The Spring term started with one of the highlights of our school year, when 100 of our Key Stage 2 children took part in the Young Voices concert at bp pulse LIVE arena in Birmingham. We were, as always, incredibly proud of the children who took part and have praised them for being such great ambassadors for the school. Their behavior was impeccable and their efforts to learn all of the lyrics, dance moves and sign language, as well as our own added actions, not only gave them the confidence to perform with joy but was also recognised by the principle conductor, David Lawrence, who came to find us, high up in our arena seats, at the end of the rehearsal to tell us that we embody everything that Young Voices is about, that looking up at us and seeing the evident love our children have for music makes his job so worthwhile, and that we had lifted his heart. He asked me how we do what we do and I explained that we rehearse twice a week after school and that the children create some of the dance routines using sign language, actions and motifs to help embed the lyrics to memory, and he shouted out "That's how to do it everyone!". Thank you for the support received from family and friends who attended the concert - what great seats you had this year! We are so pleased you were as proud of the children as we were. Details about participating in Young Voices 2027 will be sent out later this term to children currently in Years 2 to 5.

 And this wasn't our only involvement in external arts activity. We also took 50 Key Stage 2 children, all of whom are currently partaking in musical instrument tuition, to Birmingham Symphony Hall, to experience a live performance by the City of Birmingham Orchestra whilst learning about musical technique, and observing and understanding the role of their instrument in each performance. The awe on the children's faces was as mesmerising as the music being performed live in such a spectacular setting and we were, once again, incredibly proud of our children's focus, manners and behaviour.

 Speaking of proud, just before we broke up for the Easter break, a group of 12 Upper Key Stage 2 children attended the Droitwich & Worcester Dance Festival at Droitwich High School where they took to the stage to perform their piece. We were the only primary school in attendance, but rose to the challenge and performed with the same confidence and maturity as the middle school and high school pupils. As well as being incredibly proud of their performance, it was also inspiring for the children to see GCSE-standard choreography and performances, and definitely generated some discussion amongst our pupils about their own future aspirations and wishes. Congratulations to Elin B (Y5), Jorja G (Y5), Alice G (Y5), Arya J (Y6), Sophia LB (Y6), Brooke M (Y6), Ava M (Y6), Eleanor M (Y5), Nellie P (Y6); Olivia S (Y6), Evelyn S (Y5) and Evie W (Y6). Their performance will be uploaded to our new website shortly.

 In sporting news:

• The cross country qualifiers competition was held at Bromsgrove School having previously been postponed due to bad weather. Elin B (Y5), Zac D (Y5) and Sophia LB (Y6) progressed to the School Games County Finals, representing Droitwich and Worcester City, having qualified in the top eight runners in their respective age categories. There were 228 Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils from 60 schools competing together. Sophia placed 22nd, Elin placed 17th and Zac placed 7th; this meant Zac was then invited to take part in the Nationals. A huge "Well done" to all 3 pupils!
• Our competition netball teams have been active recently. A mixed Year 5/6 team went to The Royal Grammar School to participate in their Primary School Netball Tournament. We received the following email from the host, "I just wanted to say a huge congratulations to the Lyppard Grange team for their superb performance at our Primary School Netball Tournament! It was a pleasure to watch your players in action. Not only did they demonstrate exceptional skill on the court, but their camaraderie and teamwork were a credit to the school. They did extremely well and congratulations to the team. Also, well done to one of your pupils for being chosen as a standout player and won the opportunity to be a ball girl at the Superball. We hope the pupils (and staff) enjoyed the tournament." It was Maddie W (Y5) who was recognised as 'Player of the Tournament', selected by the coaches from almost 100 girls taking part. Huge congratulations to the whole team - Elin B (Y5), Annie G (Y6), Alice G (Y5), Emma J (Y6), Sophia LB (Y6), Mollie M (Y6), Nellie P (Y6), Maysara SA (Y6) and Katie T (Y5), but particularly to Maddie - what wonderful recognition! Our Year 6 netball team played their first match away against Nunnery Wood Primary School where they worked really hard but unfortunately resulted in a 9:2 defeat. Well done to Isla C, Karleigh C, Annie G, Emma J, Sophia LB, Ava M, Mollie M, Nellie P, Aaeesha Q and Maysara SA. Their next match is away versus Oldbury Park. All the best girls!
• Also representing the school were 12 Year 6 pupils at the Droitwich and Worcester City Schools' Swimming Gala. Our team was made up of Ethan B, Heidi C, Annie G, Ruby L, Lily L, Sophia LB, Reuben L'M, Bob M, Isaac P. Olivia S, Harrison T and Joshua W who did fabulously well with Lyppard Grange placing 5th out of 15 schools. Well done Team Lyppard!
• Our Year 6 competition football league team have also been active. Both matches have been played at home with a 4:0 win against Stanley Road Primary School and a 2:2 draw against Nunnery Wood Primary School. Congratulations to Boaz A, Ethan B, Edward J, Isaac L'M, Jacob LM, Bob M, Isaac P, Samuel R, Jude S, James S, Theo S, Harrison T and Joshua W. Their next match is an away game versus Pitmaston... all the best boys!
• 29 Year 6 pupils also represented the school at the Indoor Athletics competition, with the girls placing 5th and the boys 7th out of 11 schools overall

