Newsletter - Friday 26th September 2025
- lfoster51
- Sep 26
- 10 min read
Issue 2 - Autumn 2025
Proud to be ELSTON! Empowered, Listeners, Successful, Together, Open-Minded, Nurturing
Dear families,
We have had a very busy four weeks back in school and children have already crammed in so much learning!
Thank you to Year 4 and Year 6 families who were able to join our recent parent meetings. For those not able to join us, information can be found here: Year 4 Information! Year 6 Residential and SATs Information
School photos were taken this week - it was wonderful to see the pupils looking so smart!
Pupils across school have now been selected to represent their peers through Elston's Voice. I look forward to sharing our ambassadors' successes and positive impact on school life over the coming year!
Clubs started this week - it has been wonderful to see pupils joining in with a broad range of activities including netball, rugby and times tables! Just a reminder to Year 5/6 families to complete the new permission added onto Arbor if they are happy for pupils to walk home after clubs.
On Thursday, a fire drill took place and leaders were delighted with how quickly and sensibly all pupils made their way outside. At some point over the next few weeks, pupils will rehearse an 'invacuation' where they will make their way inside their classrooms. This is nothing to be concerned about and something all schools do to prepare pupils should everyone need to make their way inside e.g. a dog loose on the premises.
We have many things to look forward to including the book fair which will take place on Friday 3rd October and Monday 6th October - a separate letter has been sent which lists all the class times.
On Thursday 2nd October a special census lunch menu will be available for all children (detailed later in this newsletter). We'd appreciate as many children having a lunch as possible - the more that do, the more funding school will receive to support teaching and learning resources.
Thank you for your continued support. Enjoy your weekends,
Miss E Foster
Headteacher
Attendance
We track attendance weekly and monitor any pupils falling below 96%. From time to time you might receive letters regarding your child's attendance. These letters are sent to many families and are sent regardless of whether you have contacted school or not to inform us of the absence.
Last year, our overall absence was, 95.3%, above the national average of 94.8%. We are in the top 40-50% of schools nationally. Well done!
Please could we remind families to inform school of any absences before 9am. There are several ways you can do this:
By calling the school office on 01902 558866. If you are calling before 8am, please leave a voicemail and this will be picked up and reasons for absence recorded on Arbor.
By adding reasons for the day's absence on Arbor's Parent Portal
By emailing attendance@elston.org.uk explaining the reasons for absence
If your child has a medical appointment, please bring them to school before and after wherever possible.
Most year groups have improved attendance - well done! Reception have the highest attendance so far - amazing!
Year group | Up to 23.9.25 |
Whole School (Without Reception children) | 96.0% |
Reception | 97.2% |
Year 1 | 96.5% |
Year 2 | 95.5% |
Year 3 | 96.0% |
Year 4 | 96.2% |
Year 5 | 95.7% |
Year 6 | 96.0% |
Punctuality is vital to ensure that pupils have a calm and organised start to the day, and can make the most of every minute in school! Our doors open from 8:45 until 9am. Anyone arriving after this time should enter through the dining room doors where a Late mark will be recorded. Please note that any pupils arriving after 9:30am will receive a 'U' mark which affects their attendance.
Year 1 Wonderland trip
As part of their Happily Ever After topic, Year 1 had a fantastic visit to Wonderland Telford! The day was filled with excitement as the children explored the homes of many beloved traditional tale characters — from the Three Little Pigs to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The magic continued as they made their way through a winding maze and enjoyed a range of themed rides that brought their favourite traditional tales to life.
One of the highlights was helping the Mad Hatter retell a classic tale — the children loved joining in and bringing the story to life with actions and voices.
To end the day, everyone gathered under the enormous model of the Wrekin Giant, where Mr Grayson captivated them with the legendary story of the giant who shaped the Shropshire landscape.
See our blog for some amazing pictures of the day! Year 1 Visit to Wonderland
Elston's Virtual Library
Mrs Handley is delighted to share our own virtual library! With our library, you have access to to a digital collection of books you can read or listen to anywhere, anytime! Browse the collection and click on a title that interests you by following the link here: Reading | Elston Hall
Harvest
Year 2 will be leading a harvest assembly on Thursday 9th October. We'd appreciate donations for the Good Shepherd. Please see their shopping list below to ensure donations help support families in need. Any donations can be bought into school from Monday 6th October ready for collection after the assembly on Thursday 9th. Thank you in advance for your support with this!
