A Message From Miss Gladstone Dear parents and carers, I can’t quite believe we’re already halfway through the academic year! This half term, the children have worked incredibly hard and made fantastic progress across all areas of learning. We are so proud of their achievements...
Looking ahead, there is plenty to look forward to after half term, with more trips and visits planned, World Book Day, Forest School sessions, the PTA Easter Egg Hunt, our Easter performance in church, and another iRock concert for children engaging with this provision. Although the next half term is only five weeks long, there is plenty happening.
We wish all our children and families a happy, healthy, and well-deserved half term break and look forward to seeing the children return to school on Monday 23rd February.
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 delighted to announce that St John and St James has once again been awarded an FFT Attendance Certificate, placing us in the top 10% of all FFT primary schools in England
This is an exceptional achievement, particularly when viewed against the national picture, where attendance levels continue to be a significant challenge for many schools. Maintaining such high attendance reflects the strong partnership between our pupils, families and staff, and demonstrates our shared commitment to learning, wellbeing and consistency. We are incredibly proud of our school community for making attendance a priority and sustaining these standards. Thank you for your support, as always.
Our Worship Leaders had the privilege of attending the annual Church of England Schools’ Service at St Paul’s Cathedral, joining pupils from across the diocese for a truly special time of worship.
Set within the beautiful surroundings of the cathedral, the service focused on the powerful theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. The children sang uplifting hymns, listened to scripture readings and heard a range of thoughtful prayers led by different schools. It was a wonderful reminder of the strength and unity of our Church of England family.
In preparation for the service, each school designed a jigsaw piece to reflect the theme of peace, forgiveness and hope. During the service, these individual pieces were brought together to create one large collective artwork. Seeing every piece joined together was a powerful symbol that although we are all unique, we are united in faith and called to forgive, restore and build peace within our communities.
Our Worship Leaders represented our school with maturity, respect and pride. We are incredibly proud of the way they engaged so thoughtfully with the message of the day and embodied our Christian values throughout the visit. It was a memorable and inspiring experience for them all.
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.
This month, we’re celebrating Umut who created an incredible Greek temple using only recycled materials with help from Anoushka.
Made from cardboard boxes and other repurposed items, the model features detailed columns and carefully designed architectural elements inspired by ancient Greece. The creativity and craftsmanship on display are truly impressive.
Even more inspiring is the commitment to sustainability—turning everyday materials into a thoughtful and beautifully constructed project.
We’re so proud of this fantastic achievement!
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.
As the colder winter weather has now arrived, we kindly ask all parents and carers to ensure children come to school dressed appropriately for the conditions. Please make sure your child has a warm coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and any other items needed to keep them comfortable during outdoor play and travel to and from school.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone warm, healthy, and ready to learn!
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:
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