St Margaret's C of E Primary School

Confirmation of School closure at 1pm today.

Our Year 2 children had a fantastic trip to Tamworth Castle today, stepping back in time to discover what life was like in a medieval castle. They enjoyed exploring the different rooms on a teacher guided tour, joined the Squire Academy to learn about armour and even took part in a battle using child-friendly bill hooks. After a well-earned lunch, the children met Lady Ferrers and helped her set the table for luncheon. From the moment they left school until they returned, their behaviour was exemplary and they were a credit to the school. After such a busy and exciting day, it’s safe to say there were some very tired children on the journey home! 🏰✨

I am writing to inform you of an amendment to our school operating hours for tomorrow, Thursday 25th June and Friday 26th June, due to the extreme weather conditions.

As you know, the school has implemented a robust extreme heat plan over the last few days to keep our environment as comfortable and safe as possible for both pupils and staff. However, despite all the cooling measures we put in place, classroom temperatures exceeded 29°C this afternoon. Whilst we have a couple of classes with air conditioning, this is not enough for the whole school.

With tomorrow’s forecast predicting even higher temperatures, we believe there is a strong likelihood that staying open for the full day will significantly impact the health and well-being of our school community. Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to close the school early at 1:00 PM tomorrow.

Please note the key arrangements below:

Morning Attendance: We ask that all children attend school in the morning as normal. Learning will continue while the building is still relatively cool.

Collection Time: Parents and carers will need to collect their children from school at 1 PM from the usual pick up points.

School Lunches: Lunches will be served as normal before the children leave.

Home Learning: Pupils will be sent home with work to complete in the afternoon. These activities will directly build upon what they have been learning in class this week.

Friday Outlook: We are currently planning to duplicate this early closure for Friday afternoon as well. However, if the forecast changes - which seems very unlikely, we will send an update to you by lunchtime on Thursday.

Thank you for your understanding, flexibility and support as we navigate this extreme weather. Our priority is always the safety and well-being of your children.

Please ensure your child still comes to school tomorrow with a refillable water bottle, a hat and sun cream already applied. PE shorts and t-shirt are good if they are cooler than summer uniforms.

Warm regards

Miss Steele

Aly Steele
Head of School

📚✨ Year 2 have been enjoying a series of exciting live author webinars recently!

Last week, they were delighted to join a session with Julia Donaldson, who read her book Zog and the Flying Doctors with help from some REAL flying doctors. She was also joined by illustrator Axel Scheffler, who showed the children how to draw the character, Zog.

Today, Year 2 listened to The Sun Thief, written by Alice Hemming and illustrated by Nicola Slater. The class was even given a special mention during the webinar after answering some questions correctly! ⭐

Year 2 have thoroughly enjoyed these fantastic live events, organised by Scholastic, which have provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the National Year of Reading. The draw-along sessions have been especially popular and we may well have some future illustrators in our midst! 🎨📖✨

All classes, EYFS to Year 6, enjoyed some different sporting challenges today. From climbing 🧗 to archery 🏹 and even some mini-golf ⛳️ we’ve seen some real perseverance amongst our children today! Despite the hot weather, those who wanted to were able to have a go and it was lovely to see the children encouraging each other and really being determined to over come any fears. What a super day we had!

☀️ Hot Weather Update ☀️

With extremely high temperatures forecast for this week, we want to reassure you that the health, safety, and comfort of our pupils is our top priority.

Water Bottles: Please ensure your child comes to school with a refillable water bottle every day.

Sun Cream: Please apply a high-factor sun cream to your child before school.

Sun Hats: Please send your child with a labelled sun hat to wear during their outdoor breaks.

Thank you so much for your support in helping us keep our young people safe, cool, and hydrated this week! 🧊🥤

Year 4 are learning all about how different religions mark significant events in our life journeys. This week, they learned all about the Christian baptism service and even had a go at taking part in a baptism with baby Lola, Priest Henry, and the parents and godparents!