Autumn Term 1 - 2025
What a busy eight weeks it's been! It has been great to see how wonderfully the children have settled back into school life and embraced all the new learning and opportunities this half term. Thank you, as always, for the tremendous support you give at home; the strength of our school community is what makes our school so special and allows us to offer the range of learning and opportunities that we do. I hope this upcoming break offers a restful and well-deserved pause for everyone.
A Warm Welcome
We are delighted that a full class of 30 joined our Reception class and have settled so well. We hope that the 'first steps' transistion program provided the support needed for you and your child to feel ready when starting back in September. As the half term has progressed, under the guidance of Miss Allen, Mrs Valentine and Mrs Ali, the children have joined more of the whole school routines and are now fully involved in school life.
We would also like to welcome our new families (The Longs, Siddiques and Anishs) who have joined other classes in school this September and equally hope you have been welcomed and made to feel part of the school community.
The school population continues to grow in size after taking an unexpected dip a couple of years ago. Our school now has 205 on roll. This means we still have some spaces in some classes. So if you know of families looking for places do encourage them to contact Stockport admissions:
- Email: admissions.support@stockport.gov.uk
- Telephone: 0161 217 6022
Our Curriculum in Action!
It has been a privilege to witness the varied and engaging curriculum that our staff plan for the children. Focussing not only on the core skills but also still finding the energy to go above and beyond, providing many wider opportunities. We hope you would agree the children have had a fun range of opportunities and experiences to make their half term and learning memorable.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2025 - 2026
We like to think that we are a school that is continually looking to develop and enhance the learning experiences that we offer. For this reason, we take into account feedback from all members of the St. John’s community (children, parents/carers, staff and governors) and evaluate a range of information and data, to help us establish priorities for future development. We have identified the following areas for development during this academic year:
Key Priority 1: To enhance oracy opportunities in order that all pupils will demonstrate increased confidence and competence in expressing their ideas clearly, listening actively, and engaging in collaborative discussions across the curriculum.
Key Priority 2: To embed the school's newly revised Quality First Teaching/LEARN policy so it is consistently and effectively implemented across all classrooms.
Key Priority 3: To ensure the needs of all children and families are met through adaptations to the curriculum, inclusive practices and a genuine home school partnership.
Class Dojo
As previously communicated we have moved away from Twitter as a means of sharing our highlights from our day to day learning. We are now using Class Dojo which allows many of the same sharing opportunities -photos, videos, samples of work, key reminders and the ability for families to interact through likes and comments but with the added layer of reassurance for families that it is only shared within our school community. We hope the move to this software has been a positive experience for families. Should you have not yet connected with your class, but wish to join, please let you child's class teacher know and we can share the joining link again.
Could we please remind all families that photos should not be downloaded/screenshot in order to be shared on wider social media from any of our school platforms. This is because not all children have permission for images to used in a wider context.
Choir & Young Voices 2025:
St John’s will continue to be part of Young Voices again this year. The children gain a tremendous amount of musical listening and performance skills but most of all will be able to enjoy singing with thousands of children. This year's Young Voices concert is taking place at The Coop Live Arena in Manchester on Thursday 12th February 2026. Thank you to those who have confirmed their child’s involvement. The choir are now busy learning all the lyrics and dance moves. We are very grateful to Mrs Taylor for taking on the role of leading the children through this experience.
Obviously with Mr Rayner's resignation we no longer have anyone to lead our choir. We are keen to still be able to offer opportunties for singing outside of simply Young Voices. Therefore if there are any parents or linked family members who may have the skills to allow us to offer a choir club either at lunchtime or after school then please get in touch as we would like to still be able to offer a free option for those children keen to sing. It would also help in preparation for events such as the Christmas Fair, Carols by Candlelight etc.
Staffing
As mentioned in previous letters earlier this term, we said goodbye to Mr Rayner at the beginning of this school year. Mr Rayner had been the headteacher of St John's for the last 13 years and guided the school through some significant changes. Most obviously is that of the rebuild in 2019, but also behind the scenes shaping the new curriculum, broadening our offer of wider opportunities, growing our school population from as low as 183 children at one point, developing the culture of our school community and building our profile across the Local Authority and within the local area. We are very grateful for his years of service, his influence in getting so many children involved in loving music and his endless energy in driving standards at the school forward. We wish him all the best for the future and thank him for all that he has done for our school community.
During his absence, we appreciate it has been an uncertain time for the school community and we thank you for your support and patience.
If your child is unable to attend school due to illness please inform us as soon as possible on the first morning of absence. Please let us know the reason for absence and how long you expect your child to be absent for. You can ring the office on: 0161 442 7424 and leave a voicemail or email: admin@st-johns.stockport.sch.uk
Children who have vomited or have diarrhoea should remain absent from school for at least 48 hours from the last episode of symptoms, to prevent spread of infection.
