Start of Term Letter for Parents

Dear parents and carers, 

A huge welcome back to a brand-new school year! It has been wonderful seeing you all on the playground at drop-off and pick-up, and having the school full of our incredible pupils again. School has felt very settled this week and the children have slipped straight back into their daily routines with real focus and joy.

We are also thrilled to extend a very warm welcome to our new Vice Principal, Helen Clegg! We are absolutely excited to have her join our leadership team and school community, bringing her wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role. 

Over the summer, we also said a fond farewell to Tracey Skelton, one of our long-standing Midday Supervisors and After School Club workers, who stepped down after an incredible 23 years of dedicated service. We are immensely grateful for everything Tracey has given to our school and pupils over the years. While we are so sorry to see her go, we wish her the very best for the future and hope she will come back and visit us often! 

Walking around the building, our display boards are coming alive with beautiful art projects that showcase pupils’ creativity. Outside the classroom, Key Stage 2 pupils have been throwing themselves into cross-country heats this week, showing brilliant determination. We wish the very best of luck to our runners as they prepare to represent the school at the city-wide competition at Millthorpe School next week!

We are also delighted to welcome our newest members. Our new Reception children have made a super start to their primary journey, and we have also welcomed several new pupils into older year groups. I have been immensely proud to watch our returning pupils in action – they have been absolute stars at scooping up our new arrivals, helping our newcomers find their feet and helping everyone feel safe and settled.

To provide even more targeted care, we have introduced two newly developed spaces: The Den for Key Stage 1 and The Nest for Key Stage 2. These quiet, welcoming environments offer extra nurture and support for children who need a little social, emotional, or academic boost during the day.

Celebrating Our Values 

Today was a particularly exciting Friday as we presented our brand-new trophies for each of our core school values: Spirited, Healthy, Curious, Kind, Creative, and Determined. These were proudly awarded during assembly to deserving children across the school and will be on display for the whole half-term, when they will be awarded to six new deserving winners.

Attendance

We also want to say a huge thank you for a fantastic first week back – we hit an impressive 98% attendance across the school! To keep this momentum going, please keep the following policy reminders in mind:

• Target: Our goal is for every pupil to achieve at least 97% attendance across the year.
• Absences: Please notify the school office with a reason before 8:30am on every day of absence.
• Appointments & Holidays: Schedule routine medical appointments outside school hours where possible, and provide medical evidence (text message confirmation will do) where possible. Under legal guidelines, term-time holidays cannot be authorised.  Exceptional leave requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
• Punctuality: Registers close 30 minutes after the start of the day; arrivals after this time count as an unauthorised absence for that session.
• Penalty Notices: Please note that persistent unauthorised absence, repeated lateness after registers close, or unapproved term-time holidays may result in a referral to the Local Authority for a Fixed Penalty Notice (£80 per parent per child if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 within 28 days). 
• Please see our attendance policy for clarity.

Home Learning 

Class teachers should now have sent out optional homework grids via ClassDojo, filled with fun topic-linked activities. Please also support your child at home with their regular times tables and spelling practice ahead of their classroom tests. Additionally, we ask that children are listened to read at least three times per week at home, with each session recorded in their reading records. Just a few minutes each day makes a world of difference! 

Mobile Phones

Finally, following the DfE guidance for mobile-free school environments, any mobile phone brought into school must be handed in to the school office and not taken into classrooms. While we strongly discourage children from bringing phones, please note they are only permitted for Year 6 pupils, unless exceptional circumstances have been agreed in advance with Mrs Mitchell alongside a signed parent consent form. Y6 parents, please look out for a Parentmail consent form from our admin team .

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support as we kick off what promises to be another fantastic year at Scarcroft. 

Best wishes, 

Mrs Mitchell

Head of School