Locking Stumps Community Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers, We hope you enjoyed the half term break! This newsletter was due to send last week but it did not send - SORRY! IT did hit Facebook though... I am sure you will love the read (and did not miss it!). Here are a few reminders to help plan this week and into next: Wednesday 4th November PTA Firework Display. Tickets must be purchased before Monday 2nd November (PLEASE PURCHASE ON PARENT PAY BY TONIGHT 10pm). ALL Tickets will go home tomorrow. Tickets must be shown on the gate (We have lots spare - please feel free to invite family and friends). Wednesday 4th November Year 5 visit to Norton Priory. Full school uniform must be worn. Poppy Selling (in classes) Our School Council members will be selling Poppies and other items in school from Wednesday 4th November to help raise money for the British Legion Poppy Appeal. There are also some other limited items available as listed below: School Council will visit all classes however, we cannot guarantee certain items will be available. Items and suggested donations (please feel free to donate more): Paper Poppies 50p Wristbands £1 Snap Bands £1 Reflectors 50p If your child would like to purchase a Poppy or any other item, please can we ask that you send the money into school in a clearly named envelope. Thank you for your support. Friday 6th November - Wear Pink for Peace We are inviting children to wear something pink and make a £1 donation to the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project. Children may wear a splash of pink, dress fully in pink, or wear their usual school uniform if they do not wish to take part. Please note that donations are made directly to the charity and will not be collected through school. 🔗 https://www.briannaslegacy.org/donate Wednesday 11th November - Year 6 Parents' Workshop SATs Information Evening at 5:00pm. Wednesday 11th November - Open Day for Prospective Parents Please register here: https://forms.gle/mHeuakyYEUNp9my9A In School Music Tuition - FINAL REMINDER: Thank you to those parents who expressed an interest in music tuition lessons. There was enough interest for us to partner with Early Notes Music, who will be offering lessons at Locking Stumps. Thirty-minute lessons will take place on Thursday afternoons, with children able to learn guitar, ukulele or keyboard. Places are limited. To register your child, please contact Martin Lynch directly via: 🔗 https://www.earlynotesmusic.education/contact Please note: Children will need access to their own instrument. Martin can provide advice regarding instrument purchase. This opportunity is currently open to children who are not already participating in Rocksteady sessions on Mondays. Registration closes WEDNESDAY. To register with Martin  Lynch please contact him directly by completing this form:   https://www.earlynotesmusic.education/contact  Once Martin receives enough interest he will contact with more information. Please note, children will need to have their own musical instrument to move forward with these lessons.  Martin can support you with this. If you would like to register your child, please do so by 2nd November 2026. Please note, this offer is currently open for  any child not currently doing RockSteady Band music on Mondays.  Thank you for your continued support. Kind regards,

Dear Parents and Carers, What a term! From exciting museum visits and the Year 6 residential to engaging parent workshops, #HelloYellow and so much more, it has been a fun-filled half term packed with wonderful experiences, memorable moments and fantastic learning. We will be sharing our end-of-half-term newsletter tomorrow, which will include some of the highlights from this busy and successful term, along with a few reminders. We are incredibly proud of how well the children have settled, embraced new challenges and worked so hard throughout the term. It has been a joy to see their enthusiasm, confidence and curiosity shine through in everything they do. They have achieved so much, and we continue to be impressed by their positive attitudes and determination to do their very best. A huge thank you to all our families for your continued support and involvement. Follow Us on Facebook! Keep up to date with all the exciting things happening at Locking Stumps by following our Facebook page. We love sharing school news, celebrations and learning highlights with you! 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity School is now closed for half term and we look forward to welcoming the children back on Monday 2nd November at the usual time. Dates for Your Diary Monday 2nd November School reopens at the usual time. Wednesday 4th November PTA Firework Display. Tickets must be purchased before Monday 2nd November. Wednesday 4th November Year 5 visit to Norton Priory. Full school uniform must be worn. Friday 6th November - Wear Pink for Peace We are inviting children to wear something pink and make a £1 donation to the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project. Children may wear a splash of pink, dress fully in pink, or wear their usual school uniform if they do not wish to take part. Please note that donations are made directly to the charity and will not be collected through school. 