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The Link Newsletter #65
Friday 23rd May 2025Dear Parents and Carers,
With the half term upon us, let us reflect on our achievements over this short half term.
Firstly I would like to acknowledge the tremendous effort from our Year 6 pupils who have completed their end of primary school SATs week. Six tests were sat in total, and on some days having to sit two in the same morning. It was an intense week and whilst some described the week as ‘just another week’ having been so well prepared after multiple mock SATs weeks, others described a nervousness knowing that they wanted to do their best. One of the highlights of the week were the SATs breakfasts. For the first time, the children were able to enjoy a freshly made hot breakfast, hot dogs, bacon rolls, warm croissants, toast alongside the usual cereal and fresh fruit. James said "This is just like a hotel breakfast but better!” Thank you to Mrs O’Neill for making the breakfast such a wonderful treat. Any child arriving feeling anxious reported that this emotion quickly dissipated as they chatted amongst friends and ate their way through delicious food.
Following SATs week, the focus for Year 6 children has shifted towards writing. Mr Peck and Miss Marbe will ensure that each child has an array of high quality writing to be used for their final assessment. We wish the children well with their writing assignments between now and the end of June.
May I say a big thank you to every parent who has supported their child to achieve their best, over the seven years spending hours listening to their child read, helping with their homework, and more recently revising using the CGP books. It really has made a difference and we can see it in the children’s progress. I would also like to thank the staff team, led by Mr Peck and Miss Marbe and an army of adults who have led booster groups and those who supported the children with sitting the tests.
After the half term break, children in Year 1 will be sitting the Phonics Check - a test to measure the children’s grasp of letter sounds. Year 4 children will be sitting the Multiplication Check; 25 questions based on the children’s knowledge of times table facts, answered within 6 seconds. It’s demanding, but such an important skill to have. We wish the children in Year 1 and Year 4 all the very best.
The children’s results from their Multiplication Check, Phonics Check and SATs tests will be shared in the children’s end of year reports before the Summer break.
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VE Day - marking 80 years
As a school we wanted to mark VE day with a variety of events that children of all ages could enjoy whilst having some understanding of the importance behind the celebrations. KS2 took part in an assembly led by the Head Prefects and Mrs Tinker that shared information about VE Day and why it is celebrated. They were left with a question to think about; Why is peace worth celebrating? In classrooms younger children were involved in a variety of craft activities, year 2 even made bunting for our picnic that was held on the field. The picnic was a very pleasant lunchtime, all children were able to sit together, chat and play under a lovely warm sun. During the afternoon Year 3 performed some songs for members of the church who attended their own VE Day celebration and enjoyed a wonderful 1940’s style tea. It was a fun day but important for us all to understand how lucky we are to have freedom and safety.
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We have had a fun filled week of art during the afternoon sessions. Children have experienced different workshops, exploring different artists, materials, techniques and outcomes within their Phase teams. Arts Week is such a highlight in the children's eyes, a week dedicated to art. The Theme this week was Change and Adapt; thinking how the world in which we live has changed over time and why. What is our role in looking after planet Earth and how have plants and animals adapted to a changing climate.
Mrs Holland in Fox Class organised Arts Week and together with the staff team have given the children a wonderful experience. Thank you Mrs Holland, thank you to the whole team.
Here are just some of the examples of the work children have produced this week.
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Sporting Achievements
Tennis
Children in KS2 enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of tennis at Theydon Bois Tennis Club on Friday 2nd May. There were two teams of 8 players, split across Year 3/4 and Year 5/6. I was fortunate to be able to attend along with Mrs Aarons and parent spectators and helpers. The children played fantastically well and were up against some intense competitors. Theydon Bois and Staples Road especially. At the end of the afternoon, the number of matches won were counted and St John’s came second overall in the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 competitions! In the Year 3/4 competition we were level on points with Theydon Bois but were pipped to first because they had a higher number of wins. Well done boys and girls!
Boys Football
The Year 5/6 boys team finished the season top of their group as did Leverton Primary School. We therefore organised a final to determine the overall winner. Unfortunately for St John’s we were unable to overturn some early goals and beat the Leverton goalkeeper who was very strong. The game finished 7-0 to Leverton. Congratulations Leverton but well done to St John’s who were undefeated all season until this final match. Thank you Rob for your support and coaching this year.
Girls Football
The last match was played away at Thomas Willingale Primary School on Friday 9th May. The team, fresh from after school coaching by Krish Lachanah earlier in the week, played superbly. The girls showed that they have really developed since the beginning of the year, organised, good movement with the ball and got into a space ready to receive the ball and help out their peers. Well done to the girls team who won this match 11-0.
Handball
Eleven schools took part in this competition which at times was fierce and competitive. St John's was represented children from Years 5 and 6 to form two teams, A and B. We know that at least one of the teams achieved second place, which is a fantastic result. Congratulations and well done to both teams A and B.
Netball
Children in two teams, A and B represented St John's in the Netball Rally at the end of April. The rally involving seven schools was held at Alderton Junior School. We achieved a finishing position of 5th which is a strong achievement given we began this campaign starting at the bottom of the league. Well done to all of our players, Coach Victoria and Mrs Aarons and thank you for the encouragement and support from the parents.
And there's more...
