Issue 27 - Friday 27th March 2026
Issue 27 - Friday 27th March 2026
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Headteacher's Welcome
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parkfield Families,
It’s been another busy and productive week here at Parkfield, with lots to celebrate across the school.
A big thank you to the Year 6 families who were able to attend the Family Learning session earlier this week. We hope you found the information and strategies helpful, particularly with SATs now just a few weeks away. The children have worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months and we are confident they will do brilliantly. As always, we encourage them to stay positive, try their best and be proud of their efforts.
Well done to our fantastic Year 3 class, who delivered a brilliant assembly to the whole school and their families yesterday. Their focus on word classes showcased some excellent grammar knowledge, and it was great to see the children speaking with such confidence and pride in their learning.
Thank you also for your support today in sending in Easter eggs and chocolate donations. These will be used as prizes for this evening’s Easter Bingo event. We are really grateful for your generosity.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming families who have purchased tickets for tonight’s event. With 120 tickets sold, we have already raised an amazing £600, all of which will go directly back into school to support and enhance opportunities for our Parkfielders.
Finally, a reminder that next week is a four day week, as we break up on Thursday for the Easter holidays.
Have a lovely weekend,
Mr Kemp
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
MONDAY 30TH MARCH - RECEPTION PARENTS' EVENING - 2.00 - 5.30pm - Reception parents' evening - You are now able to sign up on Arbor.
TUESDAY 31ST MARCH AT 2PM - PARKFIELD'S GOT TALENT - Families of those children performing are welcome to join us in the school hall for what is always a highlight of the year!
WEDNESDAY 1ST APRIL - DECORATED EGGS AND BONNETS Parkfielders are welcome to join our whole school competition and bring in a decorated egg and/or bonnet. Winners will be announced on the Thursday but all taking part will get a little treat as a thank you. If you would like some inspiration - here are photos from last year's event.
THURSDAY 2ND APRIL @ 9AM - YEAR 5 EASTER ASSEMBLY Our Y5 families are welcome to join us in the hall as Year 5 deliver the Easter assembly.
School closes for Easter at the end of the day
MONDAY 20TH APRIL - School re-opens after Easter
LATEST NEWS
LATEST NEWS
DECORATED EGGS AND BONNETS - NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Advanced warning that there is less than a week to prepare decorated eggs and bonnets for the competition on Wednesday 1st April. All pupils are welcome to take part in one or both competitions. Good luck with the designing and everyone that takes part will receive a small prize. Children are to bring their decorated eggs and bonnets into school on that morning with their name clearly visible and they will then take them home the same night. The overall winners will be chosen by our School Councillors.
ATTENDANCE
Did you know that our whole school attendance target is 96% for every pupil? To achieve that your child would have to miss no more than 7 days across the whole school year. The good news is that 165 Parkfielders are on track to achieve this . Thank you for your support!
CHARITY FUNDRAISING
We raised £191 last week for the local charity Cold Hands Warm Hearts. The school voted to support this charity after our school councillors presented a range of charities we could have supported for our recent fundraising events. If you'd like to see more information about what this charity does, please click here.
HAF VOUCHERS
Bookings for the Spring 2026 Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) program will go live for parents/guardians to book places from Tuesday 17th March 2026. There are 71 different clubs offering over 8,573 places during the Easter school holidays across Heywood, Middleton, Rochdale and Pennine. Each eligible child will be able to access up to 4 days free provision. Guidance for parents/guardians can be found here: I'm a parent – Holiday Activities
DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN EASILY RAISE MONEY FOR PARKFIELD?
Everytime you spend money online a small amount will be donated to school if you sign up to EasyFundraising. It costs you nothing!
To get started and support our school, please click here: Easyfundraising for Parkfield . Every donation makes a difference to our pupils.
POLLING STATION - THURSDAY 7TH MAY - PARTIAL SCHOOL CLOSURE
Advanced warning that the school will be used as a polling station on Thursday 7th May. As a result, school will be closed to all pupils in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and those that access the Cherry Tree room. Only pupils in KS2 (Year 3, 4, 5 and 6) will be able to attend on the day. We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes.
