17th July 2026
Principal's Message
This will be the final newsletter update for this academic year, because next week is a short and very busy week as we prepare to say goodbye to our Year 6 children, as well as a number of staff members.
Today our Year 6 children found out their SATs results. I was incredibly proud to see just how well all the children have done this year; whether they have passed these tests or not, every single one of them has made incredible progress this year. I am very much looking forward to being able to celebrate the final few days of their primary education with them all next week.
At the start of this message, I mentioned that a few staff will be leaving us this year; Miss Aspinall and Miss Coward will be taking up new positions at other schools, while Dr Cousins will be moving to China to start a new adventure with his family. We will miss all of them, and I feel sure that everyone will join me in wishing them every success for their next steps. We will be welcoming new teachers to school in September, and parents will get a chance to meet them at our 'meet the teacher' afternoon early in the new term.
School closes at 12:30pm on Wednesday 22nd July, and will reopen to all children on Thursday 3rd September.
Have a lovely weekend, and a wonderful summer when it comes around.
Kind regards,
S Thompson
Principal
July
Tuesday 21st July - Celebration assemblies
Tuesday 21st July - Leavers' Meal after school
Wednesday 22nd July - Leavers' Assembly with parents, starts at 9:30am, doors open at 9:15am
Wednesday 22nd July - school finishes at 12:30pm for all children
SUMMER HOLIDAYS - Year 4 Swimming and HAF club take place throughout the holidays. Ask at the Office for more details.
There are lots of places offering free or cheap kids meals during the holidays. Some of them are listed here but there's lots of others if you search online! If you are struggling for food, remember that local foodbanks are also here to help.
*Pendle Primary Academy cannot be held responsible for the accurancy or content of links/content from external sources.
With more warm weather this week and continuing into next week, it can be tempting for children to 'cool off' in water courses, including canals and rivers. With the Leeds-Liverpool canal so close to us in Brierfield, it's important to remind our children that this is not a safe place to play and not a safe place to enter the water under any circumstances. The Canal & River Trust have lots of great water safety activities and advice, including some great online games on their website... https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers/families
Hydration is vital for children as they have a higher proportion of body water than adults and are usually a lot more active.
Children don't always recognise the early stages of thirst, and this can make them especially vulnerable to becoming dehydrated, especially in hot weather.
Mild dehydration can result in:
thirst
headaches
dry skin
tiredness
lack of concentration
trouble remembering tasks asked
difficulty learning new things
reduced mental performance
How much should a child drink?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a set of fluid requirements for children of different ages:
Boys and Girls between 4-8: between 1.1-1.3 litres of water daily
Boys aged 9-3: between 1.5-1.7 litres of water daily
Girls aged 9-13: between1.3-1.5 litres of water daily
Fluid (70-80%) should come from drinks, the rest (20-30%) will come from their diet. To make it simpler:
Primary school aged children should have a 750ml water bottle at school.
Secondary school aged children should have a 1ltr water bottle at school.
All children should aim to finish their water bottle by the time they finish school each day.
Keeping your child properly hydrated will help to keep them fit and healthy so please make sure they bring a full, clean water bottle to school with them each day. Bottles can be refilled in school during the day and must only contain water.
There have been warning in the news lately that popular 'dumpling squishy' toys (see image) may be dangerous, as they can contain chemicals which can cause burns if the toys leak.
Please avoid buying these toys for your children unless they have a CE or UKCA safety marking on them.
Please do not let your children bring these toys into school under any circumstances; if they are found, we will take them from your child and safely dispose of them.
With the recent hot weather and we head toward the summer holidays it is important that our children are safe at all times. You will likely have seen on the news during the last spell of hot weather that there were a number of tragic water-related incidents leading to the deaths of a number of children across the country.
Please consider speaking to your children about the dangers of swimming in water such as canals, reservoirs and rivers, you could talk about the following:
Cold Water Shock: Even on a very hot day, canal water stays incredibly cold just beneath the surface. Jumping in can cause an involuntary gasp for air, leading to water entering the lungs, causing instant panic or even cardiac arrest.
Hidden Hazards: Canals and other local bodies of water often contain shopping trolleys, discarded bikes, broken glass, and thick reeds. vIt is very easy for a child to get caught or injured beneath the surface.