🔗 https://www.briannaslegacy.org/donate Wednesday 11th November - Year 6 Parents' Workshop SATs Information Evening at 5:00pm. Wednesday 11th November - Open Day for Prospective Parents Please register here: https://forms.gle/mHeuakyYEUNp9my9A 🚗 Parking Reminder Please do not park on the double yellow lines leading up to the school gates. These areas must remain clear for emergency vehicles and coaches returning from school trips. We have also been informed of parking concerns around Strawberry Close. We kindly ask all parents and carers to park thoughtfully and considerately at drop-off and pick-up times. Thank you for your support with this. Attendance We are pleased that many children continue to strive for excellent attendance. While we understand that illness can sometimes lead to absence, holidays taken during term time are unauthorised and may result in a penalty notice (fine). Regular attendance is vital for children's learning and wellbeing, so please continue to make attendance a priority. In-School Music Tuition Thank you to those parents who expressed an interest in music tuition lessons. There was enough interest for us to partner with Early Notes Music, who will be offering lessons at Locking Stumps. Thirty-minute lessons will take place on Thursday afternoons, with children able to learn guitar, ukulele or keyboard. Places are limited. To register your child, please contact Martin Lynch directly via: 🔗 https://www.earlynotesmusic.education/contact Please note: Children will need access to their own instrument. Martin can provide advice regarding instrument purchase. This opportunity is currently open to children who are not already participating in Rocksteady sessions on Mondays. Registration closes on 2nd November 2026. Things to Do Over Half Term Keep the children entertained this half term with the free Trans Pennine Trail Kids' Activity Pack, packed with autumn and Halloween fun. Featuring Mandy Mole, Hannah the Horse, Bob the Badger and friends, the pack includes outdoor challenges, crafts, colouring, puzzles, recipes, jokes and adventure activities. 🍂 Download the free pack: https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/childrens-page/ You can also discover local routes and plan a family adventure here: https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/tpt-leaflets/ Have fun exploring, creating and enjoying nature this half term! Thank you for your continued support. We wish all our families a safe, enjoyable and relaxing break and look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Monday 2nd November. Attached: October Tech Club - Culcheth HAF at Lockies Christmas Appeal

Dear Parents and Carers, As we come to the end of another busy and wonderful week at Locking Stumps, we would like to say a huge thank you for your continued support and involvement in school life. It was lovely to see so many of you at Parents’ Evening this week, we really appreciate you taking the time to complete our Parents’ Survey. We are sure you will agree that our children are doing amazingly well, and we are incredibly proud of all they are achieving! 🌟 We are delighted to share the results of our Parents' Evening survey with you. We never take your support for granted, and the feedback clearly shows that our families are overwhelmingly happy with our school. Almost 100% of respondents said they would recommend our school to another parent, which speaks volumes about our wonderful school community. Thank you for your continued support and trust. We would also like to thank those who provided constructive feedback. We genuinely value your views and use them to help us continue improving. It is also pleasing to note that almost 90% of parents feel our uniform policy strikes the right balance. The full survey breakdown provides even more detail, and we encourage you to take a look. 📱 Stay Connected – Follow Us on Facebook! Keep up to date with all the exciting things happening at Locking Stumps by following our Facebook page. We love sharing our school news, celebrations and learning highlights with you! 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity 🗓️ Half-Term Reminder A little reminder that school will close at the usual time on Wednesday 21st October and will reopen on Monday 2nd November. 📚 Thank You for Supporting Our Curriculum Workshops A big thank you to all our Year 3 and Year 4 parents and carers who joined us for our curriculum workshops this week. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and engagement in your children’s learning. For anyone who was unable to attend the workshops, all presentation materials can be found on our Parent Meetings page. We will continue to upload presentations from future workshops here too. 🔗 https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps/site/pa 🎨 After-School Clubs – Next Term Our after-school clubs will continue as normal next week. A SchoolPing message has also been sent out with information about the after-school clubs available next term. If your child would like to take part, please make sure you complete the form by 12 noon on Tuesday 20th October 2026. Supporting Local Families St Joseph’s Christmas Appeal Finally, we would love to encourage our school community to support St Joseph’s Christmas Appeal, which aims to help local families. If you are able to help by raising funds or donating food, please take a look at the attached poster for further information. Every little contribution can make a real difference to someone in our local community. Thank you, as always, for your kindness, generosity and continued support. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful school community! Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Attached: Dance Academy St Joseph's Christmas Appeal Diary Dates Open Evening After School clubs

