Newsletter - Friday 6th March 2026
- lfoster51
- 2 hours ago
- 14 min read
Updated: 27 minutes ago
Issue 11 - Spring 2026
Proud to be ELSTON! Empowered, Listeners, Successful, Together, Open-Minded, Nurturing
Dear families,
I hope that your children enjoyed half term, although the weather wasn't ideal! Its been lovely to see the signs of Spring, and we've enjoyed a few days of sun since returning (unfortunately not today!)
Staff took part in a valuable INSET day on our return after half term, focusing on training delivered by Educational Psychologists on embedding a whole-school trauma-informed approach to support our students, and to support our work to achieving an ATTUNE award. We also received training on developing Oracy - the ability for our pupils to articulate their ideas through speaking, listening and communication.
Children have been very busy since we've been back and we've seen some fantastic learning taking place as well as many personal development opportunities!
Today we've thoroughly enjoyed celebrating World Book Day. The pupils look fantastic in their costumes - well done! Photos can be found here: World Book Day! Pep the Poet led an assembly in Key Stage Two and has conducted workshops in each class. We look forward to welcoming him back to Early Years and Key Stage One on Monday. If your child loves reading, they could apply for a Blue Peter Book Badge: Book badge | Blue Peter - CBBC which means that your child can get into some attractions for free. Let us know if your child is successful!
Thank you, as always, for your continuing support.
Have a great weekend,
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.
Winter bugs are going around. If you aren't sure whether to send your child into school, this information may be useful: Is my child too ill for school? - NHS
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.
For more information, see our latest attendance newsletter here: Attendance Newsletter Spring 2026
This week, attendance has increased to 94.6% - an increase but still below the current national average of 94.8%. We'd love to see attendance improve and thank you in advance for your support with this. Year 1 continue to have the highest attendance so far - well done! Most year groups saw attendance increase - keep it up!
Year group | Up to 27.2.26 |
Whole School (Without Reception children) | 94.6% |
Nursery | 87.5% |
Reception | 91.4% |
Year 1 | 95.2% |
Year 2 | 94.3% |
Year 3 | 95.0% |
Year 4 | 94.0% |
Year 5 | 94.5% |
Year 6 | 94.8% |
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.
Personal Development
Children are thoroughly enjoying the Chance to Shine cricket club. Qualified coaches are helping the children develop key cricket, physical and life skills. The sessions are building their confidence both on and off the pitch.
The children have been working hard since their last Hub event developing their footwork, passing and defending skills in preparation for the next tournament in the summer term.
Six of our year 5 girls had a fantastic time today taking part in a day of STEM discovery at Wolverhampton Girls' High School. They made slime in science, built bridges in D & T and coded in computing. A great day was had by all and many of our girls are inspired to want to explore these subjects further. As usual, our children were a pleasure to accompany and represented Elston Hall well!
Teaching and Learning Opportunities
Our Reception children are loving Wild Tribe, where they get to explore nature and develop new skills all year long! From building dens to creating nature art, every season brings new outdoor adventures that help the children grow in confidence and creativity. We’re excited to continue our Wild Tribe adventures and can’t wait to see what the next few months bring! Click the link above for more photos.
Our Early Years Inspiration Day kicked off with a thrilling journey back in time to the world of dinosaurs ready for this terms topic 'Jurrassic Park'. The children arrived at school ready for a day of discovery, dressed as palaeontologists, ready to investigate all things prehistoric. The day began with a thrilling fossil hunt, followed by a deep dive into the world of dinosaurs. A big highlight of the day was when Reception children had the chance to make the volcano erupt, simulating the dramatic events that contributed to the dinosaurs' disappearance. They also had a blast designing their own dinosaur parks.
A big thank you to everyone , children and teachers alike, for your incredible efforts in dressing up as paleontologists!
Our Reception Maths Workshop was a big hit, with parents getting involved and joining in fun activities with their children. It was a great chance for everyone to see how we teach maths at school and how you can help your child at home in a fun way! We follow the Mastery Number approach from the NCTEM programme, which helps children really understand numbers, not just memorize them. It was so lovely to see the children excited about having their grown-ups in school, and we really enjoyed showing off their progress.
Thank you to all the parents who attended our phonics workshop — it was wonderful to see so many of you there. The children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their learning with you! We hope you found the session useful in supporting your child’s reading at home and that it gave you a clear understanding of how we teach phonics in school.
