St Paul's Newsletter
Friday 17th October 2025
Message from Mrs Evans
We have had another busy few weeks! Our Year 6 have had another fantastic residential at Hindleap Warren - they have really demonstrated our school values of commitment, courage and love in every activity that they have taken part in. We are so proud of them!
Our classes have been working hard on their new corridor displays and we are looking forward to parents and carers having the chance to see these next week during our 'work share' session on Monday 20th October 3:15pm - 4:00pm. We are also welcoming visitors from the diocese and local authority next week and I am looking forward to taking them into the classrooms to see the children's learning in action.
We had another visit from our Southborough High School mentors this week - who are completing one to one reading with our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils and are looking forward to our maths mentors having their first session with the Reception children next week.
Next week also sees the start of our Reception 2026 tours - I can't believe it is already that time again! These tours allow us to welcome local families who are considering applying to join our school for Reception. They are always such a proud moment for me as I get to spend each of these talking about what a special school community we have built here!
Half-term is now on the horizon and after a busy 8 weeks we are looking forward to a chance to rest and recharge ready for one of the busiest terms ahead as we lead up to Christmas! Thank you for all of the continued support from our parents and carers - it really makes a difference!
Parking on the Road
We ask that our parents/carers are considerate when parking in the roads local to school. We have been receiving complaints again about cars parked on double yellow lines and across drives which has made these inaccessible to local residents. Please remember that double yellow lines have been put in place for safety reasons - in order to keep all of our pupils safe we ask that you do not park on these.
New Wraparound Care - 'The Bridge' Update
Numbers at 'The Bridge' continue to be relatively stable. We have seen a slight drop in families using breakfast club, but our 'short sessions' after school continue to be popular. It is great to see a number of our new Reception families making use of our wraparound care too. James and Tasmin have been planning some very creative themes for each week and we continue to look out for new fruits/foods for the children to try! We are grateful for the support being shown by our families and hope to continue to see new families making use of the service too.
Attendance Overview
Next week you will be receiving an overview of your child's attendance. Please come and see the school office team if you have any queries about this.
Classes - since last newsletter
| Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|
100% |
97.49% | 98.15% | 97.96% | 96.85% | 98.66% | 95.98% |
Whole School - since the start of the year
| Our Target | Current Attendance | National |
| 97% | 97.37% | 95.76% |
Holidays in Term Time
I would like to remind all parents that holidays during term time will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. These cause disruption within the class due to children missing parts of the learning in topics which will later be built upon and can lead to children being unsettled on their return to school.
Holidays in term-time should only be taken for 'exceptional circumstances' which means that this would not be a regular (including annual) occurrence.
We are currently reviewing our attendance strategy and are closely monitoring the link between term-time absence and an increase in support needed for some of our pupils and families in school.
If you are considering a term-time holiday, I would really ask that you reflect on the confusion in the messaging to the children when they are taken out of school for a holiday having been told up to that point (and after) that they 'must' attend school.
Please look out for further updates about the changes to our strategy in the coming year.
Birthday Treats
A reminder that we do not allow cake or sweets to be given out on children's birthdays. If you are keen for your child to be able to share a treat with their class to mark the day, please provide a platter of fruit to be shared by the class or a new book to be added to the class library.
School Website
Please remember to make use of the school's website and calendar (which can be synced to your phone) for reminders and updates.
Support with Behaviour Concerns
A plea to parents/carers that if they have concerns about an incident that has taken place at school, that they avoid directly contacting other parents as this can lead to both misunderstandings and upset. We ask that any concerns are brought directly to school staff and that school are then left to deal with these. We will always follow up any concerns brought forward and would always prefer to find out more and resolve these within the school day (wherever possible) as this makes it easier for the children to accurately recall what has taken place. One of our key priorities is developing positive relationships across our community and this is something that our families can do to support us with this.