Arbor
99% of our families use our Arbor Parent Portal! This enables payments to be made, messages to be received and key information to be updated.
Please could we request that families review the information to ensure that contact numbers and medical information are up to date. Please also ensure that all consents are complete so that staff know what permissions your child has. These include the publication of photographs and food tasting.
We require at least two emergency contacts per child. Please add on any contacts who you have given permission to collect your child and add this onto their information e.g. grandparents.
School will use email to send letters and in-app messages to rend shorter reminders. Please enable notifications and check 'junk' to ensure emails are received. A reminder of our communication methods can be found here: Communication | Elston Hall
If you are having any issues accessing the Arbor app, please contact the school office.
Year 6 - 7 transition
Its time for Year 6 families to begin selecting secondary schools ready for applications to be submitted by 31st October. Apply for secondary school places | City Of Wolverhampton Council
Secondary schools are hosting open events and we'd advise families to visit potential schools to support the decision making process. Details can be found here: School open days | City Of Wolverhampton Council
Golden ticket lunch
On Thursday, one child per year group who had a school meal won a golden ticket prize! The tickets were randomly placed on lunch trays and the following children won a prize: Sofija (Reception),Eva (Year 1), Orla (Year 2), Maisy (Year 3), Joshua (Year 4), Heidi (Year 5) and Daisy (Year 6). Well done! We look forward to seeing who wins in the next golden ticket meal.
Hello Yellow
On 10th October, we will be celebrating World Mental Health Day by participating in 'Hello Yellow'. Children are invited to wear a yellow accessory along with their usual school uniform (headband / socks / ribbon etc). Further details will be sent in a separate letter which will also contain details about donating to the charity Young Minds.
Use of E-Scooters and E-Bikes on School Grounds
We are writing to inform all families that, for health and safety reasons, e-scooters and e-bikes are not permitted on school grounds across our Trust.
While we recognise that these forms of transport are becoming increasingly popular, they present significant risks when used in busy areas where children, parents, and staff are moving around. To ensure the safety of everyone on site, we kindly ask that e-scooters and e-bikes are not brought onto or used anywhere within the school premises.
It is important to note that there is a legal distinction between e-scooters and e-bikes:
Privately owned e-scooters: It is currently illegal to ride these in public places, including pavements, roads and parks.
E-bikes: These are legal to use on roads and cycle paths if they meet specific government requirements (such as speed and motor power limits and age restrictions).
For further guidance on regulations, please visit:
Electric bikes: www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules
Electric scooters: www.gov.uk/electric-scooter-rules
We appreciate your support in helping us to maintain a safe environment for our school community.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
500 Words is open for entries! Make sure you submit your stories before 9pm, Friday 7 November.
There are two age categories: 5-7 and 8-11 year-olds and spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked - as has always been the case for 500 Words, it's all about our writers' brilliant creativity! There are prizes to be won - each winner will take home a bundle of books and the gold winners will also win 500 books for their school library.
On Monday 15 September, we updated all outstanding parent information leaflets for assessments in the academic year 2025 to 2026.
Information for parents is available to read online or to download as a PDF leaflet, and explains:
what parents need to know
what each assessment involves
when tests will take place
how results will be shared and used
You can find all leaflets in our collection of national curriculum assessments information for parents, covering the:
RBA
phonics screening check
optional KS1 national curriculum tests
multiplication tables check (MTC)
KS2 national curriculum tests, results and teacher assessment
pre-key stage standards
engagement model
Sports News
We are incredibly proud to be featured in the Express & Star newspaper, celebrating our amazing sporting achievements from last year! Elston Hall Primary School celebrate a year of sporting success | Express & Star
Lunches
Our new school menus can be found here: Lunches | Elston Hall
For parents who pay for school meals, please could payment be made the week before meals are taken to prevent debts accruing. Please be aware that, should your child's debt reach £30, then school will no longer provide school dinners until the debt is cleared.
Just a reminder that Elston Hall Primary School aims to be a Nut-Free school. The school aims to protect children who have allergies to nuts while also helping them as they grow to take responsibility for what foods they can safely eat and to be aware of what foods may put them at risk. We do not allow nuts or nut products in school lunch boxes or for after school club snacks. Nut-Free School
Key Dates
Please note, all dates are subject to change.
