Friday 6th February 2026 - Issue 20

Star of the Week

Patrick Moore, Avianna Shelvey-James, Betsy Barnes, Arthur Sherratt-Elliott, Harry Morland, Edgar Chan, Esther Hunt, Matilda Collins-Wheatley, Sophia Staniford, Poppy-Rose Andrews, Joshua Lam, Rock Man Lui, Ashleigh Kerr, Grace Holmes, Jake Betteridge and Sophia Holland

Birthday Greetings

Happy birthday to all the children and staff who have had or who will be celebrating their birthdays this week.

Felicity Allen, Ellie Marlow, Kamsy Okwesa, Emelia Pucill, Penelope Wellstead and Mrs Roughsedge

We hope you have had or will have a lovely day!

Thought for the week

In prayer and liturgy this week, our children have listened to the following reading:

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

(Galatians 5:22)

Morning start

Children are allowed on the playground from 8:30am each day and the school day begins at 8:45am. Staff arrive on the playground from around 8:40am and Mr Saunders or Mrs Riches will blow the whistle for children to line up. We would respectfully ask parents not to hold up the children’s entry to school by talking with teachers. Miss Rose will be on the playground if parents need to pass on messages.

Thank you for your understanding. We want the day to start as smoothly as possible and enable the children to maximise their learning time.

Section 48 RE Inspection

I wanted to share some feedback following our RE inspection last week.

Presently, due to the normal quality assurance processes as directed by the Catholic Schools Inspectorate I am unable to say much until the final report is published in a few weeks. I do believe it important though, to thank everyone for their part during the inspection itself and more importantly in our everyday learning, growing and belonging.

The inspectors made many positive comments about the rich spiritual and moral formation we provide for our children. This is something of which we can be genuinely proud. St Joseph’s is clearly a strong Catholic community, and this is due to the dedication and commitment of all. This is not simply a kind sentiment — it is evident that each person plays their part in making St Joseph’s the place it is, with Christ at the centre of all we do.

While praising everyone, I would also like to thank Mrs Daly in particular for her commitment to our Catholic life and for her hard work in guiding us in RE and Prayer and Liturgy. Her knowledge and skills are exemplary, and her leadership in this area is greatly appreciated.

Last Friday morning, I led a whole-school liturgy which focused on two key themes: that we are the Body of Christ, where every part is vital to the whole, and that our role is to serve one another.

Thank you once again for your support for St Joseph’s. Your children are wonderful and try each day to be the best they can for each other. We now need to wait a few weeks for quality assurance to take place, after which we will receive our final report. I will, of course, share further information when I am able to do so.

Again, thank you.

Alan Saunders

Headteacher

Dear Alan,

Congratulations to you and your team on the excellent outcomes the disadvantaged pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School achieved at the end of the 2024/25 academic year. Your school’s performance places it among the very best nationally, and this is a significant achievement.

This success reflects the dedication of your staff and the hard work of your pupils. It shows what can be achieved when ambition and commitment come together. Thank you for everything you do to give children the best possible opportunities to succeed.

Your school’s achievements demonstrate what is possible, and I hope you will continue to share your experience and best practice with others. Even the strongest schools can go further. We encourage you to lead the way as a system leader - sharing effective practice, championing networks, supporting collaboration, and helping raise standards across the sector.

There are real opportunities available for you to support improvement for a wider group of pupils including through:

· engaging actively with your region’s RISE networks and partnering with nearby schools and trusts;

· contributing to regional roundtables and professional communities to spread the approaches that are working in your context; and

· sustaining excellence by continuing to focus on disadvantaged pupils

Please pass on my thanks and congratulations to your staff and pupils. I look forward to working with you as we strive together to raise standards for all.

Bridget Phillipson

Secretary of State for Education

Holy Communion Reconciliation Preparation - Thursday, 12 Feb at 6pm

Reminder that there will be a Reconciiation Preparation for Holy Communicants next Thursday, 12 February at St Joseph's Church, for all Holy Communicants.

PFA Annual General Meeting - Wednesday, 4th March

Mobile Telephones

Much has been said this week about children and young people’s use of mobile telephones in school. Evidence does suggest that for many, they can become addictive and at least a distraction from the present moment with those around us. If you are considering what to give up this Lent, a good option is to abstain from scrolling social media!

