Dear Families,

 

This term, we have really started to focus on the presentation of the children’s work.  We have been concentrating on handwriting and spellings as well as the layout of work.  I’m so pleased to say that the vast majority of children are clearly working really hard towards this and are so proud of their work, which is great!

 

Online Assessments
In some of our classes, we are trialling a new online assessment platform for the Trust.  Although there have been some teething issues, the few results that I’ve seen already show some strengths and some areas where we need to focus our teaching.  Our main issue was the children struggling to use a key board!  These results will be shared at parent’s evening and in the end of term report.

 

Children in Need
Thank you to everyone who has donated to this cause.

 

Careers Week
Next week, our Year 6 children will be learning all about the world of work.  As a school, we already have regular CRL lessons (careers related learning) from Nursery through to Year 6.  Next week, Year 6 will have the opportunity to focus more on careers, prepare for an interview and actually take part in a job interview for a teaching assistant and to be part of the SLT.   Two of our Community Council Members (used to be called Governors) will be interviewing the children.  The children who are successful in the interview will then have another role to do in school!  It’s a very exciting week for Year 6, so families of Year 6 children, please remember to ask them all about it.

 

Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner
It’s that time of year again, when we invite our Grandparents’ into school to have a Christmas Dinner with their Grandchildren.  Please look out for the forms.  Please can you also ensure that you make the payment and complete the form.   Unfortunately, due to the rise in living costs, there is an increase of £1 to all children’s Christmas lunches.  Those parents who don’t usually pay for school dinners will see £1 added to their Parentpay account along with the Grandparent’s cost.  

 

Have a lovely weekend.

Take and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 17.11.25	TBC by class teacher
World of Work Week for Yr 6	17.11.25	All week
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	26.11.25	All morning/day
Parents’ evenings	26.11.25 &   27.11.25	3:30 - 6:00pm 3:30 - 6:00pm
Early Years Christmas Play	3.12.25	9:15
Non Uniform - Donation for the Chocolate Bingo	05.12.25
Church visit - Christmas	8.12.25	9:30am
Christmas Chocolate Bingo	10.12.25	6:00PM
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	16.12.25	2:15pm
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	16.12.25  17.12.25	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	10.12.25 (Yr 1parents) 11.12.25 (Yr 2 parents)	9:15am 9:15am
Christmas holidays	22.12.25 - 2.01.26	Back to school 05.01.25

Dear Families,

 

Hallowe’en & Firework Safety
It’s that time of year when so many children are thinking about Hallowe’en costumes and trick or treating along with carving pumpkins.  Here is some safety advice from Children Accident Prevention Trust.  We had a very enthusiastic assembly on Monday in which we talked about lots of safety rules that we must follow for both Hallowe’en and Bonfire night.  The children all learnt about the importance of STOP, DROP & ROLL, modelled beautifully by Henry in Year 6.

 

Harvest Festival
Thank you so much for your many contributions to the harvest festival.  The member from Trussell Trust, who came to collect the donations, was overwhelmed with the vast amount of donations.  Your support will be welcomed by so many families in need.  Here’s a message about your donations.

 

Dear Friarswood Primary,

 

What a remarkable thing you have done.

Your kindness shows families in need that they matter. Your generosity provides friendship to people struggling with loneliness and isolation. Your compassion provides nutritious food parcels to people struggling to feed themselves.

That’s the difference your support makes. And I’m writing today to share my heartfelt gratitude to you for your very generous donation of 228 kg, which we received recently. The equivalent number of meals is an incredible 542 Meals. Please find attached a certificate to express our gratitude to your School community.

Thank you for joining us in the movement to create a community free of hunger. We couldn't do this without you being part of our team, working together to change lives and futures. We are so thankful for your support.

 

Kind regards,

Ryan Wilshaw

 

Hallowe’en Disco
We had a fun night list night.  Lots of spooky outfits and some incredible face painting. We raised £841.93 and all of the money raised from these events gets spent on the extras for the children which the school budget just can’t afford.  Some of the money is spent on fun team treats and quite a lot is spent on supporting the payments of coaches for school trips.  The PTA will keep you posted on where the funds are spent as we go through the school year.

 

INSET day
School and Small & Tall are closed on Monday 10th November.  All Co-op Academy Trust schools have the same training day for ‘whole team’ training.

