Hello all,

Welcome to the start of a new school year at St Margaret's. I would especially like to extend a huge welcome to those of you new to the school this academic year, we look forward to working with you as your child grows and thrives during their time here. 

It has been great having the children back in school. This year we are trialling some new in-day timings to enhance pupils experiences, and maximise learning time. We have moved collective worship from the morning to the afternoon, this gives more leaning sessions in the morning period; we have separated Key Stage 2 breaktimes into Y3 and 4 at 10.30 to 10.45, and Years 5&6 from 11.00 to 11.15- this gives children more space and opportunity to engage in a range of activities.. We have also adjusted lunchtimes- Key Stage 1 and Reception is from 12.00 to 12.50 and Key Stage 2 is 12.10 to 13.00. This gives us increased afternoon learning time and increases supervision- helping to keep everyone safe and happy. As always we will continue to monitor these changes.

We have put together some events listed below for your attention and that you may want to note in your diaries. We are trying to give you as much notice as possible of the events for your convenience.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mr Jones

Monday 14th September- Y5 Parent Workshop 

Thursday 17th September- Reception Parent Workshop 

Monday 21st September- Y4 Parent Workshop

Thursday 24th September- Y2 Parent Workshop

Friday 25th September- Y3 Parent Workshop

Monday 28th September- Nursery Parent Workshop

Tuesday 29th September- Y6 Parent Workshop

Thursday 1st October- Y1 Parent Workshop

Friday 1st October- Harvest in school (pupils only)

Tuesday 13th and Thursday 15th October- Parents Evenings

Monday 26th October -Friday 30th October: Half term holidays. School closed

Wednesday 11th November- Remembrance Service (pupils only)

Monday 14th December- Nursery and Reception Nativity plays (a.m)

Tuesday 15th December- Y2 Christmas Play (a.m)

Wednesday 16th December- Y1 Christmas Play (a.m), Y5&6 Christmas Singalong (6pm)

Friday 18th December- Autumn Term Reports distributed

Monday 21st December - Friday 1st January: Christmas holidays. School Closed

Monday 4th January 2027- Training day, school closed to pupils

Tuesday 5th January: School reopen to pupils for Spring term

Here are the term dates for this academic year. While we are still reviewing some dates for next year, please note the following also:

Friday 18th December Autumn term reports to parents

Monday 3rd May: May bank holiday, school closed

Monday 10th to Thursday 13th May Y6 SATs week

Monday 7th June 2 week window for Y4 multiplication check begins

Monday 14th June Phonics Screening Check week

Friday 28th June: training day (school closed to pupils)

Friday 9th July: training day (school closed to pupils)

Friday 16th July End of year reports to parents

Monday 19th July Year 6 leavers concert

Tuesday 20th July Parents book look evening

Wednesday 21st July: Last day of the school year

At the start of each year, we hold workshops for parents and carers for give an overview of the curriculum content for that year, and suggest ways in which parents and carers can help to support learning. The feedback for these sessions is always positive and we hope you are able to attend. For those unable to attend information packs will be sent out if requested.

Letters will be distributed to confirm attendance. The dates are as follows:

Monday 14th September- Y5 Parent Workshop 

Thursday 17th September- Reception Parent Workshop 

Monday 21st September- Y4 Parent Workshop

Thursday 24th September- Y2 Parent Workshop

Friday 25th September- Y3 Parent Workshop

Monday 28th September- Nursery Parent Workshop

Tuesday 29th September- Y6 Parent Workshop

Thursday 1st October- Y1 Parent Workshop

Sessions will be in the school hall from approximately 09.10.

Magical Maths club is now available for booking for children who will be in years 1 and 2 in September. This 6 week club with run on Thursdays, after school, from the 10th September. Please see the attached flyer for more details and book directly with Magical Maths.

PE days for 2026/27:

Year 1:  Thursday & Friday

Year 2: Tuesday & Friday

Year 3: Tuesday & Wednesday

Year 4: Monday & Thursday

Year 5: Tuesday & Wednesday

Year 6: Monday & Friday

Children need to arrive at school ready for PE. PE Kit is as follows. A plain white t-shirt, plain black jogging bottoms/leggings/shorts, trainers, school jumper or cardigan. No jewellery should be worn, long hair needs to be tied back, piercings that cannot be removed must be taped up- tape/plasters provided from home. Any religious/cultural jewellery that cannot be removed must be secured/covered- sweat bands are perfect for this.

