2nd May 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Week in School
I attended the Head’s Briefing for Somerset Heads on Thursday with Mrs McNamara. It was an interesting morning, where we were updated by the Local Authority on the current landscape in education locally. Lots of positives were evident and there was an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing schools in our County. Staff shortages, difficulties in recruiting, restrictive or deficit budgets, and a reduced workforce at the LA due to lack of funding, with many staff changing roles or opting for redundancy, were amoung the difficulties that were talked about. Through all this though, was the central concern that we all continue to provide a vibrant and inclusive learning environment for our pupils. Through hard work and professionalism, and a passion for their vocation, the staff in our local schools, and in St George’s, are committed to ensuring that every child accesses an enjoyable, engaging and aspirational curriculum, appropriate to their starting points. This is the bread and butter of what our staff do so well, and it was encouraging to spend some time with local Headteachers who, knowing the challenges we face in education at the moment, could all agree on what was most important.
Marian Mass at Church – Sunday 18th May
You are all warmly invited to our ‘family Mass’ on Sunday 18th May at St George’s Church, at 9.15am. This will be a Marian themed Mass in celebration of Our Lady, and the choir will lead the hymns. If your child would like to take part, there are a small number of reading parts available. Volunteers must commit to practicing their part so that they are confident to stand up in front of the congregation and read with confidence*. Please do ask your child to let me know as soon as possible if they are interested. I will send letters home with the children who have expressed an interest, for parents to sign and agree that they are available to attend the Mass, arriving just before 9am so we can prepare.
Attendance
As parents / carers, we all want the best for our children growing up. Having a good education is a great head start in life and crucial in creating more opportunities in adult life. Regular absences from school can cause many issues, such as:
- Pupils falling behind in their work
- A loss of motivation
- An impact on pupils’ enjoyment of learning
- Poor or declining behaviour
- Loss of desire to attend school regularly
- Lower confidence in school
- Missing out on the social life of school, extra-curricular opportunities and experiences
- Affecting pupils’ ability to have or keep friendships.
Good school attendance habits are best started early, as consistent participation in the classroom supports both academic and personal development. Children learn from those around them and as trusted adults and role models for our children, we set the standards and expectations for them. Taking children out of school for holidays during term time can be particularly damaging, as it disrupts their learning continuity and can lead to gaps in knowledge that are hard to fill. In the time that children are away from school, their peers move on in their learning and it is a challenge for both the pupil and the teacher to attempt to fill these gaps when the curriculum has moved on. This can influence a child’s confidence levels in the classroom, which further hinders their progress. We greatly appreciate the support and commitment of our parents in making education a top priority, as it contributes to future success and emotional well-being of our children.
VE Day
VE Day takes place next week on Thursday, 8th May, and we will celebrate by having a special whole-school assembly, followed by a school picnic on the field. Please provide your child with a packed lunch for this event unless you have already contacted the school office for Bishops Fox’s to provide a packed lunch for your child.
We are also asking for parents to provide picnic blankets/rugs for the occasion. Please ensure these are labelled/named as it is possible that some blankets may look similar, and we want to ensure anything loaned to us is returned. Thank you in advance for your support with this.
Parents Support Group Meeting
Thank you to all the parents that responded to our ‘Parents Support Group interest form’ emailed out before the Easter break. An initial meeting has been arranged for Friday the 9th May at 2.00PM in the busy room for all parents/carers that are interested in helping with events for our pupils such as the Summer Fete, which we are hoping to go ahead with this year if there is enough support from parents.
It is not too late to register your interest – please click here to access the form.
Your involvement, no matter how small, can make a significant difference in ensuring that enjoyable events for our pupils will continue to be a highlight in our school calendar.
Photographs – Year 6 and EYFS
It is a tradition at St George’s that our youngest and oldest class have their photo taken to mark the beginning and end of their primary school journey. This year, these photos will be taken on Friday 16th May. Please ensure your child comes to school dressed smartly in school uniform on this day.
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Headteacher
Upcoming Dates:
Monday 5th May – Bank Holiday SCHOOL CLOSED
Tuesday 6th May – Vision Screening – EYFS
Thursday 8th May – VE Day – please send your child with a packed lunch for our school picnic. Picnic rugs appreciated if available.
Thursday 8th May – Chaplaincy Commissioning at St George’s Church – 2pm. Parents of Chaplains being commissioned are welcome to attend.
Week beginning 12th May – KS2 SATs Week
Friday 16th May – Disconnect to Reconnect – a day of no screens/technology in school!
Friday 16th May – EYFS and Year 6 individual photos. Please look smart and wear school uniform.
Sunday 18th May – School/Family Marian Mass at Church – 9.15am
Tuesday 20th May – Meeting for our September intake EYFS parents
Saturday 24th May – HALF-TERM – SCHOOL CLOSED
Monday 2nd June – SCHOOL RE-OPENS