 

Have a lovely half term everyone.  Take care and stay safe.  We’ll see you back to school on Monday 3rd November.

 

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

October Half Term - 20.10.25 - 01.11.25
INSET day - school and Small & Tall closed	10.11.25	All day
Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 17.11.25	TBC by class teacher
Children in Need  £1 donation - non uniform	14.11.25	All day
World of Work Week for Yr 6	17.11.25	All week
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	26.11.25	All morning/day
Parents’ evenings	26.11.25 &   27.11.25	3:30 - 6:00pm 3:30 - 6:00pm
Early Years Christmas Play	3.12.25	9:15
Non uniform - Donation for the Chocolate Bingo	5.12.25
Church visit - Christmas	8.12.25	9:30am
Christmas Chocolate Bingo	10.12.25	6pm
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	16.12.25	2:15pm
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	16.12.25  17.12.25	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	10.12.25 (Yr 1parents) 11.12.25 (Yr 2 parents)	9:15am 9:15am
Christmas holidays	22.12.25 - 2.01.26	Back to school 05.01.25

Dear Families,

 

Well, September went fast didn’t it?

Please can I ask that if you want a space for the Bee Active holiday club, you get in touch very quickly.  At the moment, there are very few places taken.  If they don’t get enough interest, they won’t be able to run the club.

 

Photos
Don’t forget that school photos are on Monday (6th).  Younger siblings not in school can have their photos taken as well.  They will be open from 8:15am for this.  Siblings in school will have their photos taken throughout the day.  And please don’t worry, we will get them in before lunchtime!

 

Mental Health Awareness Day
Friday 10th October is mental health awareness day.  We are asking everyone to come into school wearing something yellow.   This could be anything from a hair clip to a t-shirt or socks!  Yellow always seems to put a smile on people’s faces, which is what we’re aiming to do.

 

School Gates
Please can I remind you that if you come into school during the day, do not let any other visitors in with you.  They must use the intercom and speak to a member of staff so that we know who they are.

 

Open mornings
We had our first open morning on Wednesday.  These open mornings are for any possible new families to the school.  If you know of anyone with a child who will be starting school or nursery in September, please let them know about our open morning.  More details and the booking form are on the website.

 

Thank you as ever for your continued support.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

School Photographs - Individual/families and sibling	6.10.25
Harvest Festival	15.10.22	2:15pm
Halloween Disco	16.10.25	4:30 Early Years and KS1 5:30 KS2
October half term	20.10.25 - 01.11.25
INSET day - school and Small & Tall closed	10.11.25	All day
Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 17.11.25	TBC by class teacher
Children in Need  £1 donation - non uniform	14.11.25	All day
World of Work Week for Yr 6	17.11.25	All week
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	26.11.25	All morning/day
Parents’ evenings	26.11.25 &   27.11.25	3:30 - 6:00pm 3:30 - 6:00pm
Early Years Christmas Play	3.12.25	9:15
Non uniform - Donation for the Chocolate Bingo	5.12.25
Church visit - Christmas	8.12.25	9:30am
Christmas Chocolate Bingo	10.12.25	6pm
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	16.12.25	2:15pm
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	16.12.25  17.12.25	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	10.12.25 (Yr 1parents) 11.12.25 (Yr 2 parents)	9:15am 9:15am
Christmas holidays	22.12.25 - 2.01.26	Back to school 05.01.25

Dear Families,

 

Small & Tall payments and cancellation fees
Just a reminder that payments for Small & Tall must be made upfront.

We are changing the current policy of one week notice for any cancellations to 48 hours.  This means that if the 48 hours notice isn’t given, you will still be charged.

Did you know you can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare? This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). If you would like to find out if you qualify, here is the Eligibilty checker.

 

Hygiene Products - do you know of anyone who may need a little help?
We have a selection of hygiene/cleaning products in school, donated from the Co-op.  They range from toothbrushes and tooth paste, shower gel, nappies and wipes to surface cleaners and cleaning sponges.  If you or someone you know is in need of a little support, please let either myself or Mrs Hughes know so that these products can go to families who need them.  

 

Dodgeball competition
A MASSIVE well done to our Year 4 dodgeball team who won a competition at Co-op Academy Stoke yesterday.  The children worked so well as a team.  They really encouraged each other and helped each other to dodge some very fast flying balls!  Player of the match was Henry.  All the players came away with gold medals.  Well done to Henry, Joel, Olivia, Liv and Finley.

