Tuesday 13th February 2024

Dear Parents,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to personally inform you, even though some of you may already know that I will be retiring at the end of this academic year. I know this news may come as a surprise to some of you, and I apologise if the recent job advertisement you may have seen was the means through which you found out about my retirement. It was not intended to be the official announcement, and I regret any confusion this may have caused.

Leaving St Peter’s school has been a bittersweet decision for me. Over the past 31 years, I have had the privilege of working here, with the last 25 years spent as the headteacher. It has been an incredible journey, and I wholeheartedly cherish the memories and relationships formed during my time at the school. However, I believe that now is the right time for me to step back and devote my energy to my growing family, as well as enjoy more time with my friends.

I would also like to inform you that Mrs Coghlan, my assistant headteacher over the past 12 years, will also be retiring at the end of this academic year. Like me, she shares a deep love for St Peter’s school and takes immense pride in having played a significant role in the lives of countless children during her 33 years of service. Her dedication to our school community has been truly commendable.

As we bid farewell, we understand that there will be significant changes for St Peter’s school, but we want to assure you that St Peter’s is in a fantastic position to embrace the future. We have recently undergone inspections by both Ofsted and the Diocese, and their recognition of our accomplishments has reinforced our confidence in the continued success of the school. I believe this stands as a testament to the wonderful work carried out by our committed staff, talented students, and supportive parents like yourselves.

While change can often be challenging, it also presents opportunities for growth and fresh perspectives. I kindly ask for your ongoing support during this transitional period. St Peter’s school has always been a community that thrives on collaboration and shared values. Together, we can ensure a smooth and successful transition for all involved.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you. Your unwavering support, trust, and partnership over the years have been instrumental in shaping St Peter’s into the remarkable institution it is today. It has been an honour and a privilege to work with all of you, and I will forever hold cherished memories of my time here.

While Mrs Coghlan and my departures mark the end of an era, it also signifies the beginning of new possibilities. I have faith in the resilience of our school community and know that St Peter’s will continue to thrive.

Thank you once again for your continued support.

Warmest regards,

Helen White

Thursday 8th February 2024

Dear parents,

Please click the link below to read the letter.

Parent Letter Feb 2024

Friday 22nd December 2023

Dear Parents,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and holy Christmas, It has been a long term and I know that both the staff and pupils really need this rest.

For those children taking part in the Christmas Eve Mass (at Ss Peter and Paul’s Church, Melton Street, Earl Shilton) please arrive at 5.45pm. KS1 and EYFS children need to go into the hall to put on their nativity costumes, which will be provided for them. KS2 children need to come into the front of the church where I will hand out their readings and prepare them for the start of Mass. Please feel free to take your seat once you have handed over your child to a member of staff.

As you know it has been Mrs Connor’s final day, we wish her many blessings in her retirement. Mrs Connor is being replaced by a new lay chaplain called Chris, the children have already met him as he has been in school already to meet the children.  I have also been informed that Mrs. Ruth Smith will be leaving us this Christmas as she has decided to move back to the Isle of Wight.  Mrs. Smith has been a Teaching Assistant for 8 years at our school and she has supported children of all ages, she has excelled at working with our KS2 students in preparation for their SATs. She will be greatly missed by us all here at St Peter’s and we wish her many blessings and the best of luck in her new venture. If you have any questions relating to this news, please contact me directly.

Once again, thank you for your continued support. School reopens on Monday 8^th January.

God bless you

Helen White

(Headteacher)

Wednesday 1st November 2023

Dear Parents

Nomination for Parent Governor

There is a vacancy for a parent governor to serve on the school’s governing body. We are very keen to encourage parents and carers of registered pupils to nominate themselves to become part of our governing body.

