Issue 5 - Friday 25th September 2026
Issue 5 - Friday 25th September 2026
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Headteacher's Welcome
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parkfield Families,
There has been a real buzz around Parkfield this week, with children enjoying everything from dinosaurs and cookery to sport and singing! It has been great to see our Parkfielders embracing so many different opportunities as we continue to settle into the new school year.
A big thank you to all our Year 6 families who joined us for Family Learning this week. We hope you found the session useful and we look forward to welcoming our Year 5 families next Tuesday.
Year 2 enjoyed their first Edventure Day of the year, learning all about dinosaurs! These special days help bring learning to life and create memorable experiences for our Parkfielders.
We have also had really strong attendance this week, so thank you for your continued support. Every day in school matters and good attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, make progress and enjoy everything Parkfield has to offer.
Our extra-curricular clubs are now well underway. Alongside our many sports clubs, children can enjoy choir, cookery, crafts and karaoke. These opportunities are an important part of Parkfield life, helping children discover new interests, develop confidence, build friendships and experience much more than the academic curriculum.
Our Pupil Voice groups have also recently been selected (though applications) or elected by their peers. These groups give children the opportunity to have their say and play a positive role in improving our school. They will work with staff, represent the views of other pupils and develop their leadership skills. We look forward to seeing their ideas throughout the year.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend!
Mr Kemp
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
TUESDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER @ 9.00AM - YEAR 5 FAMILY LEARNING - Family members are welcome to join their children in the hall for a session focussed on reading.
WEDNESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER - YEAR 6 CRUCIAL CREW TRIP (Morning Only)
MONDAY 5TH OCTOBER - HARVEST - Donations to be sent into school please. (more information below)
TUESDAY 6TH OCTOBER @ 9.00AM - YEAR 4 FAMILY LEARNING - Family members are welcome to join their children in the hall for a session focussed on reading.
WEDNESDAY 7TH OCTOBER - YEAR 6 TRIP TO ST. ANNE'S ACADEMY - Y6 are going to enjoy a 'creative arts' day at St. Anne's Academy.
THURSDAY 8TH OCTOBER - OPEN MORNING (PROSPECTIVE PARENTS) @ 9.15am Parents of children that are due to start school in September 2027 are welcome to come and speak to the headteacher and have a tour of the school from our School Councillors.
LATEST NEWS
LATEST NEWS
POETRY COMPETITION
The children in Years 1-6 may have come home with a booklet with details of a poetry competition on the theme of 'This is Me' for Year 1 and 2 children and 'Wonder' for Years 3-6. The booklets will look like this:
This is an optional poetry competition for the children to take part in and it is not homework. We encourage your child to take part if they would like to. Please return the booklets to Mrs Clawson by Thursday 22nd October. Mrs Clawson will be sending the entries to Young Writers on Friday 23rd October. Happy poetry writing!
HOW WE TEACH SPELLING AT PARKFIELD
We follow the Emile spelling scheme. Your child has a login to Emile stuck in their home school diary. Pupils receive regular spelling input and teaching and have frequent opportunities to practise, retrieve and apply taught spelling patterns and words. Teachers use short, purposeful assessments to check understanding and identify misconceptions. These assessments do not take the form of a formal weekly spelling test.
You will still see the focus spellings of the week in your child's home school diary - on a sticker or written in by the child. Teachers may use the 'spelling test' space in the home school diary to test a small number of spellings as part of a wider lesson but this will not be a formal weekly test. Your child's class teacher will assess their spelling ability through data produced by Emile, dictation exercises and daily written work.
We do of course encourage you to look at the spellings with your child and support them in learning them using the Read, Cover, Write, Check approach (Read the word looking closely at the spelling, Cover the word, Write the word from memory, Check if it is the correct spelling).
If you have any questions about the way we teach or assess spelling, please contact Mrs Clawson.
ATTENDANCE SUCCESS
A huge well done to all our Parkfield families for helping us achieve such a fantastic start to the new academic year!
Our whole-school attendance target for this year is 96%, and we are delighted to share that we are currently sitting at 96.1%!
Thank you to all our parents and carers for making sure your children are in school, ready to learn and making the most of every opportunity. Every day really does count, and your support makes a huge difference to your child’s learning, friendships and wellbeing.
Let’s keep up the fantastic work and see if we can continue to improve our attendance throughout the year!