Children have been enjoying their Phonics Fun club - clock the link above for more pictures!
In Year 5, pupils explored the world of artificial intelligence by discussing and debating how it can be both helpful and harmful. They shared thoughtful ideas about how AI supports learning and everyday life, while also considering important risks such as misinformation and over-reliance on technology. Building on these conversations, the children created informative leaflets and eye-catching posters to share their understanding. They also wrote reflective letters of advice to their future selves, offering warnings and guidance about using AI responsibly. It was inspiring to see such mature thinking and creativity as pupils considered the future of technology and their role within it.
A fantastic performance from the girls in Year 6, focusing on how a stimulus can inspire you to choregraph a dance. The girls show through movement the difference between Earth, Ice Giant planets and Hot planets in their new topic of Science Dance. Click the link above to watch their routine!
Red Nose Day
On Friday 20th March we will be celebrating Red Nose Day. Children can come into school dressed in their own clothes for a £1 donation which will be available to pay on Arbor. All money will go to Comic Relief: Red Nose Day | Comic Relief
Red noses can be bought from school for children to wear on the day. School councillors will sell the noses for £2. Look out for more information soon!
Easter Egg Raffle
House captains have organised an Easter Egg raffle. They will be selling raffle tickets for £1 a strip. Prizes include large Easter Egg hampers for EYFS/KS1 and for KS2 plus other smaller prizes. Children can bring £1 in cash next week if they'd like to be in with a chance to win.
Walk to School
A reminder that we are taking part in WOW. We are asking children to 'actively travel' to school at least once per week. This will be logged in class daily and children who walk actively at least once per week will be awarded with a Wow badge each month in Y1 - Y6. Further information for parents can be found here: WOW - the walk to school challenge
Here are just a few of the designs that children submitted for the 'design a wow badge' competition. Our sports ambassadors carefully selected 3 winning designs that have been submitted as part of Elston Hall's entry for the competition. We wish Isabelle, Eno and Ellesse luck with their designs in the competition!
School notices
Bikes/scooters
Please could we remind children not to ride bikes or scooters on school site before and after school.
Children should also avoid playing on the EYFS equipment including the mound, trim-trail and school bikes/scooters.
Start time
Please can we ask that children arrive at school at 8:45am. We've had a few older children arrive on playgrounds before this time recently, however staff do not go out on duty until the doors open at 8:45am. Children should not play football on site before school.
Uniform
Could we please remind families of our uniform expectations, especially for our PE uniform. Black bottoms should be worn with a bottle green top and hoodie. Our policy can be found here: 957aab_5c700421c1cb4f8cbe5835ef6afbb04e.pdf
Parking
Please see the following information from the City of Wolverhampton Council:
We are continuing to experience significant issues with parents and carers parking on restricted areas during school drop‑off and pick‑up times. Unfortunately, despite previous engagement efforts, the situation has not improved.
‘Until now, our Civil Enforcement Officers have approached drivers observed parking in contravention and requested that they move their vehicles before issuing a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). Increasingly, drivers are relying on this warning and continuing to park unlawfully until instructed to move. These restrictions must remain clear at all times to ensure the safety of pupils, parents, and carers.
‘To address this ongoing issue, we will be changing our enforcement approach. Any vehicle parked in contravention of restrictions near schools will now receive a Penalty Charge Notice immediately, without a prior request to move. If a driver leaves the location after the issuing process has begun, the PCN will be issued by post to the registered keeper of the vehicle.’
Matthew Bowden
Senior Parking Service Officer
City of Wolverhampton Council
Sports News
We are incredibly proud of our Year 6 boys’ and girls’ team who represented the school so brilliantly at the Wolves Foundation Premier League Stars Tournament held at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground. The team made it to the final and, although we came up against a very talented Codsall Middle team and finished as runners-up, the achievement is remarkable. Out of 18 schools competing, finishing in the top two is something to be extremely proud of. Every single player represented the school with commitment, teamwork and sportsmanship—well done to you all!
A special mention must go to Keegan, who was awarded Elston’s Player of the Tournament for his outstanding defensive performances and exceptional composure and passing from the back. A fantastic and well-deserved achievement—congratulations, Keegan!