 

Safeguarding / Online update
I know that lots of our children play on Roblox.  I have attended several safeguarding meetings recently which have highlighted how easy it is for people to get through parental controls.  It has been classed by many, including Ofcom, as a predator’s dream.  Here is a link with further information to the downside of Roblox.  It really does highlight the awful aspect of this game.   But in knowing this, you can hopefully help to keep your child as safe as possible.  As our children are only young, Ofcom highly recommends that if your child is playing on Roblox, they do so under your supervision rather than alone in their bedroom.  

 

INSET days (school and Small & Tall closed)

Monday 10 Nov 2025

Mon 23 Feb 2026

Mon 1 June 2026

Friday 24 July 2026

Monday 27 July 2026

Tuesday 1 Sept 2026

 

Term dates for next year have not been finalised yet.  After the two week October half term, we will be sending out a survey to staff and parents to gather views.

 

Thank you for your support.

 

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Upcoming events

 

National Fitness Day  Come to school in PE kits	24.9.25
Dougie Mac Coffee and cake morning 9-10am	26.9.25
School Photographs - Individual/families and sibling	6.10.25
Harvest Festival	15.10.22	2:15pm
October half term	20.10.25 - 01.11.25
INSET day - school and Small & Tall closed	10.11.25	All day
Learning with your child - parents get the chance to take part in a learning activity with their child.  This will be organised by the class teacher.	Week beginning 17.11.25	TBC by class teacher
Children in Need  £1 donation - non uniform	14.11.25	All day
World of Work Week for Yr 6	17.11.25	All week
School immunisations - flu (Rec-Year 6)	26.11.25	All morning/day
Parents’ evenings	26.11.25 &   27.11.25	3:30 - 6:00pm 3:30 - 6:00pm
Early Years Christmas Play	3.12.25	9:15
Church visit - Christmas	8.12.25	9:30am
KS2 New Vic Theatre trip	16.12.25	2:15pm
Grandparents’ Christmas Dinner	16.12.25  17.12.25	11:45am onwards
KS1 Christmas Play	10.12.25 (Yr 1parents) 11.12.25 (Yr 2 parents)	9:15am 9:15am
Christmas holidays	22.12.25 - 2.01.26	Back to school 05.01.25

 

Welcome back to school everyone,

We’ve had a very busy week with lots of new children starting school, both in early years and across the other classes.

It’s been lovely listening to what the children have been up to.  They have all settled so well and are back into their routines, with lots of learning going on.

 

A few notices for this week ….

 

Events
A list of events for the whole year will be sent out next week.  There will be extra dates which will get added to this as we go through the year.

 

October half term
Bee Active will be sending out forms for the holiday club in the week beginning 20th October.  Please keep a look out for this.

 

Healthy Snacks
All of the children have been informed about bringing healthy snacks to school.  We do not allow sweets, chocolate, or crisps for snacks.  Children should have just water in their water bottles.

 

Safeguarding
Mrs Hartley is the Designated Safeguarding Lead and I am the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.  If you have any concerns about the safety of a child, please inform us immediately.  You can do this by emailing or calling us, speaking to us or you can use the ‘Report a Concern’ button at the top of the school website.

If school is closed, then please call 0300 111 8007.

If it’s an emergency whether school is open or not, please call 999.

bev.hartley@coopacademies.co.uk

lindsey.wilmer@coopacademies.co.uk

 

Safeguarding at Friarswood
We take the safety of our children very seriously and it is paramount in all that we do. Safeguarding is a partnership between school and home. You can find details regarding contacting us or help finding the appropriate information on our website.

https://www.friarswood.coopacademies.co.uk/page/?title=Safeguarding&pid=192

 

Operation Encompass
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.

As a school we have ensured that a member of our staff, (Ms Hartley and Mrs Wilmer the Designated Safeguarding Leads) known as a Key Adult, has been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

On 24 May 2024 Royal Assent was granted to The Victims and Prisoners Act. The Act placed Operation Encompass into Law. 

This places a statutory obligation on police forces to share Operation Encompass notifications with schools/educational settings.

We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and through Operation Encompass we will be able to provide the best possible support to our children.

Bev Hartley

 

Parking
Please can I ask that you all park safely on Abbots Way.  Nobody should be parked on the yellow lines.  If you park partly on the pavement, please make sure that families can still walk past your car on the pavement.  Some families have had to walk around cars on the road because they are taking up the pavement.

