Newsletters

It has been great to reflect on our mental health last week, we marked the occasion by wearing yellow on Wednesday. The children took part in activities such as yoga, colouring, mindfulness and whole school assembly led by Miss McCauley and Mrs Faiers. During the afternoon, every child had a visit from Bear our Therapy dog alongside Michelle his owner - we are grateful for the time they give each week to support the children.

You will have hopefully received the separate letter about the parent consultations in the week commencing 20th October with instructions on how to book - we look forward to seeing you at these meetings. 

POPULAR BOOK WARNING - SPY DOG

We have been made aware of a potential issue with a website link found in some copies of the Spy Dog children’s books by Andrew Cope.  The web address has been taken over by a third party and now leads to an adult pornographic site. Consequently, the publisher Puffin and author Andrew Cope have halted sales and distribution of these books and are working to have the site removed through legal channels.

Parking

A polite reminder to not park on the double yellow lines outside school as this endangers the children walking to school. We have had a few near misses since the start of term. Please be considerate and put the safety of our children first. 

Parent helpers 

Do you have any time spare to volunteer and help in school? We have a range of things you can support with such as reading with children and preparing resources. If you think you can spare any time, please contact the school office. 

School Uniform and Lost Property

The school uniform dress code is as follows: 

• Black or grey trousers, shorts, skirts or pinafores 
• White or red polo shirt (with or without school logo)
• Red cardigan, or sweatshirt (with or without school logo)
• Red and white summer dress (we request no play suits in EYFS, please)
• Plain white, grey or black socks or tights
• Sensible black shoes (sandals may be worn in the summer but these need to be practical for indoor and outdoor learning and play)
• A sun hat for hot days and a waterproof coat for cold/wet days which are suitable/appropriate for school and weather conditions.

Children should not be coming to school in any other items of clothing.

Please make sure that you label every item of your child's school uniform. Every week we have multiple 'lost' items that we cannot return as they are unnamed. If it is named, it will be returned to its owner!

We have a new ottoman in the front entrance for storing unnamed items of lost property. This will be cleared out regularly as we do not have space to store huge amounts of lost property. 

See below for second-hand uniform, if you need anything. 

The great Swavesey Bake off is fast approaching  on Monday 20th October - see details below. We look forward to seeing and tasting the children's baking!

School PE Days

Just a quick reminder of the PE Days for each of the classes - Please can children come to school on these days wearing their PE kit. Not all classes in a phase have PE on the same day, so please check the class names in brackets to to see which classes this links to. 

Reception: Wednesday & Thursday

Year 1/2: Monday & Wednesday (Foxes & Otters) & Thursday (Squirrels)

Year 3/4: Monday (Swans) & Tuesday & Friday (Badgers & Kingfishers)

Year 5/6: Monday (Ravens) & Tuesday & Wednesday (Swallows) & Thursday (Owls)

After School Sports Clubs

The following clubs are running this term:

Monday 3.30 - 4.15pm Year 5 / 6 Netball for fun with Miss Bennett

Tuesday 8.00 - 8.40am Year 5 'NEW'BEE Netball (INVITATION ONLY) with Mrs Turian 

Wednesday 8.00 - 8.40am Year 6 'WORKER'BEE Netball ( LAST YEARS CLUB MEMBERS ONLY) with Mrs Turian 

Thursday Year 5 / 6 Mixed Football with Mr O'Neill (Full)

Friday 8.15-8.40am Year 1-6 Golden Mile Club with Mrs Maloney - no need to sign up, just meet at the side rear gate at 8.15am prompt!

Jane Rogers is our local Family Advisor who can support you with range of things, she runs group workshops and can also work with individual families. Some up and coming workshops are listed here:

Virtual workshops:

Supporting your child with feelings of anger – Tuesday 15th of October 2024, 12-1.30pm A workshop that explores angry feelings including what is happening in our brain when we feel angry, how to explain this to children and some useful strategies to use when we have this difficult feeling.

Sleep – 22nd of October 2024, 12 - 1pm A workshop that explores some common sleep difficulties, looks at sleep hygiene, bedtime routines and suggests some strategies that may help support your child to get a good night sleep.

To book a place, please click on the link below: https://forms.office.com/e/h94eNKzz00

See Jane's latest newsletter below. If you feel that you need more individualised support, please email or speak to the school office. 

Pupil Premium

At our parent's information sessions, we also shared information about how you can sign up to receive support through Pupil Premium funding for your child. 

Pupil Premium is extra funding given to schools to help children who may face barriers to learning—such as those from low-income families, in care or adopted, or with parents in the armed forces.

If you receive benefits like Income Support or income-based JSA/ESA, your child may qualify. Even if your child gets Universal Free School Meals (Reception–Year 2), you must still apply to unlock Pupil Premium funding.

For more information see: Pupil Premium Information

New Intake - Talk and Tours 2026

We are holding four Talk and Tours this term for families with children starting in Reception in September 2026. The format will be a tour with Mrs Ogilvie, across the school 'at work', to see our environment, organisation and an opportunity to ask questions. These are aimed primarily at parents; there are opportunities later in the year for the children to visit the school. Please be aware that if you bring your child, you may not be able to visit all areas as the school will be 'in action'. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate pushchairs around the school tour. 

They will last approximately an hour. The dates are as follows:

• Tuesday 21st October at 2pm
• Thursday 23rd October at 9.30am
• Wednesday 5th November at 9.30 
• Wednesday 19th November at 9.30am 

If you would like to attend one of these meetings, please complete the form below. 

Talk and Tour Dates Autumn 2025

Further information for New Intake Parents can be found here.

SEND, Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing Links

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) information can be accessed through our SEND website pages here

Safeguarding Information - please click here for our Safeguarding page especially should you have concerns relating to the safeguarding of our children and families.  Please click here to go directly to our Safeguarding policy.

Attendance Policy - please click here for the school's attendance policy. It is vitally important parents and carers are aware of their responsibilities and the formal processes for attendance matters.  The NHS have created a useful webpage to support decision-making when children are unwell - you can click here for the link.

SEMH (Social Emotional Mental Health) resources for parents - Please click here to access an overview sheet with signposted resources for you to use at home to support your children.  The overview sheet can also be found at the bottom of the SEND page on our website here.  

H.A.Y Cambridgeshire Community Wellbeing support -  How Are You South Cambs? | Home (haysouthcambs.co.uk)

NHS Mental Health Services - www.keep-your-head.com and SHOUT - a new Text service on 85258 which provides real-time support to people of all ages who are struggling with their mental health (text the word HEAR to 85258).

Chat Health is a NHS confidential NHS service for help and advice. It’s safe and easy for you to speak to a qualified health professional. Just send a message, you don’t have to give your name. Discreet and quick. It only takes one message to start making a difference. You’ll get confidential advice from trained health staff in your area. Click here to access the site to start a web chat today.

NHS Pharmacy First Service - the NHS Pharmacy First Service enables children and adults to get convenient access to healthcare advice and treatment where appropriate, for seven common conditions without the potential delay of having to wait for a GP appointment. There is no need to make an appointment; parents or carers can pop into their local Pharmacy with their child and ask for help under the service.

Support for the following conditions can be accessed under the service, free of charge (unless NHS prescription charges apply):