End of term Please be reminded that the last day of term is Friday 27th March. All children will finish at 12:00pm on this day; there will be no after-school club or wraparound care available. We kindly ask that all children are collected promptly at 12:00pm. Children will return to...
Please be reminded that the last day of term is Friday 27th March. All children will finish at 12:00pm on this day; there will be no after-school club or wraparound care available.
We kindly ask that all children are collected promptly at 12:00pm. Children will return to school on Monday 13th April at the normal time.
Mini Marathon – School Representatives
We are pleased to announce that the following children will be participating and representing the school in the Mini London Marathon on Saturday 25th April:
Year 6:
Oscar, Imogen, Julia, Lucia
Year 5:
Elisa, Jake, Blake, Olivia and Maya
Year 4:
Theo, Ocean
This is an amazing opportunity for our pupils to take part in such a special event. All runners who complete the 2.6 km course will receive a medal, and the school will be awarded £10 for every finisher, which will go towards enhancing our play and sports equipment.
Congratulations to all of the runners – we look forward to cheering them on!
We are excited to invite parents and carers to our Science Fayre on Thursday 19th March, where children will be sharing the fascinating investigations and discoveries they have made during Science Week.
The fayre will take place in the school hall and will be split into two sessions so families can enjoy the work of different year groups:
2:30 – 2:50pm – EYFS & KS1 Science Fayre
3:00 – 3:20pm – KS2 Science Fayre
The children will be showcasing their scientific thinking, experiments and projects. It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their curiosity and enthusiasm for science.
We look forward to welcoming you to explore, ask questions and celebrate our young scientists!
A quick reminder that Red Nose Day will be taking place on Friday, 20 March.
Children are invited to come to school dressed as one of their heroes. This could be a real-life hero, a historical figure, a community hero, or someone who inspires them personally. We kindly ask for a £1 donation, which will go directly to Comic Relief to support people facing poverty and hardship in the UK and around the world.
During the day, children will also be invited to share their best jokes with their class, and the top two jokes from each class will be featured in the following week’s school newsletter.
If you would like to support our fundraising further, donations can be made through our JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnd26-st-john-and-st-james-cofe-primary-school
Thank you for your continued generosity and support. We look forward to a joyful day filled with laughter while helping to make a difference for others.
NSPCC offers helpful advice for parents about children, mobile phones, and online safety. It answers common questions many families have, such as when a child might be ready for their first phone and how to manage potential risks.
The guidance provides clear, practical tips on recognising when your child is ready, setting boundaries, using parental controls, and having regular conversations about safe and responsible phone use. Exploring this resource can help you feel more confident, reduce worries, and support a consistent approach to online safety between home and school.
You can find the guidance here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/children-phones-online-safety/
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your incredible support over the past 18 months with the implementation of OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). Your generous donations and involvement have truly made a difference, and we’re so proud of the transformation we’ve seen in our playtimes. The children’s play experiences have been enriched in ways we couldn’t have imagined, and that is all thanks to the wonderful contributions from our school community.
With the Spring and Summer months fast approaching, we’re excited to continue enhancing the outdoor play opportunities for our pupils. To help us prepare for the warmer weather, we are currently looking for donations of the following items:
Additionally, if anyone would like to donate their child’s costume after World Book Day for our dressing-up area, we would be truly grateful. The costumes help spark creativity and imaginative play, and your donations would be greatly appreciated by all.
If you have any of these items to spare and would like to contribute, we would be extremely grateful. These donations will help ensure our children continue to have a variety of fun, creative, and active play experiences in the months ahead.
Thank you once again for your continued support in making our playtimes so much more enjoyable and engaging for the children. We look forward to seeing what more we can achieve together!
We are thrilled to continue our outdoor learning lessons this term with Forest School sessions at Springfield Primary School. Building on from the introduction of OPAL, and considering the National Curriculum requirements, we know that outdoor learning plays an essential role in developing our children’s curiosity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, while fostering a deeper connection to nature. Our Forest School lessons will allow the children to explore and learn in our natural environment, experiencing hands-on, practical activities that link to their curriculum.