Requests for absence during term time can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Request forms are available from the school website or the school office and should be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance.
New research shows that for children in Year 6, having attendance of lower than 90% reduces the likelihood of reaching the expected standard by around 25%. We would therefore ask you continue to work with us to ensure your child attends school as much as possible.
Our Fantastic PTA
A huge THANK YOU to the PTA, who have worked extremely hard to raise a very impressive amount last year for the benefit of the children at St. John’s - £15,000. I am sure that you will join me in thanking them for the invaluable contribution they make. Recent funding has included:
- Various ICT licenses to support in class and home learning
- 2 way radios across school to enhance our safeguarding systems
- Supporting the Macmillan coffee morning
- Purchasing additional role play toys for the Reception class
- Funding picture news
- A new class set of Chromebooks and charging trolley
Events this half term have included:
- Welcome Disco
- Year 6 Cake Sale
- Movie Night
- Christmas Card Sales
If you are interested in supporting the work of the PTA the next meeting is the AGM at school on Monday 10th November @ 7pm.
Our Volunteers
Throughout the year we couldn't achieve everything we do without the support of so many volunteers, whether that be weekly parent helpers or volunteers for trips or for specific events. We really are very grateful for your time and the invaluable support you offer the school community. If you feel able to volunteer in any capacity this year, please look out for a letter coming out shortly.
Policy Updates
Recently our Governing Board have approved some new policies that will be relevant to you. As technology moves on we have refined our Responsible Use Policies for staff/visitors and children to reflect some of the newer challenges with technology. The school's safeguarding policy has also been updated. All key policies can be found on our policies page of the website.
MEDICAL INFORMATION:
Please ensure we have the latest information regarding any medical needs your child has, as this helps us ensure we are able to give the support needed. Should any medical conditions no longer apply then please also communicate this to the office. If your child needs medication then a form must be completed at the office stating clearly the does and timings required. If your child has asthma then they must have an in date inhaler and spacer in school.
Can we remind our families that no nuts or nut based products should be brought into school either as part of a lunchbox, treats for the class or as a snack. This is due to us having some children and staff with severe nut allergies.
FABS - Before and After School Club
FABS BOOKINGS: Please remember that all FABS Breakfast and After School Club bookings must be made in advance using Parent Pay. Mrs Longworth can be contacted at fabsbookings@st-johns.stockport.sch.uk. Full payment must be made via ParentPay or a Childcare Payment Scheme at the time of booking. FABS is proving very popular at the moment, therefore we would ask you to book as far in advance as you are able, to ensure we can plan for the number of children and to avoid us having to turn anyone away. Please contact Mrs Longworth to request more information.
Extra-Curricular Opportunties
Can we take the opportuntity to thank our staff for providing the many extra-curricular opportunties that they do. The teacher led clubs this term include: Eco Club, Cooking Club, Newspaper Club, Sewing Club, School Council, Lego Club, Scratch Club, Young Voices Choir and Recorder Club. In conjunction with Rev. Rowles we will also be starting Play and Praise after half term. Contact Miss Taylor (R.E. Lead) for any further information. Progressive Sports have created an exciting timetable of clubs on offer for all age ranges. Please contact them directly to book and pay for any clubs they offer.
Working alongside Rev. Rowles, we continue to seek to build the links with St John's Church. Rev. Rowles has sent out a communication drawing your attention to the new Family Services on the fourth Sunday of every month. It would be great to see some children and families from St John's school attending and if your child would like to take part in leading an element of the service or helping in any way, please mention this to Rev. Rowles who will happily find them a role. If your child would like to give readings, read prayers or help in any way during the service please contact revlizrowles@outlook.com or on 07763188149.
Support for Families
It's important to us that we understand the various pressures families can face, whether they are financial, emotional, or related to health challenges. We recognise that these can sometimes feel overwhelming and impact the whole family, including your child's wellbeing and learning. Our school is here to offer support where we can. This includes facilitating access to food bank vouchers discreetly for those experiencing financial strain, and ensuring all eligible children receive Free School Meals. For guidance on navigating the complexities of the digital world, we encourage families to use the Stockport Online Safety Hub. Furthermore, as part of a pilot program, our School Nurse visits St John's monthly, offering a private, supportive space for parents to seek advice on any health-related issue concerning their child.
Please know that if you are feeling overburdened by any challenges, you should always feel able to contact the school office—we are committed to supporting our families and will always do our very best to help or guide you towards appropriate external support. We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is vital for ensuring all our children can flourish.
Mr A Clerc & The St John's Team
Contact: admin@st-johns.stockport.sch.uk
Website: http://www.st-johns.stockport.sch.uk