We are delighted to have been awarded the Barclays Equal Access School 2025 status. This national recognition celebrates schools that are committed to providing girls with equal opportunities to take part in football, ensuring access to regular, inclusive and high-quality provision within school.
The award reflects our dedication to promoting equality in sport and creating opportunities for all pupils to participate and thrive.
A huge thank you to Mr Turner and Mr Green for their hard work and commitment to providing fantastic sporting opportunities for our children — this achievement would not have been possible without them!
Lunches
Our school menus can be found here: Lunches | Elston Hall. Our school menus will change after Easter and can be found here below our current menus.
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.
Please can we remind families to cut up grapes if they are sent into school for lunch or snack time.
Safeguarding
Click here to access the Online Behaviours Spring Term 2026 newsletter for parents
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 send 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.
Key Dates
Please note, all dates are subject to change.
Inset days:
Friday 19th June
Monday 20th July
School will be closed to all pupils on these days
Monday 9th March | Author Visit Day 2 - Pep the Poet Reflexions: Year 6 Children’s workshops – Preparation for SAT’s |
WC 9th March | Last week for extra-curricular clubs (due to parents evening & Laches Wood) British Science Week |
Wednesday 11th March | Year 3 Mother’s Day workshops - afternoon |
Thursday 12th March | Reception Mother’s Day assembly (KS2 Hall 2.30pm) |
Monday 16th March | Reflexions: Preparation for SAT’s - Parent workshop 2-3pm Year 1 Dinosaur Day Workshop |
Tuesday 17th March | Rocksteady Concert KS2 hall |
Wednesday 18th March | Parents Evening (4.00pm - 6.00pm) |
Thursday 19th March | Year 5 PCSO visit Parents Evening (3.30pm - 5.00pm) |
Friday 20th March | Red Nose Day |
Wednesday 25th March | Year 2 trip - West Midlands Safari Park |
Thursday 26th March | EYFS Easter Bonnets Parade (in school) |
Thursday 26th March | Nursery Easter Sing Song (KS1 Hall 11am &2.30pm) |
Wednesday 25th – Friday 27th March | Y6 Residential Visit to Laches Wood |
Friday 27th March | End of term |
Monday 13th April | School reopens to all pupils |
Monday 13th April | Swimming resumes (Class 18) |
Friday 17th April | House point reward |
WC Monday 20th April | Extra-Curricular After School clubs begin |
Wednesday 29th April | Year 4 Rainforest workshops |
Monday 4th May | Bank Holiday – School closed to all pupils |
WC Monday 11th May | Y6 SATs Week |
Monday 18th May | Y2 SATs week Y6 Top up swimming sessions start (selected pupils) |
Monday 18th May – Wed 20th May | Y4 Conwy residential – no extra curricular clubs this week |
Monday 25th May – Friday 29th May | Half term – school closed to all pupils |
WC Monday 1st June | After School clubs continue |
Monday 1st June | Y4 MTC window Year 6 Bikeability |
Tuesday 2nd June | Year 6 Bikeability |
Wednesday 3rd June | Year 4 Bikeability |
Thursday 4th June | Reception Trip to Theatre |
WC Monday 8th June | Y1 Phonics Screening window |
Monday 8th June | Sports Day – Y4 – 9.15am, Y5 – 10.45am, Y6 – 1.45pm Reflexions: Transition - Year 6 Children’s workshops |
Tuesday 9th June | New Reception Parent meeting 3.30 KS1 hall |
Wednesday 10th June | New Reception Parent meeting 3.30 KS1 hall |
Thursday 11th June | New Reception Parent meeting 3.30 KS1 hall |
Friday 12th June | Sports Day – Y1 – 9.15am, Y2 - 10.45am, Y3 - 1.45pm |
Monday 15th June | Sports Day – Reception – 9.15am, Nursery am – 10.45am, Nursery pm – 1.45pm Reflexions: Transition – Parent workshop 2-3pm |
TBC | Nursery trip |
Thursday 18th June | Year 1 Father’s day events |
Friday 19th June | Inset Day – School closed to all pupils |
Monday 22nd June | Last week for After school clubs Year 4 Father’s Day events |
Tuesday 23rd June | New to nursery parent meeting 3.30 |
Thursday 25th June | Reception to Year 1 transition parent meeting 3.30 |
TBC | Year 1 trip |
Monday 29th June – Wednesday 1st July | Transition sessions (am only) Reception – Y6
|
WC Monday 29th June | Transition week |
Tuesday 30th June | Rocksteady Concert |
Thursday 2nd July | Yr 5 trip to Safeside |
Monday 6th July | Last Y6 top up swimming session |
Monday 6th July – Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th - Thursday 9th July | Y2 residential |
Friday 3rd July | EYFS Colour Festival |
Thursday 9th / Friday 10th July | Y6 Summer Fete |
Friday 10th July | End of Year Reports sent home |
Thursday 16th July | Nursery graduation |
Wednesday 15th July | Y6 Leaver’s Performances |
Thursday 16th July | Y6 Leaver’s events (during school day & BBQ after school) |
Friday 17th July | End of academic year |
Monday 20th July | Inset Day – School closed to all pupils |
Community Links
Pride in Place (Phase 2) Low Hill Neighbourhood Board
Expression of Interest for Chair and Board Membership
Do you live, work or deliver community services in the Low Hill area?