As you will have seen on the news recently, there has been a lot of discussion at government level around screen time for children, use of social media and mobile phones in schools.

Since it has been so high profile we thought it apt to review our mobile phones policy. It is on the website and I have added a summary of key points below.

• As a general rule, pupils are not permitted to bring mobile phones to school unless there is a specific reason agreed in advance with school leaders (e.g., travel safety) Travel to and from school will only apply to pupils in year 6.
• Where permitted, phones must be switched off as soon as it is on the school site and handed in at the office at the start of the day and collected at the end.
• Use of mobile phones during the school day, including break and lunch times, is prohibited.
• Mobile phones must not be used to take photographs or videos on school premises without explicit permission.
• Pupils found using mobile phones inappropriately will face sanctions in line with the school’s behaviour policy, and will lose the right to bring a phone to school.
• Pupils who need a mobile device to link with a medical device will have this written in to a care plan and this will be supported by the school.
• Pupils are not permitted to wear Smart Watches or glasses in school

• Parents and Carers

  • Support the school’s mobile phone policy and reinforce expectations at home.
  • Ensure pupils understand when and how mobile phones can be used appropriately.
  • Communicate with the school regarding any concerns or exceptional circumstances.
  • Model good mobile phone use by not using phones on the school site except in emergency situations

  • Mobile Phone and Smart Watch Use by Staff

    • Staff should use mobile phones responsibly, ensuring use does not disrupt teaching or compromise professional standards.
    • Personal mobile phones should not be used in front of pupils except in emergencies or with senior leader approval.
    • Staff must not use personal devices to photograph or record pupils unless authorised for school purposes and with appropriate consent.
    • Smart watches must be in ‘flight mode’ while on the school premises so as not to cause a distraction

Thank you for your support

As a school we like to promote health and well being and while we allow children to bring a snack to have at break time, we ask please that this is a healthy snack such as a piece or pot of fruit. We have noticed an increase in children wanting to have crisps to take out at break time. We do not consider crisps to be a healthy snack and while these may be fine as part of a packed lunch, we ask that children do not have them for break time snack.

Allowed snacks

In line with statutory guidance, snacks should primarily be:

· Fresh fruit (e.g. apples, bananas, berries, oranges, pears, grapes etc.)

· Vegetables (e.g. carrot sticks, cucumber, peppers, celery)

· Plain dairy products (e.g. plain yoghurt, cheese portions)

· Savoury items pack size less maximum 30g (e.g. plain breadsticks)

Government guidance states that snacks should be limited to fruit, vegetables, or similar healthy options without added salt, sugar or fat.

Where there are children who, for reasons linked to SEND, have restricted diets, we are happy to work with parents to ensure that reasonable adjustments can be made.

 We also remind parents that a number of children in school have allergies, including nut allergies, and that for no reason should any items containing nuts be sent in to school. We would also like to request that birthday sweets, cakes and party bags are shared directly between parents, rather than being brought into school for distribution. Staff cannot safely check items for allergens and we will not distribute these. 

Thank you for your support.

New reading and library books will be given to children over these first couple of weeks. We aim to ensure that the books children are issued are in line with their need and ability. Children will have 2 books, one school 'levelled reading book' and one Reading for Pleasure book. The Reading for Pleasure book is aimed to foster a love of reading. We expect children to be heard read at least 3 times per week and comments written in their reading record. Children should have their reading book and reading record in school each day. We ask for your support with this.

Any lost or books damaged beyond repair will incur a  £5 fee to allow us to replace them.  This will be issued via ParentPay. 

Many children like to bring their own pencil cases and stationary items into school. This is fine, but please remember that all items needed for school work will be provided by school. We ask that no scissors or sharp items come into school. School will provide children with safety scissors to use in school when required.

Useful items may include: pencils, rulers, crayons, a protractor (Y4+), a blue handwriting pen (KS2), felt tips and a glue stick in a sensibly sized pencil case. There is no requirement or expectation that pupils have their own items from home.