Parent governors are elected by other parents and are vital to our governing body. They share equally with other governors the duty of carrying out the governing body’s wide range of responsibilities. Governors do not run the school day to day, as their role is at the strategic or policy-making level in the school. They ensure that the Head Teacher performs her responsibilities for the educational performance of the school and ensure the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources. You do not have to be an expert on education to be a school governor, and we value the experience and skills that all governors bring to the role. However, you will be expected to demonstrate skills and experience that will enhance governance at the school, a commitment to undertake training and a willingness to engage in the life of the school and its strategic development, over and above merely attending meetings.

If you join our governing body, you will serve for a four-year term and you can continue to the end of the four years even if your child leaves the school. Being a governor does take up time as there are 6 governing body meetings each year. You will need to set aside time to be able to be an effective governor: time to prepare for meetings, for visiting the school, to undertake training and updating.

If you would like to take the opportunity to put yourself forward as a candidate, please contact the school in person or telephone the Office and request an application pack which will contain further information along with a parent governor election form.

If there are more nominations than vacancies the election will be by secret ballot. If that is necessary, voting papers will be sent to all parents together with details of the ballot procedure.

Yours sincerely

Helen White

Headteacher

Monday 23rd October 2023

Dear Parents,

Harvest Celebration

I hope you all enjoyed the half term break. I am writing to inform you about our upcoming Harvest celebration, which will take place this Friday at 9am. During this event, the children will have the opportunity to express their gratitude to God for the harvest this year.

To add a symbolic touch to our celebration, we kindly request that you send your child to school with an item of food for the Harvest table. Please ensure that this is done by Friday morning at the latest. The collective contribution will create a beautiful display that reflects the generosity within our school community.

We also extend an invitation to all parents who would be able to attend the celebration. It would be lovely to have you join us and share in this celebration. Your presence would mean a lot to the children as they express their appreciation. Each class will be doing a short presentation.

Following the celebration, the Harvest table will be taken down to Ss Peter and Paul’s church for the school Mass on Sunday morning. As you may recall, you have already received information regarding this from Mrs Connor. Please return slips if your child is attending this Mass.

All the items on the Harvest table will be sold, and the proceeds will be contributed to Hope House Orphanage. This is in line with our school’s commitment to charitable causes. The Mass on Sunday will be led by Fr Michael, who comes from the parish where Hope House Orphanage is situated.

For those who are unable to attend the assembly or Mass but still wish to contribute to the Orphanage, we kindly ask that you send your donation to the school office in a sealed envelope. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, will be greatly appreciated. We will be holding a silver collection on Friday morning as you drop off and collect your children this Friday.

If you have any further queries or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you on Friday.

Yours sincerely,

Helen White

Headteacher

Friday 1st September 2023

Dear Parents,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to inform you about some changes we will be making to our homework policy with the aim of streamlining it and focusing on key skills.

After careful consideration, we have decided to refocus homework on three key areas: Reading, Phonics/Spelling, and Mental Maths. These areas have been identified as crucial for your child’s educational development. One other significant change is that we will no longer be assigning homework detentions.

Starting from next week, every Friday your child will receive a Mental Maths activity, a Reading target, and a list of spellings to learn. We understand that each child has their own unique learning style, so we encourage you to approach these activities in a way that suits your child best. As a result, we will no longer be assigning homework on Times Tables Rockstars or Spelling Shed so as to give more flexibility in how homework is completed.

For children in Phonics, we will provide virtual lessons on Class Dojo to help them practice their sounds effectively. This way, they can reinforce their learning at home in an interactive and engaging manner.

In order to reduce the administrative burden and create a more efficient system, we will no longer require physical evidence of completed homework to be returned to school. Instead, we will monitor your child’s progress in school through weekly Spelling and Mental Maths assessments. The scores will be noted in their Reading Record so that you can easily track your child’s performance.

To ensure that Reading remains a priority, we will closely monitor it during guided Reading lessons and conduct termly Reading tests. This will allow us to assess your child’s progress in this fundamental skill and provide any necessary support or intervention.

