This can be paid weekly (minimum of £5.00), or in larger instalments via ParentPay. The total cost for the full 12-week course is £21.30.

To help us with planning, we kindly ask all parents and carers to complete the short form linked below before the end of the spring term.

YEAR 4 SWIMMING - SUMMER TERM – Fill out form

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Year 4 Team

A number of children have told us that they have been busy working on their Science projects focusing on this year’s theme of ‘Curiosity: What’s Your Question?’.

The Science Exhibition for Year 2 - 6 will be open to parents on the afternoon of Thursday 12th March from 2:00 to 2:45pm.

The projects for children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 can be viewed in the classrooms after school until 3:30pm on Thursday 12th March.

This week, after school, the Science Gadget Shop will be open outside Wallabies for all pupils from 3:15pm, so please stop by if you would like to purchase something. Items can be purchased on a cash only basis.

In assembly on Friday 20th March, one winner per year group from the British Science Week project and poster competitions will be announced.

The Science Team

Dear Parent/Carers,

This is only a gentle reminder of the payment due for the Mobile Farm visit, which will be a wonderful experience for the children.

We have kindly asked all Parent/Carers to help by contributing £5.15 per child (on ParentPay) to allow the event to go ahead.  Due to their cancellation policy, the latest we can receive payment for this event is Monday 16 March 2026.  Should we not receive the contributions, unfortunately the event would need to be cancelled.

Thank you to everyone that has paid, and if you are unsure if you have paid, please check your history on your ParentPay account. If you have paid, and the event was cancelled, you would receive a full refund.

Many thanks

Mrs Chakmak

Finance/Lettings/Wraparound Officer

Dear Year 6 Parents/Carers,

We are now able to offer another release of tickets which is an opportunity to purchase an additional ticket or a first ticket if the other deadlines were missed. Please complete the form below by Friday 27th March if you would like to order a ticket. These will be allocated on a first come first serve basis and the form will close on the deadline day or before if the ticket limit is reached as we only have 40 remaining seats. After this date, Mrs Chakmak will put the payment on Parent Pay. The tickets are £4 each which is to be paid by Friday 17^th April 2026.

THIRD RELEASE - Year 6 Leavers Performance Tickets – Fill out form

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Miss Walton

Year 6 Teacher

Dear Parents/Carers, 

To celebrate British Science Week in school, we are hosting our fabulous GADGET SHOP after school, from Monday to Thursday, outside Mrs Lewis’ classroom, where children can buy scientific toys and gadgets- prices start at 50p.

Please be advised that we can only accept cash payments.

Hope to see you there.

Many thanks,

The Science Team!