Children can also have a water bottle with a sports cap, containing only still water unless agreed otherwise with a senior leader, their reading book and reading record. In most circumstances there should be no need for other items to be coming into school without prior agreement. We ask for parents support with this. Please ensure all items of uniform are named to ensure that we have the best possible chance to return lost items to the right people.

Community Healthy Hearts Event

Wednesday 23^rd September at 10am-2pm,  Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Smethwick

A free health and wellbeing event, visitors receive a free basic health check, including blood pressure, height, weight, blood oxygen levels and an ECG heart trace. There will also be advice from health professionals on heart health, healthy eating, exercise, stop smoking, alcohol and drugs, sleep, weight management, diabetes and general lifestyle. People can take part in gentle exercise. Badminton, swimming and circuit training. Consultant Cardiologist Professor Derek Connolly will be attending to discuss looking after your heart. Please see attachment ‘M9326 community healthy heart event_A5 flyer’ for details.

 Celebrate Sandwell 2026 Event
Celebrate Sandwell 2026 is bringing people together to showcase the fantastic range of opportunities, activities, services, and organisations available across Sandwell.

The event will feature information stalls, interactive workshops, entertainment and refreshments, giving local residents the chance to discover what is available in their community, meet local organisations and take part in a variety of activities.

There will be a fantastic selection of workshops for people to enjoy, including artwork, martial arts, yoga, drumming for relaxation and a nature walk. These activities offer something for everyone and provide an opportunity to try something new, have fun and connect with others. We even have some fantastic local group performances and The Dust Busters!!

This special event is also being held in memory of Richard Flatley, founder of the Sandwell Networkers Group. Richard was passionate about bringing people and organisations together and would have loved to see an event like this take place.

We are delighted to have over 42 organisations taking part, making this a great opportunity to connect, share information and celebrate the fantastic work happening across Sandwell.

📅 Tuesday 6th October 2026
📍 West Bromwich Town Hall
⏰ 10:30am – 2:30pm

Everyone is welcome, so come along, meet new people, discover new opportunities, try out some of the activities and Celebrate Sandwell!

A reminder to parents and carers to be careful and considerate with their parking when dropping off and collecting children. It is imperative that the front of school remains clear, and that we respect neighbouring properties and ensure they are to access and egress their homes and businesses. This seems to be a particular problem with parents parking in the 'cut out' on the Birmingham Road, next to school. We ask that parents and carers do not park across people drives or in residents spaces at Sophie Gardens, and remember our school value of Respect when talking to one another.  More than anything we need to keep everyone safe. I hope that you have seen the signs that we have purchased to help remind parents and carers about parking, one is outside the main gates and another on the 'island' in the layby towards the under passage on the Birmingham Road. 

We are pleased that we are able to have an arrangement with the Holiday Inn J7 to allow parents to use car parking facilities at appropriate times. If you are interested in this please contact the school office and they will help arrange a pass for you.

Should you have any need to contact school to discuss anything, your first port of call will be your child's class teacher. The way to do this is via the school office who are happy to pass on a message, or arrange a call back. We ask that you do not engage teachers in conversation on doors when dropping off or collecting children, as the primary focus has to be the safe arrival and dismissal of children. Further information on communicating with school can be found by following the link below.

Address:

St Margaret's CE Primary School

Birmingham Road

Birmingham

B43 7AP

Telephone:

0121 357 2758

Email: postbox@st-margarets.sandwell.sch.uk

OR

Use contact us page on website: https://stmargaretscofeprimaryschool.co.uk/about-us/contact-details/

Website: https://stmargaretscofeprimaryschool.co.uk/

Information on our Communications Protocol and Procedures and Parent Code of Conduct can be found on our website.

https://stmargaretscofeprimaryschool.co.uk/parents/policies/

What can help us feel hopeful about a new beginning?

Safeguarding is very important to us at St Margaret's, and we firmly believe that everyone has a role to play in keeping children safe. Should you have any safeguarding concerns please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Mr Jones, or in his absence Mrs Boud or Mrs Humphries via the school office. If you have a concern for the safety of a child outside of school time you are able to report this directly to Sandwell Children's Trust on 0121 569 3100 or https://www.sandwellchildrenstrust.org/report-child-risk/ . If a child is in immediate danger, you should contact the police (call 999).