Whatever the sport and the outcome, we are very proud of the children's determination and sportsmanship during these events.

It was great to see so many children in Years 4 and 6 taking up the opportunity to complete Bikeability as well; road safety is such an important life skill to learn.

Each year group has also been busy enhancing the children's curriculum with activity both in and out of school. Our Crocodiles and Elephants (EYFS) have successfully hatched and raised ducklings and returned them safely into the care of 'Farmer Duck', as well as visiting his farm in the Cotswolds, and this week will be visiting Lower Smite Farm as part of their 'Great British Bug Hunt' challenge set for them by the King. Year 1 travelled to Warwick Castle to deliver their handmade non-fiction books in-person as well as exploring the towers and battlements and discovering what life both in and beneath the castle was like, and are heading out this week to Cotswold Wildlife Park in search of the 'missing chalice' and to meet some of the animals they have been learning about on their travels around the globe. Year 2 had a super day out exploring ThinkTank in Birmingham returning with a lot of 'Did you know...' facts, and more recently impressed and entertained us with their wonderful performance showcasing all they had learned about Australia through drama, music and dance; it was performed with confidence and joy! Both Years 3 and 4 have been enhancing their Religious Education and World Views curriculum with visits to Green Lane Mosque (Year 3) as part of their focus on Islam, and a visit to the Balaji Temple (Year 4) as part of their focus on Hinduism; during both visits the children were keen to share what they had learned already as well as being inquisitive and respectful. Year 3 also had a great day out at Bishop’s Wood Environmental Centre, deepening their understanding of the Stone-Age through environmental activity, whilst Year 4 ventured away for a two-night, three-day residential visit to the Pioneer Centre where they took part in lots of adventurous outdoor activity. During the visit they really developed their teamwork and communication skills, as well as their resilience, courage and perseverance as they took part in raft building, archery, caving, abseiling, climbing and fencing as well as taking to the skies on the high ropes course, the zip line and the leap of faith. It was wonderful to see every child fully embracing the challenges given to them and celebrating as each of them achieved more than they thought they were able; everyone arrived home tired but proud of all they had accomplished and it was wonderful to spend time getting to know each of them a little better. And as if that wasn't enough, they also found time to entertain us and teach us about kindness through their performance of 'How NOT to fight a dragon', where every child embraced the role they had been given; it was a delight to see how their confidence has grown and how much they delighted in taking to the stage. Year 5 also expanded their learning with a visit to the National Space Centre whilst Year 6 headed to Westonbirt Arboretum as part of their environmental and sustainability curriculum. Everywhere we have visited, we have been incredibly proud of the children; they have been a delight to be with, engaging fully with the experiences on offer, having a desire to learn more, demonstrating both their curiosity and perseverance, but most importantly having stand-out good behaviour and manners, and, once again, members of venue staff and members of the public have commended us on all of these things. “Thank you” to all of the staff who continue to go above and beyond to provide the children with these enrichment opportunities, and thank you also to those of you who send in your messages of thanks to the staff. Our thanks also go to all of those parents and carers who support us with all of this activity; it is very much appreciated! It was so lovely to see so many parents, grandparents and other family members for our EYFS Stay, Play and Learn sessions, with many of you commenting on how lovely it had been to experience a glimpse into a day in the life of your child in school as well as upskilling your sewing capabilities. Photos of all of our recent activity will be added to our class pages shortly, once staff have received training in the use of our new website.