For children on our SEN Register, we may adapt homework to focus on their individual termly targets. We believe that personalised homework will be more effective in meeting their specific needs. The decision regarding adaptations will be made in collaboration with the class teacher, your child, and yourselves.

While we have decided to discontinue homework detentions, we strongly encourage you to support your child in focusing on the key areas we have outlined. Your involvement and guidance in their homework will greatly benefit their educational journey.

We believe that by streamlining homework and focusing on these key skills, it will become more manageable for children, allowing them to make meaningful progress in their learning.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here to support you and your child.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Helen White
(Head Teacher)

12/07/2023 

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well. Firstly, please allow me to extend my apologies for the delay in communicating to you earlier. It has come to my attention that some of you were not informed about the transition process and the introduction of your children’s new teachers for the upcoming academic year. 

 

Although the children have already been informed, and we utilized the recent House Meeting as a platform to prepare them for this transition.  I am confident that our efforts have sufficiently prepared the children for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

 

Class	Teacher/teachers	Learning support assistants
Reception	Mr. Wright	Miss Bonshor
Class 1	Mrs. Moreton and Mrs. Delahay	Mrs. Dewis
Class 2	Mrs. Woolman and Mrs. Pagliari	Mrs. Power
Class 3	Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Charity	Mrs. Kilgallen and Mrs. Purser will assist both of these classes
Class 4	Mrs. Fincham
Class 5	Mrs. Johnson	Mrs. Leadbetter and Mrs. Smith will assist both of these classes
Class 6	Miss Pritchett

Please note that the CMAT (Catholic Multi-Academy Trust) has made changes to the academic calendar for the next school year. School will resume on Thursday, 31st August, 2023 after the bank holiday. The dates for the next academic year are on our school website.  

Please will all parents settle any outstanding balances on Parent Pay before the end of this current term.  If you require any assistance or guidance in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact our school office.  

I want to assure you that our priority remains the well-being and academic progress of your children. As we approach the end of this term, I would like to express my gratitude for your continued trust and support.
Wishing you a restful summer break.

Yours sincerely, 

 Helen White 

27/06/2023 

 

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

 

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for tomorrow’s Summer Festival is not good- rain is likely. I have tried to run this event in the hall previously, due to bad weather, and it just didn’t work. It was hot and humid and there were too many people attending. Instead, we will hold the event in the hall in the school day for the pupils to enjoy. We will video the performances and post them onto Dojo for parents to enjoy watching with their children at home.  

 

Secondly, I’m sure many of you will have heard the devastating news about a member of our St Peter’s family whose house has been wrecked by fire, smoke and water damage (from the fire brigade). They have lost all their possessions and are currently in temporary accommodation. As charity begins at home, I am arranging a bring and buy sale on July 11th in the afternoon at school. This is an ideal opportunity for everyone to have a clear out and hopefully send in your brick-a-brac to raise money for Charlotte and her son Zac. Please start sending in good quality toys, books, and brick-a-brac items (not clothing, thank you) from now until the morning of the 11th July. The children will be given the opportunity to attend the sale in the afternoon, please send them in with a few pounds on the day of the 11th so that they can treat themselves.  Parents are also welcome to come along to purchase items on this afternoon. In addition, there is a Just Giving page which has been set up if you would like to contribute to this charity. https://bit.ly/3NQDtVI  

 

On Friday 7th July there will be strike action by teachers which will affect Year 6 pupils only. There will be no school for year 6 on this day. All other days and classes will be open as usual.  

 

All the end of term arrangements will continue to be shared on Dojo. Please keep an eye on messages in this app.  

 

 Yours faithfully 

 Helen White 

(Headteacher) 

 22.03.2023 

 Dear Parents and Carers, 

 Next week we have a couple of staff changes which I want to share with you.  

 On Monday, Miss Bonshor will be returning to school following her maternity leave. Ms Hill covered Miss Bonshor’s hours, so it will be Ms Hill who will be leaving the classroom. I would like to thank Mrs Hill for all her hard work. Ms Hill will continue to do a lunchtime duty for me on the KS1 playground, as Mrs Watson is moving into the kitchen to support with food preparation etc.  

