Welcome to the second half of the Autumn Term, I hope that you all had a positive half-term break and that the return to school has been calm and stress free.  

Anti Bullying Week + Odd Socks Day

Next week is national Anti-Bullying Week and the theme for this year is Choose Respect.  As a school we are always working on our anti-bullying approach and respect is one of our main school values so we are well placed to join in and have a positive week.  We'll be talking about this in assembly on Monday and all classes will be taking an anti-bullying theme forwards in their weekly PSHE lessons.  As part of the week we will also be taking part in Odd Socks Day on Tuesday.  If children wish to, they can choose to wear odd socks for the day.   The idea being that it reinforces the fact that we are all different and that this is OK and something to be celebrated.  I look forward to seeing a colourful selection of odd socks on display on Tuesday!

St. John's Christmas Fair

A date to put in your diaries for a fun family activity at the end of the month - our local church, across the road from the school, are holding their Christmas Fair on Saturday 23rd November between 12:00 and 16:00.  St. John's are supporting our school Christmas Fair with a stall and some volunteers so please support our local community by taking part in their fair too.

Childcare Choices

The government is committed to giving every child - no matter their background - the opportunity of a brilliant early education.

From 1 September, over 300,000 eligible parents in England started accessing 15 hours childcare for 9 month olds as part of the second phase of the childcare support expansion.

Now imagine what the support could do for YOUR family - whether it is about helping you juggle family life, returning to work, or saving more money.

If you are an eligible working parent in England, you can apply for your childcare code online on your childcare account on gov.uk for:

• 15 hours childcare per week for your child aged between 9 months old until they turn 3, over 38 weeks of the year.
• 30 hours childcare per week for your 3 or 4 year old, over 38 weeks of the year.

The deadline to apply for a code is 31 December to use from 1 January.

You can also get support for helping to pay for spaces in our Breakfast Club and After School Club.  If you are eligible, you will be able to use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare to help pay for your wraparound place.

Thank you for your continued support, enjoy the weekend.

Ian Hutchings

Headteacher