Dear Families and Friends,

After a delightful, and rather hot, half-term break, we returned to a cooler, wetter week, but that did not dampen our St Bart's spirits. We began with the final part of the year with Fr Ben explaining the mission that Jesus gave his friends, to share the Good News with the whole world. In a time when many news headlines feel heavy, this is a joyful reminder that there is hope for everyone. As a school, our mission is to serve our whole community, our children and their families, as we raise the next generation, preparing them for the opportunities and challenges ahead, and doing so with love and joy. The good news that Jesus promised is, "...I will be with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20b) We are not alone!

As you know, each week I update you on attendance figures because we know that strong attendance is closely linked to better progress and achievement for children. Our current overall attendance for the year so far stands at 95.6%, which is a positive position. Persistent absence, which means a child attends less than 90% of the time, is currently 9.3%, and lateness has reduced to 1.3%. Thank you for your continued support in this area as it really does make a huge difference. Let us keep going, building good habits and ensuring every child is in school, on time, ready to learn each day.

If you have not yet put Saturday 27th June in your diary, now is the time. Our PTA Summer Fayre promises to be a wonderful afternoon, full of fun and community spirit. Please do come along and support us. Keep an eye out for further details soon.

Also on the near horizon is the men’s football World Cup. Whether you are a devoted fan or just enjoy the occasional match, we will be sharing some World Cup-themed activities over the coming weeks. If your children are planning to collect and swap football stickers, and I remember well the excitement of that myself, please do remind them of our guidelines. Swaps should only take place at break or lunchtime, and once a swap is agreed, it cannot be undone. A little care now will help everyone avoid any last minute “extra time” disagreements.

The weeks ahead promise to be busy, exciting, and full of opportunities for learning and growth. We look forward to making them the very best they can be for all our children.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Restall & The St Bart’s Team