What a wonderful week we’ve had! The children have worked so hard and enjoyed lots of exciting learning opportunities throughout the week. Next week, our Year 5 and 6 children will be taking part in their residential at Kepplewray. We are all very excited! Don’t forget to check out pictures of their adventures on our Facebook page. Parent Workshops A big thank you to our EYFS and Year 1 parents and carers who attended the curriculum workshops this week. We really appreciate your support and engagement in your children’s learning. All presentation materials can be found on our Parent Meetings page, and we will continue to upload future workshop presentations there: 🔗 https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps/site/pages/parentinformation2/parentmeetings Follow Us on Facebook Keep up to date with life at Locking Stumps by following our Facebook page: 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity Attendance Attendance continues to be strong at Locking Stumps, with children eager to be in school and making positive choices to attend regularly. Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain this. Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in illness across a few classes recently. Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 have had illness. To help reduce the spread of infection, we are increasing our cleaning routines in school and continuing to encourage children to wash their hands regularly and follow good hygiene practices. We would be grateful if you could support us at home by encouraging regular handwashing and helping children develop good hygiene habits. Thank you for your ongoing support with this. Dates for Your Diary Friday 9th October – EYFS, Year 1 & 2 Celebration Assembly Parents will receive a SchoolPing message if their child is showing work. #HelloYellow On Friday 9th October, we will be supporting YoungMinds with a #HelloYellow Mental Health Awareness Day. Children are invited to come into school wearing yellow, and we will be asking for a donation of £1 via ParentPay. Your child can be fully dressed in yellow, wear just a splash of yellow, or even wear their school uniform with yellow socks, hair accessories, a scarf, etc. If Friday is your child’s PE day, please ensure they wear their usual sportswear. Just a reminder that our school library is open for children to visit and enjoy the books. 🌅 Morning: 8:30–8:45am 🏫 After school: Until 3:30pm We encourage all children to come along, explore the library, and choose a book to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you! A special thank you to our Yer 6 librarians who are giving up their time to support our library! 📖😊 WARRPAC – SEND Information We have attached the WARRPAC communication for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND. These events provide valuable information and help parents and carers develop a better understanding of local SEND services. They also offer an excellent opportunity to access support, gain advice and connect with other families. Important: A reminder that our school is a nut-aware school. This means that nuts and products containing nuts must not be brought into school, including in packed lunches, snacks or treats. This is to help keep all our children safe, particularly those with severe nut allergies, where even small amounts can cause a serious allergic reaction. Thank you for your continued support. Attached: Nut Aware Flyer #HelloYellow Check In and Chat – SEND

Dear Parents / Carers, Our after-school clubs are now in full swing and have been a huge success. It has been fantastic to see so many children getting involved, trying new things and enjoying themselves. Thanks to those who have signed up! We are especially excited to share that we now have 50 members in our KS2 Choir! 🎶 What an amazing achievement! Our Year 4 children received an email from the manager at Warrington Museum who said they were one of the best groups they ever had visit them! Well done Year 4 – see our Facebook to see some of their learning! Gill the Artist has been working with the children over the last couple of weeks to produce some whole school art which will be presented in our main corridor – we look forward to seeing it. Thanks to our Year 6 parents who came to learn more about the Year 6 Residential to Kepplewray. The parent presentation can be viewed by clicking onto our School Residential Page. Families of children in Year 2 and 4 can also view this page to view the respective presentations and learn more about their residentials. https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps/site/pages/parentinformation2/residentialtrips Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We’re looking forward to another fantastic week ahead! 