Please check your child’s class newsletter for the exact date of their session and be reminded that as the sessions take place outdoors, we kindly ask that your child comes prepared with the following:
If your child does not own any of these items, please let the school office know, and we will do our best to source them. We want to ensure that every child has what they need to fully participate in this exciting lesson.
We are excited for the adventures ahead and look forward to seeing the children enjoy their time in the great outdoors!
This is a gentle reminder that our After School Club finishes promptly at 5:00pm each day. If you wish to collect your child before 5:00pm, you must inform the school office in advance, so we can ensure your child is ready for collection. We have had an increase in parents arriving at different times between 4-5pm and this causing significant disruption.
For safeguarding reasons, we are unable to accommodate parents waiting in the school office until the club finishes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for all our pupils.
Thank you for your continued support.
We are pleased to share that the dates for the diary for the next half term have now been added to the calendar on the school website.
Class teachers will also share the relevant dates for your child’s class through their half-termly newsletter, which you will receive on Friday 27th February.
A reminder that all parents and carers must remain in the playground during pick-up times and are not permitted to enter the school building. This is a key part of our safeguarding procedures and is essential to keeping all children safe.
Parents and carers may request to speak with their child’s teacher outside in the playground; however, this may not always be possible due to other commitments, such as staff training or scheduled meetings. In these cases, appointments should be arranged through the school office.
We appreciate your cooperation in supporting our safeguarding expectations and helping to ensure clear communication while maintaining a safe environment for all.
To find out what’s been happening across some of our wider curriculum areas across the school, follow the link to our new curriculum padlet:
We would like to thank parents and carers once again for their patience and understanding while our telephone line was not working. As explained in last week’s email, we were required to install a new telephone line, which means the school’s previous phone number no longer exists.
Please note that our new school telephone number is now fully operational: 0208 153 3767. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
We would like to remind all parents and carers to please check ParentPay to ensure any outstanding balances are cleared. We understand that the festive period can be a costly time for families, and therefore reflected this in our extended payment deadline of 31st January for this term’s Breakfast Club, After School Club, and Wraparound Care.
If anyone needs support with accessing ParentPay, please come to the school office and speak to Miss Nifa, who will be happy to help.
Please be reminded that smart watches are not allowed at school, including during lessons, break times, and on school trips. These devices are not appropriate for school, as they often include games, messaging services, internet access, and cameras, which can be distracting and raise safeguarding concerns.
That being said, children are welcome and highly encouraged to wear traditional or analogue watches, which support the development of time-telling skills and help foster independence throughout the school day. We thank you in advance for your support.
Please can we remind all parents and carers that the school gate opens at 8.50am, ready for school to start promptly at 8.55am. We kindly ask that parents or carers do not come into the school playground or building with their child/ren.
Teachers and support staff are generally not available in the mornings as they are settling the children straight into assembly – should you need to speak with an adult, please go directly to the school office and Miss Nifa will be more than happy to assist you in arranging a suitable time.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that all children come into school in a calm manner and ready for a day of learning.
We would like to remind all families that a late collection charge of £5 for every 5 minutes will be applied if a child is not collected promptly at the end of the school day or from after-school clubs.
Please ensure that you are collecting your child on time to avoid any additional charges.
We also kindly ask that you check your ParentPay account regularly and clear any outstanding balances as soon as possible.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.
As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a smart, inclusive and focused learning environment, we’d like to send a friendly reminder about the school uniform policy here at St John and St James.
Our school uniform consists of the following items:
During the summer months, children are also permitted to wear:
Please also be reminded of the following additional guidelines:
We appreciate your support in helping ensure that your child arrives at school in the correct uniform each day. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in maintaining our school’s standards.
Safeguarding is EVERYONE’S responsibility. Our attitude is, it could happen here.
At St John & St James we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect ALL staff, volunteers and visitors to the school to share this commitment.
If you have any concerns about the safety of a child, please speak immediately to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Joshua Watson.
If Mr Watson is not available, you can always speak to one of our school’s Deputy Safeguarding Leads:
This week in Science, our Year 6 children explored how different substances can affect the human body. As part of their learning, they researched the effects of alcohol, caffeine, medicinal drugs and other drugs on the body and discussed how these substances can influence both physical and mental health.......
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