Welcome

Dear Parents

Welcome back to a new school year! It has been wonderful to see the children return to school with such enthusiasm and positivity. A warm welcome also to families who are new to the school – we hope you have had a positive start to your time with us.

During our in-service training days, staff took part in a comprehensive programme of professional development. This included training on a range of important areas such as anaphylaxis awareness and Benedict’s Law, child protection and safeguarding, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and our key school improvement priorities for the year ahead. It has certainly been a full and productive start to the term.

A significant focus of our training was one of our whole-school improvement priorities: developing exceptional attitudes to learning across the school. These expectations were introduced last year and have now been refined into six clear target areas for the children. These targets are designed to help every child develop the behaviours, habits and mindset needed to become confident, resilient and successful learners.

Today, we celebrated the children who demonstrate these exceptional attitudes through our certificate assembly. We were delighted to recognise so many children who have already embraced our expectations and set a fantastic example to others. If possible, please take some time over the weekend to talk with your child about the importance of these targets and how they contribute to becoming an exceptional learner. Working together, we can support all children in developing the skills and attitudes that will help them flourish both in school and beyond.

We are also delighted to be offering 24 extra-curricular clubs this term, providing more than 1,000 club places for children across the school. These opportunities enable pupils to develop new skills, pursue their interests and build confidence beyond the classroom. I am especially grateful to staff who commit their time voluntarily to lead extra-curricular clubs and tournaments, alongside their other professional and personal commitments.

One of the highlights of our enrichment programme is Young Voices, the world’s largest school choir concert. In 2025, we took 110 pupils to Birmingham to perform alongside thousands of children from schools across the country. The experience was truly unforgettable, and we received many requests from both pupils and parents for the opportunity to take part again.

We are therefore excited to have secured tickets for January 2027, when 135 Leckhampton singers will travel to Birmingham to perform at this spectacular event. We know this will be another inspiring experience that creates lasting memories and nurtures a love of music and performance.

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to sharing the many successes and achievements of our pupils throughout the year.

Warm regards
Sam Porter
Headteacher

Arrangements for Children Arriving and Leaving School

From Monday 14^th September, Reception pupils will be dismissed by their teachers from the main hall doors on the lower playground.

As we welcome everyone back to school, we would like to take this opportunity to remind families of a few important safety expectations at drop-off and pick-up times:

• Children must dismount from scooters and bicycles before entering the school site, including along the Church Road driveway.
• When leaving school through the Children’s Entrance on Hall Road, please ensure that children remain on the pathway and do not take a shortcut across the grounds near the Wings sculpture.
• Children should not climb on school fences or railings at any time.
• Once children have been dismissed by their teacher, please ensure they remain close to their parent or carer.
• We kindly ask all families to leave the school site promptly after collection. This allows our sports clubs and wrap-around care to use the site safely, knowing that everyone has left the site and the gates have been secured.

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a safe environment for all members of our school community.

Keeping contact Details up to date

Please could we remind all parents and carers to inform the school office promptly of any changes to their contact information. This includes changes to your home address, mobile or telephone numbers, work contact details, and the emergency contact information we hold for your child.

Having accurate and up-to-date information is essential to ensure that we can contact families quickly should the need arise and helps us to keep all children safe. Thank you for your support with this important matter.

Autumn Term 1 Values

This term, we will be exploring the values of Compassion and Open-Heartedness across our school community.

Compassion means noticing when someone is struggling, caring about how they feel and taking action to help. It is about being kind, understanding and willing to support others, especially when they may be finding things difficult.

Open-heartedness means being willing to welcome, listen to and understand others. It encourages us to be generous with our kindness, time and attention, and to make sure that everyone feels valued, included and cared for.

Throughout the term, we will be encouraging the children to think about how small acts of compassion can make a big difference to someone else. We will explore how we can look beyond ourselves, notice the needs of others and respond with kindness.

Questions to talk about at home

Why not spend some time talking together about:

• What does it mean to be compassionate?
• How can we tell when someone might need help, even if they don’t ask?
• Can you remember a time when someone showed compassion to you? How did it make you feel?
• How might someone feel if they are left out? What could we do to include them?
• Is it easier to show compassion to our friends? How could we show it to someone we don’t know well?
• Can you think of a small act of kindness that could make someone’s day better?
• How can we be open-hearted when someone has different ideas, experiences or feelings from our own?

