28th April 2026

As we reach the end of another wonderful term at Wilden we wish you all a happy and restful holiday. In school we are seeing some fantastic outcomes for our children with great progress throughout the school. This is down to the hard work of children, staff and parents. It really is a team effort...and Wilden are a great team! The range of trips and activities that have happened this term has been wonderful and hopefully given children some wonderful learning opportunities and lasting memories. We are excited looking into the Summer term and all the learning opportunities it will bring.

Class Photos

Tempest Photography

It’s time to find a spot on the mantelpiece or a space on the wall as I’m delighted to let you know that your recent group photograph is now ready to view and purchase at the following link -

https://htmp.st/Z-LITTLE-OWLS--494374F27B - Preschool

https://htmp.st/Z-SNOWY-OWLS--AF61B8111C - Reception

https://htmp.st/Z-BARN-OWLS--6B2BF3DF40 - Year 1

https://htmp.st/Z-TAWNY-OWLS-B75FCCAAD1 - Year 2

https://htmp.st/Z-KESTRELS-B1297C0078 - Year 3

https://htmp.st/Z-FALCONS-16X7-BD9A397FB8 - Year 4

https://htmp.st/Z-EAGLES-16X7-1EBDD5BA24 - Year 5

https://htmp.st/Z-HAWKS-16X7-D0622B85BB - Year 6

Tempest offer a free “deliver to school” option that is open for approximately 14 days, alternatively, home delivery is available at a cost of £5 postage and packing.

If you need assistance or have any questions regarding placing an order, please call 01736 751555 (option 3) or click on the “contact” button on our website home page (htempest.co.uk) where our friendly team will be happy to help.

School Shoes reminder

Please could we remind parents that black school shoes are part of our school uniform. Children can wear trainers on PE days that are suitable for outdoor sports. If you have difficulty with sourcing black school shoes, please do come and speak to us and we can see if there is a way that we can support you. The Samuel Manninge charity below is a very straight forward way of getting support for your family with trips or uniform.

Could we also remind parents at this time of year that the weather is very variable! We like to get the children outdoors as much as possible, both at playtimes and during lessons. Please could you therefore make sure they have a suitable coat, even if it is a lightweight waterproof in their bags.

Samuel Manninge Charity

The Samuel Manninge hardship grants are available to anyone resident in the ancient parish of Hartlebury (that covers Wilden and parts of Stourport).

We would welcome an application from anyone residing in that geographical area if they are in need of funds. On average the grants are between £75 and £250.

Please do email them directly if you need support, or if you would like us to make contact we are happy to help.

Remember Hats and Sun cream

We spend lots of time outdoors at Wilden! Please remember in this hot weather children need to have sun cream applied before they come to school.

All children also need a hat to wear while this weather continues!

Plants needed for school

As the weather warms up we will be doing lots of gardening around school. The children have already started working hard at clearing away dead plants and getting the ground ready. If any parents have an excess of plants that might be nice in pots and raised beds around school that would be very much appreciated. We would also welcome seeds that are suitable for planting now and bringing on.

SAET Attendance Stages

Below are two graphics to help parents to understand the SAET attendance monitoring system. Our aim as a Trust and as a school is to do all we can to support families to ensure your children are successful at school and beyond. The graphic below shows that statistically once a child has had 9 days (or 18 sessions) in a year, this is likely to affect their learning.

We realise that talking to parents about their child's absence or even telling them what it is can be very emotive. It can feel like a judgement on parenting or like you need to explain again why a child was absence.

We want to be clear that in almost all cases we know there are very good reasons why children are off school. As a school however we want to keep you as informed as possible about your child's attendance but also if their attendance is low, see what we can do to support you.

The graphic below shows the stage system. This was introduced this year by the Trust and is still being modified based on feedback. The monitoring stage your child is on reflects how many days off they have had during the year. You will see from the graphic above and below within stage 3 that we would be looking closely as to whether absence is having an effect on the child and if there is anything we can do to support. There is no fixed 'action' for each stage. If for example your child reached stage 1 in September because they had every Friday off, we are likely to question it. If on the other hand they reach stage 3 after a nasty bout of chicken pox we would not be questioning though knowing they are on stage 3 we would be looking to support and ensure they are not falling behind.

If by the end of the year a child is on either stage 1 or 2 you will be on 97%+ which is very good attendance.

Men-United

Men United – Free Local Support for Dads and Male Carers

A new support group, Men United, is running locally to help dads and male caregivers

who may be finding things tough.

The group is for men (18+) who might be experiencing:

Low mood, anxiety or stress
Everyday pressures of family life and caregiving

Sessions are led by trained Wellbeing & Mindset Coaches (who are also dads) and offer a

safe, friendly space to talk, share experiences, and build strategies for positive mental

health.

When & Where

Brookside Children’s Centre, Kidderminster – Tuesdays (fortnightly) 1–3pm
Half Crown Wood, Stourport – Tuesdays (fortnightly) 9.30–11.30am
Burlish Bike Park, Stourport – Wednesdays (fortnightly, evenings) 7.15–8.45pm

All sessions are free and men can come along as often or as little as they like.

Find out more:

🌐 www.men-united.co.uk

Fancy Volunteering?

We are always keen to welcome parents into school to help listen to readers or join us on trips and visits. If you would like to become a volunteer please contact the school office. We do need to ask you to complete some paperwork and gain a DBS check, but we can help you with this.

Tax Free Childcare Vouchers

You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to

help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is

disabled (up to £4,000 a year).

If you get Tax-Free Childcare, you’ll set up an online childcare account for your child. For

every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your

provider.

You can check your eligibility and apply here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

Free Data for those who need it most

For those struggling with the cost of living at the moment, it may be worth you looking at this service O2 are offering of free data for those that need it most. Follow this link for details

Are you entitled to Free School Meals?

During this very unsettled time family’s circumstances can change, please check to see if you are entitled to Free School meals. This not only gives you Free School Meals within school but you receive shopping vouchers throughout the holiday periods (£2.20 per day per child) You will also receive assistance with trips costs and Holiday activity clubs. We therefore encourage even those children that currently receive Universal Free School meals (Reception - Year 2) to apply so they are entitled to vouchers, trip assistance and activity clubs. Please click here to access the link.

Worcestershire Children's First, Family Support Hub

All families come under different strains at times, and as part of our Early Help offer, we would always want you to talk to us and see if there is support that we can offer. WCF Virtual Family Hub Page offers a wide range of services to support families. Click this link or picture below to take you to the site.

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