St James E-News
1st July 2022
Welcome to the St James Primary School's E-News, a weekly roundup of the latest goings on at the school.
Latest Headteachers Blog
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all your support for our Lion King performances, the children were extraordinary, including those off stage who worked on the scenery, as the technical team, as stagehands and costume designers. The Production is a whole team effort and we encourage as many children as possible to contribute across KS2.
I would also like to thank the staff, Mr McArthur, Mrs Marson, Mrs Fincken, Mr Gardner and Mrs Lambert for their hard work in creating the production and the many hours of planning and rehearsal time they gave to put The Lion King together.
The PTA have very kindly offered to fund future productions, which means we are now looking forward to planning our 2023 production which is Joseph and His Technicolour Dream Coat.
We are now able to let you know where Teachers will be working next year. Please note that Reception will now be called Puffins to bring the class name in line with the rest of the classes named after British birds.
Further information regarding Teaching Assistants and rooms will be shared later this term.
Best wishes for a lovely weekend,
Valerie Elliott
School Notices
- Parking Around St James Primary School - Sadly we have received another complaint from a resident regarding parking and road safety. Please avoid parking on the roads at school if at all possible, particularly when events are taking place such as Sports Day. There are lay-bys opposite St James Church and the Village Hall and also parking spaces at The Pavilion. If you have to park near the school please park legally and safely with consideration to our neighbours, road users and pedestrians. Please avoid overlapping residents drives, parking on blind corners and ensure you park at least 10 metres away from a junction.
- The Lion King - Thank you to everyone who came to support the children and staff that had worked so hard to produce our summer performance, The Lion King. We hope you enjoyed the show! If you missed the opportunity to contribute to the retiring collection and would still like to donate please follow the link here to do so.
- Do you want to become a paid Walking Instructor? - Our school is assisting Surrey County Council’s Safer Travel Team to help them recruit for Walking Instructors, as part of their new Walking Training programme for primary schools. Apply to be a Walking Instructor here.
What is the Walking Training Programme?
The Walking Training Programme is a road safety and active travel skills awareness course that will be aimed at children ages 7 to 8 years old (Year 3). It will provide pupils with road safety skills to better enable them to safely walk to and from school with their parents and carers and prepare them for independent travel.
Further information about the Walking Training course can be found here. - Authorisation of Absences - From September, our Leave of Absence Policy will be reinstated and we will no longer routinely approve family holidays that were missed due to the pandemic.
- School Meals - two emails were sent to all parents this week announcing that school meals were being reinstated from Monday 4th July. Please see the letter on the Parent Portal and the School Meals and Milk page on the website for full details. For the first day only, Monday 4th July, Twelve15 are not able to provide the advertised meal. It will be a Mediterranean pasta bake with cheese for both main and vegetarian options.
- Music Lessons - Is your child a budding musician? We hold private music lessons at school for keyboards, piano, ukulele, guitar and drums. Please follow these links of our current music providers to find out more:
Music Works
The Rock And Pop Foundation
Surrey Arts - Polio Vaccine Reminder - You may have seen in the news that polio has been found in London sewage water – although this represents a small risk to the public, it’s a timely reminder to ensure children are fully up to date with their vaccinations. Polio vaccine is part of the routine national immunisation schedule. If you or your child are not up to date with your polio vaccinations, it’s important you contact your GP to catch up or, if unsure, check your Red Book.
Find out more about childhood vaccinations Immunisations - Healthy Surrey. - Little Ducks Nursery - Bookings for places at the nursery are now live. Please check the website here
- SW Surrey Edition of Families Magazine - Please click on the picture below for access to the latest edition of Families Magazine for details of events for children this term and during the holidays.
