1 month ago
Posted on 12th Dec 2024 by Mrs Millington

School Menu Change Wednesday 18th December

There will be a change to the school menu on Wednesday 18th December. The kitchen will be serving burger and wedges with beans or sweetcorn followed by cupcakes.

Kind regards

1 month ago
Posted on 10th Dec 2024 by Mrs Millington

Free School Meals

Dear Parents/Carers,

We already have many families who enjoy the benefits after applying for Free School Meals and we urge you to reconsider if you meet the criteria listed below.

By applying for Free School Meals, very often parents think it is all directly linked to school dinners- it isn’t! If you qualify for Free School Meals, it also means that you are entitled to significantly reduced prices for school trips, breakfast clubs and after school clubs. There are many other benefits that your child could directly receive to potentially support them at home and if needed, with their learning at school.

Families with children in years Reception up to Year 6 can apply for Free School Meals if they are entitled to certain benefits and have an annual income of £16,190 or below.

Please follow the below link as this will take you to the Telford & Wrekin website where you are able to access more information and download an application form which will be sent directly to the team. Or alternatively, speak to a member of staff in the school office for support in applying.

How do I apply? – Free School Meals – Telford & Wrekin Council

2 months ago
Posted on 25th Nov 2024 by Mrs Millington

Christmas Fayre Thursday 28th November 2024

25.11.24

Christmas Fayre

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our Christmas Fayre on Thursday 28^th November.

It will be cash only as we do not have any banking facilities on site.

We have tried to think about using different spaces so as to avoid the usual bottle necks. However please expect it to be busy and please be patient.

It would really help if you could somehow avoid bringing pushchairs and buggies. I know sometimes this isn’t possible, but maybe a baby sling or similar could help us with the congestion.

At home time the bell will go and children will be released as normal. Staff will quickly get to their stalls and then we will open the main entrance by the office. This will be the only entry/exit point so that we can manage numbers in our school building.

All proceeds are going towards supporting all of our families in keeping school trip costs down to a minimum.

Thank you for your support.

Miss Cook

Headteacher

3 months ago
Posted on 08th Oct 2024 by Mrs Millington

School Visit Costs

School visit costs

As a school, we are committed to ensuring that all of our children continue to have a variety of opportunities to engage through a wide range of trips and visits. We believe that these experiences help to provide meaningful learning opportunities, as well as support children with their personal development.

As many of you may already be aware, as a school we subsidise our school visits using our own funds as well as money raised from school events. Although our budgets are certainly becoming tighter, we still appreciate that the cost of living has caused many families to also have financial concerns. Where we can, we will continue to contribute towards school trips so that parents are still not paying the full cost. However, our levels of subsidy simply cannot remain as high as they have always been in the past due to budget constraints.

We have a had number of parents who have asked if they could contribute extra amounts towards trips to support those in our school community who may be struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis. If you would like to do this, please contribute via ParentPay. Every penny will go towards the trip costs.

We thankyou for your ongoing support.

3 months ago
Posted on 07th Oct 2024 by Mrs Millington

Young Voices – January 2025

We are really excited to announce that Years 4 and 5 will once again have the opportunity of taking part in the very special ‘Young Voices’ concert which will take place on Wednesday 15th January 2025 at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham (this will be a late night!).

This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to experience singing as an ensemble alongside professional musicians and conductors. We always get fabulous feedback from children and parents who experience Young Voices. If you are keen for your child to be involved, it is very important, that your child is prepared to put in a lot of hard work and commitment both during the after school clubs and during the event.

After school club will start on Monday 14th October and run until Monday 13th January until 4.15pm, excluding the week of parents evening 2nd December. Children are to be collected from the back of the hall.

The cost of the club is £2 per week. The cost of the concert including the coach costs is £24. In order to secure your child’s place in the club and at the concert, we are asking for the after school club costs and a £10 non-refundable deposit towards the concert costs. A further £10 will be required in December. As always, school will subsidise the remaining £4 per child in attempt to support parents with costs so that as many children as possible can experience Young Voices.

Further information regarding tickets for parents/carers will be available in the coming weeks and the option to sign up will be on 7th October 2024. We are limited to 30 places only.

4 months ago
Posted on 25th Sep 2024 by Mrs Millington

European Day of Languages

On Thursday the 26^th September, Newdale will be celebrating European Day of Languages.

It is a day to promote awareness of the importance of language learning and protecting the linguistic heritage.

Each year group will be celebrating a different country (please see below).

Nursery -Spain

Reception -Italy

Year 1- Sweden

Year 2-Poland

Year 3- Denmark

Year 4- Switzerland

Year 5- Greece

Year 6- Germany

The children are invited to come into school wearing the colours of the flag that they are celebrating

4 months ago
Posted on 10th Sep 2024 by Mrs Millington

Free School Meals

Free School Meal Applications

Dear Parents/Carers,

We already have many families who enjoy the benefits after applying for Free School Meals and we urge you to reconsider if you meet the criteria listed below.