Inset days:
Monday 1st September
Tuesday 2nd September
Monday 23th February
Friday 19th June
Monday 20th July
School will be closed to all pupils on these days
Date | Event |
Monday 29th September | Y6 height and weight (School nurse) |
Tuesday 30th September | Y6 height and weight (School nurse) |
Thursday 2nd October | Census lunch – special menu |
Friday 3rd October | Book fair |
Monday 6th October | Book fair |
Tuesday 7th October | Reception parent workshop (details to follow) Year 5 trip |
TBC | Y4 residential meeting |
Thursday 9th October | Y2 Harvest celebration (Details TBC) |
Friday 10th October | Hello Yellow day (uniform with an optional yellow accessory) |
TBC | Nursery parent story share |
TBC | Y1 DT workshop |
WC 20th October | No clubs all week due to parents’ evenings Year 6 mock SATs |
Monday 20th October | Flu immunisations |
Tuesday 21st October | Parents Evening 4.00 – 6.00pm |
Wednesday 22nd October | Parents Evening 3.30 – 5.00pm |
Monday 27th October – Friday 31st October | Half term – School closed to all pupils |
WC Monday 3rd November | After School clubs resume |
Tuesday 4th November | Y2 Residential meeting 3.30pm |
Wednesday 5th November | Y4 Lego workshop |
Monday 10th November | Nursery rhyme week Anti-bullying week Odd socks day Diversity Celebration (invite only) |
Wednesday 12th November | Year 4 cinema trip |
Friday 14th November | Children in Need |
Monday 17th November | Last week for after school clubs |
Thursday 20th November | Y6 trip |
Monday 24th November | Y5 Swimming for Class 17 starts |
Tuesday 25th November | Flu immunisation catch up session |
Tuesday 25th November | Rocksteady Concert Year 3 trip |
Wednesday 26th November | Year 3 trip |
Friday 5th December | Reception trip |
TBC | Year 1 and 2 Christmas fayre |
Monday 8th December | Reception height and weight (School nurses) |
Tuesday 9th December | Reception height and weight (School nurses) |
Wednesday 10th December | Reception height and weight (School nurses) |
Wednesday 10th December | Christmas Dinner day / Christmas Jumper day |
Thursday 11th December | Year 1 Christmas Performance 9.15am & 1.30pm Year 2 Christmas Performances 10.15am & 2.30pm |
Friday 12th December | Nursery Christmas Performance 9.15am & 1.30pm Reception Christmas Performance 10.15am & 2.30pm |
Monday 15th December | Y3 Christmas Performance 9.15am & 1.30pm Y4 Christmas Performance 10.15am & 2.30pm |
Tuesday 16th December | Y5 Christmas Performance 9.15am & 1.30pm Y6 Christmas Performance 10.15am & 2.30pm |
Friday 19th December | End of term |
Community Links
Parent workshops - Violence Reduction Partnership
Wolverhampton Sports Advisory Council
The Wolverhampton Sports Advisory Council has promoted and represented sports clubs across Wolverhampton, as well as supporting individuals and celebrating their sporting achievements, since 1966.
We have also worked closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council in creating the Sporting Hall of Fame, held at WV Active Aldersley, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of dozens of sportsmen and women who have represented Wolverhampton on an international stage, from athlete Denise Lewis to Wolves footballers Bert Williams and Billy Wright. There is also the new ‘Olympian Way’ where large photos of Wolverhamptn Olympic medal winners are displayed at Aldersley.
We are now looking at updating our logo and want your help please.
We are hoping that your students may be given the opportunity to design a logo that represents the grassroot sports of Wolverhampton and the achievements that they have produced over the years - whilst also keeping the logo simple as well as effective.
Sports like, football, athletics, netball, tennis, hockey, wrestling, canoeing and many more are all recognised annually at our awards evening, and
We would like to offer £25 as the prize for the winner of this logo designing competition and hopefully present the prize at the awards evening on the 4th November at Fordhouses Cricket Club, Wobaston Road, Wolverhampton – when we hope to launch the new logo onto the advisory sports council’s new website.
Any entries should be sent into school for the attention of Miss Foster by Monday 20th October.
We look forward eagerly to seeing any and all entries and trust your pupils may have some fun in creating a ‘simple’ logo.
