Headteacher’s Newsletter – 13th February 2026

Dear Parents/carers,

Mrs Southeard writes: On Wednesday afternoon Orchard class learnt about Shrove Tuesday. We weighed out and mixed our ingredients and made our own pancakes. Everyone had a turn flipping their own pancakes before enjoying eating them!

We then donned aprons and hats and took part in some pancake flipping races!

Safeguarding and Mental Health Week

We continued this week to talk to the children about good decision making and what this means to everyone. Again, if you need to talk, please reach out to any member of staff or perhaps pop in to Emma Kennedy’s drop in sessions at the school gate on Mondays from 08.25am.

If you have a concern or would like further information about safeguarding, please contact:
Mrs. McQueen – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Taylor – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Miss Wakefield – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Working in Partnership

In order for Safeguarding to be most effective, it needs to be a collaborative effort involving multiple
sectors to protect children from harm. Alongside parents and carers, Education, Children’s Social Care,
health services, and the Police all play crucial roles in ensuring children’s safety.

Education: Schools and educational settings have a duty of care to safeguard children. They provide a
safe learning environment, monitor children’s wellbeing, and have policies and procedures in place to
identify and respond to potential risks.

Children’s Social Care: Social workers are responsible for assessing children’s needs and providing
support and protection, where necessary. They investigate concerns of abuse or neglect, work with
families to address issues, and may take legal action to safeguard children. It is important to remember
that, as Social Care is not about removing children from their homes- but supporting families to stay
together and thrive.

Health Services: Healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, midwives and health visitors, play
an essential role in identifying signs of abuse or neglect as well as providing medical treatment, support,
and advice to children and their families.

Police: The police are responsible for investigating crimes, including child abuse and exploitation. They
work closely with other agencies to protect children and bring perpetrators to justice. They can be used to
safeguard children in emergency situations and work closely with other agencies to share important
information.

By working together, these sectors can create a strong network of support to protect children from harm
and ensure their well-being.

Robot Wednesday

Mrs Hornsby has been working with Mr Allen from Kitebrook School every Wednesday lunchtime with a Coding Club. Mrs Hornsby is now in charge of our newly revitilised Facebook and Instagram pages. Her tech skills far exceed mine so please tag a long to see what is happening at St. Mary’s. Some of our Year 4 and Year 5 children have been having a fantastic time at Coding Club on Wednesday lunchtimes! Using Sphero robots, the children have been learning how to program commands to control movement, speed and direction. They have also explored how to make their Spheros display colourful images and play exciting sounds, bringing their creations to life. It has been wonderful to see their creativity, teamwork and resilience in action as they test and improve their codes. Well done to all of our enthusiastic coders – we can’t wait to see what you create next!

Mother’s Day Magic – Save the Date

On Friday 13th March at 1.15pm we will look forward to inviting female representatives of our children to
our Creative Mother’s Day event. You are invited to spend an afternoon with your children getting crafty.
This year, you will be making something funny for your children to wear the next Friday for Comic Relief. There will be an opportunity afterwards to eat cake and have a coffee or tea afterwards with friends and other families. We look forward to seeing you there.

Holiday Club

We look forward to seeing all of our children who have signed up for holiday club next week. There will be celebrations galore with Chinese New Year, Shrove Tuesday and portrait painting on canvas. It is set to be an exciting week. Please make sure that you provide a packed lunch and some snacks if you are joining us next week.

Wrap Around Care – Price Increase

Just a reminder that after half term the price will increase for Night Owls:
3-4pm £4.00
4-5pm £4.00
3-5pm £8.00
Prices for Early Birds will remain at £2.00 from 8am to 8.25am

Attendance

Whole school attendance this week	93.4%
Class with the highest attendance this week	Year 3 – 98.26%
Whole school attendance (year to date)	95.5%
National Attendance	94.5%

Have a lovely half term holiday, although it could be a wet one and we’ll see you on Monday 23rd February.

Kind regards,

Mrs McQueen