Stella in Year 6 was selected to represent the Essex Metropolitan U13 county team where she played in the positions of Wing Attack and Centre in a county tournament. This alone is a fantastic achievement especially considering that Stella was the only and youngest year 6 player in the Essex County U13 2nd team squad. Stella competed against highly competitive year 7 and 8 teams from the region and her team reached the semi-finals. What an achievement. We know that Stella's confidence, determination and team spirit has enabled her to succeed at a high level of netball and well done to Stella for not only representing St John's but her netball club and her family. Congratulations Stella!If you would like to know more about how your child could play in local clubs and beyond, do get in touch with Stella's parents, via the office or email the Essex Open club by emailing: essexopenteammanager@gmail.com
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Sports Day
Final preparations are underway ahead of the Sports Day on Tuesday 10th June. As in previous years, our friends from High Beech CofE Primary School will be joining us. Last year we introduced a single sports day for the whole school and the feedback from parents spoke positively about this change. This year we have decided that at each event there will be two groups. Whilst one group is taking part, the other group will be watching and cheering on. We will start with the KS2 group and then switch to the EYFS and KS1 group. It also means that at every station there is a rest break and a chance to drink water. This removes the need to use the Orchard. The Orchard will instead be used for children who may find competitive sport with a lot of people overwhelming or unsettling. The SEND team are organising events that will encourage and support children to still take part in a sporting event. Parents are very welcome to come and cheer children on.
If the weather prevents sports day from taking place safely, we have scheduled Wednesday 18th June as our reserve day. It is sometimes difficult to call a postponement; we recognise that parents have booked days off from work. However, the children's safety is paramount and if the grass is at all wet, we will not be able to run our sports day safely. Fingers crossed that such decisions are not required this year. A decision will most likely be made the day before which can make it tricky if then the weather takes a complete about turn, but we know early notice for parents really matters.
We will continue with the competitive and inclusive carousel of events where each child will collect points for their colour group or House. Sports Day will commence at 9.30am. Parents are to wait at the front entrance until the gates are opened. We anticipate this to be at 9.20am. Last year we invited parents from High Beech to enter the school first so that they can find and follow their child.
This year, access to adult toilets is slightly more challenging because Phase 1 of the kitchen development required re-purposing the adult toilet in The Barn. This will be reinstated in Phase 2 of the development taking place during the Summer holiday. Therefore, parents will be invited to use the staff toilets in the main building, accessed via the conservatory. Children will access toilets in the main building and will be supervised by adults. Adults MUST NOT use children’s toilets - so please follow the signage.
Refreshments will be available - please remember to bring cash and support the PTA.
A picnic lunch for all children will be the lunch offer for this day. We know how much the children enjoyed this on VE Day just a few weeks ago. If your child has a school lunch, we will provide a picnic lunch alternative on this day. Lunchtime will be between 12pm and 1pm for all children.
We will invite all children (in Years 3-6) who wish to compete in a variety of running races to an afternoon event and parents are welcome to attend this too. The afternoon event will commence from 1.45pm. We have sent a separate communication to parents to let you know if your child is participating in the competitive afternoon event. This worked very well last year and parents reported that this complemented the inclusive sports day.
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Parking
A reminder to everyone that the car park in front of the school is for church users to park and not for parents. May I also remind parents about parking appropriately when dropping off and picking up children. It is not acceptable to block driveways of neighbouring properties or block pavements stopping wheelchair users or parents with pushchairs from moving safely. Remember that whatever decisions you make, you are modelling to your own children and those who are around what is and isn't appropriate.
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MIND in Essex
This is the latest newsletter from the Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHST) team. Please take a look as there are several articles which you may find useful.
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Essex County Council Early Years and Childcare Parents Survey 2025
Essex County Council is committed to providing outstanding childcare services. But to help us improve we are conducting our annual survey to see how well our program is working.
If you are a parent or carer of a child aged 0-19 years (or 0-25 years for children with SEND), then we want to hear from you!Your participation is invaluable to us and will remain entirely anonymous. The result of the survey will help Early Years and Childcare teams understand the needs of parents and carers in Essex.
The survey will be open until Friday the 13th of June, and can be accessed through this link - ECC parents survey 2025 or by scanning this QR code.
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GET INTO TEACHING WITH WEST ESSEX SCITT
Are you interested in training to become a Primary School Teacher?
We have Initial Teacher Training vacancies to begin training at the beginning of September 2025. We are looking for people who have a degree, a passion for education and teaching and want to inspire young people to fulfil their potential.
We would be very interested to hear from you if you are thinking of becoming a teacher, or know someone who is.
This is not a drop in event so please book your place now by emailing vsmullen@efspt.org
We welcome the opportunity to meet and talk to you about the exciting teacher training opportunities available. Susan Marbe, the West Essex SCITT Director can be contacted at smarbe@efspt.org or please call one of our team on 02085042934 option 6. We can also provide you with support and guidance on your DfE APPLY application form
For any further information on what becoming a teacher might involve more generally, you can visit http://www.westessexscitt.co.uk/ or https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/
You can find and apply for our Initial Teacher Training courses via DfE FIND
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AND FINALLY....
A recent newspaper report listed all the schools in Essex and ranked them in order showing which schools are hardest for parents to secure a place for their child in Foundation in September 2025. St John's received 98 first-choice applications for just 60 places from nearly 200 applications in total. St John's was ranked 7th out 542 primary schools in Essex for being the hardest to get into; a measure of the total number of first choice applications versus the total number of places available in Foundation. St John's continues to be heavily over-subscribed and I am grateful for the continued support from parents and the hard work of the whole staff team for making St John's the great school that it is and a popular choice within the community that we serve. Congratulations to everyone.
It goes without saying that we continue to hold a waiting list for school places at St John's. A big thank you to our admissions officer, Mrs Taylor who oversees all school applications. Thank you for the work that you do.
Read more here...
The hardest primary schools in Essex to get into ranked from highest to lowest
Lastly, may I wish the whole St John's community a safe, enjoyable and peaceful half term break. A reminder that we return to school on Tuesday 3rd June.
Jonathan Furness
Head Teacher2025 May
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