Newsletter - Friday 18th September

6 hours ago

7 min read

Issue 1 - Autumn term 2026

Dear families,

Welcome to Autumn term 2026! I hope that you enjoyed your summer breaks - I'm sure many of you were ready for the children to return to school!

I have very much enjoyed my first three weeks at Pheasey Park Farm Primary School. Staff, families and children have made myself and Mrs Dollery very welcome!

Children are settling well into their new classes and getting used to new routines. We've already seen some fantastic work in books!

I hope that you received the letter sent yesterday about communication. If not, please find it on our website.

We have sent out parental consents via Arbor - please look out for the letter which explains more. We'd very much appreciate you completing these as soon as possible in order for your child to take part in any food tasking activities and so that we know whether you consent for images to be shared including on Dojo and the wider internet.

We have lots of exciting things coming up including a visit from The Animal Man next Thursday! Please find the letter here in case you missed it. Our Ref AH/AMc

Year 6 are also off on their residential next week - we wish them an enjoyable visit and look forward to seeing what they get up to!

School staff are busy compiling logins for children to bring home. Please bear with us while we get these sorted!

Please find a list of key dates at the bottom of this newsletter. I hope that these are helpful in keeping you updated with what is coming up! More information about each event will be sent closer to the time.

Thank you for your continued support. Enjoy your weekends,

Miss Foster

National Coding Week!

This week, we have been celebrating National Coding Week! The children have been learning about what coding is and how we use instructions to make things happen. They then had the opportunity to put their learning into practice by taking part in a fun coding activity. It was fantastic to see the children developing their problem-solving, logical thinking and computational skills while having fun with coding!

Road safety

We have received several reports of older children riding bikes and scooters unsafely around the school area, including riding towards oncoming traffic and travelling in the middle of the road.

Please could parents and carers remind any children who travel to and from school by bike or scooter to ride carefully, remain vigilant to traffic, and follow the Highway Code at all times. The roads around school are particularly busy at drop-off and pick-up times, and everyone's cooperation is important in helping to keep all road users safe.

Thank you for your support in reinforcing these important safety messages with your child.

Year 5 and 6 - walking home alone

Some families have given permission for Year 5 and 6 to walk home alone/meet you at an agreed meeting point. Previously, all children walking home along were dismissed from Raeburn gate only. From Monday, Year 5 and 6 staff will release pupils to leave either via Raeburn or Wimperis gate. We hope that this supports families whose children live closer to Wimperis exit! If your child has permission to walk home alone, please discuss your preferred route over the weekend. If you wish to inform staff of your preferred route so that they can remind children, please contact school.

Uniform

Thank you for your support with our uniform expectations. Children have returned to school looking exceptionally smart and ready for learning.

We would like to remind families of a few key expectations:

Large hair accessories are not permitted in school.
Children wearing shirts should also wear a school tie.
Earrings must be removed for PE and swimming lessons. For health and safety reasons, earrings cannot be covered with tape.

In addition, please avoid applying temporary hair dyes during school holidays. While marketed as temporary, these products can often last much longer than intended and may not meet our school appearance expectations when children return to school.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain high standards of presentation across the school.

Secondary School applications

The portal is now open for Year 6 families to apply for secondary school places for September 2027. Apply for a secondary school place | Walsall Council

Families should apply between 11 September and 31 October 2026. Applications submitted after the 31 October deadline will be treated as late and may reduce the chances of securing a place at a preferred school. Families living outside Walsall should apply through their home local authority, even if they are applying for a Walsall school.

Before applying, families are encouraged to research prospective schools by attending open evenings, reading prospectuses and Ofsted reports, and checking admission criteria and previous admission allocations. When completing the application, parents should list up to five school preferences in order of preference, including schools where their child has a realistic chance of gaining a place. If a preferred school is oversubscribed, Walsall Council will consider the next preference and, if necessary, offer a place at the nearest school with available spaces. Families can apply for schools both within and outside Walsall through a single application as part of the coordinated admissions process.

Reception applications

The portal is now open for families to apply for Reception places for September 2027.

Apply for a primary school place | Walsall Council

Children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 are due to start Reception in September 2027. Parents and carers must submit an application by 15 January 2027. Families should be aware that a place in a school's nursery does not automatically guarantee a Reception place, and a separate application is required. Applicants living outside Walsall should apply through their home local authority, even if applying for a Walsall school.

When applying, parents can name up to three schools in order of preference and are strongly encouraged to use all three choices to maximise the chances of securing a preferred school place. Walsall Council aims to offer the highest possible preference but, where schools are oversubscribed, will consider the next preference listed. If none of the preferred schools can be offered, a place will be allocated at the nearest school with available places. Applications for schools both within and outside Walsall can be made through a single application process.

