Headteacher's Newsletter

Friday 16^th January 2026

Dear Parents, 

Headteacher’s Newsletter

Sacrament of Reconciliation

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

Next week, our Year 3 children will be making their Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is a very special and important step in their faith journey, as they learn about God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy.

Our children have been preparing thoughtfully for this Sacrament through prayer, reflection, and learning about how to say sorry, make better choices, and grow closer to God. They have shown great maturity and understanding during their preparation.

We ask our school community to please keep our Year 3 children in your prayers as they prepare to receive this special Sacrament, that they may feel God’s peace, guidance, and love at this important moment in their lives.

Loving God,

Pour out your blessing upon our beloved children,

That during this time of Sacramental preparation

They may grow closer to you,

And come to know your special love for them.

May this time of preparation be a time of blessing

For our families and our community,

And unite us all in your great love.

Amen.

Curriculum Highlights

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

Please see the curriculum overviews for the spring term.

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Reception - EYFS

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 1

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 2

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 3

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 4

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 5

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Year 6

ECO Award

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

Our ECO team have been working extremely hard on a variety of environmental projects throughout the year, showing great commitment to caring for our school and the wider world around us. We are delighted to have received the ECO Award in recognition of their dedication, enthusiasm, and ongoing efforts to promote sustainability within our school community.

Through their projects and ideas, the ECO team has encouraged us all to be good stewards of God’s creation, reminding us of our responsibility to look after the world we have been given. We are very proud of their achievements and would like to say a huge well done to all members of the ECO team for their hard work, creativity, and positive impact on our environment.

Year of Reading 2026

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

We are delighted that 2026 is The Year of Reading. Throughout the year we will be igniting a love of reading across the whole school community, ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader. Through high-quality texts, enriched experiences, pupil leadership and strong links with families and the wider community, we will promote reading not only as a skill, but as a joy. 

Please take a look at our Year of Reading calendar by following this link: Year of Reading Calendar

Yalla Thrive

Please see attached an information leaflet about confidence and resilience sessions aimed at children aged 7-14.

Whole School Dates List

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

The key dates have been set for the academic year. On the list, you will see the date, event and location. The full list can be seen on this link St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Key School Events and Dates and spring 1 dates can be seen below:

Spring 1 Dates

Attendance and Punctuality Reminders

School Values: Make a Difference Be Passionate about Learning Be Kind Be Respectful

We know that excellent attendance and punctuality play a vital role in supporting positive outcomes for pupils. Children who attend school regularly and arrive on time are more likely to make good progress in their learning and feel settled and confident at the start of each day. Please see attendance and punctuality reminders below.

Punctuality
Arrival after the morning bell will result in your child being marked as late:

• Infants: 9:00am
• Juniors: 8:55am

To help ensure a calm and positive start to the school day, we kindly ask that children arrive in good time.

Classroom entry times:

• Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: from 8:45am
• Years 3–6: from 8:40am

medical appointments

Medical appointments are recorded as an absence if your child is not present for registration and will therefore affect their attendance record. All medical appointments must be supported by evidence, which should be provided to the school office. Wherever possible, we ask that routine appointments such as dentist or optician visits are arranged after school or during school holidays.

Requests for Absence

Schools are not permitted to authorise holidays during term time. Any holiday taken during term time will be recorded as an unauthorised absence on your child’s attendance record.

 Attendance Monitoring

Our whole-school attendance target is 97%. Please refer to the attendance table below, which shows how days missed can impact overall attendance percentages.

If you have any concerns or need support with your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact the school office to request a call back from our pastoral team. We are here to help and work in partnership with families.

Please note that holidays in term time are not authorised. Before booking any trips, we ask parents to check our term dates to ensure holidays are arranged within the designated school breaks.

You can view the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 term dates here:

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Trafford: Term Dates and Times of the School Day

We warmly welcome parents to ask about school life. Your first point of contact is your class teacher. In addition, Mrs Farrell (infant deputy) and Mrs Sutton (junior deputy) and I are available to work in partnership with you to support your child’s learning and wellbeing. We value open communication and welcome all to work together for the benefit of all our pupils.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs A Harrop

Headteacher