- Summer Reading Challenge 2022 - Starting from 9th July until 17 September, Surrey Libraries are excited to launch the Summer of Reading. Organised by the Reading Agency, the theme this year is Gadgeteers, and has been developed in partnership with The Science Museum Group, whose leading exhibitions inspire over 5 million visitors each year. This year's Challenge will be a celebration of reading, science, and innovation. Gadgeteers will inspire children to discover the science in everyday things like music, fashion, sport, and cooking. Children can join the free Summer Reading Challenge at their local Surrey Library, help six fun characters and become a party-planning science visionary! Please see the letter on the Parent Portal for more information.
- Drop in sessions with our Home School Link Worker, Helen Owen - The role of the Home School Link Worker (HSLW) is to support families with a range of issues at home or at school. 1:1 sessions are available on Wednesdays. To book an appointment, email Helen on hslw@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk or ring the school office to request a call back.
Letters This Week
The following classes have had letters uploaded to the Parent Portal this week. Note: You will need to login to view this area.
- Penguins
- Eagles
- Whole school
PTA News
Please click on the link below to find out about events planned by the PTA this term including details of the Children's School Disco and the Summer Fair.
News Blogs
Blog of the Week: Click on the picture below to find out more about Kestrels' recent Forest School Day
Click below to view all the latest News Blogs:
Dates For Your Diary
View the school calendar for the latest information
School Meals
View this week's school menu
Safeguarding Information
Keeping our children safe is a partnership between school and home, so if we have any worries or concerns about your child we will always speak to you first to see what we can do to help. If you would like to speak to a member of staff, in confidence, about a safeguarding concern about a child at St James Primary, or seek help or advice, please contact either Mr McArthur or Mrs Elliott via the office, they are the school’s Senior Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL).
If you would like to speak directly to Surrey Children’s Safeguarding Services, their contact details are 0300 470 9100 cspa@surreycc.gov.uk
There is also plenty of support and advice that parents, carers and families can access for further help and we’ve listed the main ones below.
Helen Owen, our Home/School Link Worker, can signpost to further agencies who can support with a range of issues including financial hardship, housing issues or offer practical support with problems at school.
The Surrey Family Information Service offer a free impartial information and signposting service on all aspects of family life for parents, including parenting advice and courses. https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/families
Mental Health
The Surrey website Mindworks offers a huge amount of advice for young adults and parents on a range of mental health issues.
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/
Online Safety
The NSPCC website contains information and advice on many safeguarding issues, including keeping your child safe online. Information includes talking to your child about online safety, looking after your child’s online wellbeing and how to set up and manage parental controls.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
School Policy on Granting Leave of Absence
Absences will be authorised for illness, and parents are requested not to send their child to school when they are unwell. Apart from illness, absence will be authorised for medical appointments; attendance at religious festivals; visits to other schools at the age of transfer or when moving; and for exceptional circumstances.
Absence will not be authorised for such reasons as looking after others at home, visiting friends or relatives, birthday treats or shopping trips. Unauthorised absence is also recorded if the child arrives after the close of registration at 9.15am unless for exceptional reasons. Parents are requested to arrange medical appointments out of school hours whenever possible.
Parents should be aware that due to the pressure on the curriculum, absences may mean that children miss vital learning activities that will not be repeated.
Family Holidays
There is a clear link between attendance at school and good progress.
Children do not have a right to be withdrawn from school for holidays. School holiday dates are published a year in advance and parents should arrange their family holidays during these times. If an absence in term time is unavoidable, an Absence Authorisation form must be completed well in advance to gain prior authorisation. Forms are available from the school office and website.
On submission of the form, the Headteacher will decide whether or not to authorise the absence having considered:
· the child’s record of attendance
· the ability of the child to catch up the work that they have missed
· the reason why they are taking the time off during term time
· the timing of the holiday, ensuring that it would not prevent the child from taking any important examinations or assessments.
Leave may be requested in advance for attendance at religious festivals, visits to other schools at the age of transfer and for exceptional circumstances. Please note that Year 6 will not be granted leave of absence during the Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) week.
The Headteacher reserves the right to issue parents with a Penalty Notice for unauthorised absence This can include parents who take their children on holiday during term time without getting authorisation from the school. The penalty is £60, rising to £120 if not paid within 28 days.