Sheet Primary School Parent Portal - Newsletter : 9 January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome Back!

A very warm welcome back to everyone as we begin a new term. We hope you all had a restful, enjoyable Christmas break and that the children returned to school feeling refreshed and ready to learn. It has been absolutely lovely to see the children back in school again, settling quickly into routines and reconnecting with friends and staff.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks, on behalf of all staff, for the kind gifts and messages received at the end of last term. Please be assured that gifts are never expected or necessary, but they are always very much appreciated and enjoyed. Your thoughtfulness and support mean a great deal to us, and we are grateful for the positive partnership we share with our school community.

This first week back has been a calm and productive settling-in period, despite the rather wintry conditions of ice and rain! The children have shown great resilience and adaptability, and classrooms have been full of focus, enthusiasm, and a positive learning atmosphere.

On our INSET day this year, staff took part in a range of valuable training sessions aimed at supporting teaching, learning, and communication across the school. We spent time developing our use of 'Class Dojo' for curriculum learning, so you may notice additional communications or updates coming through this platform over the coming weeks. This will help us to share learning more effectively and keep you informed about what is happening in classrooms.

We also received training on the use of 'Widgits', which support visual communication, and a new reading and spelling resource called 'Literacy Gold'. These tools will help us further support children’s learning needs and enhance access to the curriculum for all pupils. In the afternoon, staff from Bedales School and East Meon joined us for an insightful and collaborative training session focused on Diversity and Equality. This was a valuable opportunity for reflection and discussion, reinforcing our commitment to creating an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment for every child.

Looking Ahead to Next Week

Clubs will be starting up again next week, and there are currently spaces available in several of them. These include Monday Spanish, Tuesday Running Club and Hockey, Wednesday Football, Thursday Running Club, and Friday Dance Club. If your child is interested, please do sign up while spaces are available.

Thursday is the Spring Census, and we would encourage as many children as possible to have a school lunch on this day. This is important as census data directly affects school funding.

On Friday, our junior pupils will be taking part in fully funded “Money Workshops.” These sessions have been organised in response to pupil feedback, as learning about money and life skills was something they told us they would really like to explore. The workshops are specially created for primary school children and focus on developing essential life skills around money in a fun and engaging way.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to another positive and productive term ahead.

Don't forget - no snacks in plastic wrappers please, just fresh or dried fruit or bread cracker type snack.

Julie Robinson

By school type, the absence rates across the 2025/26 academic year to date for Autumn Term 2025 were:

4.93% in state-funded primary schools (3.60% authorised and 1.33% unauthorised)
SHEET = 4.49% (4.17% authorised and 0.32% unauthorised)

We are only just below the National state funded absence rates in UK Primary Schools - Let's improve this over the term.

Good school attendance habits are best started early. Children learn from those around them and you as parents/carers set the standards and expectations for your child. Showing your child the importance of attending school every day not only helps your child to settle quickly when starting school but helps them to keep and maintain friendships and enjoy the school environment.

Be organised, have a plan, be consistent and involve your child.

You should:

create good routines for mornings at home so that your child can arrive punctually and they are properly equipped; this will also mean your mornings can start calmly too
make time to encourage and show interest. Chat to them about the things they have learnt, what friends they have made and even what they had for lunch! Remember children can be tired when coming out of school, so a short chat over a snack or later that evening may produce a better result than a long list of questions
read all school communications. A home/school diary can help with communication only when all parties use it as intended
attend school open evenings and functions
check your child understands the homework and that it has been completed. Support them in completing homework by creating a calm space for them to work in and set specific times during the week when homework should be done
avoid absence from school wherever possible – try to make doctors and dental appointments out of school hours. Absence means your child will miss out on the academic studies and will also learn that education is not the main priority within the family. This can have a lifelong effect

There tend to be good reasons why children become reluctant to attend school. Take the time to listen to your child, share any concerns you or your child may have with the appropriate member of school staff and seek support at the very earliest opportunity.

Spring 1 9 January 2026

Attendance

Internet Safety

Head Teacher Awards

No Celebration Assembly this week

Housepoints