Parkfield Newsletters - Issue 13

Issue 13 - Friday 28th November 2025

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Parkfield Families,

It has been another busy week at Parkfield, with lots of great learning and activity taking place across the school.

With the colder weather now here, please make sure children come to school with a warm coat each day.

A big well done to our footballers who represented the school brilliantly once again this week. Thank you also to the families who joined us for the coffee morning; it was lovely to see you.

Our Year 1 and Year 2 Edventure Days have been a real highlight, and we will be sharing some fantastic photos very soon on our X feed and photo albums page.

I've kept this section short because there is lots of important information below about upcoming events, so please take a moment to read through the notices.

Have a lovely weekend,
Mr Kemp

UPCOMING EVENTS

MONDAY 1ST DECEMBER - Year 3/4 Reindeer run during PE lesson

WEDNESDAY 3RD DECEMBER - Year 6 trip to Manchester Cathedral

THURSDAY 4TH DECEMBER - Movie / Craft Night - keep an eye on your emails for more details. Children will be able to attend for £3 and the event will finish at 4pm.

MONDAY 8TH - WEDNESDAY 10TH DECEMBER 2025 - Y5 Robinwood Residential

THURSDAY 11TH DECEMBER - Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 reindeer run during PE lessons

FRIDAY 12th DECEMBER - Year 5/6 Reindeer run during PE lesson.

MONDAY 15TH DECEMBER @ 2.30PM - YEAR 1/2 CHRISTMAS SHOW - more details below

TUESDAY 16TH DECEMBER @ 9.30AM - YEAR 1/2 CHRISTMAS SHOW - more details below

TUESDAY 16TH DECEMBER @ 2.30PM - RECEPTION CHRISTMAS SHOW - more details below

WEDNESDAY 17TH DECEMBER - Whole School Visit to the Pantomime - an email with payment information has been sent. £5 payment can be made on Arbor.

LATEST NEWS

CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

Raffle tickets will be available to purchase on Arbor next week!
We’re excited to already have some fantastic prizes lined up — including a TV, toys, vouchers and more still coming in! All money raised will go straight into our School Fund, helping us provide enrichment opportunities and support the cost of school trips for our children. If you’re able to donate a prize, however big or small, we would be truly grateful. Every contribution helps make a difference! 🌟 Please speak to the office if you have something you’d like to add to our prize list. Thank you for your support.

REINDEER RUN

We are delighted to announce that we are supporting Springhill Hospice with their Reindeer run again this year. The children will be taking part in this during one of their PE lessons in the final weeks of term (dates to be announced).

For the past 2 years, as a school, we have raised over £1000. We cannot wait to support this worthy cause again!! 🧑‍🎄

Your child will be given their sponsorship form for the Reindeer Run at the end of school today. If all goes to plan weather wise, the children will be taking part in the run on the days noted above.

Please note: The run takes part on the school grounds and the children will be given reindeer antlers to take part.

PANTOMIME - ALADDIN

The whole school will be visiting Middleton Arena on Wednesday 17th December to watch the Pantomime. An email with details has been sent out and a payment of £5 per child can now be paid on Arbor. We have been able to subsidise the trip this year by 50% as we are expecting to raise funds from our usual Christmas events.

YEAR 1/2 CHRISTMAS SHOWS

We have two shows planned where Year 1 pupils will be the 'choir' for the performance with Y2's taking on the main parts - all families are welcome to join us in the school hall. An email will be sent with information about tickets where each family is able to request a maximum of three tickets over the two dates. We would love to offer more tickets but we have limited space (and chairs) available! There is no charge to attend - but we will be selling raffle tickets!

RECEPTION CHRISTMAS SHOW

We have one show taking place and families are welcome to join us. Each family is able to attend on the day and bring a maximum of 3 people. Tickets will not be sent out. There is no charge to attend - but we will be selling raffle tickets!

FILM NIGHT - CAN YOU HELP?

If you are able to support at the film night due to take place on Thursday 4th December between 2 and 4pm, please let the school office know - we welcome any adult support!

ATTENDANCE

This week we have again had strong attendance across the whole school - thank you for your support. As a result, our school's attendance is steadily increasing and is now 94.7% but it is still well below our 96% target. You can continue to help by: keep sending your child into school - even when they're not 100% - we will send them home if they're too poorly, book appointments (such as dentist and doctor appointments) outside of school hours where possible and let us know if you need any support.

Some good news....172 achieved 100% attendance this week and we have 67 pupils that currently have 100% attendance this academic year!! Well done.

MONEY MATTERS

Please see the poster below if you are struggling financially. They offer free support and have helped lots of families across Middleton.

MM flyer Rochdale (2) (4).pdf

AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS

Please note that there are no after school sports clubs for the remainder of the year. This is due to weather, fixtures and the Robinwood residential.

REMINDERS

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.

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!

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.

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.

Meet Our Parkfield Staff

Mrs Smith (Pastoral and SEND Support)

Mrs Smith is the Pastoral & SEND Support Lead at Parkfield Primary, where she has proudly worked for the past 28 years in a variety of roles. Having supported countless children and families over the years, she now enjoys seeing former pupils bringing their own children to Parkfield. She is deeply rooted in the school community, and many families already know her well. Outside of school, she is married with four children (one of whom many may recognise) and a German Shorthaired Pointer called Skyla. In her spare time, she enjoys eating out and going on nice holidays.

Latest Class Updates

Photos on X

Reception

Newsletter Slides

SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION

Mr Kemp is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) supported by Mrs Clawson and Mrs Smith (Deputy DSL). 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

ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY

As you are all aware, school attendance and punctuality is one of Parkfields priorities and I have been thrilled with the support that parents have been giving with regards to improving their children’s attendance.

Our school target is 96% this year and we need your continued support to ensure that we meet this mark.

ATTENDANCE - 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 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. This could also result in the authority taking legal action against parents, resulting in a fine or court appearance. Over the next few weeks I will be making contact by letter with the families of children whose attendance is below 90% to invite you into school for a discussion about how we can support you to improve your child’s attendance.

Thank you so much to all the families who have been working hard to ensure children’s attendance and punctuality is high. Establishing early good habits really will make a positive difference to their lives. 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

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 shortly after.

If you arrive after the doors are closed you will have to come through the school office.

Arrivals after 9.30am are classed as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.

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 at any time.
Children are not allowed on the play equipment before and after school. Please keep them off.

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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