News - 21st November 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of engagement, learning, and celebration, showcasing the very best of what St Mary's has to offer.

Last week, we opened our doors for the final two open mornings, welcoming prospective parents to experience the warmth and dynamism of our school community. It was heartening to witness the positive impressions left by our pupils, whose exemplary behaviour and enthusiastic engagement spoke volumes about the nurturing environment we've cultivated. The visitors were treated to delightful singing performances by some of our classes, adding a melodious touch to their tour and offering a glimpse into the diverse talents we nurture here at St Mary's.

The highlight of our recent events was undoubtedly the Year 4 class assembly, which transported us back in time to the era of Vikings. The pupils donned impressive costumes, delivered their lines with confidence, and sang with gusto. Well done to the Year 4 team!
Our school community's spirit of giving shone brightly as we concluded the week with a Super Hero day in support of Children in Need. It was truly inspiring to see our pupils embrace the theme with such enthusiasm, raising an impressive £160 for this worthy cause. Your generosity and compassion make a real difference.

The pursuit of excellence extends beyond our pupils to our dedicated staff. This week, many of our teachers have been actively participating in various Professional Development meetings and networks organised by The Good Shepherd Trust. These sessions, covering crucial areas such as Curriculum and Assessment, Early Years, and writing moderation, ensure that our teaching practises remain at the forefront of educational standards.

On a personal note, I recently attended the Local Committee meeting alongside Brett Freeman, the Chair. This marked our final meeting in our current roles, and it was a moment of both reflection and anticipation. We took the opportunity to celebrate our recent Ofsted success and express our deep gratitude to all committee members for their unwavering support over the years. I particularly thanked Brett for his invaluable advice, support, and friendship throughout his tenure. As we bid farewell to this chapter, we warmly welcomed Jane Bell, who will assume the role of Chair from January.

I'm delighted to share an exciting update to our school uniform. We've introduced a new St Mary's cardigan, now available for purchase. This addition complements our existing range and reinforces our sense of unity and pride.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of our uniform expectations. All sweatshirts and cardigans worn should proudly display the St Mary's logo. Your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines is greatly appreciated and helps maintain our school's identity.

Have a wonderful weekend, weather wise; it’s looking like we may all need to batten down the hatches!

With warmest regards,

With very best wishes,

Mrs Buckley
Headteacher

DIARY DATES

*CLUBS:
Please note that Teacher Led clubs finish on Friday 29th November. There will be one more Cooking Club and STEM club on Tuesday 3rd December to make up for sessions which were missed. Mr Hanson will also have another Drama Club on Wednesday 4th December.
Please check dates for externally run clubs as they may differ.

STARTING SCHOOL:
Starting School – Reception:
If your child was born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 you will need to apply for a school place. You can apply between 31 October 2023 and 15 January 2024.

If you live in Surrey, you can find out all you need to know about school admissions and apply online at surreycc.gov.uk/admissions or you can call on 0300 200 1004.

CHRISTMAS ARRANGEMENTS:
Christmas Arrangements information was emailed earlier this week. Please refer to this for upcoming dates and information.

CHILDREN IN NEED:
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our Superhero Dress-Up Day! Your support helped us raise an amazing £160 for Children in Need. It was a fun and fantastic way to end our Kindness Week, showing that together, we can make a real difference. Thank you for your generosity and for bringing so much joy to the day!

P.E FOR KS2
Please send in a spare pair of shoes for days that your child is participating in outdoor PE. Children may wish to bring in a spare change of clothes as well due to the wet weather/mud. Please ensure that Scopay is updated on Wednesday by midday each week for lunch choices for the following week. Please review Scopay for any outstanding balances for trips, breakfast club or school lunches.
If you are having any issues with making payments, please do get in touch.

KOOSA
If your child attends KOOSA and you decide to pick them up at 3pm, and are therefore no longer attending KOOSA, please contact KOOSA directly to inform them.

They can be contacted on 01276 21884 or info@koosakids.co.uk

SCHOOL FUND
On a termly basis, we ask for a small contribution per family in order to support some of the extended opportunities that we provide. This may be used for additional resources for specific resources i.e. Art or a piece of equipment to be used by pupils on the school site.

In today’s economic climate, I am aware that parents are concerned about requests for financial support from schools. However, the reality of the situation is that, like all schools, in our latest budget we have had to make significant savings, which reflect reduction in our funding allocation from central government. It is only through continued careful management of resources that we have been able to afford to do this and protect the core curriculum resources.

With this in mind, your on-going support for the school fund would help us to continue to support these additional resources. For the academic year 2024 – 2025, we would like to ask each family to contribute £25 per term; however, anything you can contribute would be gratefully received.

 

 

 

We want to remind you that there are new Department for Education regulations in place regarding children’s absences. These took effect from 19th August 2024 which affect penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence from school.
More details can be found:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance

https://www.stmaryschidd.org/key-information/parent-information/school-attendance/

Week Commencing 11th November 2024
Reception – 99.3%
Year 1 – 98.9%
Year 2 – 93.6%
Year 3 – 95%
Year 4 – 100%
Year 5 – 99.1%
Year 6 – 98.6%

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL VISION

Wisdom

Wisdom is a core Christian value in our school because we believe through wisdom good choices are made, that it encourages us to learn from our mistakes and encourages us to live our lives wisely for the benefit of all. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’’ John 8:32

Hope

Hope is a core Christian value in our school because hope gives us energy and supports us through difficult times. "Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.’’ Romans 12:12

To act with hope is to aspire to greater things, to promote positivity and courageous advocacy.

Respect

Respect is a core Christian value in our school because we believe that all life is precious within the image of God and deserves to be valued. "Do to others as you would have them do unto you." Luke 6:31 Our Christian value of respect means living up to the image of God with our school, our community and ourselves.

Community

Community is a core Christian value in our school because we know that together we are stronger and can achieve more. "Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else.’’ Romans 12:16

Everyone in our school, local and global community are needed and valued.