Newsletter October 2026

Headteacher News

I would like to thank our children, staff and families for their hard work and support during very productive and successful first half of the Autumn term. The children have settled exceptionally well into their new classes and routines and have approached their learning with enthusiasm and determination across all areas of the curriculum.

We would also like to congratulate the children who were recognised by the Mayor of Kingston for achieving 100% attendance throughout the last academic year. They attended a special awards ceremony at Southborough High School and should be extremely proud of this wonderful achievement.

In October, we celebrated Harvest, and Year 5 led a wonderful assembly reminding us of the importance of gratitude and the hard work of farmers who help provide food for communities around the world. A huge thank you to all of our families for your incredibly generous support of Kingston Food Bank through your donations.

Every contribution will help to support those less fortunate than ourselves within our local community.

St Joseph's also took part in the Trust Maths Challenge. Our pupils represented the school superbly, demonstrating excellent problem-solving skills, teamwork and perseverance. We were very proud of their efforts and the positive attitude they showed throughout the event.

Finally, it was lovely to see so many of you at our recent Parent Consultation Evenings. Thank you for working in partnership with us to provide the very best education and support for your children.

As we move into the second half of the Autumn Term, there are many exciting events and learning opportunities planned for our children. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our school. Together, we can ensure that every child thrives and achieves their very best.

God bless,
Mrs Flower

November 2026 Events

Wednesday 4 -Friday 6 November
Y4 Residential Trip
Thursday 5 November
Fire safety workshop for Y2 and Y5
Friday 6 November
Year 5 Library visit
Tuesday 10 November
Year 6 Remembrance Day Assembly 9am
Tuesday 10 November
Reception 2027 Open Day 2pm
Wednesday 11 November
Positive Noticing Day
Friday 13 November
Year 4 Library visit
Monday 16 - Friday 20 November
Anti-bullying Week
Monday 16 November
Odd Socks Day
Friday 20 November
MHST Workshop 9-10am
Friday 20 November
Year 3 Library visit
Friday 20 November
Faith council cake sale
Friday 27 November
Year 2 Library visit

Class Attendance

Congratulations Y4

October 2026
Y Rec 92.5 %
Year 1          96.7 %
Year 2 96 %
Year 3          92 %
Year 4 97.9 %
Year 5          97.8 %
Year 6          95 %

Quicklinks

Fun Plus
Out of School Club

Join PTFA WhatsApp group
and Instagram account

St Joseph’s Primary & Nursery
Parent WhatsApp Community

Arbor Parent Poral

The Arbor Parent App!

Following our office move to Arbor in April, we are ready for the next phase: bringing parents on board. Please sign up if you haven't already done so.

What’s changing?

Communications, Trips, & Clubs: these will all move to the Arbor App.

School Lunches: Please continue to use ParentPay

How to sign up?

Use a computer or a web browser first (this prevents issues if you already use Arbor for a sibling at another school):

Click here to visit our St. Joseph's Arbor Portal.
Click "First time logging in?" or "Forgot password?".
Enter the email address the school has on file for you and follow the instructions to set your password.
Once set up on the webpage, you can then safely download and log into the phone app!

Makaton

This months sign is - Autumn

Open palm towards the body then close your fingers together as you bring your arm down.
Check out Suzanne and Tracy at the Singing Hands who have lots of wonderful resources online.

Please use this link: https://singinghands.co.uk/

Nursery

We have had a lovely, busy October in Nursery! This month, we explored Autumn and Harvest through stories, nature walks and creative activities. The children particularly enjoyed Leaf Man and The Little Red Hen, learning about the changing seasons, where our food comes from and helping others. In Maths, we focused on numbers 0–3, comparing amounts and simple patterns. In RE, we learnt about caring for God's world, prayer and the Sign of the Cross. We also explored personal safety through our Pantosaurus story. It has been wonderful to see the children growing in confidence, making friends and becoming more independent. We are so proud of all they have achieved this half term!

Reception

During the Harvest Festival, Reception explored different Autumnal vegetables. After reading the brand new book 'Grufallo Granny' by Julia Donaldson, Reception made their own shopping lists then prepared the vegetables for our very own Vegetable Stew. It was yummy (and very healthy too). We have also been looking at signs of Autumn around our outdoor environment. We noticed that the trees have lost lots of their leaves and we used these leaves to make some art based on the book 'Leaf Man' by Lois Ehlert.

In RE, we have been learning about the sacrament of Baptism and how we are welcomed into God's family. We took the baby to the chapel to Baptise him.

We have also been learning about the importance of the sign of the cross and how to talk to God through prayer.