🌟 Follow Us on Facebook A reminder that we have a Facebook page where we regularly share updates and celebrate activities taking place across the school. Please give us a follow and keep up to date with school life: 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity You might even catch a glimpse of Lockie the Owl, our school mascot – he had his photograph taken with some children from the Year 1 and 2 Celebration Assembly! Dates for Your Diary: https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps/site/pages/dates/schoolcalendar - Please do use our calendar which is updated with after school clubs. Monday 21st September - Year 2 Parent's Workshop - 9am in the school hall. Tuesday 22nd September - Year 5 Parent's Workshop - 9am in the school hall. Thursday 24th September - Individuals / Family photographs. the school hall will be open from 8.15am for those who wish to have a family photograph (just call in with your younger or older children) Thursday 24th September - Whole School flu Vaccination - the below link was sent from the NHS. If you would like your child to have the Flu immunisation (spray) please complete the link: https://www.manage-vaccinations-in-schools.nhs.uk/consents/J6oHUmfZYC/flu/start Friday 25th September - Year 3 & 4 Celebration Assembly - Parents will receive a SchoolPing if your child is showing work. Thank you for your support. Attached: Football at Beaumont Flu Vaccination Freedom Football Spaces

Dear Parents and Carers, What a fantastic first full week! The children have settled in brilliantly, and the hard work has truly begun. Follow Us on Facebook A reminder that we have a Facebook page where we regularly share updates and celebrate activities taking place across the school. Please give us a follow and keep up to date with school life: 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity You might even catch a glimpse of Lockie the Owl, our school mascot, who made another appearance today! EYFS Update Our EYFS children have successfully completed their first week in school. Over the last three days they have attended full-time and managed to enjoy lunch at school too. They may be even more tired than Gary this weekend! School Buddies We have selected our School Buddies, and they have been amazing. Some could already qualify for a job in a top restaurant! These Year 6 pupils support younger children in the hall and do a fantastic job helping them at lunchtime. School Council School Council nominations are now complete, and we will be announcing our new School Council members in Monday's assembly. How exciting! Sports Play Leaders Our Sports Play Leaders have been chosen, and activities have already begun. Our playground is amazing! EYFS have explored it too! Walk to School Initiative In Monday's assembly, we will be launching a big push on walking to school and relaunching our Walk to School badge scheme. Parents, be warned – your children may be keen to walk to school next week! Get your trainers ready! Attendance Wow! Our attendance is as high as it has ever been for the first week of term. Well done to every child who has achieved 100% attendance so far. Keep it up! We have also recorded only four late arrivals this week. Let's continue this excellent start. Term-Time Holidays A reminder regarding term-time holidays: all holidays taken during term time are unauthorised and may result in a fine issued by the local authority. Please help us support your child's education by maintaining strong attendance. We will also be learning more about attendance and why it is so important during Monday's assembly. Value of the Week: Belonging Belonging was the theme of this week's assembly. Why not quiz your children and ask them what it means to belong at Locking Stumps, or see if they can remember the key messages from the assembly? Dates for Your Diary: https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps/site/pages/dates/schoolcalendar - Please do use our calendar which is updated with after school clubs. Monday 14th September After-school clubs for Years 1 to 6 begin this week. If you have not yet signed your child up for a club, please email the school office if you would like a place. Tuesday 15th September Year 4 will be going on the first school trip of the year. EYFS children will have their first PE lesson. Wednesday 16th September Year 6 Parents' Kepplewray Meeting 5:00pm in Mrs Ralphs' classroom. Friday 18th September Year 1 and Year 2 Celebration Assembly. Parents will receive a SchoolPing notification if their child is sharing work. Gentle Reminder If someone else will be collecting your child, please let the class teacher know in the morning wherever possible. Alternatively, please contact the school office before lunchtime to allow sufficient time for the message to be passed on to the class teacher. Thank you for your continued support. Attachments Girls' Football Academy Diary Dates 2026-27 Family Crafts – Thomas Risley Church Kind regards, Locking Stumps Community Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers, Although it has