 However, it’s slightly more complicated than this. Miss Bonshor will be joining Yr. 1 and will become the Learning Support Assistant for Mr Wright. Miss Bonshor already knows these children and is skilled in working with the younger pupils.  

 Mrs Smith has kindly agreed to use her skills to work in Yr.6, supporting the children in this class as they continue to prepare for their SATs. Mrs Smith is extremely skilled not only with the younger children but also with the pupils and the curriculum at the top end of the school. I have promised Mrs Smith that she can still go and work in Yr. 1 on Wednesday afternoons, so she can still teach the children in there and see them on a weekly basis.

Yours faithfully  

Mrs Helen White 

07.02.2023

Dear parents,

We have an upcoming Ofsted Inspection. Please click the links below for more information.

Letter To Parents

School Inspections A Guide For Parents

Thankyou

Mrs Helen White

20.01.2023

Dear Parents, 

We are tightening up on who we release children to at the end of the school day. 

Currently, we have several steps in place in order to safeguard handing children over at the end of the day:  

We have your permissions recorded for any regular arrangements for family and friends who come and collect your children. This means that staff will release your child on any school day to them. Generally, this list can include people like grandparents, child minders and other family members or friends you have identified to us as having permission to take your child at the end of the school day. 

We also have secure hand overs from teachers to adults either at the bottom gate or onto the infant playground. I know many schools still just allow children to leave when the bell goes. We also have CCTV available to us to check, should we have any concerns. 

Finally, there is an additional adult on the gate checking the children are with a known adult as they leave.  

At this point, we are putting in place the following changes: 

Miss Roper sent out pupil information forms before Christmas, so we/you shouldn’t have many changes to make. We are still waiting for a handful of these forms back. On this form, we asked parents for updates on their permissions and priority contacts. If an adult is not on this form then we won’t allow them to take your child at the end of the school day.  Remember this is not just to add any adults but to also remove adults who you no longer wish to give permission to collect your child because circumstances have changed.  

If you need to make any further additions or changes to your ‘permission to collect’ list, please email the office with this information school at school.office@stpetersprimary.org . If you are not sure who is on this list, please telephone Miss Roper in the school office to find out. 

I know that there are occasionally emergencies which arise where you need to ask someone else to collect your children (someone who is not on your permission to collect list). If this happens please email the office with the details of this person. In this emergency please ask the person who is collecting the child to report to the school office, so that the written permission can be checked before the child is taken, even if this another parent from school.  

Any changes need to be in place by the end of the school day on Monday 23rd January, please action these straight away. We will not allow children to leave with adults unless we have permission from you to do so.  

Thank you for your continued and ongoing support. 

Mrs Helen White 

 

11.01.22

Sunday 15th January is the closing date for all first time admissions for EYFS September 2023.

If you would like to apply for a place for your child at St Peter’s for your child starting school, please put us down as your first choice school (otherwise we will not see your application). I urge you to also put a second and third choice school on the application. Applications can be completed online from admissions at Leicestershire County Hall. Information about the process is available on their website https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/popular-now/apply-for-a-primary-school-place

Please let your family and friends about this deadline. If anyone misses the deadline they may not be allocated a place as that child will be the lowest priority.

Kind regards

Mrs White

 

 

29.11.22 

Dear Parents and Carers,  

 

As we head into December, we have several events which you need to remember. Please can I urge you to use the school website to access these events  Calendar – Saint Peter’s Catholic Voluntary Academy (stpetersprimary.org) in order that neither you or your child miss out. 

I know that Miss Roper is sharing details of the Nativity arrangements at St Peter’s Church in Hinckley on Dojo, please check your Dojo messages. Dojo is the platform which we use most frequently to communicate with parents. It is possible to have it set up to alert you when a new message has been delivered into Dojo, just like text messages. 