YEAR 6 HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS
Year 6 parents can now apply for a secondary school by visiting the Rochdale admissions website: https://www.rochdale.gov.uk/school-admissions-appeals/apply-secondary-school-place
Please note that you have until the 31st October 2026 to apply for a place. The forthcoming open evenings for local high schools are on the following dates and times:
Dixon's Academy - Thurs 8th October Time: 5.00pm - 8.00pm
Cardinal Langley - Tuesday 29th September at 5:00pm. This is a catch-up information session aimed at parents and carers for anyone who missed the Open Evening in June.
YEAR 6 RESIDENTIAL
Please check your emails for information on the Year 6 residential to Blackpool - taking place in June 2027. You can start making payments for the trip now in Arbor.
YEAR 5 RESIDENTIAL
The Year 5 residential is only a few months away - taking place from Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th December. Payments for the trip can be made on Arbor. We will keep sending reminders.
HEALTHY SCHOOL AWARD
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded Healthy Schools status!
This recognition celebrates the work we do across school to promote the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our pupils and staff. It recognises our commitment to creating a happy, healthy and nurturing environment where every child has the knowledge, skills and confidence to make positive choices about their wellbeing.
This achievement reflects the hard work of our pupils, staff, families and wider school community. We are incredibly proud of our Parkfielders and the positive steps we continue to take to ensure that their health and wellbeing are at the heart of school life.
IS YOUR CHILD DUE TO START PRIMARY SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER 2027?
You can now apply for a primary school place through the Rochdale Admissions team here: https://www.rochdale.gov.uk/school-admissions-appeals/apply-primary-school-place
PARKING
Please be mindful of our neighbours when parking before and after school. We have a had a few complaints from residents that our Parkfield families are parking outside driveways. We always suggest parking either at Aldi or Parkfield flats and walking.
GUITAR LESSONS
Please note that from next week Guitar lessons for our children in Y3, 4, 5 and 6 are moving to a Friday afternoon and not the usual Tuesday.
YEAR 6 FREE BREAKFAST BOOSTER CLUB
Our breakfast booster club happens every day at 8.15am. All year 6 pupils are welcome to come along and enjoy some maths and SPAG booster sessions whilst having their breakfast. This club has proved a huge succes over the past few years supporting pupils prepare for their end of year SATS and high school. Enter via the usual hall entrance.
PARENT GOVERNOR VACANCY
We have had a number of parents interested in the role - which is great news! Please keep an eye open for an email with details about the next step of the process in selecting the new Parkfield parent governor.
PREVIOUS NEWS AND REMINDERS
Please note that you can use the links on the left (if viewing on a computer) or the top of this page (if viewing on a phone/tablet) to look back at previous news and messages that have been shared in previous newsletters.
HARVEST DONDATIONS
Please note that school will have it's annual Harvest assembly on Monday 5th October. This year we are again collecting for The Lighthouse Project in Middleton. They help families across the borough. They have asked this year for the following items:Tinned meat/fish, Tinned potatoes, Tinned tomatoes, Tea/coffee/sugar, Soup/noodles/pasta, Rice pudding/custard, Cereal, Fruit juice (long life), Milk (long life), Biscuits/snacks. Any support is appreciated. Thanks in advance for your support.
DINNER MENU NEXT WEEK - WEEK 3
If you'd like to know what is on next weeks menu, please click here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/families/dinner-menus
LUNCH TIME AND AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ⚽🎾🏃
LUNCH TIME AND AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ⚽🎾🏃
If your child has gained a place you will have received an email to confirm this.
Please always check the newsletter to make sure your child's club is on the following week as they are sometimes cancelled due to Middleton Schools Sports fixtures.
Monday 21st September - Year 3 & 4 Multi Sports
Tuesday 22nd September - Year 5 & 5 Football
Tuesday 22nd September - Cookery Club
Wednesday 23rd September - Year 5 & 6 MultiSports
Wednesday 23rd September - Karaoke Club
Thursday 24th September - Year 4, 5 & 6 Cross Country Club (Lunchtime)
Thursday 24th September - Year 4, 5 & 6 Netball Club
MEET OUR PARKFIELD STAFF & GOVERNORS
MEET OUR PARKFIELD STAFF & GOVERNORS
Mrs Gibson (Y1 Teacher)
Mrs Gibson (Y1 Teacher)
Miss Gibson is our EYFS and KS1 lead and teaches Year 1. She has been a teacher for 15 years and has experience working in schools across Rochdale and Lancashire, she joined us at Parkfield in 2024.
