24th April 2026

A Message from Mrs Murphy

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back to the start of the Summer Term! It has been wonderful to see the children return with such energy and enthusiasm, ready to embrace the busy and exciting months ahead. The school is already buzzing with activity, and we have much to celebrate from the first few weeks of term.

Adventures at Hindleap Warren

Our Year 4 pupils recently returned from their residential trip to Hindleap Warren, and it has been lovely to hear all about it. From all accounts, from the moment they arrived, the children threw themselves into every challenge. I was proud to hear that all the children demonstrated our school values, especially courage. Many faced their fears on the high ropes and scaled the climbing walls with such determination. They supported one another brilliantly and showed great teamwork skills. This trip would not have been possible without the staff volunteers who gave up their time to accompany the children. Thank you to Mrs Rao, Miss Prior, Miss Boyle, Mrs Bull, Mrs Lawrence and Miss Batterbee for supporting the children on this trip.

Reeds Launch Challenge - We are Winners!

Every year our Year 5s head to Reeds School to participate in the Launch Car Challenge. Today, two groups participated in the final and we are thrilled to announce that we are this year's launch car challenge champions!

As part of the requirements for the final, the children had to complete a presentation board, outlining their design choices, and adapt their car to travel the longest distance. Well done Bradley, Zach and Malachi on their overall victory in the competition and Rosie, Sofia and Aarya who also received high praise for the "Just married" design theme.

National Cricket Day

This week the entire school took part in a fantastic range of activities organised by Mr Sawyer to celebrate National Cricket Day. There was so much excitement as the children developed new skills. We were also very lucky to be joined by coaches from Weybridge Cricket Club who supported during the day. We are incredibly grateful for their expert support that inspired so many children at St James.

Exploring the Great Outdooors - Y1 and Y2

With the sun shining this week, it was great weather to head outside. Our KS1 year groups both went on school trips this week. Year 1 enjoyed a spectacular trip to RHS Wisley, where they explored the diverse plant life and stunning gardens and Year 2 headed to Painshill Park for a day of discovery in the historic landscape. The staff reported that both trips were an absolute joy and the children were exemplary ambassadors for St James. Well done, Year 1 and Year 2!

Sustainability and Hydration

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we are trying to reduce our environmental footprint. Over the past week, we have handed out a significant number of single-use paper cups to children who have forgotten their water bottles. Please could we ask all parents to ensure their child brings a reusable water bottle to school every day. It helps them stay hydrated and helps us protect the planet!

Summer Uniform and Hot Weather

With the warmer weather arriving, summer uniform may now be worn. Following valuable pupil voice sessions and suggestions from parents, we have updated our uniform policy and made a change to our KS2 Summer uniform. KS2 boys and girls are now permitted to wear blue polo shirts (without ties) during the Summer Term.

Over the Summer term we will continue to monitor temperatures in school and follow our Hot Weather Risk assessment. The children will have lessons in school linked to sun safety and on particularly warm days, we adapt our activities, increase shade time and monitor the children closely to ensure everyone stays safe.

Looking Ahead: Key Dates

There are many school events to look forward to this term and these are on our website calendar. If you would like advanced notice on these, information on how to embed this calendar into your own personal online calendar can be found here.

Wishing you a lovely weekend

Mrs Murphy

Sunrise Club - Friday Spaces

We are in the fortunate position of being able to offer some adhoc spaces in breakfast club on Fridays mornings. If you find yourself in need of an earlier drop off on Friday mornings, please do email the office to see if spaces are available. We would require 72 hours (3 days) notice to allow for us to arrange this, if spaces are available.

Art Competition

We are delighted to announce that St James have been invited to participate in the Weybridge Summer Festival Art Exhibition and Competition 2026! This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their creativity and see their work displayed in the newly renovated Weybridge Library.

📖 The Theme: "My Favourite Book Character in Weybridge"

This year’s theme asks students to use their imagination to bring a beloved book character into our local community.

Imagine Matilda browsing the shelves at Weybridge Library, Stick Man going for a stroll in Churchfields Recreation Ground, or Charlie Bucket searching for a Golden Ticket at the Brooklands Museum!

🖌️ Competition Guidelines

To ensure your child’s work can be entered into the selection process, please follow these requirements:

Size: Exactly A4 paper (we cannot accept canvases or framed work due to display restrictions).
Medium: Anything goes! Students can use watercolours, oil pastels, colouring pencils, markers, print, or collage.
Labelling: Every entry must have the following clearly written on the back: Full Name, Age, School, and Class/Form.

Note: As per the festival rules, we will select three art works per year group to represent us in the final exhibition.

📅 Key Dates for Your Diary

Please take note of these important dates:

Monday 11th May: Deadline for all entries to be handed in to class teachers.
Monday 18th May: Artworks are collected from the school for the exhibition.
16th – 20th June: Public Exhibition at Weybridge Library (Open 9am–5pm). We encourage families to visit and vote!
Wednesday 17th June: Private View event for dignitaries, including the Mayor.
The week of Tuesday 23rd June: Winners will be announced at school.
Saturday 27th June: The Weybridge Summer Festival. Winning artworks will be displayed on the main stage, and winners will be invited to receive their awards and certificates!

We cannot wait to see where our favourite characters end up in Weybridge!

Happy creating!

Virtual Suggestion Box

We are incredibly proud of our community and want to make it even easier for you to share your thoughts. We are launching a Virtual Suggestion Box: a digital space for proactive ideas, "big picture" thoughts, or creative solutions. This is for constructive suggestions (e.g., "Could we explore a uniform swap shop?") and the Senior Leadership Team will review submissions once a month.

The link is here: https://forms.gle/KmPeMQ7gebij59Qw8

For urgent or individual concerns regarding your child, please continue to contact the office or teacher directly.

As we move forward, we look forward to sharing some of your suggestions and the steps we are taking to explore those that are possible.

Summer Term Clubs

Please see attached the 2026 Summer Term club timetable.

To view external club flyers, please click here.

2026 Club dates and times Summer Term.pdf

School Lunches - Summer Menu

Please find below the current 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. There is also a fully stocked salad bar and fresh bread served daily.

Please remember to book school meals in advance using ARBOR.

Attendance and Penalty Notices

Weekly reminder - for parents/carers, that if they take their children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), then you will be liable for a penalty notice fine

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

The St James Attendance Policy can be found here..

Leave of Absence form can be found here.