I’m gutted to have to tell you that Mrs Carter will be leaving St Peter’s at Christmas. Mrs Carter has been at the school for over 18 years and has taught all your children as they joined EYFS. She is a fabulous teacher and an incredible manager. Our loss is our phonics scheme, Ruth Miskin’s Read Write Inc’s, gain as she is going to work for the company at a consultant. I am very pleased that she has been successful in securing such a lovely job. I know you will join me in wishing her every success and happiness in her new role.  

Unfortunately, after Christmas the cost of toast will go up by 25p each week, from £1 to £1.25 for the week. This is simply to cover the increase costs of the bread and spread. Also the wrap around care, Breakfast club and After school Club will also increase by 50p each session. I haven’t put the price up for our wrap around care for almost ten years and it still offers incredibly reasonable rates of £4.50 for Breakfast Club and £7.50 for After School Club. Breakfast club opens at 7.45am and After school club closes at 5.15pm. If parents wish to book these facilities please use the booking system on Parent Pay. 

I know it’s very early to be sharing this information with you, but next academic year (Sept 2023) all the children will finish school at 3.15pm. This is because the government have set us new guidelines on the length of the school day. Currently, our little ones in EYFS, year 1 & 2 do not meet the government criteria.  If any parents would like to discuss this with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  

I’m sure I will see many of you at the events coming up. We break up on Friday 16th December, which will be a toy day. This is when children may bring ONE toy to school. We recommend that you do not send your child in with anything expensive and we will not be held responsible for any breakages or losses. A less precious toy is recommended. It is also the day which we walk to St Simon and St Jude’s Church for our Advent service. If parents can join us and wait until the children are registered, then help with walking the classes to the church and back to school it would be most appreciated. Please let your child’s class teacher know if you can help. 

The children return to school on Wednesday 4th January 2023. 

Thank you for your continued and ongoing support. 

Kind regards 

Helen White 

05.09.22

Dear Parents,

Welcome back, the children already seem settled and working well within their new routines, and with their new teachers.

Thank you for being so patient with us while we have not had a school office manager. We now have Miss Roper helping in the office until I have recruited someone to replace Mrs Mitchell. Miss Roper has managed, to update Parent Pay. Some of you will have had requests for outstanding payments (most of which is for wrap around care) when you used the breakfast club or the afterschool club while Mrs Mitchell was away. If you have any queries regarding additional payments, which you did not anticipate, please telephone the office.

I will let parents know when the office vacancy is advertised, I know there are several parents who have expressed an interest in this post.

This year we are arranging to take the whole school to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Curve Theatre in Leicester.  This is not an educational visit so parents can opt out if they do not want to pay for their child to go to this event. Children who opt out, must come to school on that day. Please telephone the office if this is the case by Friday this week at the very latest, so that we can book the right number of tickets. I hope that all the children can attend. The price is £20 per child, which includes the ticket and the coach. I believe that this is a very competitive price and also a wonderful experience for the children.

The children will be leaving after lunch on Tuesday the 13^th December for this outing and will return at approximately 6pm in the evening. Any child who receives Pupil premium funding will have a reduced amount for this trip and this will show on your Parent Pay account.

Please can I remind parents, as I know you will soon start to purchase coats etc as the weather gets colder. That children must be in plain navy or black coats for school. And that girls can only wear boots under their school trousers. These are the two main winter uniform issues that I have to address each year and they both involve a larger cost to parents, if they get this wrong. We will return to winter uniform after the October break.

As usual I am available on the playground most mornings if you need to speak to me or ask me anything.

