The Link Newsletter #68

Friday 16th May 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to begin this newsletter by paying tribute to the Year 6 children who have completed their end of year SATs assessments. As I mentioned to the children last Friday, the SATs tests mark the end of seven years of learning at St John's. Despite the challenging past week, we saw the very best in the children's attitude and commitment. The SATs breakfast was a hit, offering a range of delicious treats from bacon or sausage rolls, pancakes, croissants, crumpets, cereal and fruit. Thank you Mrs O'Neill. It wasn't just the stand-out food that was on offer, but the camaraderie that the children gave to one another. This support settled any remaining nerves and cemented to the children a 'we are all in this together' feeling. 

Enormous thanks go to the Year 6 teachers and support staff who have prepared the children well for this week, alongside the army of teachers from across the school who ran booster groups throughout the year to give the children the very best chance of success. Finally, a thank you to every parent who have played their part in creating the environment at home to enable the children to revise and practise learning which prepared them well last week. Thank you.

The mixed weather last week has very much felt like a rather delayed Spring. This has not deterred our budding gardeners who continued to nurture the wide variety of plants and vegetables being grown this year. You may have noticed, the colourful planting in the containers at the front of the school which have all been grown by our lunchtime gardeners. The arrival of wood chip on the top playground has created much interest and the children have enjoyed wheelbarrowing this material to the Happy Hangout. Mr Shaw was delighted!

ARTS WEEK - MONDAY 18th TO FRIDAY 22nd MAY

This coming week our children will enjoy a week-long curriculum of art during the afternoon sessions. This is an exciting week for most children, where they are immersed in learning new skills and art techniques. The week is based around a theme and this year is a particularly special one.

Our theme for this year's Arts Week is Community and Service.

At the end of this academic year we will be saying a fond farewell to Mrs Adamson who after 30 years of dedicated service and commitment to St John's, will be leaving for a well deserved retirement. 30 years is a very long time, not that Mrs Adamson likes to be reminded of this too often!  Over the 30 years we like to think that we have got to know Mrs Adamson quite well; we know her passions, her interests and the work that she does at St John's and beyond. Our Arts Week this year aims to reflect the commitment that Mrs Adamson has given to St John's and the community of Buckhurst Hill.

To complete the week, we are planning a whole school picnic on the field between 12pm and 1pm. All of the children will be eating together in their house groups and it would be rather nice for everyone to wear their PE kits on this day. Once the children have eaten, the Year 6 children will lead each group in some simple playtime games on the field. 

The menu for Friday 22nd May is unchanged, but Mrs O'Neill and her team will make the lunch available so that it can taken and eaten on the field.

===========================================================================

ATTENDANCE

Attendance at school is critical and the government are placing additional demands and expectations on schools and families to ensure attendance is strong in all school settings. St John's is no exception. There is an expectation that children attend school everyday unless they are unable to due to sickness. Minor illnesses are not barriers to children attending school and the impact of missing a day from school is more significant than people may think. A single days absence causes children to miss vital input, either at the beginning, middle or end of a sequence of work. There is no time in school to catch up and this becomes lost learning and lost opportunity. There is also an impact on children's social experiences too. We know that children establish core friendship groups and play buddies. These partnerships get disrupted, albeit momentarily when children are not in school and sometimes new alliances are formed. This can often make friendships much harder to navigate when the children return to school.

We have noted lateness in children's arrival this term. Families who are routinely late will be receiving a letter from me shortly. It is not okay for children to be late to school unless for the exceptional circumstances. Heavy traffic is not a reason to be late, since setting off in good time will avoid that and avoid the stress you place on your child when they know they are late for school. All children must arrive in school ready for an 8.40am start.

In addition, children must be collected from school promptly at 3.15pm. Children should not be anxiously waiting in the office for you to arrive.

===========================================================================

PARKING

Once again, I have been approached by a local resident who was cross by the lack of consideration shown by parents parking specifically in the road opposite the entrance to the school. He reported to me that a parent had lacked any understanding that their car was parked across the pavement, saying 'I'll only be 5 minutes'. This comment provides no consolation for a resident who is disabled and needs to use a wheelchair to access his property. This is not acceptable.

As I have said before, the decisions made by parents when parking, models to your children what you deem is acceptable parking and this is likely to lead them to park inappropriately when they are older. Let's all demonstrate good manners, respect and thoughtfulness to our community. 