Year 1

October was a busy month filled with lots of lovely learning...

Phonics

The children have been develpoing their reading skills with lots of phonics.

Maths

They learned how to create number fact families.

Oracy

They are practising oracy skills: we listen, we watch, we talk, we share.

We learned about the Creation story and used nature to re-tell the story.

Fine motor

We used cotton buds to create pointillism artwork and develop our hand-eye coordiantion.

Art

Inspired by artist Beatriz Milhazes, the children made abstract artwork.

Year 2

It has been a wonderfully busy time in Year 2! In English, the children have successfully wrapped up their unit on instructions and recipes and are now diving into the exciting world of story writing. We are exploring story maps and structure, taking inspiration from Julia Donaldson’s classic Room on the Broom to help craft our very own magical tales.

In Maths, we have been using base-ten resources to add two 2-digit numbers, and the children are showing fantastic determination as we begin crossing the 10 barrier by exchanging ten ones for one ten.

Meanwhile, in Science, we launched our new topic on living things with a lively discussion about the essential traits that all living things share. The children are all looking forward to learning more about animals and their habitats.

Year 3

Throughout the term in Year 3, we enjoyed developing our creative writing skills using The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl as inspiration. We used synonyms to improve our vocabulary and make our writing more engaging as we created our own next chapters. We showed creativity by changing characters’ names and adapting events in the story. We also compared The Magic Finger with Fantastic Mr Fox, exploring themes and characters. To finish the term, we explored free verse poetry, using powerful language and imaginative ideas to write our own poems.

In Mathematics, we loved working like real mathematicians as we explored addition and subtraction with 3-digit numbers. We became more confident using the column method and learnt how exchanging helps us solve calculations accurately. We challenged ourselves to find missing numbers in calculations, using our growing understanding of number patterns and relationships. We used our resilience to solve reasoning and problem-solving activities and explain our understanding.

In RE, we continued our learning about the Story of Creation, reflecting on what it teaches us about God’s love for the world and our responsibility to care for it. We explored Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si’ and considered how his call to protect our common home links closely to the teachings found in the Creation story. We also learned about Catholic Social Teaching and discussed how values such as stewardship, dignity, solidarity and the common good can inspire us to make thoughtful choices and show care for others. Through our learning, we reflected on how our everyday actions can help us become responsible caretakers of God’s creation and contribute to a more just and compassionate world.

In Science, we became young scientists as we investigated which substances were best at cleaning old coins. Before beginning our experiment, we carefully wrote predictions, explaining which liquids we thought would be the most effective and why. We then tested several substances and explored whether they were acidic or alkaline using litmus strips. The results surprised us, especially when cola began cleaning the coins much faster than we expected. We were even more amazed to discover how effectively tomato ketchup removed the tarnish. After observing and recording our findings, we wrote conclusions evaluating our results and reflecting on whether our predictions were correct. Through this investigation, we learned how acidic substances can react with metals and discovered the importance of fair testing in scientific enquiries.

In Geography, we continued our learning about Europe, its countries, landmarks and key physical features. We developed our map-reading skills by learning how to use maps to identify the characteristics of a continent and explored how these are represented through different symbols and colours. Through our discussions and activities, we learned how population size helps determine whether a settlement is classified as a village, town or city, and gained a better understanding of how maps help geographers study and understand the world around us.

Year 4

The children have been very busy during the first half-term! In English, they have completed their fantastic adventure narratives, working hard to include their own creative ideas. We are looking forward to displaying their stories at Kingston Library again and sending them to Cressida Cowell, the author of ` How to train your dragon`.

This half-term, we will be reading Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker. Through this book, we will learn about Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician whose work helped bring the Apollo 13 astronauts safely home. The children will also write and perform their own play scripts and write a biography.

In Geography, we will learn how volcanoes form, explore their key features and discover what happens when they erupt. We will also find out about tectonic plates.

In Science, we will explore electrical appliances and learn how to use electricity safely. We will also investigate electrical conductors and insulators.

Year 5

Year 5 had an excellent end to their first half term of the year. In English, they completed diary entries based on our class novel for the half term, Goodnight Mister Tom, imagining they were evacuees having just heard the declaration of war from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. They combined their knowledge from both English and History lessons to come up with thoughtful, detailed diary entries - well done everyone!

In Maths, the class continued their learning on addition and subtraction, encountering increasingly tricky concepts to apply their fluency knowledge to. They have also begun their new unit of Multiplication and Division, using a variety of methods to identify multiples and using this knowledge to identify common multiples, before moving onto factors and prime numbers shortly.