Miss Gibson has recently returned from maternity leave and has three daughters aged 1, 7 and 10 years old. Miss Gibson also loves animals and has two, very excitable, dogs called Milo and Baxter. She is really looking forward to teaching Year 1 this year. At the weekend, Miss Gibson likes to spend time with her family by relaxing in the garden, taking the dogs on long walks together or having movie nights. Their favourite films to watch together as a family are all the Harry Potter films.
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY⏰
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY⏰
Current Whole School Attendance: (96% Target)
Current Whole School Attendance: (96% Target)
Attendance (This week)
Attendance (This week)
Reception: 97%
Year 1: 95.7%
Year 2: 95.3%
Year 3: 94.6%
Year 4: 94.6%
Year 5: 93.7%
Year 6: 95.3%
Whole School: 95.4%
Number of lates this week: 28
A reminder that classes that achieve at least 96% attendance (no more than 6 days of absence across a class) get a reward on their attendance ladder!
Attendance Recognition
Attendance Recognition
This year children can be awarded with either a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze certificate of attendance in recognition of meeting our school target of 96%. We will regularly update you on how well your child is doing.
Platinum: 100% attendance (0 days absent)
Gold: 98% attendance or above (3 days absent)
Silver: 97% attendance or above (5 days absent)
Bronze: 96% attendance or above (6 days absent)
Holidays in term time
Holidays in term time
Please note that, in line with the school policy, fines will be issued to families that go on a term time holiday where children miss 5 consecutive full days. Currently the fine is £160 per child per parent which equates to a £640 fine for a two parent family with two children. This is reduced to £320 if paid within 21days. If you are going on holiday due to exceptional circumstances, please speak to the headteacher as a fine may not have to be issued. More information an be found on our attendance policy found here.
Persistent Absence
Persistent Absence
Persistent absence is defined by the Government as attendance below 90%. This equates to 19 days or more of absence a year or 100+ lessons missed. If a child’s attendance drops below 90% this could lead to them becoming a safeguarding concern and will certainly lead to them doing less well than their peers.
The link between attendance and achievement cannot be over stated. Your child will achieve better if they are in school every day. Only in very exceptional circumstances should a child be absent from school. Please ring the school office no later than 8.30am to report an absence.
Punctuality
Punctuality
Please get your child to school on time. Poor punctuality can lead to your child…
Feeling embarrassed in front of their friends
Missing the beginning of vital lessons making them fall behind
Missing important instructions for the rest of the school day
At Parkfield children are to line up before school and doors open at 8.45am. They close at 8.50am.
Arrivals after 8.50am are to sign in at the main office and anyone arriving after 9.15am are marked as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.
Medicines
Medicines
Our overall school attendance is steadily increasing and one reason is due to many of our families taking up the school offer of bringing a bottle of Calpol in for their child if they are feeling slightly under the weather. The medicine can then be administered by school staff if your child needs it throughout the day. We do find that many of our Parkfielders show that true resilience when they arrive in school and get through their day with very little support. However, if your child is too poorly to stay in school, we will contact home so that they can be collected.
SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION
SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION
Mrs Smith is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) supported by Mr Kemp, Mrs Clawson and Mrs Edyvean. If you have any concerns about the needs or welfare of a pupil, please don't hesitate to contact the school. We all share a responsibility to our pupils safety and wellbeing.
As a school our promise is: We will listen, we will support and we will take action.
More information can be found on the school website here: https://www.parkfieldprimary.com/website/safeguarding-and-child-protection.html
HEALTH and SAFETY
HEALTH and SAFETY
STAY SAFE REMINDERS
If your child is attending Early Birds, please walk down the path and through the KS1 yard - it may take a few more seconds but it's much safer than walking through the busy car park. If the hall door is ever closed, simply ring the bell for assistance.
Dogs are not permitted in the school playground.
If driving, park further away from the school and walk to reduce congestion and the possibility of any serious accidents.
Unfortunately, Parents and Carers are not allowed to drop off and pick up from the school car park between 8.30am and 4.00pm.
Children are not allowed on the play equipment before and after school. Please keep them off.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
5 WAYS TO WELLBEING
At Parkfield we promote the 5 ways to Wellbeing which can help children and adults to achieve a more positive lifestyle.
#THRIVE offer a local service for children and young people aged up to 19 years who are experiencing health and wellbeing issues such as feeling stressed, worried or not enjoying things. #Thrive can also provide advice and support to parents, carers and anyone that works with a child or young person. You can find out more information about the service by clicking here: https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk/thrive
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