===========================================================================

STAFF NEWS

As some of you will have seen, Mrs Tinker has returned to St John's this week which was excellent timing with SATs this week as she was able to work 1:1 with some Year 6 children, supporting them to access the tests. As I have reported previously, Mrs Tinker will be retiring at the end of this academic year. Not many people know that Mrs Tinker has worked at St John's over many years having initially left St John's for a role in another school before rejoining and becoming our deputy head. We have all valued Mrs Tinker's steadfast leadership and support, especially as Inclusion Leader who oversees the pastoral aspects of school life. We will miss Mrs Tinker enormously. As I have reported previously, I am delighted that Ms Lauren Marchant has been appointed as our new Deputy Head from September 2026.

Some of you may know, Mrs Mills, our SENCO will be stepping down from her role as SENCO at the end of the Summer term. I know that many families have worked closely with Mrs Mills over the last three years and she has provided much welcome expertise and advice  to families, staff and children during this time. We have greatly appreciated the support and guidance that she has provided us all; we will be sad to say our goodbyes. I am pleased to report that Mrs Faye McCarthy who is an experienced SENCO has been appointed and she will be starting in September.

Mrs Radley, SEND Facilitator has also decided to retire this year. Mrs Radley has worked closely with Mrs Mills, organising meetings, coffee mornings and liaising with outside agencies. This has led to the SEND team being able to provide the best advice and guidance to staff and parents. We wish Mrs Radley well and thank her for her commitment and service. The SEND Facilitator role will be advertised shortly.

Finally, we have recently said our goodbyes to Mrs Norman, Office Manager. She joined the school in 2020 just after I started at St John's. Mrs Norman was approaching retirement, but for reasons relating to her family, she has accelerated her decision to step away from St John's. We will all miss Mrs Norman and wish her and her family all the very best.

===========================================================================

SPORTS DAY - TUESDAY 9th JUNE

Our whole school Sports Day will soon be upon us, Tuesday 9th June 9.30am to 11.30am. Should the weather be wet, we have set a reserve date of Tuesday 16th June.

A great deal of planning by our Sports Leader, Miss Walker, is already underway for this event and, as in recent years, we will continue with the competitive and inclusive carousel of events where each child will collect points for their House.

For children in KS2, there will be competitive races taking place in the afternoon for those children who wish to take part. We will invite all children (in Years 3-6) who wish to compete in a variety of running races to an afternoon event and parents are welcome to attend this too. The afternoon event will commence from 1.30pm. We will communicate nearer the time letting you know if your child is taking part in the afternoon event.

A picnic lunch for all children will help us to facilitate this exciting sporting occasion. If your child has a school lunch, we will provide a picnic lunch alternative on this day.

 

===========================================================================

KEY PRIORITIES FOR ST JOHN'S 2025-2026

Please see the key priorities for St John's

1. Raising Standards in Reading, Writing and Maths.

In 2025, St John's achieved a strong set of results for the children who sat the Year 6 SATs. However, we have further work to ensure more children achieve the Greater Depth standard in all three subjects (Reading, Writing and Maths - RWM)

EXP - expected standard
GDS - greater depth standard

2. Improve the outdoor play experience for children at playtimes

We have begun purchasing additional equipment for the playgrounds. The play spaces are improving all the time thanks to the donations from parents and funding from the PTA. We now have a sandpit for the children to access during playtime.

We would like dressing up clothes and any old suitcases (not broken or unsafe please)
In addition, if you have a table football game, pool or snooker table that you no longer require, we would find a new home for these.

3. Develop a revised curriculum with new and updated topics, making learning relevant and exciting for ALL children.

The government have recently undertaken a curriculum review and presented their findings which we have read. This has provided us with guidance about the changes we would like to make to the curriculum that is currently in place at St John's. We know that children learn more effectively when learning is relevant, when connections are made between prior learning and next steps. We also want to update our topics to ensure that they interesting and reflect the skills needed for the future.

===========================================================================

PARENT GOVERNOR ELECTION OUTCOME

I am pleased to announce that Elliot Hand has been elected onto the Local Governing Board following the election that was held last month. I would like to acknowledge and thank Mr Marks who put himself forward for this important role. We are grateful for parents commitment to represent St John's at Governor level.

===========================================================================

PTA NEWS

We’re inviting everyone to join us for a fun-filled Break the Rules Day on Friday 5th June to celebrate the end of Penelope’s treatment journey ♥️

For a suggested donation of £1 per rule break, children can:

• Wear crazy hair
• Paint nails / apply a transfer tattoo
• Ditch the uniform
• Bring a cuddly toy

All money raised will go to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), who have supported Penelope so wonderfully throughout her treatment.

