Thank you to everyone who attended our Harvest festival yesterday. It was a lovely service, where our children are growing in confidence every time they speak. Thank you Mrs Taylor for organising this and to Rev. Kennedy and Rev. Shaw for supporting us with this.
Parents’ Evening
If you haven’t booked already, there are still spaces available to see your child’s class teacher. This is an excellent opportunity to see how they have settled in to their new classes, raise any concerns and learn how to support your child even further. The children love to hear how well they are doing too.
Panto Reminders
Lots of parents have paid for our Christmas annual treat to the Pantomime. We are very lucky to be able to attend this at a hugely reduced rate, due to it being a school performance and that the PTA contribute heavily to this as well. If you haven’t had a chance, tickets are available to purchase on ParentMail.
We are pleased to announce that, in January 2026, we will be collaborating with Ace Centre Nursery, where I will assume the role of Executive Headteacher. This decision comes as the current headteacher embarks on an exciting new headship opportunity. Recognising the statutory importance of leadership, we felt it imperative to support and ensure the continued existence of the nursery school, at this current time, within our community.
In the coming weeks, we will share further information, ensuring that everyone is fully informed and involved. A letter has already been sent via ParentMail to keep you updated on these developments.
We look forward to embarking on this journey together and are excited about the positive impact our collaboration will have for the children and families in Chipping Norton. Thank you for your continued support.
PGL
The children have had an excellent week at PGL. I saw many smiling faces as they took part in some amazing activities. Thank you to Mrs Hornsby, Mrs Jordan and Miss Philpott for supporting the children this week. A well-deserved rest is in order for everyone at the weekend!
Some After-School Clubs in Action
Harvest Festival Donations
Thank you to all the families that donated food for our Harvest Festival next week. I will be taking the food to church tonight so that it can be displayed in the church. Giving a little of what you can and letting your children see the importance of this is a valuable life lesson and we appreciate this so much.
As you know, we will be extending our nursery provision to 2 year olds in January. We are also offering a wrap around service to meet the needs of working families 50 weeks of the year from 8 -6pm. Next week we will be advertising for several posts. If you know someone that would be interested in working at St. Mary’s and they have the skills, qualifications and experience we need, please get in touch.
Year 4 St. Braivels Residentail Trip
The children had the most excellent time at St. Braivals this week. They enjoyed a campfire and marshmallows and a lovely walk alongside many other things. I think we will have some tired children this weekend! Harvey told me that he had a brilliant time and enjoyed all of the activities, especially archery and fencing!
A Message from The Branch
A Warm Welcome from Parent Drop-In Every Monday Morning, 8.20–9.30am, School Library
Parent drop-in is there for all parents and carers with children at St Mary’s. We know that starting school is a big step—not only for children but for parents too. If you’re new to our school community, we’d love to invite you to our friendly Parent Drop-In. It’s a relaxed space where you can ask questions and find support if you need it.
Emma Kennedy is here every Monday morning in the library. She can offer advice on a wide range of things—whether it’s benefits, housing, debt, parenting support, help with school uniform or just help with forms. Many families face challenges, especially in these times, and you don’t need to face them alone. Sometimes, sharing a worry is the first step toward finding peace of mind and there are lots of organisations out there who can help if you need advice, financial assistance or just someone to talk something through. Emma is also very used to working with families who do not speak English as their first language and need help navigating new systems.
Emma’s children all came to St Mary’s, and she now works at The Branch, which is a charity in the heart of Chipping Norton. The Branch is a Community Hub where you can access all sorts of support to help your family thrive.
Every Tuesday afternoon (1–2.30pm) we host Connect Café at The Branch. Come along for coffee, cake, and crafts, with friendly faces to welcome you. There’s also practical help available, including Citizens Advice.
Whether you’d like a listening ear, a bit of guidance we’d love to meet you.
I have received a recent concern from a resident on The Green about parking on double yellow lines and stopping outside school to let reception children out. Please keep the families of St. Mary’s safe by planning your journey in good time so that you do not have to rush and show our children how things shouldn’t be done. Let’s be positive role models for everyone.
Please join us for our annual Harvest Festival at St. Mary’s Church on Thursday 16th October at 9.30am – all welcome.
If you would like to make a donation to the food bank, please send your child to school with something tinned or dried. No fresh items please. I will take them to the Church on Friday 10th October so that they can be displayed in St. Mary’s Church for their Harvest Festival on Sunday 12th and in preparation for ours on Thursday 16th September.
Open Morning – Friday 26th September 09.00am – 11.00am
Come and see the new Nursery and Reception area; our newly re-vamped school hall and of course all our hard-working school community in action. We’d love to see you all. We will have taster sessions from our new Lunch Company Dolce; The Branch will be here should you need signposting to services or support; Locality and Community Support Services (LCSS); our Mental Health Team worker Rhiannon will also be available to chat to as well. The Friends of St. Mary’s and The Book Fair will all be available so please do join us for a great morning.
If you are unable to attend the Opening Morning or know someone that would like to, please get in touch and arrange an appointment for an alternative time.
School Lunches
As I said last week, school lunches are a real hit. Get in touch if you would like your child to have one. Our new reception children think they are lovely and have amazing table manners! Please remember that every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to free school meals and that they have to be ordered through School Grid.
Early Birds and Night Owls
Night Owls has been a huge success this week and the children have enjoyed the games and outside fun that Miss Reynolds and Mr Buzzard have provided. If you need this provision, please speak to the office and they would be happy to add you to the list.