Can you lead real change for Low Hill?
Read on to find out how:
The Pride in Place Programme
Pride in Place is a UK wide community-led programme which will empower local people to shape the future of their neighbourhoods.
Over the next 10 years, with £20 million from the government, the Low Hill community will have the funds and support to:
- lead a long-term programme of transformation
- decide how they wish to invest in services, activity and infrastructure
- build a stronger community living in a thriving place
- take back control of the future of Low Hill
You can read more about Pride in Place here: Pride in Place Programme prospectus - GOV.UK
The Low Hill 10-Year Pride in Place Plan
This plan will set the priorities for the community, developed in consultation with the community.
A new Neighbourhood Board – led by an independent Chair and made up of local people who live in or are invested in the future of the area - will together with the community, co-create a Pride in Place Plan, setting out how the £20 million will be spent, supported by the Council and the constituency MP.
Neighbourhood Board Chair and Member Selection
The Chair will need to commit to being the champion for place and community engagement, leading the Board in decision making, working closely with the MP, Council, including ward councillors, and other stakeholders, to ensure the delivery of the programme. The role of the Chair is a unique opportunity but will mean a commitment of around 8 – 10 hours per month.
As well as the Chair, MP and local elected councillors, 8 – 12 Board members are required to ensure this programme gets off to the right start.
The people selected as Chair and Board members can be residents, local businesspeople, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, and faith and community leaders. They can also come from a local sport, arts, cultural or heritage organisation, and public agencies such as a local school or health care provider. A board where its members all have a deep connection to the area and represent a wide cross-section of the local community will support the programme to be truly community led.
The role of Chair and Board members is voluntary, but reasonable expenses will be paid, and training and other support will be provided. In line with guidance, those standing for election in May 2026 cannot apply.
How to Apply
If you think you could lead the Board as Chair or contribute as a Board Member you can find out more from the role summaries below.
If you would like to express your interest for either role, send a short statement, (no more than 500 words), detailing:
Which role you would like to apply for
Your connection to Low Hill (resident, business etc)
What experience, skills and time commitment you can bring to the role of Chair or Board member
Applications for the Chair should also provide a response to the following question - please describe how you would lead inclusive community engagement in the programme (this can take your statement to 1,000 words maximum)
Please also include your contact details (full name, address, address of business or organisation if you are not a resident, email and contact number)
Please email your application statement to PiPLowHill@wolverhampton.gov.uk
How and when we will we make decisions:
Expressions of interest for the Chair will be reviewed and decision made by the Council in conjunction with the constituent MP.
Expressions of interest for Board Members will be reviewed by the Chair and the Council in conjunction with the constituent MP.
Chair:
The window for Expressions of Interest will open on 23rd February 2026.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest for the Chair is 9th March 2026.
If an interview stage is required, this will be held on the 13th March 2026.
We expect to make a decision on the Chair appointment week commencing 23rd March 2026.
Board Members:
The window for Expressions of Interest will open on 23rd February 2026.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest for Board Members is 16th March 2026.
If an interview stage is required, this will be held week commencing 30th March 2026.
We expect to make decisions Board membership week commencing 13th April 2026.
Role summaries
For further details on each of the roles, please see the role description documents supplied.
