Dear Families,

As we reach the midpoint of our final half-term, we have much to celebrate and look forward to.

First Holy Communion Celebrations

Last Sunday, a group of our Year 3 pupils received their First Holy Communion at St John the Baptist Catholic Church—a truly special and sacred moment in their journey of faith. We were so proud of their prayerful participation and the way they approached the Sacrament with such reverence and joy. Congratulations to all the children and their families on this blessed occasion.

We now look ahead to this coming Sunday, when another group of children will receive the Sacrament for the first time. Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare to welcome Jesus in the Eucharist. May this be the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Christ for each of them.

A heartfelt thank you to Fr. Richard, our parish catechists, and all parents and carers who have supported the children so beautifully throughout their preparation.

Transition Morning – Tuesday

Next Tuesday morning will be our Transition Morning, when all children will spend two hours in their new classrooms with their new teacher for September. This is an exciting and important part of helping the children feel confident and prepared for the next stage in their school journey. We know they will benefit from this opportunity to begin forming relationships and getting to know the learning environment they’ll step into in September.

Year 6 children moving onto St Augustine’s Catholic College in September will be attending the College for the full day.

Thank You for Your Feedback

We would also like to thank all of you who responded to our parent questionnaire regarding the organisation of classes in the next academic year. Your thoughtful and supportive feedback has been invaluable.

After carefully considering your views and working closely with the teaching team, we are pleased to share that next year, the children will be learning in split year group classes. For Maths and Phonics, however, they will be taught in dedicated year groups, to ensure targeted teaching and progression at the appropriate pace for each child.

This will look like the following:

Early Years Foundation Stage: Two classes

Years 1/2: Three split classes with Year 1 and Year 2 taught separately for Maths and Phonics

Years 3/4: Three split classes with Year 3 and Year 4 taught separately for Maths

Years 5/6: Split classes with focused teaching by year group where appropriate, including Maths

We are confident that this structure will continue to support high-quality teaching and learning, and provide a nurturing and effective environment for every child.

In addition, we listened to the voice of the children, staff team and parents and in September will be changing Class Numbers to Class Names based on the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit – linked to our school logo. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership as we continue to grow and develop as a school community rooted in faith, learning, and love.

Please note the final newsletter for this academic year will be Friday 18^th July.

With every blessing,

Mrs O’Rourke