St John Vianney School

Contents

• Headteacher's Message
• Key information and Dates for your Diary
• Lunches
• Stars of the Week
• Highlights of the Week
• Our Catholic School
• Spotlight
• Exam Season
• Supporting Our KS4 and KS5 Pupils
• Support in School
• How You Can Support at Home
• Working Together
• Useful Information
• AI chatbots
• Links to Our Website and Social Media

Headteacher's Message

Dear Parents and Carers, I hope you are keeping well and enjoying the sunshine and early spring days we have seen this week. The pupils have returned to school very positively and settled back into work quickly after the Easter break. Thank you for your support in getting pupils back in this week and for being ready for school. Key Stage 4 pupils are attending their annual residential at Calvert Trust next week and they need to arrive at school with their packed bags at the usual time on Monday. We hope the pupils and the staff attending the full week residential in the Lake District have a great week away and that the weather is kind to them. It was great to welcome parents and carers into school before the Easter break for the annual parents' evening. Thank you for those who attended. The evening provided a great opportunity for parents and carers to have a look around the school and meet with staff to discuss the work being completed by their children in school. It was lovely to be able to speak directly with our parents. Finally, thank you for the support you have provided the school during the last term and for your wider support since the start of the year. We have always believed that St John Vianney is a really special place and we are all really privileged to be the current custodians, helping in building God’s Kingdom on earth. The summer term, we hope, will be another memorable term where we can build upon the successes we have had in school, whilst we continue to ensure the provision for learning at the school remains excellent. Very best wishes, Mr A Moloney, Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for Your Diary

• Mon 27th Apr - Fri 1st May 2026 - KS4 Calvert Trust residential
• Mon 4th May - Bank holiday school closed
• Fri 22nd May - School closes for half term
• Mon 1st June - School reopens after half term

Key Info

Allergies

Please be aware that we have a number of pupils in school with severe nut allergies. To reduce the risk of exposure for these young people, we aim to keep the school nut free. In order to support us with this we kindly ask that you:

• Do not give children nuts or nut products in their packed lunches.
• Do not give nuts, nut products or snacks/bars containing nuts for break time snacks.
• Do not send cakes or food items, containing nuts, in to school for birthday celebrations, cake sales or events.

Thank you for your support.

Lunches

Week commencing 27th April 2026:

Stars of the Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Caleb - For great effort in football.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Abbie-Mae - For being a good friend.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Quinn - For always having a positive attitude.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Isabelle - For being kind to everyone in class and being a good team player.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Keldon - For being a consistent role model in Key Stage 3.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Adnan - For having a really settled week.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Bailey - For a much better, more settled week.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Chael - For his excellent dedication to lessons, hardworking attitude and great effort in fundraising.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Will - For always being so helpful.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Kayden - For much improved behaviour.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Harley - For having a great week.
• Class 12 Ms Lord - Kyan - For trying hard this week and being kind to others.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Aliya - For trying really hard at PGL and trying her best to take part in the acitivities.

Employee of the Week

Congratulations to Mr Kanakides

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our focus at SJV this week:

"We cannot grow up by ourselves; rather we journey and grow in a community, in a family."

- Pope Francis

We hope you and your families enjoyed a peaceful and refreshing Easter break. It has been wonderful welcoming everyone back to school as we begin our final term of the year. This term brings many exciting milestones, including the completion of the final phase of our new building by the end of the summer. We are delighted about the excellent new facilities we will soon be able to enjoy. As a Catholic school, we are also preparing for our upcoming Catholic School Inspection later this summer. This will be an important opportunity to share with inspectors the strong sense of community at SJV and to highlight how our pupils live out our mission statement each day. We look forward to showcasing the values, relationships, and faith‑filled experiences that make our school such a special place for your children. In Religious Education this week, pupils have been introduced to key vocabulary for the term ahead and have been reflecting thoughtfully on their learning through self‑assessment and peer assessment. They have explored themes such as prejudice, discrimination, and life after death; topics that encourage meaningful discussion and help deepen their understanding of the world and their faith.

Mrs Garfin

Spotlight

Exam Season

Supporting Our KS4 and KS5 Pupils

As we move into the exam season, we would like to reassure parents and carers that our KS4 and KS5 pupils will be fully supported throughout this period. As a specialist SEND school our focus is on helping pupils feel safe, calm, and supported so that they can perform to the best of their ability. For our Key Stage 5 pupils, exams begin next week with Functional Skills. This marks the start of the exam season, staff are well prepared to support pupils through every step.

All parents and carers of pupils sitting exams have received a letter with details of the exams, including dates and times. Please check this information carefully and contact the school if you have any questions or concerns.

Support in School

Exam preparation in school has been carefully adapted to meet the needs of our pupils. Staff have focused on helping pupils understand what to expect in a way that reduces uncertainty and anxiety. This includes becoming familiar with exam rooms, routines, adults who will be present, and the structure of each exam as well as supporting pupils with emotional regulation strategies and calming techniques. All agreed access arrangements will be fully in place. These may include extra time, rest breaks, smaller or quieter rooms, readers, scribes, or prompts where appropriate. Pupils are familiar with their individual arrangements, having used them during mock exams and assessments, helping exams feel predictable rather than overwhelming. We regularly remind pupils that it is okay to feel nervous and that exams do not define them. Our focus is on wellbeing, effort, and helping pupils feel supported to achieve their best.

How You Can Support at Home

For many of our pupils, preparing for exams is about wellbeing rather than revision. Parents and carers can help by:

• Ensuring pupils come into school well rested, with consistent and familiar bedtime routines where possible.
• Providing a good breakfast on exam days, as this supports focus, energy, and emotional regulation.
• Keeping mornings calm, predictable, and unhurried to reduce anxiety.
• Talking through what the day will look like, including arrival at school and who will be there to support them.
• Using visual timetables, checklists, or reminders if these are helpful for your child.
• Allowing time for rest, preferred activities, and sensory regulation outside of school.

Traditional revision at home is not expected and may not be helpful for many pupils. Unless revision feels positive and manageable for your child, it is not necessary. Feeling calm, rested, and emotionally supported is often far more important.

Working Together

Staff will be available throughout the exam period to offer emotional and practical support. If you have any concerns at all, please contact the school so we can support your child together. We are very proud of our pupils and the progress they continue to make, and we look forward to supporting them through the coming weeks.

Useful Information

AI chatbots

What parents/carers  need to know about children, chatbots, and the growing role of artificial companions It’s bedtime and your child says goodnight – not to you, but to a chatbot on their phone. Or maybe they’re giggling at their screen, chatting with an AI friend who always listens, never gets tired, and remembers their favourite jokes.  For some parents/carers, this scenario might raise alarm bells. However, as AI becomes more integrated into our everyday lives, the idea of a child forming a bond with a chatbot is becoming increasingly common. So, should you worry? The short answer is: not necessarily. But, like any new technology, it’s worth understanding what’s happening.  Here’s what parents/carers need to know — what’s healthy, and where things might get triicky   To find out more click on the link; https://parentzone.org.uk/article/ai-chatbots

- Mrs J Griffin, Family Liaison Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Lead.

Developed by a team of world-renowned Online Safety Experts, the Hub is designed to engage and align the community on online safety and wellness by providing up-to-date and evidence-based information to all key stakeholders of a child’s life. Parents will find a rich library of helpful resources, including app reviews, how-to guides and advice on an array of online safety topics.

Click here to visit our Online Safety Hub for more useful tips and advice.

Click on the following link to open a directory of useful links and information about facilities, activities and support available to you and your young person: INFORMATION DIRECTORY