A special mention must also go out to our Year 6 children who, last week, sat their SATs (Standard Assessment Tests); they were very calm and focussed throughout. The results of their tests will be released to schools in mid-July but, whatever the outcome, should be very proud of themselves. Thank you also to all of the staff who supported the children throughout the week, whether that be baking their croissants at Breakfast Club or providing moral support during the tests. We now look forward to everything else that is to come before they leave us, including their residential visit to London this week and their end-of-year performance.

Well done also to Emrys A and Alice G (Year 5) who will be representing our school as finalists at the STEM competition run at Mazak by Stemworks in June. As part of the Worcestershire Primary STEM Challenge, Year 5 took part in a STEM workshop. The challenge was to create an attraction at West Midlands Safari Park inspired by a safari animal. The winning team designed and created an original model with innovative mechanisms. All the best for the final, Alice and Emrys!

 Our Pupil Leadership Team would like to thank you for your support over the last two years whilst they've been running their Ice Pop Shop in the summer months. The total raised was £677.90 which they have used to buy our 'Buddy Bench' as well as 'Diana Award' caps to support their Anti-Bullying Ambassador work. The bench has been placed next to the Year 5 and Year 6 block on the main playground and is being used to support happy playtimes for all.

 A group of Year 4 girls also need to be commended; Maddie B, Molly M, Kari S and Erin W came up with the idea to sell loom bands in order to raise some money for charity. They chose the charity Leukaemia Care, a Worcester-based small national charity providing support and care to Leukaemia patients and their families (charity number 1183890). They raised an incredible £222.17 for Leukaemia Care at their loom band sale in school, with a few additional sales to friends and family. Well done girls and a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who supported their sale. 

 As we move into the new half term, please find some important information below:

• 'Aspire to be...' and 'My life...' Assemblies
• Children's Mental Health
• Key Dates and Upcoming Activity, including Sports Days
• RSHE - Relationships, Sex and Health Education
• Additional Security including The Main Entrance Gates, Evacuation and Invacuation, Dogs and Smoking
• Working in Partnership including Communication with school, Homework, Punctuality and Attendance and School Uniform, Jewellery and Hair
• The Den
• Parking Update
• Parent Governor Vacancy
• Parent Questionnaire
• Staffing News
• Half Term and Summer Break Support

'Aspire to be...' and 'My life...' Assemblies

In order to provide children with a broader range of future opportunities to aspire to (rather than the very common choice of being a social media influencer or a professional footballer), our 'Aspire to be...' assemblies aim to promote a range of vocations which children can aspire to in the future. To add to the assemblies about being a Speech and Language Therapist, a pilot and a firefighter, we have also heard from Oli Stevens about his life as well as other career opportunities in the army, from Catherine Purser about being a police officer, from Laura Khan about working for the RSPCA and from Katy Greenhalgh about life as a nurse. Huge thanks to all of our visitors; we have thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from you, and the children continue to refer back to the things you have shared.

In addition to raising children's career aspirations through our 'Aspire to be...' assemblies, we are also inviting people from a range of faiths and cultures into school to talk to the children about their lives. We already have visitors from Woodgreen Evangelical Church and St Nicholas Church to lead assemblies on a regular basis but are looking to widen the breadth of visitors to better reflect our school and wider community and broaden the children's knowledge of faiths and cultures, including those different to their own. The first of these assemblies was led by Samira McKeown who spoke to us about her cultural heritage and mixed ethnicity. Children learned about aspects of both of her cultures as well as how to speak a few words of her language. The purpose of these visits is to develop the children's tolerance of different faiths and beliefs and their mutual respect, where individuals are treated with dignity, regardless of their personal differences or backgrounds (two of our key British Values). If you, or someone you know, would like to support us in this area by sharing their culture or faith with us as part of a Monday assembly, please contact Mrs Rupi Johnson via the school office. We'd love to be learning more about each other, something we believe to be incredibly important in our multicultural world. Thank you.