School Trips/Visits Policy
At St Paul's we have developed a rich programme of trips and visits to support our curriculum. Whilst parents/carers will always be asked for permission for their child to attend, these experiences have been carefully chosen and planned to enrich our pupils' learning and therefore we are always keen to enable as many pupils as possible to attend.
We are always keen to hear from parents/carers if they have any concerns about a trip or visit and will then invite them to come in and meet with us to discuss this concern further in the hope that together we can create a plan of support which will enable their child to take part.
Please do not be surprised to be asked to come in if you have not given permission for a trip/visit - we really value these opportunities to have conversations about concerns and to consider what can be done to support.
Developing Healthy Online Habits
We are aware that even our youngest pupils have regular access to devices such as iPads and phones to access activities online. We wanted to share some top tips with families to support them in helping their children to develop a healthy relationship with this technology. Parents and carers can do this by:
- Setting clear limits on the amount of time that these are being used daily
- Ensuring that devices are being used in an area that allows adult supervision at all times
- Discussing with children how to respond if they see something online that they do not like or if they are contacted by someone that they do not know
- Having regular conversations about what they are accessing
- Setting boundaries around online device use and bedtime – ensuring that there is a period of time when children are not using these before going to bed.
- Creating healthy habits, open discussion and clear boundaries early in children's lives is extremely important as it is much harder to put these in place once unhealthy habits have been formed. The following guide gives some suggestion
If you would like any further support with this please see the information on our school website here: Online Safety Advice for Parents
Alternatively, please contact Mrs Evans or Mrs Griffin to arrange a time to discuss this with them further.
PSA Updates
St Paul's PSA: ‘Bringing our school community together to create lifelong memories’
The PSA have done such a fantastic job in their fundraising over the last year which has made a visible difference to a variety of areas around the school. This year they have funded brand new libraries for both KS1 and KS2 which have made significant difference for our children. They have provided author visits, science and maths workshops and we are looking forward to having our astro turf repaired thanks to their fundraising efforts too.
Big Target: A new music room - look out for further information about this to come soon.
Remember to check out our events guide on the PSA page which is a guide for families about what our different events involve and how you can help:
Look out for upcoming events
PSA Store
Don't forget to head over to our PSA store to get involved in the latest events using the link below:
Second Hand Uniform
We have a large amount of good quality second hand uniform available, please use the link below and follow these instructions:
- Once on the website click on the three lines to the right.
- Scroll down to ‘find your school’
- Select Kingston upon Thames as our Local authority.
- Select St Paul’s C of E KT9 1AJ
Please carefully read the instructions on when to collect your items.
Easyfundraising
Easyfundraising turns your daily shopping into every day magic!
Easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands who will donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice. It won't cost you any extra. The cost is covered by the brand.
Brands pay Easyfundraising a commission because when you start your shop from the Easyfundraising website or app, they can see we sent you to them. If you make a purchase, a commission is generated, and we turn that into a donation - magic!
Click the link above to register to use Easyfundraising - remember to search 'St Paul's Primary School, Chessington' when searching for your cause and turn on the donation reminder. Every little bit helps!
Class News
Reception
Last week in Reception we looked at the different body parts we have, we then discussed what the job of each one is. We then drew round one of our bodies and then labelled each part. To help strengthen our fine motor skills for our writing, we used tweezers to put pom poms into the holes of Numicon. In Maths we have been looking at the composition of numbers 1-5. We had some houses with numbers and had to put the right amount of teddy bears into the houses. This week in Reception we have started our sounds in phonics; we have done so well with remembering the sounds and actions. We have also practised writing the sounds. With our Autumn treasure bags, we have made some collages. We also went on our own Autumn treasure walk in the outdoor area with a tick sheet of things we had to try and find. In Maths we have been carrying on looking at the composition of each number 1-5. We have been using conkers to help us do this. We are loving using conkers in our activities at the moment so we have also been making the sounds that we have learnt using them. And lastly, we have been writing our sounds in glitter trays.
