Running Track
I am delighted that our large running track is now dry enough to be back in action following a very wet winter and early spring. Children from all year groups have been running on the track at lunch time, and classes will be using the track as part of children’s daily exercise entitlement over the rest of this term.
British Weather!
Please can we ask that children come to school with a waterproof coat every day. The weather can be changeable, as we all know, and we can have heavy downpours which start suddenly. We always aim for children to be out in the fresh air at break and lunch times, and this is difficult for children without coats when it is raining. If the forecast is for warm, sunny weather, please send children in wearing sun cream and a sun hat.
Uniform
We encourage our families to donate outgrown uniform that is in excellent condition to our PTA. Parents can then buy high-quality pre-worn uniform items for as little as £1:00 (£2:00 for branded items). Uniform can be donated/ purchased by emailing fompsuniform@gmail.com or by speaking to Mrs Meakin on the Key Stage 1 gate.
Car Safety
Bradford Council have provided our school with a child measuring guide which provides important advice for parents and children on road safety, child car seats and in-car safety. The measuring guide is located outside the school office on St Peter’s Way for children and parents to use.
Dogs
Please can we request that families avoid bringing dogs into the school grounds unless the dog is carried by the owner and is under very close control.
School day timings
The school day runs from 08:55 to 3:15 currently. Our gates and doors are open between 08:45 and 08:55 in the morning and we request that all children are in school by 08:55.
From September 2024 the Government requires all schools to deliver a 32.5 hour school week. Having finished our consultation period, we will achieve this by starting our school day at the slightly earlier time of 08:45, which will mean that our drop-off window will be between 08:35 and 08:45 from September. We are letting you know about this now so that you have the opportunity to consider how the change might affect your family.
This is what the timetable change will look like in practical terms:
| Current model | 32.5-hour week model from September 2024 | ||
| Gates open for children to arrive and settle into class | 08:45 – 08:55 | Gates open for children to arrive and settle into class | 08:35 – 08:45 |
| Registration and morning learning task | 08:55 – 09:10 | Registration and morning learning task | 08:45 – 09:00 |
| Core lessons start | 09:10 | Core lessons start | 09:00 |
| End of the school day | 15:15 | End of the school day | 15:15 |
Attendance
Our overall attendance for the first two terms was 96.6%, which is slightly lower than our target of 97%. Our overall attendance for the last academic year was 96.46%. It is our aim that every child in school achieves attendance of at least 97% so I would urge families to check our school term dates carefully before booking any holidays. Children should only be absent from school if they are too ill to attend or for other truly exceptional circumstances and holidays in term-time are not classed as exceptional. We encourage families to send children into school if they have a mild cold or other mild symptoms of illness. Children will always be monitored by staff and parents will be contacted if we feel that a child is too ill to stay at school. If you are not sure about whether your child is too ill to attend school, please refer to the NHS website Is My Child Too Ill for School? where you will find advice on a range of common childhood illnesses. We should take this opportunity to remind parents that children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).
If you have anything that you need to ask me about or let me know about, please email the school office, come to see me or give me a call and I will get back to you.
Mrs Marie Wilson