Children's Mental Health

We talk a lot in school about mental health and how it travels a similar trajectory to physical health; sometimes we experience good mental health and sometimes we experience mental ill health, and that it is normal and something that can be talked about. During assemblies and PSHE lessons, we have identified people we can talk to at home and at school, and also practised some self-regulation techniques - butterfly breathing, hot cocoa breathing, square breathing and tapping. We are very fortunate in school to have a full time Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (Amy Graver), a trained Senior Mental Health Leader (Claire Edwards) and several trained Mental Health First Aiders, as well as being a Trauma Informed UK School with fully trained practitioners on staff.

If you would like to know more about how to support your child's wellbeing and mental health, the charity Place2Be has a very good section for parents and carers on it's website - https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/. We would also recommend Kate Silverton's Instagram posts.

Key Dates and Upcoming Activity

• Term Dates 2026/27 - please find attached a copy of our term dates for the academic year 2026/27 including two of our planned training days. Due to the proposed merger with Avonreach Trust we have been asked to postpone published our other training day dates as they are likely to be subject to change.
• REMINDER: The Induction Meeting for new September EYFS parents will be held on Wednesday 24th June 2026.

All other dates remain as published at the start of the academic year and can be found on our new school website under News and Events - Calendar.

Sports Days

Information about our two Sports Days will be sent home to you via a paper letter before half term. Our sports days are due to take place on Wednesday 10th June (EYFS and Key Stage 1 - Years 1 & 2) and Wednesday 17th June (Key Stage 2 - Years 3, 4, 5 & 6), weather depending. As well as providing information about the day, your letter also informs you about which 'house' your child is in and the colour of t-shirt they need to wear on the day. There is also a paper form you need to return regarding your child's lunchtime arrangements on the day - please return these as soon as you are able, thank you.

RSHE - Relationships, Sex and Health Education

As part of the school’s Personal, Social and Health Education programme we will be teaching our RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) lessons across the school later in this half term following the current statutory guidance. Parents and carers do have the right to withdraw their children from Sex Education lessons where the lesson content is something that is not also covered in Relationships Education, Health Education or the Science Curriculum. Further information regarding our RSHE curriculum will be sent to you by email after half term. If you wish to withdraw your child, you will find a link in that email with a form for you to complete. From September 2026 we will be transitioning to a new RSHE curriculum following the new statutory guidance. Further information regarding this will also be sent to you next half term.

Additional Security

The Main Entrance Gates

You will recall that, due to a spate of break-ins involving theft and vandalism, we actioned a range of additional out-of-hours security measures. We have now also decided to increase the security of the site during the school day by locking the main green gates between the hours of 9:15am and 3:15pm. In the short term, you will need to ring for attention (the intercom is sited on the left-hand gate as you approach the school entrance) and a member of office staff will come out to greet you during these hours. By pressing the 'TALK' button on the intercom, you will be able to speak back to the staff in the office. This is a temporary arrangement until our new automated gates and intercom system are fitted in the coming months.

Evacuation and Invacuation

The safety of your child and all children in our school, as well as the safety of the school staff and visitors, is of high priority to us. In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to study and learn, it is necessary that we practise our emergency and crisis response plans. In the same way that we hold practice evacuation drills, we also hold invacuation drills. An invacuation would be used in response to an external or internal incident which could be a threat to the safety of children and staff in the school. During an invacuation, children remain in the room they are in and staff ensure that windows and doors are closed/locked with children positioned away from possible sightlines with blinds closed; this is to restrict movement in and out of the building and minimise views into the school building. The types of emergencies that could require a lockdown are:

• A hazardous spill where there is a risk from poisonous fumes;
• The presence or possible presence of an intruder;
• A dangerous situation taking place in the vicinity of the school.

We understand that an invacuation drill could be a cause of some anxiety. Before the drill, children are all informed of what to do - teachers talk to their classes and walk them through the procedure. They speak in general terms stating that “just like we practice evacuation and leave the building, we also need to practice for emergencies that keep us in the building” - we always use the example of an unknown dog or fox being on the premises. Unlike evacuation drills, invacuation drills are always announced in order to prepare children for the event.

