Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to ask for your support regarding the increasing number of children bringing toys from home into school and describing them as “fidget toys”. Recently, these have included items such as mini skateboards, squishy toys, Labubus and other novelty items.

We recognise that some children may benefit from the use of sensory or fidget resources to support concentration, self-regulation and engagement with learning. However, we have found that many of the items currently being brought into school are not serving this purpose and are instead becoming a distraction, both for the child using them and for those around them.

Where a child genuinely requires a fidget or sensory resource, the school can provide a range of appropriate tools. These have been carefully selected to support learning and concentration while minimising disruption within the classroom environment.

For this reason, we ask that children do not bring fidget toys or similar items from home unless their use has been discussed and agreed in advance with the class teacher, SENDCo or a member of the pastoral team.

We appreciate that parents and carers always want to do the very best for their children and we are committed to working in partnership with families to provide the most appropriate support. If you feel your child may benefit from a fidget or sensory resource in school, please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Miss Cook

Class Dojo will launch on Monday 7th September.

Links to set up your account will be re-sent by the end of today via email (from Arbor) if you still need to do this. Please check your spam mail if you are not able to see the message in your inbox. Please contact the school office next week if you have not received an email.

Please see attached letter with further information regarding Class Dojo.

Class Dojo Parent Letter

Dear Parents and Carers,

As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, we are currently reviewing our Healthy Lifestyles agenda and working towards achieving the Healthy Schools Award.

We are incredibly proud of the many ways we already support children and families in developing healthy habits, including our fantastic Healthy Lifestyles Week and our Life Learning Curriculum, which teaches children the importance of looking after both their physical and mental wellbeing.

As part of this work, we would appreciate your support with an important initiative relating to home-time collection.

From September, we kindly ask all parents, carers, and other adults collecting children to avoid bringing snacks, sweets, or treats for children to eat as they leave school. Whilst we understand these can often be intended as a reward or gesture of kindness, regular after-school treats can quickly become an expectation and can be difficult to break as a habit.

We are working towards creating a snack-free school site and would ask that any snacks are saved for home. This will help to avoid situations where other children see treats and feel pressure to ask their own families for the same.

Instead of rewarding children with a snack, why not use the walk home or journey back as an opportunity to reconnect and celebrate their day? Some simple questions could include:

• How was your day?
• What was the best part of your day?
• Who did you play with today?
• What did you learn?
• Do you have any homework?
• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

These conversations can be just as rewarding and provide valuable opportunities to talk, listen, and celebrate children’s achievements.

We really do need everyone’s support to make this initiative successful. We are asking all members of our school community to take part, including our staff. By working together, we can help to reinforce the positive healthy lifestyle messages that we promote every day in school.

Thank you for your continued support.