Deceptive Depths: Open water can drop off sharply into deep water without warning.
Toxic Water: Open water can carry harmful bacteria, such as Weil’s Disease, which can make children severely ill.
The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Water Safety Code has these simple rules:
Stop and Think: Look for warning signs. Never swim in canals, rivers, quarries, or reservoirs.
Stay Together: Never go near the canal towpaths or water edges alone. Always be with an adult or a group of friends.
Float to Live: If you unexpectedly fall into the water, do not panic or splash violently. Fight the instinct to swim, lean back, extend your arms and legs like a starfish, and float on your back until your breathing is under control.
Call 999: If someone else is in trouble, never jump in to save them. Call 999 immediately. If you are inland at a canal or river, ask for the Fire and Rescue Service. Look for a nearby life ring to throw to them.
If you encounter a medical emergency near the school, please prioritise safety of all involved. If children are nearby, ensure they enter the school gates safely under the supervision of another trusted adult or school staff, keeping them clear of the incident.
If you think to be neccessary call 999 and ask someone else to inform a member of staff so we can assist. For cardiac emergencies, the school has two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on site. Staff can access one of the defibs, which is located in the school hall. There is also a defibrilator located outside near the main entrance; its secure cabinet can be unlocked using a code provided directly by the 999 call handler.
Our attendance this week has been 95.75%, and our attendance for this year is 93.95% Our attendance target for every child is 96%.
Children in Years 1 to 6 who are in school on time every day in a week will be given 5 dojos to celebrate and recognise their attendance. We are also recognising the best class each week with an in-school Shine Charter competition, where classes can win £50 to spend on resources once they have been the highest-attending class 5 times. Please support the school by ensuring that you child is here every day, ready to learn.
Please can we remind all parents that, if your child is going to be absent from school, it is important that you call school on 01282 615927 to inform the office of the absence. Please do not email the reasons for absence, as the office may not see this email, and we may need to therefore do a home visit to check on your child.
If school conducts home visits and finds that your child is not at home (if they are too ill to be in school, we would expect them to be at home with a parent), the absence may be marked as unauthorised.
As a reminder, school does not authorise extended absence in term time. Taking your child out of school in term time may lead to legal action being taken against you by Lancashire County Council.
We want to work in partnership with you. If you're ever worried or unhappy about something that's happened in school, please follow this order of contact via the school office:
Your child's class teacher.
Key Stage Leader - EYFS, Miss McMinn; KS1, Mrs Gill; KS2, Mrs Birmingham & Mrs Ramshead
Assistant Principal - Miss Jermyn
Principal - Mr Thompson
The Leisure Box in Brierfield offer free sports activities for children in the evenings. If you are interested, please see which sessions you would like to book onto and speak to Umbreen in the school office. Once your child is registered you can attend without having to book weekly. Please note it is your responsibility to take and collect your child from the Leisure Box.
Leisure Box
شام کے وقت بچوں کے لیے مفت کھیلوں کی سرگرمیاں پیش کرتا ہے۔ اگر آپ دلچسپی رکھتے ہیں تو براہ کرم دیکھیں کہ آپ ٹائم ٹیبل پر کون سے سیشنز بک کرنا چاہتے ہیں اور مس امبرین سے بات کریں۔ ایک بار جب آپ کا بچہ رجسٹر ہوجاتا ہے تو آپ ہفتہ وار بک کیے بغیر شرکت کرسکتے ہیں۔ براہ کرم نوٹ کریں کہ یہ آپ کی ذمہ داری ہے کہ آپ اپنے بچے کو لیزر باکس سے لے جائیں اور جمع کریں۔
Pendle Primary Academy are proud to be a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence. As a school, we encourage children to have conversations about many subjects, both in class and with friends. The support of the children's families in practising those conversation skills would help inspire the children to freely share their views.
This term we have questions which should help us get to know each other better.
Our SeeSaw gallery will not be updated until after summer now, due to the move to new classes.
The PPA Stars mini-site is the place for your children to find links to homework, class blogs and help them to be inspired and excellent in their learning, even when they're not at school! The mini-site is updated each half term with content which is linked to what your child is currently learning in school. Keep an eye out for next half term's content appearing soon.