To reassure you, in the event of a real lockdown event we will notify you as soon as practicable via the school’s text service or website. To ensure everyone’s safety, we ask that, in the event of a real lockdown, parents and carers refrain from coming onto site as this may hinder any emergency services action that needs to take place. We will not release students during an invacuation and we would ask that parents and carers not to ring school as this could tie up emergency lines. Information will be shared at the earliest opportunity following a real invacuation informing you of the context of the invacuation and any other pertinent information. Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Dogs

Please be reminded that dogs are not permitted on the school grounds even if they are being carried. Please also avoid tying dogs to the school gates and fences whilst collecting/dropping children off; a number of children are fearful of dogs and having to walk past dogs, however calm and peaceful they appear, can be distressing for them. The only dog with permission to be onsite is 'Oswin', who has been trained and verified to work with children. If you have a specific need which requires you to be accompanied by an assistance dog, please contact the office to discuss this further. Thank you.

Smoking

Please also be reminded that we are a non-smoking school and ask that you refrain from smoking on the school site, both indoors and outside, even during events such as our Sports Days. This includes the use of e-cigarettes. Thank you.

Working in Partnership

Communication with school

Lyppard Grange Primary School is a welcoming place, where relationships between staff and visitors, especially parents and carers, demonstrates mutual respect and recognition of a shared responsibility for children’s welfare and educational progress. Parental involvement is such an important factor in educational success and in dealing with emerging problems at an early stage and we wholeheartedly welcome parents and carers into our school. Our School Office staff are a useful source of advice and guidance and are happy to help you with your queries. School staff are also available to receive short messages/updates each morning and afternoon at the classroom doors.

If you have a concern about your child or another school issue, parents should speak to the class teacher in the first instance. On rare occasions, the matter may then need to be brought to the attention of the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator), Mrs Claire Edwards, the Deputy Head Teacher, Mr Dave Groves, or the Head Teacher, Mrs Becky Thorp. For longer, more detailed discussions please contact the school office to make an appointment to meet with the relevant staff. It is, however, important to recognise that staff cannot always respond to emails, phone calls or meeting requests immediately. All staff, leaders and teaching staff, have demanding schedules and are usually fully timetabled to be working with children, but will get back to you within a reasonable timeframe when it is practical and safe for them to do so. We value your opinions and know that working in partnership ensures your child’s ultimate success. School does not respond to social media postings; please come and talk to us directly.
‘Courtesy Costs Nothing But Buys Everything’
On occasion, unfortunately, the way some concerns are raised by some parents is done so in an abusive or aggressive way towards staff members; we stress that this is the minority (and we thank the majority of parents who are always courteous and respectful). No member of staff should feel intimidated at any time, so we ask you to be respectful and courteous when discussing concerns with members of staff; we all want the best for your children and in our experience, approaching a problem calmly and politely results in a much swifter and more positive outcome. We all expect the children to show respect and we are all the role models to demonstrate this.

Homework Expectations

The majority of children complete their expected homework tasks every week without fail. As a reminder, these are our expectations:

• Reading. Your child should read for 10 minutes or more every day. This reading activity needs to be recorded in your child’s reading journal, as this will ensure we can work together to track progress. Without a signature or a comment, we are unable to determine whether your child has read at home or not. Thank you.
• Number facts/Times tables. For children in EYFS and Year 1, teachers will let you know which number facts your child is working on. From Year 2, children begin to focus on their times tables. This comes in two parts: firstly, your child needs to spend time learning the times table that we have set them - each child will have a different times table and their learning will be checked through the use of a weekly times table challenge; secondly, your child is expected to complete a minimum of 10 minutes of TTRockstars activity over the course of the week - this will be in the form of Garage sessions which will be set on Friday evenings and need to be completed by the following Wednesday morning. If you are unable to access this due to technology issues, please let your class teacher know.