Some older children need their phone as they may walk home alone each day, and we understand they need to bring it to school in the morning. However, we must remind all that phones must be switched off when children arrive on the playground and must only be switched on again after school as they leave the site. During the day, all phones are to be handed in to the teacher for safe keeping in the school office. If parents need to pass a message to their child, this is to be done as always through the office.

Thank you for your support.

Increase of School Meal Dinner from 23 Feb

Please be advised that the cost of a school meal is set to increase from £3.05 to £3.20 per meal from 23rd February 2026. This will result in an overall weekly increase of £0.75 per child.

This does not affect children accessing Free School Meals. The government continues to support the universal infant Free School Meals (FSM) project, and this means that all children from reception, year 1 and year 2 will be provided with a school meal free of charge. Any child in years 3-6 can also have a free school meal if you are in receipt of certain allowances. To find out if you are eligible, please visit: https://www.warrington.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals*

The council has been subsidising the service over the last few years to try and keep the cost of a meal down. However, increases in food and staffing costs mean that we unfortunately have no option but to increase the price of a school meal.

The three weekly rolling menu detailing each day’s main course and dessert, with the additional daily offer of a vegetarian option and jacket potato will remain in place. The school meals service will continue to provide a high-quality service that delivers healthy, nutritious meals, caters for all allergens and dietary requirements, and is served in a safe environment on our school premises. We will continue to offer theme days, treat lunches and inviting families to join children for special lunches through the year.

*If your child is eligible for means tested free schools meals you could also be eligible for other funded support, such as Household Support Fund (funding for food and utility bills) and Holiday Activities and Food (summer holiday free activities and food). There are also other financial support schemes available, which you can find on the council website: warrington.gov.uk/localsupportscheme

Cassandra Small

Strategic School Meals Manager

Families and Wellbeing Directorate

Warrington Borough Council

Road Safety and Considerate Driving

Please be reminded that the school is in a residential area and obviously at the beginning and end of the school day, the pavements and roads will be busier. Please take extra care with road awareness and speed of driving. The roads must be a safe place for all users.

Book Competition

Please see poster below for a book competition. There are five £5.00 book voucher prizes to be won which the children can then spend at the next book fair in March. Entries to be sent to Mrs Tomlinson.

Many thanks.

World Book Day - Thursday, 5th March

The theme this year is 'Go All In - If You're Into It, Read Into It!'

The children can come to school dressed as a book character, they can come dressed in their own clothes or they can even come in their pjs! The children will spend some of the day doing World Book Day activities.

PFA Class WhatsApp Contacts 2025/26

To help us communicate with parents easier, volunteers have nominated themselves to be class contacts in WhatsApp groups on behalf of the PFA. Please note this is for PFA correspondence and questions only, any matters in relation to school should go through the normal channels. They are as follows:

Reception - Anne Byrne

Year 1 - Hannah Hughes

Year 2- Sally Lucas

Year 3- Amanda MacFarlane

Year 4- Maria Simpson

Year 5- (Mr. W) Liz Houghton

Year 5- (Mrs T) Stacy Larkin

Year 6 - Kate Leighton

Thank you.

Your PFA

Food Allergies

Please be reminded that some of our children suffer with severe allergic reactions to peanuts, nuts, lentils and peas. If an anaphylactic reaction occurs we are trained to immediately use Jext pens or Epipens and call 999.

Please do not use Nivea sun cream as it has almond oil in it and we have children with severe nut allergies.

Please do not send any items containing the above into school for your child’s lunch or snack. This includes spreads like Nutella as it has hazelnut as an ingredient.

Thank you for your support, as always.

请注意，我们学校有些孩子对花生、坚果、扁豆和豌豆有严重的过敏反应。如果发生过敏反应，我们会立即使用Jext笔或Epipens并拨打999。

请勿使用妮维雅防晒霜，因为它含有杏仁油，而且我们学校也有一些孩子对坚果有严重的过敏反应。

请勿将任何含有上述成分的物品带入学校作为您孩子的午餐或零食。这包括像Nutella这样的涂抹酱，因为它含有榛子成分。

一如既往地感谢您的支持。