The Link Newsletter #44

Friday 20th January 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

The Christmas holidays seem a distant memory now that children are back into the rhythm of the Spring term. 

Last week was exceptionally busy with visitors in school and a variety of school trips. We know just how valuable these immersive days can be for children's learning and in developing their curiosity even further and are delighted that they were so successful. 

Children in Year 1 enjoyed an exciting day learning about Royalty and the Coronation. Parents clearly had made lots of effort to ensure the children arrived to school in full costume. Well done parents and staff!  Like many of us who have never seen a Coronation before, our children will be fortunate enough to witness King Charles III's own Coronation in May. How wonderful that our children will already have some understanding of what is taking place as they watch on television. Just to confirm that school will be closed to pupils and staff on 8th May 2023.

Parents of children in Year 6 will note that Monday 8th of May was originally the first day of their SATs week. The DfE have decided to keep to the SATs week as originally planned, but with a delay of one day meaning that the tests will begin on Tuesday 9th May and finish on Friday 12th May. It is vitally important that this week is kept clear of any additional activities that may tire or cause disruption to the children's routine.

The Year 6 children enjoyed their visit to Harry Potter World. This trip involved learning about some of the backstage decisions involving costumes as well as a tour of the studios and the sets used in the film.

The British Museum welcomed children in Year 3 later that week. Travel seemed to be swift in both directions which makes a change and this maximised the children's opportunity to study the Ancient Egyptian artefacts and complete a workshop and 'scavenger booklet'.

The week culminated in a Pirate Day for children in Reception. The children (and staff) looked spectacular in their pirate costumes. Pirate Peck and Captain Sandy Cove aka Mr Peck and Mr Whale found themselves in character as two very authentic sounding and looking pirates. They both presented an uncanny resemblance to pirates of old, which led me to check their past employment history!!

Thank you to all the staff involved in making these trips and visits so successful. Not everyone will appreciate the work that goes into them, some giving up their time to do a pre-trip reccie at the weekends. We also recognise the additional responsibility shown when taking children out of school for the day. 

WATCHES

As a tech enthusiast myself, I have noted that Santa has delivered some lovely gifts to the children. I am aware that some children are wearing watches that have cameras which have the capability to record video and take photographs. Unfortunately, these present a safeguarding risk for children especially for families who were are protecting their identity. Of course the children are unaware of this so I politely request that these watches are best kept at home. I am however a big advocate of children wearing a digital or analogue watch to help them practice telling the time, so an inexpensive timepiece is encouraged.

PTA UPDATE

The first PTA meeting of 2023 was held last week. Sue Moody is the new Chair of the PTA and she is keen to make sure that our committee is complete.

Currently, Harry Shave is our treasurer but has given notice that he wishes to step down from this role due to increased work commitments. We are therefore seeking to recruit a new parent. This role is vital in ensuring that our fundraising activities are successful and therefore it is essential that it is filled. The PTA cannot function without this person in post. I therefore urge you to seriously consider stepping forward to take on this responsibility. Sue is keen to arrange a meeting with any potential parents and talk through the roles and responsibilities before anyone makes a firm commitment. Please send an email to pta@stjohns.efspt.org or speak directly to myself on the school gate.

UNIFORM

Our recently updated Behaviour and Attitudes makes clear that children's uniform is one of our visual consistencies. We must ensure that the correct uniform is being worn by all children. Over recent weeks I have noted an increase in children wearing boots. This is not part of our uniform policy. Whilst I appreciate that the cold weather may have led to wearing boots, this is not school policy. I am very happy for children to arrive in alternative footwear on the proviso that children change into their school shoes at the beginning of the school day. Please ensure that the correct children are provided with the correct footwear.

COMMUNICATION

The staff team have made me aware that a small number of parents have begun emailing teaching staff directly via their school email accounts. This is not our agreed method of communication with class teachers. May I draw your attention to our webpage detailing how we communicate with you and how you communicate with us.

https://st-johns-school.com/Communicating-to-support-your-child/

We know that emails are a convenient way for some parents to message the school, but I must insist that these emails are directed to the school office: office@stjohns.efspt.org.  This is the safest and most effective way of communicating especially as messages can still be passed on in the unlikely case of teacher absence or not being seen by teaching staff when they are fully committed to teaching children.

Whilst on this topic, may I also remind all parents that the Parent WhatsApp groups are for parents to share reminders about events taking place in school or PTA fundraising opportunities. Incidents between children should always be brought to the attention of the class teacher or a member of the senior leadership team and not discussed in the WhatsApp groups.

STRIKE ACTION

You will have noted that members of one of the largest teaching unions, The National Education Union have voted on strike action. The Union have announced the proposed dates for strike action, which are 1st February, 1st March and 15th and 16th March. 

I want to be clear that the reasons for strike action are multi-faceted and to read media reports that strike action is solely about pay, would be unfair on those in the teaching profession. Teachers are making a stand about the decrease in school funding which over years has resulted in school budgets being so tight that this is impacting on the opportunities and support that is available for children in their classes. Staff are also concerned about the increasing demands on their workload which has never been a 9 - 3.30pm profession as some commentators might believe. This is a National issue and St John's is not alone. What I do know is that the whole team at St John's care deeply about the quality of education that we provide the children and adequate funding and investment is essential in order to deliver this.

I will write early next week to detail the impact of the proposed strike action at St John's.

 ...AND FINALLY...

I have begun to receive entries for the Hopes and Highlights competition which I announced to the children on our return early in January. I am asking children to reflect on the Highlights of 2022 and their Hopes for 2023. 

As a rule of thumb, children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 might consider up to three highlights and three hopes. In KS2, children should be expected to think of five highlights and five hopes. 

How this is presented is entirely up to each child. In our welcome back assembly a few weeks ago, we shared some examples of entries from past years. Some children have produced short 1 minute video clips, others have used Powerpoint slides, whilst others have used A4 paper or card to draw or create models of their ideas.

The competition will be judged by the Head Prefects and prizes awarded to children in each age group category; Reception, Year 1 & 2, Year 3 & 4 and Year 5 & 6.

The competition closes on 31st January. I look forward to receiving more entries over the next two weeks. Entries can be submitted to the Office or Class Teachers by hand, or alternatively uploaded to Tapestry or Google Classroom.

 


Jonathan Furness
Head Teacher