04/09/2026
Dear parents and carers
Well done to all of our pupils and families for such a positive start to the year! We have loved having the school building full of happy children again. Our new year 5's have been particularly brilliant - adapting to new routines and a new school very quickly. They'll be fully fledged Highfielders in no time!! Behaviour around school has been excellent so far, we have given out over 1500 positive Highfield Points and only 2 negatives! Attendance has been great too, especially in Year 5, where the weekly attendance figure is
99.5% - Keep it up everyone!
School Photographer – Individual/Sibling Photographs
We have the services of our school photographer on Friday 18th and Monday 21st September. The photographer will be taking photos of individual children. If parents/carers require family/sibling photographs (pupils in all year groups), would you please complete this Google Form by Tuesday 15th September 2026.
It must be stressed however, that we invite the photographer to school in order to obtain “record” photographs of our pupils and there is no obligation for parents to purchase photographs if they do not wish to do so. Please follow the instructions handed to your child by the photographer, regarding ordering and purchasing of photographs.
Mobile phones
New government legislation states that all schools should be ‘phone free zones’ for pupils throughout the school day, including break and lunchtimes. Mobile phones, smart watches and similar devices should be switched off before entering the school grounds and stored safely in pupil lockers throughout the school day. Many families may decide that the devices are better left at home. Children using their phones at any time in school will have the device confiscated and will be expected to hand in their phone to the front office at the start of the day for the remainder of the half term. There are many health, wellbeing and developmental benefits to young people having a break from mobile devices during the day and we fully support the government’s stance on this. We await further guidance on the forthcoming social media ban for all children under 16 in the UK.
School Meals
Lots of children have enjoyed school meals this week and there has been a lovely atmosphere in the dining hall. Meals cost £3.00, please can we remind you that they should be ordered in advance through SchoolGrid and payments should be made through MCAS. Also, please be aware that we are a nut-free school and those children bringing packed lunch should not have nut products in their lunchbox.
Parking
Please read and follow the information below regarding traffic and parking outside of school. This will ensure the safety of your children.
Our school car park is for staff, taxis and disabled users only. Parents and carers should not use our car park to drop off or collect. If you have good reason to request a special exemption, please call into the office and obtain a permit to use the car park from Mrs Jewitt. Our school gates will be closed at most times for the safety of our pupils.
Vehicles are NOT PERMITTED TO STOP on the school entrance markings (zig-zags and ‘School Keep Clear’ markings) at all. This means that turning in the school entrance and stopping briefly to allow your child to jump out of your car is illegal.
Vehicles are NOT PERMITTED TO WAIT on the single yellow lines below the school entrance, even if the driver remains in the vehicle (unless they have a blue badge). This means that a child could be dropped off in this area if it is safe to do so, but parking or waiting is not permitted. Cars waiting in this area restrict the view at the crossing point further down the lane and create a potential hazard.
Unrestricted parking is available on the roadside above the school entrance. We recommend that adults use the public car parks at Highfield Park and Fair View wherever possible. We strongly encourage pupils to walk, scoot or cycle to school so that traffic is kept to a minimum. Helmets must be worn by pupils
travelling on bikes and scooters.
Traffic enforcement officers sometimes attend our site and have issued penalty notices to parents outside our school on multiple occasions. Please help to avoid a fine and keep our pupils safe by following the guidance above.
Many thanks for your support and co-operation in making this such a positive start to the school year.
Have a great weekend!
Kind Regards
Richard Oades
Headteacher