EASTER EGG RAFFLE
The ECO & Sports Council will be running the Easter Egg raffle again this year. There will be 3 prizes of 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are on sale now. They will be £1 per strip. Winners will be announced on the last day of term.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ⚽🎾🏃
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ⚽🎾🏃
An email has now been sent to say whether your child has a space in a club.
Monday 30th March - Year 3 & 4 Multi Sports Club 3:15pm - 4pm NO CLUB THIS WEEK
Tuesday 31st March - Year 5 & 6 Multi Sports Club 3:15pm - 4pm NO CLUB THIS WEEK
Thursday 2nd June - Year 5 & 6 Cross Country Club 3:15pm - 4pm NO CLUB THIS WEEK
REMINDERS
REMINDERS
PARKFIELD CURRICULUM
If you would like to know what your child is being taught, our curriculum pages have all the information you will be looking for. They can be found here: https://curriculum.parkfieldprimary.com/home
MAKE-UP AND FALSE NAILS
Please ensure your child doesn't come to school with make-up and false nails on. We have had a number of our older pupils this week having to be reminded of the school rules.
ATTENDANCE - 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.
NUT FREE SCHOOL
A reminder that for the safety for our students with nut allergies, please do not pack anything containing nuts into children’s lunch boxes.
MEET OUR PARKFIELD STAFF
MEET OUR PARKFIELD STAFF
Mrs Shepherdson (Year 1 Teaching Assistant)
Mrs Shepherdson (Year 1 Teaching Assistant)
If you see something pink, a positive affirmation on the wall, or hear some questionable singing… it’s probably Mrs Shep!
She started her childcare journey working in a nursery in Middleton working her way up to becoming a Nursery SENCO. That role is where her real passion began for supporting children with Special Educational Needs. She joined Parkfield 6 years ago as a teaching assistant where she spent most of her time in Reception. Two years ago, she was lucky enough to be part of opening The Cherry Tree Room, where she has been based alongside Year 1 ever since. She loves anything involving art and DT! ( getting super messy!) And is also a huge fan of music, your child might already have memories of her leading a very enthusiastic Cha Cha Slide at dinner time! And leading karoke to Kpop demon hunters!
Outside of school, she is just as wild and outgoing. She loves watching her football team ……… at Elland Road......... they’re not from Manchester and they're not popular around here. ( so we’ll quickly move on from that one!). She also loves concerts and recently went to her favourite ever! - Harry Styles One Night Only. She loves anything and everything Manchester, the music, the scene, the history if she’s not at home she’ll be in Manchester centre somewhere, shopping, brunching, watching live music, spending time in the Northern Quarter is her favourite thing to do she even has a dog called ‘Bee’.
She likes to start every day with a song that makes her feel good. She spends every school holiday in Scotland visiting parents, along with Mr Shep, her daughter, and their working cocker spaniel, Bee. She enjoys long walks, dancing and singing badly, baking tasty treats, and is often found dyeing her hair pink.
She is so excited to be part of your child’s learning journey at Parkfield and is all about bringing lots of fun, positivity, and making fun memories along the way!
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY⏰
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY⏰
Current Whole School Attendance: 95.1% (96% Target)
Current Whole School Attendance: 95.1% (96% Target)
Attendance (This week)
Attendance (This week)
Reception: ZZ%
Year 1: ZZ%
Year 2: ZZ%
Year 3: ZZ%
Year 4: ZZ%
Year 5: ZZ%
Year 6: ZZ%
Whole School: ZZ%
Number of lates this week: ZZ
A reminder that classes that achieve at least 96% attendance (no more than 6 days of absence across a class) get a reward on the attendance ladder!
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. 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
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 shortly after.
Arrivals after 9am are marked as late and anyone arriving after 9.30am are classed as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.
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 at any time.
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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