been a short week for the children, it has been wonderful to see everyone return to Locking Stumps full of excitement, looking smart and ready to learn. Honestly, they have been brilliant. The school is very settled, learning is well underway, and the children have made an excellent start to the term. Your children are a credit to you. Attendance has been high, the number of late arrivals has been low and the children have started the year exceptionally well. Our children in EYFS have settled into their respective sessions and are beginning to learn what it is like to be in "big school". We are incredibly proud of how well they have settled, and the feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. They certainly seem ready for this next stage of their learning journey. Thank you for all your support in preparing them for school. We know that transition is not always easy, and even something as simple as a new uniform can be a big change for young children. In Year 6, pupils have already volunteered for Buddy roles and are helping to support some of our younger children around school. It's fantastic to see leadership opportunities already being embraced by so many pupils. Children wishing to represent their classmates on the School Council have been asked to prepare a short speech. Classes will then vote for their representatives, providing an excellent opportunity for children to experience democracy in action and develop their understanding of British Values. I am looking forward to working closely with the School Council throughout the year. A reminder that we have a Facebook page where we regularly share updates and celebrate activities taking place across the school. Please do give us a follow and keep up to date with school life: https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunityPrimarySchool We really value your support, comments and interactions. Reminders: School Equipment Please ensure your child comes to school each day with everything they need, including: A water bottle A healthy snack A coat Please make sure all items are clearly labelled with your child's name. We already have several unnamed items in lost property! After-School Clubs After-school clubs for Years 1 to 6 (We do not lead on after school clubs for EYFS children in the Autumn Term) will begin during the week commencing Monday 14th September. Further information will be sent home next week. Celebration Assemblies Our first Celebration Assembly of the year will take place on Friday 18th September for Year 1 and Year 2 children. Subsequent assemblies will follow this schedule: Week 2: Years 3 and 4 Week 3: Years 5 and 6 Week 4: Years 1 and 2, alongside EYFS (for their first one!) These assemblies provide an opportunity for a small number of children from each class to showcase and celebrate their learning. Parents and carers of children receiving awards or sharing work will receive a Ping notification beforehand and are warmly invited to attend. Diary Dates At the beginning of next week, we will share a list of confirmed diary dates to help families plan ahead. These will include key events such as: Parents' Evenings Christmas events Parent workshops School performances Other important school activities We would encourage you to make a note of these dates once they are shared. Additional information will follow closer to each event. Communication We recognise that families receive a great deal of information. Rather than sending multiple whole-school messages throughout the week, we aim to communicate through a weekly Ping update wherever possible. We hope this approach provides all the information you need in a clear and manageable format. However, we recognise at the start of the school year, we do send you lots of information. Please also remember to check our school website and calendar regularly: https://www.locking-stumps.co.uk/warrington/primary/lockingstumps If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: lockingstumpsprimary@onecommunitytrust.co.uk Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend. Best wishes, Locking Stumps Attached: Jigsaw Festival TBBT

Dear Parents and Carers, Following England’s fantastic victory at the weekend, the team has now qualified to play Argentina on Wednesday evening. To show our support for the national team (and Jarell!), we would like to invite all children to come to school on Wednesday (the day of the game), wearing red, white and blue, or an England football shirt or kit. This is completely optional, and children who do not wish to take part should attend in their normal school uniform or PE kit as appropriate (Argentina colours are also welcome!). We would also like to advise parents and carers that we are offering an optional later start time on Thursday morning. We recognise that there is a possibility of the match going into extra time and potentially penalties, and we do not want families to feel under pressure if children are up later than usual supporting England. We hope this decision will be welcomed by our school community. Full details regarding the optional later start arrangements will be confirmed tomorrow. Please keep an eye on PING for further information. Thank you for your continued support.

