Messages

A Huge Thank You to FOSS: Celebrating an Incredible Year & Exciting Plans Ahead! 

Dear FOSS Team,

On behalf of the entire St Stephen’s Team, we want to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to our Co-Chairs, Lou and Jessie - who are now entering their second year as Co-Chairs, and all the volunteers who contributed to FOSS over the past year. Your AGM presentation last week, and your recent launch announcement have been truly inspiring - what an incredible year you have delivered for our school community!

Your dedication, energy, and commercial ambition have left a lasting impact on our school environment, staff, and children.

Parents & Carers: We have added the full AGM presentation slides on the FOSS page on our school website! Please do pop over to the FOSS page to read more about these amazing updates, view the full financial breakdown, and see their full vision.

Key Achievements & Highlights

• Staggering Financial Success: You raised an extraordinary £103,127 in total income this year, delivering £101,104 in accounting profit.

• Direct Impact in our Classrooms & Grounds: FOSS generated £71,789 in total donations back to the school. This directly funded essential academic and enrichment programs—including the Playground re-development (£19,814), Richmond Music Trust (£18,498), French tuition (£12,172), Music Tech (£7,200), and new whiteboards & iPads (£2,350).

• Events the Children Love: Beyond the massive fundraising figures, you created so many memories for our pupils throughout the year! From the magic and excitement of the Children’s Christmas Market to the incredible showcase of confidence and creativity at the Talent Show, as well as the high-energy Silent Disco and Bounce-A-Thon. These events are genuine highlights of the school calendar that the children really look forward to.

• "Fixer Upper" Space Enhancements & Staff Appreciation: The physical transformations across the school have been unbelievable! Beyond the £6,138 invested in physical upgrades, we are deeply grateful for the hands-on sweat equity from parent volunteers and "Earnt" volunteers who transformed key spaces, including:

  • Staff Room & PPA Room refreshes - these upgraded, welcoming spaces go such a long way in making our staff feel truly valued, supported, and appreciated every single day.

  • Performing Arts Room & Sensory Room upgrades

  • Book Corners replenishment and gate/entrance signage improvements

• Fundraising Event Standouts:

  • The Bike Ride raising a phenomenal £27,305 (and supporting amazing charities like ADHD Embrace and The Children’s Book Project)

  • Rugby Stall hitting a record-breaking £15,444!

  • High-energy community favourites like the Bounce-A-Thon (£10,928) and Summer BBQ (£9,411)

• Community & Governance Modernisation: From launching the new FOSS WhatsApp community and updating event risk assessments/safeguarding, to adopting a modernised charity constitution and realigning the financial year to match the school’s budget - you’ve set FOSS up for sustainable, long-term success.

• National Year of Reading & Book Week: Collecting and donating 1,800 books to The Children’s Book Project alongside class trips, author visits, and second-hand book sales.

Looking Ahead: All Things Green & The Eco Den!

We are particularly thrilled about the 'All Things Green' initiative - the exciting first phase of your 18-month vision to make St Stephen's greener, cooler, and more biodiverse.

It is incredible to see how much progress you have already made in securing external grant funding for our 130-year-old building:

• Roots for Resilience (£37,000 Grant Secured): Funding 130 new trees and plants to mark our 130th anniversary, cooling our south-facing playground while bringing the new Environmental Sustainability curriculum to life as our children become ‘Habitat Detectives’.

• The Eco Den (Up to £25,000 Match Funding Opportunity!): We are right behind you as you prepare to launch the Aviva Foundation match-funding campaign on Tuesday 13 October. The vision for a shaded, open-air, nature-based learning space - complete with a dedicated home for our Pre-Loved Uniform Shop - is fantastic. We can't wait to help rally our school community to raise the £25,000 needed to unlock the full £25,000 match from Aviva!

Our strong partnership has brought so much momentum and positive energy into our school. As we look toward these green enhancements and the wider £300k improvement plans, we're excited about this next chapter. 

Thank you - Co-Chairs, Event Leads, Class Reps, and every single one of the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves. 

With huge gratitude and excitement,

The St Stephen’s Team

NEW! October half term - Multi-Sports Camp 

Mr Cain and Mr Ryan's popular multi-sports camp will be returning this upcoming half term!

Dates running: Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October.

Times: 8:30-15:30

Where: School Playground, Winchester Road gate.

Cost: £35 per child

As this is not a Stars run camp, breakfast will not be provided, children should bring a packed lunch, snacks and a water bottle. Clothing worn should be comfortable to play sports in and weather appropriate.

How to Book:

1. Log in to Arbor and navigate to Activities > Clubs.

2. Scroll down to find the section titled ‘Can be registered for these clubs (2026/27)’.

3. Select the Multi-Sports Camp, then click the green ‘Register for this club’ button at the top of the screen to proceed with booking and payment.

Spaces are limited, so please book early to avoid missing out!