Punctuality and Attendance

Our target for whole school is attendance is 97% and we are currently at 96.5% with many children achieving better than 97% this academic year. Our new website features weekly attendance by year group. Thank you to the vast majority of you who work hard to maintain strong attendance and punctuality for your child/ren. Excellent attendance contributes significantly to children achieving better outcomes at school. We do not authorise absences from school during term time for anything other than illness or religious observance (e.g. Eid – limited to a single day). Requests for occasional absences to pursue elite sporting activity or for examination purposes (ballet, musical instruments etc.) are considered on merit. Parents, carers and guardians are entitled to make an application for absence for leave during term time, however, before doing so you should consider the implications of absence from school. The example below illustrates how absence can accumulate:
You might consider an attendance rate of 90% to be ‘good enough’. However, 90% equates to a child having one morning or one afternoon away from school every week. Over the course of the academic year (190 days) this adds up to 19 days’ absence – nearly four weeks away from school. Were this pattern to be consistent across a child’s entire school career, from Reception to Year 6, the child would miss 28 weeks of school, more than half a calendar year, over two thirds of an academic year (38 weeks). For this reason, any child whose attendance falls below 90% is deemed to be a ‘persistent absentee’ and will be deemed a cause for concern.
We have just carried out another review of attendance and have sent letters to the parents of all children whose attendance is currently below 90%. Even though there may be acceptable reasons for your child's absence, these letters are to notify you that they currently fall into the government's 'persistent absentee' criteria and to work with us to try to improve their attendance, bringing it back above 90%. Thank you.

Our gates to the site open at 8:35am but, in the interests of safety, we ask parents/carers to ensure that children are supervised until the doors open at 8.45am. Doors open for children at 8.45 am. The first school bell rings at 8.53am in readiness for a prompt start to the teaching day at 8.55am. It is our expectation that children arrive at school before the 8:55am bell each day; after this a late mark is given. Missing the start of the school day can be particularly unsettling for children as this is when teachers outline the day ahead. We hope that by giving you access to the school site 10 minutes prior to doors opening and then providing a 10-minute drop-off window, enables every child to have a punctual start to their school day. Thank you.

School Uniform, Jewellery and Hair - a reminder

As we enter the summer months and the weather warms up, please can you ensure that children have adequate sun protection applied before arriving at school and that they have a sun hat or cap to wear when outdoors, as well as a waterproof coat for those rainier summer days. Also a reminder that school shoes should continue to be worn throughout the year - trainers and open-toed sandals are not part of school's uniform policy.

We believe that wearing a school uniform puts children into a working frame of mind at the beginning of each school day. Not only does it provide a smart set of clothes, it also cuts down on the problems of what to wear. We expect every child to wear the basic school colours as detailed in the school brochure and on the school website. Shoes should be sensible black school shoes (no trainers or heeled shoes please) and socks/tights should be green if worn with a green skirt or pinafore, grey if worn with grey trousers or shorts, or white if worn with a summer dress. We usually have a good selection of free, nearly-new items of school uniform which children have outgrown. Please ask at the school office.

Whilst we do not state that uniform with logos be worn, polo shirts, jumpers, cardigans and coats can be purchased from Monkhouse alongside plenty of non-logoed items. They are currently offering 15% off all orders for a limited time only! Starting Monday 18th May, they’re offering a 15% discount on all uniform orders, providing a perfect opportunity for parents to get ahead on back-to-school shopping. The offer ends on Tuesday 26^th May but they are offering an extended returns period until 11^th September, giving parents extra flexibility. Please see the flier attached for further details.

Hair should be in a style which is smart, safe and suitable for school. Long hair for both girls and boys must be tied back with appropriate bobbles or hair bands.

Please can we remind you that jewellery is not suitable for school. Children who have pierced ears are permitted to wear a single set of studs. Multiple earrings, hoops or earrings that dangle are not permitted. Earrings need to be removed or taped during PE sessions and swimming. To ease this, we suggest that parents book ear piercing appointments for early in the summer holidays so that earrings can be removed for PE/swimming when school starts in September. Children may wear a watch, however smart watches are only permitted in Years 5 and 6 with written parental consent. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

The Den

The Den offers wrap-around care five mornings and five afternoons a week during term time as well as providing holiday clubs during the school breaks. A morning session runs from 7:30am to 8:45am and includes breakfast; an afternoon session runs from 3:30pm to 6pm and includes a small tea. In addition to making regular bookings, one-off, ad-hoc bookings are also available to all parents for children currently enrolled at Lyppard Grange Primary School. These are limited based on capacity, as priority will be given to Den registered children, but all available spaces are available to book via Arbor; spaces are released on a half-termly basis once all registered Den users have signed up for their regular slots.