And please do not park in front of our neighbours driveways, this causes a lot of anger and frustration.

I have been in touch with the local police about policing Abbots Way in the mornings and afternoons due to the amount of issues being raised.  In the meantime, several of you have complained to the council and Highways agency, which I really recommend you do.  The more complaints they have about people who don’t park and drive safely by our school , the more likely they are to put in measures to help us.

 

Appointments during school time
Please can you send proof of any appointments (letters, screen shots of texts etc) to Mrs Dean angela.dean@coopacademies.co.uk or bring a copy with you when you collect your child.  Without this proof we have to mark your child with an unauthorised absence.  

 

Attendance
As you will probably be well aware, the Government is really pushing the need for children to be at school everyday in order to achieve.  Although our overall attendance for the school is very good, we do have some families with very poor attendance.  Therefore, we are being monitored by the Trust and the Local authority.  If this is you, you will be asked to come into school for a meeting.  Hopefully, we can work together to ensure that your child’s attendance improves.

If your child needs medicine, please bring it in and sign the medication form so that we can give this.

If you have any worries about your child and their attendance, please come and speak to myself or Mrs Dean as soon as possible.

 

We hope the start of term goes well for everyone.  If you need to speak to a teacher, please send them a message on Dojo so that this can be organised.  If you have concerns about anything at all, please speak to one of us as soon as possible.  

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

 

Dear Families,

The penultimate week of the school year has certainly been busy.  Lots of exciting activities have taken place.

 

Year 5 & 6 Careers Fair
Yesterday, we held our annual careers fair.  It was so interesting and exciting for the children (and the staff).  We had a range of volunteers, from a variety of work places, being interviewed by the children.  We had an entrepreneur who supports businesses from setting up to making millions!  We had a fireman, policeman, a funeral care team, a motor trader, a mine surveyor, a building team representative, Keele student union, a manager from Fuchs lubricants, an auditor, and we had our wonderful Ms Master who was interviewed about being a seamstress.

The children learnt a great deal about the skills needed for employment as well as qualifications and the journey for these people.  

A massive thank you to Mrs McConvey who organised this event.  If you would like to be involved in next year’s careers fair, please do get in touch.

 

Colour Run
This was a huge success again.  The children absolutely love this annual event.  We even had children with multicoloured hair in school yesterday.  Thank you to Ms Cooper for organising this event.

 

Year 6 SATs results
On Tuesday, we found out the children’s results.  WOW!  93% of our children achieved the expected or greater depth levels, showing just how strong our teaching team is.  From the moment the children come to Friarswood until the end of Year 6, we are proud to say that our teaching and the children’s learning is clearly very successful.

Well done to all of the children for their amazing results.  Every single child has shone.

 

Safeguarding
On Wednesday, Ms Hartley and myself attended a safeguarding conference.  It was very informative with some quite hard-hitting facts.  I just want to share with you some of the online safety data which is quite scary.

Only 2 in 5 parents use parental controls on their child’s devices.

1 in 10 nine year olds have seen pornography online.

Roblox is classed as a predator’s dream.

What’s App in primary schools is the main cause of child on child abuse and bullying.

My question to you is - Do you know what your child is up to on their / your device?

I thought the last point was very pertinent as some of our older children use What’s App groups.  The fall out, every year, due to comments being made and parents unaware of these comments, is a major concern in school.   Not only do children get upset and emotionally hurt, so do their parents.

 

Please do keep an eye on your child - especially during the holidays.

 

Reports
Today, you will receive your child’s end-of-year report.  As always, I had so much pleasure reading through them.  I was bursting with pride for each and every child.  You will be too when you read your child’s report.

If you would like to speak to your teacher about the report, please make an appointment with them between 3:30 and 4:30pm on Wednesday.

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs Wilmer

Upcoming Dates
 

Year 6 Leavers assembly	16.7.25 2 pm	Parents of our Year 6 leavers are invited to join us.
Celebration of Learning	16.7.25  3.30 pm	Parents are welcomed into classrooms to see what wonderful learning has happened this year.
Last Day	18.07.25	School closes for the summer holidays.
School Inset Day	01.09.25	Teacher Training Day
School Opens	02.09.25	Welcome to the Autumn term.