We are pleased to announce that St. Mary’s will be getting an uplift as part of our ongoing maintenance programme. The hall will be getting painted and after nearly 40 years the hall floor will be replaced. Many of you will remember the hall from your own primary school days so it now deserves a refresh.
All of the work to transform the nursery will also take place during the summer holidays too.
We will have our usual Open Morning on Friday 26th September and would like you to join us to see all of the refurbishments.
St. Mary’s Unplugged
Wow, you all did so well at raising £1,130 for school. We are going to use this money to put towards our official den building area over the summer.
Summer reading challenge
Our children recently had the opportunity to visit the library and learn about the Summer Reading Challenge. They explored a fantastic range of books and many have eagerly signed up for the challenge.
Running from 21 June to 30 September, there are two ways to participate. Join in at your local library to receive a special sticker poster and incentives while discovering new books. Alternatively, sign up online, set a reading goal, and log your books to unlock a limited-edition badge and certificate. Happy reading! https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/
Super sewing
The children in sewing and knitting club produced some great tooth monsters. There’s nothing worse than the tooth fairy landing and can’t find the tooth you put under your pillow but with the tooth monster, she will know exactly where to get it from.
The Orchard
The Orchard is a special place in school, where a variety of our children and families use the facilities at different times during the week. Next year, some of our children will utilise this space more frequently so that their needs are met more readily. The team will be led by Miss Southeard and eagerly supported by Mrs Dunn and Mr Buzzard.
In addition to this, Mrs Townsend, who has been our SENCo for the past two years, will now step back into the classroom full-time. We would like to thank her for the time she has spent supporting children and their families. I will take on the role of SENCo for now, having been a SENCo previously. I work with many families already and look forward to working with even more of you. If you have any SEN queries please feel free to get in touch with Miss Southeard or myself.
Second Hand Uniform Sale
If you have any good quality, used school uniform you would be happy to donate, please bring to the Orchard (entrance opposite lower gates) at morning drop off on Monday or Tuesday morning next week or leave at the office for Miss Southeard. We will be holding a second hand uniform sale before the end of term. Many thanks.
As we said goodbye to the Y6 who were transitioning to CNS today, the rest of the school spent time with their new teachers. Everyone is looking forward to what next year will bring.
St. Mary’s Unplugged
Thank you to everyone for their contributions. If anyone has anything further to collect, please make sure it is at school by Monday 7th July. The children are very proud of what they achieved!
Dolce Dinners in September
I am pleased to announce that our new school lunches will be provided by a firm called Dolce. You will be required to pre-order your meals online (more information to follow) whether you are entitled to free school meals or you pay for lunches. School lunches have been £2.10 for many years and currently the school has been subsisidising these meals by paying 82p per meal, per child, per day. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, this does not make financial sense. If you receive free school meals, your child will continue to do so but this does mean that if you pay for your child’s school lunch we will now need to increase this. The cost for a delicious school meal will now cost £2.95. Dolce cook with fresh ingredients and your child will get a choice of four options online – a meat, a vegetarian, a baked potato with choice of fillings or a sandwich bag. Many of our free school meal children were choosing to bring in a packed lunch but with this new company, your child will be able to have great choice. Before the end of term you will receive further information about this so I hope you’ll ditch the homemade packed lunch and choose one of the many delicious meals on offer.
Guitar Lessons
We are hoping to begin guitar lessons starting in September 2025. The lessons will be available for the children from Years 3-6. The lessons are held in small groups (between 3- 4 children) and cost £9.00 per lesson. If your child would be interested in this, please contact the school office or Dojo Mrs English.
Super Assemblies from Y2 and Y3
Y2 taught us all about Space and Y3 talked about all their Egyptian learning – fascinating stuff!
t’s been an extremely warm week for us all but thank you to everyone for equipping their child with a hat, sun cream and a water bottle. This weather is set to continue next week so please continue with these protective measures.
School uniform
We have noticed that some children are wearing colourful trainers. We appreciate that little feet grow – especially at this time of year and families do not want to purchase new school shoes so although we have noticed, we have not asked any family to purchase the correct footwear. However, when your child returns in September, the expectation will be to have the correct shoes. Also, we have noticed that there are girls wearing thick grey tights with summer dresses. Please ensure white socks are worn with the school dress. I had two children with tights and leggings underneath a summer dress the other day and they were very uncomfortable.
Y6 Winchcombe visit
The children experienced an amazing trip to Winchombe railway yesterday. Although warm, they had an excellent time and the public were witness to the war songs they all sang on the train. I was also given a sneak preview of a beautiful song for the Year 6 upcoming show – just beautiful! Tickets for the theatre will be on sale soon.
Reception and All Things Wild
The children in Reception had an amazing day out this week to All Things Wild. They saw lots of animals and had a wonderful experience riding on a tractor round the dinosaur field! They cooled down in the afternoon with an ice cream.
New classes for September 2025-2026
Headteacher
Mrs McQueen
Deputy headteacher
Mrs Taylor
EYFS team
Mrs English (teacher Monday and Tuesday) Mrs Keyzor (teacher Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) EYFS practitioners to be confirmed
Year 1
Mrs Brunt (teacher) Mrs Austin (TA)
Year 2
Mrs Townsend (teacher) Miss MacDonald (TA)
Year 3
Mrs Eaglestone and Miss Thorsby (teachers) Mrs Hicks (TA)