How to book:

1. Open your Arbor app, The Den is listed under the club section. Breakfast Club and After School Club are listed separately.
2. You will need to top-up your account before booking as Arbor will not allow you to sign up for the wrap-around provision unless your account is topped up to the correct amount for the sessions you are selecting. A morning session currently costs £5 and an afternoon session costs £10.
3. Select the session you require. If you would like your child to attend both AM and PM, you need to select these in both Breakfast and After School Clubs.

Please note: Your child needs to be booked into The Den on Arbor 30 minutes before the session starts for them to be added to the register for that day. The Den staff will not be able to accept children who have not been booked in and are therefore not on the register. For afternoon sessions, we also ask that you inform school that your child will be attending to enable your child's class teacher to send them directly to The Den at the end of the school day. Once sessions are booked, they cannot be cancelled, and refunds cannot be given as per the terms and conditions. Terms and Conditions for The Den are available to view on the school website.
The next holiday club is running from Tuesday 26th May to Friday 29th May. Children can attend for just one day, a few days or the whole week. Booking is now open on Arbor.

Parking Notice

We have been informed by the Lyppard Grange pub that ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) is being introduced into their car park soon. They are very kindly allowing 11 spaces for staff use as well as continuing to allow parents to use the car park for drop-off and collection, however this will be time-limited. We will provide you with further information when we know more. If you are using the pub's facilities as well as dropping off or collecting, you will need to enter your car's registration number into the tablet in the pub.

Parent Governor Vacancy

From September, we will have at least one vacancy for a parent to join our Governing Body in the role of Parent Governor. Joining the Governing Body is an exciting and rewarding role. Training and support are provided, therefore experience is not essential, however, passionate parents who share our vision to ‘empower children to be secure, engaged and equipped for life’ are welcome to apply. Further details will be sent in a separate email.

Parent Questionnaire

Our annual parent questionnaire is now live and can be completed by clicking here. This will be open for your responses until Monday 1st June 2026 at 9am. Thank you.

Staffing News

We are delighted that Martine Taylor (Year 6 Teaching Assistant) has made a good recovery following her surgery and has now returned fully to her Teaching Assistant role in Year 6 whilst also providing some intervention activity to children in Year 5. Our thanks also go to Jen Johnstone and Elizabeth Veal for covering in Year 6 in Martine's absence. I am delighted to say that they have now transitioned into Year 5, both into Teaching Assistant roles.

We also welcome back Hannah Biddle (Year 5 Class Teacher) following her maternity leave. Mrs Biddle is teaching the class on a Tuesday to Friday, with Miss Wallace teaching the class on a Monday. Emily Pagett left us at Easter due to her contract ending but I am pleased to inform you that she secured a new post in another local school where she is continuing to thrive.

We will also be saying "Goodbye and Thank you" to Elinor Banks (Year 4 Class Teacher) at the end of this week as Sian Edwards returns from her maternity leave. We are sure you will join us in both welcoming Mrs Edwards back and wishing Miss Banks all the best for the future; we are delighted that Miss Banks has secured a new teaching post within the Trust.

I am sorry to inform you that Mrs Griffith will not be returning this academic year. We are very grateful to Miss Yapp for providing such strong continuity to the Year 3 children at this time and I am certain you will join me in letting Mrs Griffith know that she is in our thoughts at this very challenging time.

Half Term and Summer Break Support
In the past, some families received food vouchers during the school holidays. These vouchers were paid for by money from the Government, through the Household Support Fund. The Government has stopped this funding from 31 March 2026. Because of this, holiday food vouchers will no longer be given out during school holidays. There is a new scheme called the Crisis and Resilience Fund which is available to help people facing financial crisis – however there is less funding available and it has to be used for different purposes. However help is still available (please see the attached letter) and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is still running throughout Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays, providing free activities and food for families who are eligible for Free School Meals: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/HAF

I will be away with Year 6 for the remainder of this week so I will take this opportunity to wish you a happy (and hopefully warmer) bank holiday and half term break. Please remember that we have a training day scheduled for Monday 1st June but we look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Tuesday 2nd June.