Families with children in years Reception up to Year 6 can apply for Free School Meals if they are entitled to certain benefits and have an annual income of £16,190 or below.

How do I apply? – Free School Meals – Telford & Wrekin Council

4 months ago
Posted on 10th Sep 2024 by Mrs Millington

Attendance Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

RE: Attendance Update

From 19^th August 2024, the Government have introduced a new ‘National Framework for Penalty Notices’. These will apply across Telford and Wrekin from 1^st September 2024.

Below are some of the significant changes you need to be aware of:

If your child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10 school-week rolling period, you may be issued with a Penalty Notice. These 10 sessions may include any unauthorised absence, including leave in term time and do not have to be consecutive. Unauthorised absences are recorded for children who are late after the register has closed, do not provide medical evidence, or have not contacted school.
Penalty Notices are increasing to £160 from September 2024. This can be reduced to £80 but only for the first Penalty Notice issued, if paid within 21 days – this reduction does not apply to any subsequent Penalty Notice.
Any 2nd Penalty Notice, to the same parent for the same child, issued within three years of the date of the first Penalty Notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160.
A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three-year rolling period, to the same parent for the unauthorised absence of the same child, – alternative action or legal measures will be utilised for subsequent offences.
In some circumstances a ‘Notice to Improve’ may be issued. However, a Notice to Improve will only be used in cases where support is appropriate. They will not be issued in cases of unauthorised leave in term time for holidays; where information for parents is included on the school’s website; or a simple warning has been given by the school that a Penalty Notice could be issued for unauthorised leave in term time.
Absence for leave in term times will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances – please note that holidays or extended leave for family visits cannot be considered as exceptional circumstances. We will be updating our Attendance Policy to reflect this.

I totally understand the challenges of the costs of holidays during the school holidays and of having extended family who live abroad; however, the guidance from the DfE is clear that we cannot authorise these absences. As a school we will always consider exceptional circumstances that sit outside these reasons on a case-by-case basis. I also want to make you aware that there is a tightening of the guidelines around pupils arriving late. If pupils are consistently late this could contribute to their unauthorised absence levels and result in action being taken by the Local Authority. Maintaining a good level of attendance is not only essential for your child’s day to day learning but is also crucial in setting positive habits and mindsets for their future. If you need support with your child’s attendance, please come and talk to a member of our office or pastoral team.

Kind regards,

Miss R Cook

6 months ago
Posted on 09th Jul 2024 by Mrs Millington

Attendance Update

Dear Parents and Carers, July 2024

RE: Attendance Update

From 19^th August 2024, the Government have introduced a new ‘National Framework for Penalty Notices’. These will apply across Telford and Wrekin from 1^st September 2024.

Whilst these changes are a few months away, I felt it was important to share the information we currently have available. Below are some of the significant changes you need to be aware of:

If your child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10 school-week rolling period, you may be issued with a Penalty Notice. These 10 sessions may include any unauthorised absence, including leave in term time and do not have to be consecutive. Unauthorised absences are recorded for children who are late after the register has closed, do not provide medical evidence, or have not contacted school.
Penalty Notices are increasing to £160 from September 2024. This can be reduced to £80 but only for the first Penalty Notice issued, if paid within 21 days – this reduction does not apply to any subsequent Penalty Notice.
Any 2nd Penalty Notice, to the same parent for the same child, issued within three years of the date of the first Penalty Notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160.
A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three-year rolling period, to the same parent for the unauthorised absence of the same child, – alternative action or legal measures will be utilised for subsequent offences.
In some circumstances a ‘Notice to Improve’ may be issued. However, a Notice to Improve will only be used in cases where support is appropriate. They will not be issued in cases of unauthorised leave in term time for holidays; where information for parents is included on the school’s website; or a simple warning has been given by the school that a Penalty Notice could be issued for unauthorised leave in term time.
Absence for leave in term times will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances – please note that holidays or extended leave for family visits cannot be considered as exceptional circumstances. We will be updating our Attendance Policy to reflect this.

Kind regards,

Miss R Cook

7 months ago
Posted on 05th Jul 2024 by Mrs Millington

School Reports July 2024

End of year reports will be sent home with your child on Friday 12^th July. If an additional copy is required by a parent who does not live at the child’s home address, you must contact the school office on 387720 or email newdale.primary@taw.org.uk to make a request by no later than Wednesday 10th July.

Please ensure that you keep your copy of the report safe, especially if your child is in Year 5. Some secondary schools (such as Thomas Telford) require a copy to be sent with the application for Year 7 places and we will be unable to make further copies for you once they have been archived.