Reception Newsletter 2025-26
Year 1
This week in Year 1 we have been looking at writing instructions all about how to wash our hands. We've enjoyed learning about bossy words - verbs - and listening out for them in instructions in the classroom. In Maths we have been looking at decade numbers and groups of 10. We noticed that it doesn't matter what object or shape objects are, as long as there are 10 of them it is a group of 10. In Geography, we have been working on our map reading skills. We really enjoyed our trip to the park and marked our journey from school. We also followed a map of the playground to find hidden letters. In DT we are practising our cutting skills in preparation for making our fruit salad next week. We are so excited!
Year 1 Newsletter 2025-26
Year 2
It has been another fabulous week in Year 2! In Science, we have been learning about animals and their habitats. The children worked collaboratively on a class project researching the rainforest, desert, and the arctic. In Maths, we have been learning about bar models . Please keep practising our 2, 5, and 10 times tables with us at home – we are getting so good at them now, often wanting to try them backwards! We have finished our class book, The Robot and the Bluebird, and in English this week, we have been writing a story from the perspective of the Bluebird. The children have come up with some creative and fun scenarios and we are really enjoying sharing our ideas. We also had lots of fun making wraps in DT and even more eating them!
Year 2 Newsletter 2025-26
Year 3
In Year 3, we have been learning how to add and subtract bridging through 100, using concrete resources and with partitioning. We have learned new descriptive techniques in English, including similes and personification , and have particularly enjoyed expressing our creativity in writing when using these techniques. In History, we have discussed and labelled the features of Victorian architecture and interiors of Victorian homes while making comparisons. We have enjoyed summarising the French words that we have been learning and have discussed the spellings of these too.
Year 3 Newsletter 2025-26
Year 4
This week in Year 4, we celebrated our food fair. We shared foods from over 20 different countries and tried lots of new and exciting foods. In Maths, we have continued our work on place value and been looking at rounding numbers to the nearest 1000 and 100. In Science, we conducted an experiment, looking at ice melting and what things can affect the speed of this. We also looked at the water cycle in Science, linking this to the states of matter. In English, we then used this knowledge to create an information leaflet all about the water cycle.
Year 4 Newsletter 2025-26
Year 5
Year 5 Newsletter 2025-26
Year 6
Year 6 have had the most amazing time at Hindleap Warren this week. We have taken part in so many brilliant activities, developed our teamwork and problem solving skills, and have become so much more independent. Everyone has tried something new and showed fantastic courage and commitment even when things felt challenging or a bit scary! We have learned map reading and orienteering to find our way around the forest, played disc golf, taken part in axe throwing and archery and we have walked, climbed, jumped, dived and crawled through the biggest, muddiest puddles. We have worked collaboratively, encouraging others and cheering our friends on to help them achieve things they didn't think were possible.
Year 6 Newsletter 2025-26
Team Points
Congratulations to Year 3 and Sapphires who were the Team Points winners for the week beginning 6th October and to Year 5 and Diamonds who were the team points winners for the week beginning 13th October.
Wider Community News and Events
Moving Matters Holiday Camp
Junior Parkrun comes to Chessington
The Junior Parkrun is a 2k fun run which takes place weekly at many different locations across the country. We are excited to announce that they have launched a weekly event at Lovelace Primary School on Sundays at 9am. It is a free event, but you do need to register in advance using the link here:
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/lovelaceprimaryschool-juniors/
It would brilliant to hear about some of our families taking part!
Family support Workshops
Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of primary-aged children. The ‘Helping Children with …’ series of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by children and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their children with these difficulties. Please use the link below to find further information.
Safeguarding Information
What if I have a Safeguarding Concern?
A reminder to parents and carers that if you have a safeguarding concern about a child this should be brought to Mrs Evans (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or Mrs Griffin (Deputy DSL).