Kind regards

Helen White

(Headteacher)

01.07.22

Dear Parents,

We have had a very successful morning interviewing and recruiting for the next academic year. I have been able to finalise the arrangements for where teachers will be for the next academic year. I am very pleased to inform parents of the following arrangements

EYFS- Mrs Carter – Monday and Tuesday & Mrs Morton – Wednesday-Friday

Y1 – Mr Wright

Y2 – Monday –Wednesday Mrs Woolman, Thursday & Friday –Mrs Pagliari

Y3 – Monday –Wednesday Mrs Moore, Thursday & Friday –Mrs Charity

Y4 – Mrs Fincham

Y5 – Mrs Johnson (Mrs Johnson is new to St Peter’s, she will be ably supported by Mrs Collins who will teach in yr 5 on a Tuesday)

Y6- Miss Pritchett

I have yet to finalise where all the Learning Support Staff will be working. I am currently working on this timetable.

Kind regards

Helen White

12/05/2022

‘Kings and Queens day’

On Friday 27th May we will marking the Queen’s Jubilee with a ‘Kings and Queens day’. The children are asked to donate £1 to the PTFA in order to dress up royally – should be a fun day!

Fathers’ day ‘Secret room’

The Mothers’ day version of this has proved to be really popular in the past so our PTFA have decided to run a Father’s day version. If your child wishes to take part, please send £2.50 via ParentPay by Friday 10th June. The PTFA will then purchase a selection of gifts for your child to choose from. They will be asked to choose their gift and wrap it on Tuesday 14th June.

Kind regards,

Mrs. Jan Coghlan

04/05/22

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please be aware that our school office manager, Mrs. Mitchell, is not in school at the moment. We are doing our best to cover her duties and channels of communication with parents should not be affected. We may however need your patience where ParentPay is concerned – we are currently enlisting expert help with this as it is a complex piece of software. Payments will be processed as usual but please bear with us if there are slight delays.

Please remember our achievement assembly on Friday at 9 a.m.! Send awards in with your children between now and 9 a.m. on Friday and they will place them in class boxes ready for the assembly. Emails and photos also welcome but they must be sent to jcoghlan@stpetersprimary.org by close of school on Thursday so that I can insert them into the presentation. All welcome as usual!

Kind regards,

Mrs. Jan Coghlan

11.03.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

From Monday, the whole school will stop and pray together for the people of Ukraine at 3pm.

We know that prayer can cause overwhelming change and that faith can move mountains. I invite you all to join us in this prayer of peace. The playground gate will open a few minutes before 3pm so that parents can come onto the playground and join us in prayer. You are welcome to stand in silence or read this prayer which we will be saying in the classrooms.

Loving God,

We pray for the people of Ukraine,

especially for the children

We ask that You stay close to all those suffering and afraid.

Protect them Lord.

We pray for those who have lost family

And friends in the fighting.

Comfort them Lord.

We pray for world leaders,

for compassion, strength and wisdom.

Guide their choices Lord.

We ask for Your help for all to walk in Your ways

so that peace and justice come the people of Ukraine

and for all the world.

Give us peace Lord

St Francis, patron saint of Peace…….Pray for us

St Jude, patron saint of Hope…………Pray for us

St Faustina, Patron saint of Mercy……Pray for us

We ask Mary, our holy mother,

who holds a special place in her heart for the people of Ukraine

To plead for us to God in heaven

And we say together

Hail Mary……..

Sacred Heart of Jesus…………………We trust in You

Amen

We will continue to pray together until the war ends.

Mrs White

The Trust are now signed up to Dell Advantage Student, which allows staff and students to get exclusive discounts of up to 20%.

Below is a small summary of how the programme works for students.

STUDENTS: Dell Advantage Student for Schools & Colleges (DAS) works like this:

1. DAS is a free programme that offers genuine savings to your students – up to 20% off.
2. They will follow the link below and enter their unique passcode to receive all voucher codes via an email
3. The voucher code is then entered at the point of purchase and the student/parent/guardian will be able to choose the option of monthly payments, through PayPal. They will automatically get one year’s free warranty
4. The student/parent/guardian will own the product that they buy, so the school does not have any ties

Next Steps:

1. The passcode for all students at schools is: 9VYBAY
2. The link

• Students: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/lp/k12-students