Ightenhill Primary School

I want to emphasise that improving attendance is not something that school staff can achieve alone. This is a whole-school community responsibility. Every family has a part to play in ensuring that children attend school every day, arrive on time and only miss school when absolutely necessary. Each individual absence may seem small, but collectively they create a picture that affects outcomes for children and the reputation of our school.

Most importantly, regular attendance directly benefits your child. Children who attend school consistently make stronger academic progress, develop greater confidence, build stronger friendships and are better prepared for the next stages of their education. Every day in school matters.

As we move forward, I am asking for your support. Please help us to improve attendance by ensuring your child attends school every day wherever possible, arranging appointments outside school hours when practical, and avoiding holidays during term time.

Ightenhill Primary School has always been strongest when school and families work together. I know that by acting collectively and placing attendance at the heart of our priorities, we can secure the best possible outcomes for all our children and protect the positive reputation that our school has worked so hard to earn.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr Crosier

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to you today about an issue of significant importance to our school community: pupil attendance.

As many of you will be aware, schools are inspected by Ofsted within designated inspection windows, and Ightenhill Primary School is now approaching the period in which we can expect our next inspection. While we remain proud of the many strengths of our school and our current Ofsted judgement of Good, I must be honest and transparent with you about a growing concern that places our future inspection outcome at considerable risk.

Throughout this academic year, we have consistently communicated the importance of regular school attendance. We have shared attendance expectations through newsletters, meetings, reports and direct conversations with families. We have done so because attendance is one of the most important factors in ensuring children achieve their full potential academically, socially and emotionally.

Unfortunately, despite these efforts, our overall attendance rates have fallen. We currently have too many pupils who are persistently absent from school, meaning they miss a significant proportion of their education. In addition, we continue to see a number of families taking holidays during term time. Whilst we understand the pressures families face and the desire to spend quality time together, these absences have a cumulative impact on both individual children and the school's overall attendance figures.

The reality is that attendance is now a key focus of school inspections nationally. Inspectors rightly expect schools to demonstrate that pupils attend regularly and that leaders, families and the wider community work together to prioritise education. At present, our attendance data does not reflect the high standards we aspire to achieve and may not accurately represent the excellent teaching, care and opportunities that exist within our school.

Extra Curricular Clubs

Our clubs next half-term are:

Mondays - Multi-sports (rounders, netball and badminton) for years 5 & 6.

Wednesday - Tri-golf for years 3 & 4.

These will be available to 'book' on Parent Pay.

Clubs start week beginning 22nd June 2026.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Final Confirmation: School is OPEN Tomorrow (Thursday 4th June)

Following our update earlier today, we are delighted to confirm that all necessary repairs, safety checks, and specialist inspections have now been successfully completed.

The site has been fully signed off as safe, and school will be open as normal to all pupils and staff tomorrow morning, Thursday 4th June.

We look forward to welcoming the children back.

Thank you once again for your cooperation, understanding, and support throughout this brief closure.

Kind regards,

Mr S Crosier

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are writing to provide you with a further update regarding the situation in school.

We are pleased to inform you that the specialist contractors have made excellent progress with the necessary repairs and safety checks.

As a result, the school is very likely to be open to all pupils tomorrow, Thursday 4th June.

We are currently awaiting the final sign-off from the relevant teams to ensure the site is ready for the return of our children and staff. We expect to receive this final confirmation later this afternoon and will send a definitive message to all families later this afternoon to officially confirm that we are reopening.

Thank you once again for your patience and support today while these essential works have been carried out.

Kind regards,

Dear Parents and Carers,
Update: Temporary School Closure on Wednesday 3rd June.

Following our previous communication, we are writing to provide a formal update regarding the ongoing situation at the school.

The specialist contractors have now completed their initial assessment following the recent water leak. While we are working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue, the required safety checks and repairs mean that the school will be closed to all pupils and staff on Wednesday 3rd June.

Please be assured that this decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to fully guarantee the safety and wellbeing of our school community, which remains our absolute priority.

Next Steps and Reopening:
• We hope to reopen the school as normal on Thursday 4th June but there is the possibility that a further full or partial closure may be required.
• We will monitor the progress of the works closely and will send a definitive update to all families by 12pm on Wednesday 3rd June to confirm arrangements for the following day.

We understand that school closures cause significant inconvenience for families, and we would like to thank you most sincerely for your continued patience, support, and understanding as we work through this situation.

Kind regards,

Mr Crosier

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are writing to inform you of a developing situation in school which may result in a temporary closure on Wednesday 3rd June.

Following a recent water leak within the building, school is currently without water and there is a possibility that materials containing asbestos may be present. We are currently working closely with specialist contractors to assess the situation fully and ensure that the site is safe for pupils and staff.

At this stage, no final decision has been made, but we wanted to give families as much advance notice as possible in case closure becomes necessary.

We will provide a further update by 3pm, Monday 1st June once we have received confirmation from the relevant specialists.
We appreciate that this may cause inconvenience and thank you for your understanding whilst we prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our school community.

If the school does need to close, we will communicate this promptly via text, email and the school website.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Mr S Crosier

🎉 Big news for our newest learners! If your child is joining Reception in September 2026, their admission pack is ready and waiting at the school office. Pop by anytime to collect it and get a head start on this exciting adventure! 📚✨

A warm welcome to our September 2026 starters.

For those joining us in reception in September, letters will be sent out shortly inviting you to our welcome meeting.

We can't wait for you to join us at Ightenhill Primary School.

BOOK LOOK

We are holding our Spring Term ‘Book Look' on Wednesday 15th April from 3:30pm until 5:00pm. This is an opportunity to sit with your child, look at their work together and celebrate what they have achieved.

If you are joining us at 3:30pm, please collect your child from their usual entrance and make your way to your child's class (they will know the way 🙂) your child's teacher will join you when all children from their class have left for the day.

If you are arriving after 3:45pm, please use the school's main entrance and then make your way to your child's class.

Thank you