Compassion in action at home

There are lots of simple ways to practise our value as a family:

Notice someone who needs help– Look out for someone who might need a helping hand and think of something you could do to support them.

Send some kindness– Write a kind note, draw a picture or send a message to someone who might appreciate knowing that you are thinking of them.

Include someone– Think about someone who might sometimes feel left out. What could you do to help them feel welcome and included?

Help without being asked– Choose a job at home that will make someone else’s day a little easier. Perhaps tidy something, help with a sibling or make someone a drink.

The kindness challenge– As a family, see how many acts of compassion you can complete in one week. They don’t have to be big – holding a door open, listening to someone, sharing, giving someone a compliment or simply asking, “Are you okay?” can all make a difference.

Look beyond ourselves– Talk about people in your local community or around the world who may need support. Could your family donate something, help a neighbour, support a local charity or take part in a community activity?

Child Bereavement UK Parent Information Session

We have recently been informed that Bereavement UK offer a one-hour, free webinar for parents and family members to help them support children and young people when someone important to them has died. Please follow the link below if you would like to find out more:

Supporting a bereaved child – for parents, families and carers | Child Bereavement UK

Online Session for Parents

We strongly encourage parents and carers of boys to join us for this important online session.

Boys are growing up in a world of constant online influence, changing expectations around masculinity, pressures around identity and increasing concerns about mental health. As parents, understanding what they are seeing, hearing and experiencing can make a real difference to the conversations we have with them and the support we provide.

We are therefore pleased to invite you to:

Supporting Boys with Confidence: Helping Parents Navigate Influence & Identity
📅 Wednesday 23^rd September 2026
🕒 7pm
💻 Online via Zoom

Delivered by The Stay Safe Initiative and Boyz-2-Men, this supportive and practical session will explore:

• The online influences shaping boys today
• Identity, masculinity and mental health
• Building stronger communication and connection at home
• Practical strategies to support and guide your son with confidence

The session lasts approximately 90 minutes, including a 60-minute presentation followed by a relaxed Q&A. You will not need to talk, have cameras on or be asked any questions….unless you wanted to.

There is no need to register – simply use the Zoom link to join on the evening. The Zoom link will be emailed out to all parents separately to this bulletin.

We hope as many of our parents and carers as possible will take advantage of this opportunity. 90 minutes could make a real difference to how we understand, connect with and support the boys in our lives.

Kind regards,
Miss Wallace
PSHE (Vision) Lead

FOLPS Update

We hope everyone had a great summer break! FoLPS has lots of exciting events planned for this year, and you can find the provisional dates for some of these outlined below. Please pop these dates in your diaries now! Two events coming up soon are:

Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Wednesday 16^th September

If you would be interested in learning more about how FoLPS spends its funds, or would like to get involved in coming up with events to help raise even more money for the school, please come along to the FoLPS AGM. It will be held on Wednesday 16^th September at 6.15pm in the School Hall (please enter via the car park). Refreshments will be served.

Autumn Discos – Thursday 1^st October

Get those dancing feet ready for the ever-popular school discos! The timings for each year group will be as follows:

• 3.30pm-4.00pm Reception (children will get ready with their class and head straight to the School Hall with their teachers)
• 400pm-4.30pm Years 1 + 2
• 4.30pm-5.15pm Years 3 + 4
• 5.15pm-6.00pm Years 5 + 6

Please double-check the timings as they are different from last year – we are hoping it won’t be quite as dark at collection time!

Suggested donation is £3 per child, which can be paid by cash or card on the door. FoLPS will collect payment from Reception parents as children are collected (please do not send money in to school), and all other years as they come into the disco. Entrance to the disco is from the School Hall door in the staff car park. Collection after each disco will be via the playground, accessed via the gate behind the School Hall in the staff car park. FoLPS volunteers will be there to direct you!

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing those fabulous dance moves!

Dates for 2026-27

• AGM – Wednesday 16th September 6.15pm to 7.15pm
• Autumn Disco – Thursday 1st October
• Quiz Night – Friday 16th October
• Christmas Fair – Friday 4th December 5pm to 7pm
• Quiz Night – Friday 26th February
• Summer Disco – Thursday 29th April
• Summer Fair – Friday 9th July 5pm to 7pm