After school, the PTA will also be hosting a Picnic & Play on the school field from 3.15pm until 5pm (weather permitting.) There will be refreshments for sale, with proceeds going towards our new school pavilion.

We’d love for everyone to come together to celebrate Penelope, support an incredible cause, and enjoy some fun as a school community.

For anyone who would like to follow Penelope’s journey and read more about her story you can do so here -> https://www.facebook.com/share/1KfhWftUXy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Thank you all so much for your kindness and support.

The PTA

===========================================================================

SPORTS NEWS

I would like to begin by saying a BIG thank you to Sam McCarthy for liaising and organising the new sports kit which has been jointly funded by the PTA and Derek Sumsion, eightfourtwo. The new kit look really smart and shows St John's is serious about competing in all sporting events. Thank you Sam and Derek.

HANDBALL

Children in Year 5/6 represented St John's on Friday 15th May at the Handball Competition at Debden Park. We fielded three teams for this competition, all three teams played exceptionally well. Thank you to Mrs Aarons, Miss Marbe and Mrs Fernandez who supported the children at this event. The results are:

Team A - Bronze
Team B - Gold
Team C - Gold

YEAR 2 PANATHLON

Six children in Year 2 represented St John's in a Panathlon event. It is wonderful that our West Essex Sports Partnership organises opportunities for all children to participate in sport. The children received medals and certificates and these were presented to the children in our Achievement worship on Friday. Well done children!

YEAR 3/4 FOOTBALL AT HIGH BEECH

This has now become an annual competition between the two schools. We were defeated in the match last year, so this was a hotly contested fixture. In the first half, both teams were evenly drawn and goals for both teams came quick and fast. However, St John's fired home some superb goals in the second half to win 9-5. Well done team!

YEAR 4 TENNIS COMPETITION

St John's just missed out on bronze in the Year 4 tennis competition on Friday 1st May, but they put in a fantastic performance! The children played brilliantly in the heat against some really tough opposition. There is lots to be proud of! Well done Year 4s.

MINI LONDON MARATHON - SATURDAY 25th APRIL

Over 80 children from St John's showed in interest in participating in this event. Following a worship assembly where Mr Furness explained the ballot process of how adults get into the London Marathon. We applied the same process for the mini marathon. Mr Furness wrote an AI driven workflow live in the worship to select 25 children at random. 

All 25 children attended the mini marathon and their running times were shared following the event. It was a glorious day which led to some rather hot runners come the finish. Albie in Year 6 ran the quickest time of his group, in just over 6 minutes!  

YEAR 5/6 TENNIS COMPETITION - FRIDAY 24th APRIL

This was an incredible day of tennis! The results were tight and St John's were up against some tough competition. However we achieved 3rd place! 🥉 The resilience shown in every rally and point was outstanding.

ALL IN AQUASPLASH SWIMMING - TUESDAY 21st APRIL 

Six children represented St John's at the Aquasplash event held at West Hatch. thank you Mrs Radley for accompanying the children to allow them to participate. Everyone had a wonderful time, wearing their medals with pride!

CROSS COUNTRY FINALISTS - WEDNESDAY 25th MARCH

Summer and Adriana represented St John's in the County Cross-Country Finals. Summer came home in 19th place and Adriana in 32nd place. Both results were exceptional given there were a total of 154 girls competing. Not only that, and the photo does not show this, but the girls ran through wind and hail. Super resilience on display. Well done girls!

 

===========================================================================

 GET INTO TEACHING WITH WEST ESSEX SCITT

Are you interested in training to become a Primary School Teacher?

We have Initial Teacher Training vacancies to begin training at the beginning of September 2026. We are looking for people who have a degree, a passion for education and teaching and want to inspire young people to fulfil their potential.

We would be very interested to hear from you if you are thinking of becoming a teacher, or know someone who is. 

This is not a drop in event so please book your place now by emailing vsmullen@efspt.org

We welcome the opportunity to meet and talk to you about the exciting teacher training opportunities available. Susan Marbe, the West Essex SCITT Director can be contacted at smarbe@efspt.org or please call one of our team on 02085042934 option 6. We can also provide you with support and guidance on your DfE APPLY application form

For any further information on what becoming a teacher might involve more generally, you can visit http://www.westessexscitt.co.uk/ or https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

You can find and apply for our Initial Teacher Training courses via DfE FIND

===========================================================================

AND FINALLY....

As we approach the May half term holiday, may I wish everyone a happy and restful break. We return to school on Tuesday 2nd June at the usual time of 8.40am.