Positive comments 

Over the last 6 weeks we have had a number of external visitors to St James who visit to quality assure our self-evaluation and support us to continually strive for excellence in all we do. We have received some lovely comments during these visits and I wanted to share some of the highlights. 

The learning environments within the school are rich and engaging, offering a positive atmosphere for pupils. One standout feature is the inviting reading areas, which are strategically placed throughout the school and have become a significant strength. These spaces encourage a love for reading as pupils walk through the school, creating an immersive and supportive environment for literacy development.

The learning walk showcased the calm purposeful learning environment that the school provides. Strong positive behaviour management strategies were evident as were strong relationships between staff and pupils. Children showed pride in their learning. 

This positive feedback is testament to the dedication of my whole staff team at St James so I am sure parents and carers will join me in wishing them all a well-deserved break over half term. 

School Visits 

Over the last two weeks, we have had a number of school visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum here at St James. We were excited to welcome back the Lifebus here at St James. It was great to see the excitement of the children in Reception, Y1,Y2,Y4 and Y6 as they ventured into the tent in the Aviary for their session. 

Our Year 4 children had a very wet, but highly interactive, visit to Juniper Hall this week as part of their learning about Rivers. Well done to all the children as they were excellent ambassadors for St James. 

Safer Internet Day 

This week the whole school completed additional E-Safety work to celebrate Internet Safety Day. This is such an important part of our curriculum here at St James and we would recommend parents and carers visit  the following sites if you would like to know more about supporting your child online. Look out for our regular updates on the newsletter too. 

Keeping children safe online | NSPCC 

Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre 

Coming up next half term

Looking ahead to next half term, I wanted to raise a few key dates for you to keep in mind 

World Book Day: Thursday 6th March. Children are invited to dress as their favourite book character for the day.

Red Nose Day: Friday 21st March, children are encouraged to wear red for the day for a small donation for a good cause.

Parent/Carer consultations: these are planned for the week of 10th March. There will be bookable appointments throughout the week, at at variety of times to hopefully suit most parents and carers. Further communication will follow after half term. 

Wishing you a lovely half term.

Mrs Murphy 

On February 5th, a team of St James Y5 & 6 children went to Cleves for a fun packed afternoon of Dodgeball to compete against seven other schools. As usual, it was a fast paced and fun afternoon of dodging throwing and catching. The team acquitted themselves excellently showing great values of respect and honesty throughout.

On Monday 10th February,  St James played a league football match that was postponed by Cobham Free School earlier this term. The boys started the match very well and managed to score 2 good goals in the first half. Cobham Free School got into their stride a bit more in the second half and had a good period of play in which they managed to score 2 and equalise. The match finished in a 2-2. 

Well done to all the children who took part in these events. 

Please find below the lunch menu from our school caterers, Twelve15. This is a three week rolling menu. All children choose from one of the three meal options at the start of each school day.  

If your child is in KS2 and has a school meal, please remember to pay for and book their meals in advance using the SCOPAY app for next term.

State School Superstar Cricketer Competition

Open to boys & girls in school years 4-6. T20 Cricket Company are looking for players who have natural ability and in a phase 1 assessment. They will have skills tests to try to unearth those talents.  

These will be followed up by a Phase 2 net session and then a final match play phase over the summer. 

Entries are open at https://www.twenty20cricketcompany.com/state-school-superstar and close at the end of February.

 Free Parenting Courses: 

Multiply - Free numeracy courses in Surrey for adults - Surrey County Council 

Family Learning - First Steps to Understanding Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance - Surrey County Council