🌟 What a fabulous week! It’s hard to believe that we’re about to begin our last full week of this academic year – where has the time gone? A huge well done to everyone who took part in Tri Kidz this week 🏃‍♀️🚴‍♂️🏅. It was fantastic to see so many children giving it their all and even some of our staff joined in too! It was also lovely to welcome some of our new parents to Locking Stumps at Monday’s parent meeting. There aer some nerves for our new starters (mainly the parents) but they are ready! To help make space for our new EYFS cohort our current EYFS need to say goodbye and move onto Year 1! This week they did this during their end of year assembly.  The children spoke, sang and danced beautifully!  We are so proud of all they have achieved. We will send the final slideshow / presentation to all parents and carers in EYFS.   The weather is look to be warm again next week, please ensure your child comes to school with their water bottle, sun hat and sun cream applied at home. As always, we will continue to monitor the wellbeing of all children throughout the day and make necessary adjustments if conditions change. Please note UNIFORM can again be PE kits, no ties and more relaxed.  Please remember to keep up to date with our latest news and events by visiting our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LockingStumpsCommunity Next Week at Lockies 📅 Monday 13th July 🎸 Rocksteady Concert – 9:30am, School Hall (parents of performers have been informed)  Wednesday 15th July - Lockies' World Cup Finals - those who have qualified will be informed by their teachers. Finalists are welcome to wear a football / sports kit on Wednesday. Again, children will be informed by the teachers.  Friday 17th July 🪩 Year 6 Leavers' Disco Monday 20th July - All of your children's books will be sent home Tuesday 21st July 🍽️ Leadership Lunch - School Leaders will receive an invitation about this event. Wednesday 22nd July 🎓 Year 6 Leavers' Assembly – 9:00am, School Hall ⏰ School closes at 1:40pm on Wednesday 22nd July. Please ensure your child is collected promptly. Lynx Club will be open as usual. Important Safety Reminder 🚗 We would like to make parents and carers aware that the school was informed of an incident involving a vehicle using the staff car park at approximately 3:00pm on Tuesday. It was reported that there was a near miss involving a young person, who was almost struck by a moving vehicle. The safety of our pupils, families and staff is our highest priority. We would like to remind all parents and carers that the staff car park must not be used for dropping off or collecting children unless the school has given prior permission. We also ask everyone to drive with extra care in and around the school site and surrounding car parks. Please keep your speed low, remain vigilant for pedestrians, and be mindful that children and young people can be unpredictable around moving vehicles. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep our school community safe.

Dear Parents and Carers, Due to the rising temperatures expected from tomorrow through to the weekend (and possibly into next week), we have decided to temporarily relax our school uniform policy for the remainder of this week. We will review the weather forecast on Friday and provide an update regarding arrangements for next week. Children may attend school in their PE kit or a relaxed version of the school uniform. This means no tie is required, top buttons may be undone and jumpers or cardigans are not necessary. We encourage children to wear loose-fitting shorts and a lightweight cotton school shirt to help keep them cool and comfortable. We will continue to monitor temperatures throughout the school day and take appropriate measures to ensure all children remain safe and comfortable. These measures include encouraging regular water intake, providing shade breaks, and limiting time spent in direct sunlight. Please can you ensure that your child: Arrives at school with sun cream already applied. Brings a sun hat or cap. Wears suitable clothing for the warmer weather. Has a clearly named water bottle in school each day. We would greatly appreciate your support in helping us protect the children from the effects of the hot weather. For your information, we have a plan in place to help keep classrooms and learning environments as cool and comfortable as possible. As always, if temperatures were to reach a point where we felt children were becoming uncomfortable or unsafe, we would inform parents immediately and make any necessary alternative arrangements. At present, we are confident that the precautions and adjustments we have put in place will allow the children to continue learning safely and comfortably throughout the warmer weather. Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and continued support. Kind regards, Locking Stumps Primary School.