There is lots of information on the school’s website to support parents in keeping their children safe (particularly linked to online safety) which can be found by clicking on the link below:
Road Safety Around Our School
We ask that parents and carers are considerate of the other members of both our school and local community when parking for drop off and collection. Please do not park on yellow lines or on the corners of local roads - markings have been placed on the road in spots where it will become dangerous if a vehicle stops. Parking in these places makes it very difficult for families to check that roads are safe for crossing and we are aware that this also applies to our Year 6 pupils who are walking home alone. Please leave time to find a suitable place to park safely and work with us to make the local roads as safe as possible for our pupils and families.
Key School Policies
Please take some time to familiarise yourself with our School Policies: 'Separated Parents Policy' and 'Communication and Conduct Policy'. These have been put together in consultation with the governing body who have now adopted these. Click on the links below to access them; they can also be accessed on the 'policies' page of the school's website.
Separated Parents Policy Communication and Conduct Policy
Key Dates for Your Diary
New or changes to dates shown in blue
- Mon 20th Oct: Individual School Photos
- Mon 20th Oct: Workshare 3:15pm - 4:00pm
- Fri 24th Oct: PSA Donation Day - wear own clothes (no superhero outfits or sports kits) - parents/carers bring in alcoholic or non-alcoholic bottled drinks for tombola
- Fri 24th Oct: PSA Donuts Sale
- Fri 24th Oct: End of half-term (3:15pm finish)
- Mon 3rd Nov: Year 5 and Year 6 Talk Consent Workshop
- Weds 5th Nov: Year 4 'Future Makers' at Royal Albert Hall
- Mon 10th Nov: Whole School Nasal Flu Immunisation
- Fri 14th Nov: PSA Donation Day - wear own non-uniform shoes with school uniform - parents/carers bring in packets of sweets for tombola
- Fri 14th Nov: PSA Quiz Night (adults only)
- Weds 19th Nov: Year 2 Christmas Journey
- Fri 21st Nov: Year 2 Polka Theatre Trip
- Mon 24th Nov: Year 5 Bikeability (all week)
- Tues 25th Nov: Year 4 Science Museum Trip
- Weds 26th Nov: KS2 Choir singing at John Lewis
- Weds 26th Nov: Parent/Carer Meetings 4pm - 6:30pm
- Fri 28th Nov: PSA Donation Day - wear Christmas themed outfit - colours or images - parents/carers bring in home made cakes and biscuits for cake stall at the fair (no nuts please)
- Sat 29th Nov: PSA Christmas Fair 12pm - 3pm
- Tues 2nd Dec: Early Finish at 2:30pm
- Tues 2nd Dec: Parent/Carer Meetings 3pm - 6pm
- Wed 3rd Dec: Class Reps at 10am (change of date)
- Weds 3rd Dec: Year 5 Rose Theatre Trip
- Fri 5th Dec: Reception Postbox and Library Trip
- Fri 5th Dec: Year 3 and Year 4 Polka Theatre Trip
- Mon 8th Dec: iRock Parents/Carers Concert at 2:30pm
- Tues 9th Dec: KS1 Nativity at 9:15am (adults only)
- Tues 9th Dec: Year 6 Rose Theatre Trip
- Weds 10th Dec: PSA Children's Christmas Market
- Thurs 11th Dec: KS1 Nativity at 9:15am (siblings welcome)
- Fri 12th Dec: PSA Children's Christmas Market
- Mon 15th Dec: KS2 Christmas Concert at 9:15am (adults only)
- Mon 15th Dec: KS2 Choir singing at Trafalger Square
- Tues 16th Dec: KS2 Christmas Concert at 9:15am (siblings welcome)
- Tues 16th Dec: Whole School Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day
- Thurs 18th Dec: Reception and Year 1 Christmas Film
- Fri 19th Dec: End of Term (2pm finish)
- Mon 5th Jan: INSET DAY (school closed to children)
- Tues 6th Jan: Children Return
Remember to visit the calendar page using the link above and to link our school calendar to the calendar no your phone for automatic updates.