Late arrivals

Children who arrive to school after 9:00am register their attendance with staff at the School Office. From Monday, parents/children will need to register attendance and record their lunch option (School Meal or Packed Lunch) via the signing in machine located by the School Office. Staff will be available to provide assistance with this. Anyone arriving to school before 9:00am should continue to enter school through their classroom doors/KS2 foyer. Doors open at 8:40am. Thank you for your support.

School Meals

Our school new menus can be found here: School Meals | Pheasey Park Farm

The school meal cost from September is £2.66 per meal.

For parents who pay for school meals, please could payment be made the week before meals are taken to prevent debts accruing. Please be aware that, should your child's debt reach £30, then school will no longer provide school dinners until the debt is cleared.

Please can we remind families to cut up grapes if they are sent into school for lunch or snack time.

Key Dates

Autumn 2026

Monday 21^st September – Wednesday 23^rd September	Year 6 Residential
Thursday 24^th September	Animal Man visit – whole school
Friday 25^th September	European Day of Languages - afternoon
Monday 28^th September	Boosters/clubs start
Wednesday 30^th September	Dental checks – whole school Election results shared
Friday 2^nd October	Flu vaccinations
Monday 5^th October	Y4 MTC parent workshop 2:45pm
Thursday 8^th October	Y1 Phonics parent workshop 9am
Monday 12^th October	Y1 and 2 Disco 4-5pm (No clubs today)
Tuesday 13^th October	Y3 and 4 Disco 4-5pm (No clubs today)
Wednesday 14^th October	Street Dance club continues
Thursday 15^th October	Y5 and 6 Disco 4-5pm (No clubs today)
Friday 16^th October	Archery club continues
Monday 19^th October	Parent consultations 4-6:20pm
Wednesday 21^st October	Parent consultations 3:40-5:40pm
Friday 23^rd October	Y1 Harvest assembly 9am
Monday 26^th October – Friday 30^th October – Half term
Thursday 5^th November	Reception Phonics workshop 9am
Friday 6^th November	Y1 History workshops
Monday 9^th November	EYFS Nursery Rhyme week begins
Wednesday 11^th November	Remembrance assemblies
Friday 13^th November	Children in Need
Monday 16^th November	Anti-Bullying week – Odd Socks Day
Tuesday 17^th November	Photographer – individual / family photos
Thursday 19^th November	Sibling photos
Monday 23^rd November	Christmas Fayre donation day
Wednesday 25^th November	Y1 trip
Thursday 26^th November	Photographer retakes Reception eye tests
Friday 4^th December	Christmas Fayre
Thursday 10^th December	Reception production 2:30pm
Friday 11^th December	Reception production 9am
Tuesday 15^th December	KS2 achievement assembly
Wednesday 16^th December	Y5 Carol service KS1 achievement assembly
Thursday 17^th December	Nursery breakfast with Santa
Friday 18^th December	Christmas party day – own clothes
Monday 21^st December – Friday 1^st January – Christmas break

Spring term 2027

Monday 4^th January	INSET day – school closed to pupils
Tuesday 5^th January	Pupils return to school Y2 Victorians history workshop
Wednesday 6^th January	Y5 Visit to Space Centre
Monday 8^th February	Y3 A* Training
Tuesday 9^th February	Y3 A* Training
Thursday 11^th February	Y3 A* Training
Monday 15^th February – Friday 19^th February – Half term break
Tuesday 23^rd February	Y4 Romans history workshop
Monday 15^th March	Reception A* walk
Thursday 18^th March	Reception A* walk
Friday 19^th March	Reception A* walk
Friday 26^th March – Friday 9^th April – Easter break

Summer term 2027

Monday 12^th April	Pupils return to school Y6 WWII history workshop
Tuesday 13^th April	Y3 Egyptian workshop
Monday 3^rd May	Bank holiday
Tuesday 4^th May	Y4 residential
Wednesday 5^th May	Y4 residential
Monday 10^th May	Y6 SATs – GPS Papers 1 and 2
Tuesday 11^th May	Y6 SATs - Reading
Wednesday 12^th May	Y6 SATs – Maths Papers 1 and 2
Thursday 13^th May	Y6 SATs – Maths Paper 3
Friday 28^th May	INSET Day – school closed to pupils
Monday 31^st May – Friday 4^th June – Half term break
Monday 7^th June	INSET Day – school closed to pupils
Tuesday 8^th June	Pupils return to school Y4 Multiplication Checks – week 1 Y5 Viking Workshop
Monday 14^th June	Y4 Multiplication Checks – week 2 Y1 Phonics Screening
Thursday 17^th June	Y4 Bikeability
Monday 28^th June	Y5 Bikeright week 1
Monday 5^th July	Y5 Bikeright week 2
Monday 5^th July	Y1 Scootability
Monday 12^th July	Y5 Bikeright week 3
Thursday 22^nd July – Wednesday 1^st September – Summer break