MONDAY 10th NOVEMBER - ODD SOCKS DAY - We are inviting children to come to school wearing odd socks. As part of Anti-Bullying Week, children and staff are invited to wear Odd Socks to celebrate what makes each of us unique. The simple act of wearing mismatched socks helps remind pupils that differences should be respected and valued. It’s a fun and inclusive way to start conversations about kindness, respect and standing up for others. 

TUESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER- 9.15AM - 10.15AM - OPEN MORNING - Prospective parents for September 2026 are welcome to join the headteacher for a quick presentation in the hall followed by a tour of the school from our school councillors.

THURSDAY 13TH NOVEMBER AT 9AM - YEAR 4 CLASS ASSEMBLY - Year 4 families are welcome to join us in the hall whilst the Year 4 children share some of their learning from the past half term. 

FRIDAY 14TH NOVEMBER - CHILDREN IN NEED - NON-UNIFORM DAY To support this year’s Children in Need appeal, pupils are invited to come to school in non-uniform on Friday. We kindly ask for a small donation, which will go directly to the charity to help improve the lives of children and young people across the UK. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. 

SECOND HAND SCHOOL UNIFORM

Please note that the school has a large selection of second hand school uniform available for FREE for any family that would like to try. Please contact the school office and they will be happy to help.

If you would like to donate any good quality school uniform items we would love to add them to our collection. Please send them into school washed and with name labels removed.  Blue jumpers, cardigans, grey trousers and skirts are always popular!

ATTENDANCE EMAILS

This week we begun sending attendance emails through our new Arbor system, which replace the physical letters used last year. Please be aware that these messages are automatically generated based on each child’s attendance percentage and may not reflect the full picture, particularly where medical appointments are involved. To see an accurate and up-to-date breakdown of your child’s attendance, including authorised and unauthorised absences, please log in to the Arbor app. 

REMEMBRANCE ITEMS ON SALE

Please note that the School Councillors will be demonstrating our kindness school value by selling Remembrance related items when we return after half term. All monies raised will go towards the British Legion charity. 

ARBOR - WE NOW HAVE 89% OF OUR PARENTS AND CARERS SIGNED UP!

We’re delighted that 89% of parents have now signed up to the Arbor app. Because of this excellent uptake, we will soon begin using the app to send messages and important updates. This will further strengthen communication between school and home. If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so as soon as possible so you don’t miss out on future messages. 

PROSPECTIVE PARENT OPEN MORNINGS

Is your child due to start primary school in September 2026? Do you know anyone that has a child starting school in 2026? If so, we are inviting prospective parents into the school on Tuesday 11th November from 9.15am. There will be a presentation from the headteacher followed by a tour of the school from our school councillors. Please contact the school office to book your place.

PARENT AND CARER FEEDBACK

Thanks to those families that provided feedback in our Autumn questionnaire. A summary of responses can be found on our school website along with a response from Mr Kemp.

EASY FUNDRAISING - ONLINE AND APP

We’d like to let you know about a simple and completely free way to help raise funds for Parkfield Primary School through an online platform called easyfundraising that we have currently raised £40 from.

Easyfundraising allows schools, charities and causes across the UK to receive donations whenever supporters shop online. It doesn’t cost you a penny, as over 7,000 retailers (including John Lewis & Partners, Argos, Iceland, Amazon, eBay and M&S) donate a small percentage of your total spend to the school every time you shop via their site or app.

So far, over 190,000 causes have raised more than £56 million through easyfundraising, proving that every little really does help.

To make it even easier, you can download the easyfundraising app to your phone. This means you can raise donations for Parkfield automatically every time you shop online.

To get started and support our school, please click here: Easyfundraising  for Parkfield . Every donation makes a difference to our pupils.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS POORLY

If your child is unwell, please call the school office before 9am and speak directly with a member of our team – Miss Pritchard or Mrs Cummings. We don’t use an answerphone service, as speaking to someone in person means we can offer advice, confirm how long your child may need to stay off school, or even suggest they come in if we feel they’ll manage with support during the day. Quite often, our Parkfielders perk up once they’re in school and benefit from being around their friends and teachers. 

Please note that if your child is absent and we haven't been notified, we will contact you shortly after registers have been taken.

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

Our whole school attendance so far this academic year is 94.5%, which is below both our school target of 96% and the current national average. While this may not sound like a big difference, even a few days of absence can quickly add up and have a real impact on a child’s progress, confidence, and long-term outcomes.

Attending school every day really does matter. Children who are in school consistently not only achieve better academically but also build stronger friendships and develop the positive routines that help them succeed.

To put this into perspective, our school target of 96% attendance allows for no more than 7 days of absence across the whole year. Missing more than this can start to affect learning and make it harder for pupils to keep up. That said, our ambition is for all pupils to achieve above 96%, giving them the very best opportunity to thrive.

We know that illness and absence are sometimes unavoidable, but we hope that over the coming months we can work together to improve attendance and give every Parkfielder the very best chance to shine. Parents can support this by avoiding term-time holidays and, where possible, booking medical appointments outside of school hours. 

FREE SCHOOL MEALS, FREE HOLIDAY CLUBS AND FOOD VOUCHERS

Did you know that if you are entitled to free school meals you also get access to free holiday clubs and food vouchers during the holidays? To apply or if you're not sure if you are eligible, please  read the information and apply using the link here. School receives additional funding for those pupils that are entitled for free school meals and this much needed funding helps better support all Parkfielders. Even if your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 or they're on packed lunch - please still apply. In addition, if there has been a change in your family circumstances (i.e. recently become unemployed) you may also be entitled to apply for Free School Meals.