As mentioned, the children approached their History unit on World War Two with curiosity and have asked insightful questions, able to understand why war occurred and the key events that took place during this period. In Science, the class continued their work on Forces, completing investigations on Water Resistance and Friction, developing a fuller understanding of the key concepts and vocabulary involved, as well as the scientific method, working towards creating their own enquiry questions in due course.

In P.E, the class have greatly enjoyed their gymnastics lessons, combining different forms of travelling, actions and balances to create their own routines, performing these to the rest of the class.

In R.E, the class continued their work on covenants, focusing on the ten commandments, exploring the specific wording and understanding how these can apply to our world.

Year 6

We have thoroughly enjoyed immersing ourselves in our Victorian topic, particularly during our Victorian Day, where the children dressed up and experienced a range of Victorian classroom activities. The children adapted brilliantly to the different expectations and routines of a Victorian schoolroom and embraced the experience with great enthusiasm.

We were also incredibly proud of the children who took part in the Lifting Young Voices performance at All Saints Church. They represented the school wonderfully, performing with confidence and enthusiasm. The performance was a great success and received some fantastic feedback!

To bring our Victorian topic to a close, the children produced some excellent diary entries, writing from the perspective of a child living and working in a Victorian workhouse. Their ability to empathise with the characters and use descriptive language to bring their experiences to life was particularly impressive.

In Maths, we have begun tackling the sometimes tricky world of Year 6 fractions, alongside regular arithmetic practice. The children have made a fantastic start, demonstrating an excellent work rate, determination and a willingness to challenge themselves.

We have also loved getting stuck into our new class book and are already enjoying exploring the story together. Finally, we are busy putting the finishing touches to our Remembrance Day assembly, which we are looking forward to sharing with the rest of the school on Tuesday 9th November.

Well done, Year 6, for such a positive and productive start to the term. Keep up the fantastic work!

Wellbeing News

If you would like to know more about the Wellbeing Provision at St Joseph’s please follow the link to our website below - Webpage Link Here. Or email Kate Shaw at kshaw@stjosephs.rbksch.org with any questions.

Parenting Support

Achieving for Children in Kingston offers a wide range of courses for parents seeking to learn more about positive parenting skills, learning more about managing different aspects of parenting with other adults and experienced facilitators. Follow the link below for more information: Courses Link here

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Important Information

Office Hours
8.30-4.00 Monday-Friday – closed during school holidays.

School Hours
School Gates open from 8.40am
Registration begins at 8.50a.m
School finishes
3.15p.m. (Infants/KS1)
3.20p.m. (Juniors/KS2)

Nursery Hours
Morning session 8.30-11.30a.m.
Afternoon session 12.20-3.20p.m

Changes to family details
For changes to your address, telephone numbers or email address please let the office know either in person or by e-mail.

Medication
If your child needs to receive prescription medicine (4 times a day), medicines need to be brought to the office and parents are asked to complete a ‘permission to administer’ form.

Appointments
We ask that where possible any appointments are booked outside of the school day.

Where this is not possible, or for emergency appointments, please share the appointment confirmation with the school office prior to the appointment in order for the absence to be authorised.

If you need to collect your child early from school due to an appointment, please inform the office in the morning so this information can be shared with the relevant class teacher. Many thanks for your cooperation.

Attendance Policy
Our School attendance policy can be viewed on the School website here.

There is a direct link between attendance and attainment.
Absence from school interrupts teaching and learning, and affects children's progress and wellbeing.
New legislation states that head teachers may only grant a leave of absence in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
Holidays or unauthorised leave in term time will not be granted.

Is my child too ill for school? Click here for NHS Guidance

Safeguarding

Should you ever have a concern about the welfare of a child or adult, please come and speak in confidence with the school’s safeguarding leads. Our Designated Safeguarding Leaders for the school are Miss, Devlin, Mrs Flower, Miss Kate and Ms Aziz. If you cannot speak to us in person we can be contacted via email at: dsl@stjosephs.rbksch.org

Should you not wish to speak to a member of the school team you can contact Kingston’s Children's Single Point of Access (SPA).The SPA provides residents and people who work with children in Kingston with direct information, advice and guidance about where and how to find the appropriate support for children and families.

The Single Point of Access team is available from 8am to 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm Friday.Call them on 020 8547 5008, or if you need to speak to someone urgently after hours or at the weekend, call the ‘Out of Hours’ team on 020 8770 5000.

Contact Details

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
The Fairfield,
Kingston upon Thames,
Surrey KT1 2UP

Phone: 020 8546 7178

Email: office@stjosephs.rbksch.org

Website: www.stjosephs.kingston.sch.uk

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