Friday 11th September 2026

Meet the Teacher

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Meet the Teacher evening this week. It was lovely to see so many families on site and to hear the buzz around school as parents found out more about what their children will be learning this year.

Thank you also to those parents who stayed for our whole-school presentation afterwards, where we shared some of our key priorities for the year ahead. We hope it gave you a useful insight into why we are focusing on these particular areas and what this will look like in practice across school.

Attendance – Every Day Matters

One of our key priorities this year is attendance. For those who were unable to attend the presentation, we have included some of the main messages below.

National expectations around school attendance have strengthened considerably and the Department for Education's Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance is now statutory. As a result, schools and local authorities are expected to monitor attendance closely, identify concerns early and work with families to ensure children attend school regularly whenever they are well enough to do so.

The key points we shared were:

•             90% attendance means 19 days of school missed in a year – almost four weeks of learning and nearly a full half-term.

•             Missing around one day every fortnight is enough for a child's attendance to fall into the government's definition of persistent absence.

•             Our biggest area for improvement is currently term-time holidays and extended weekend breaks, which account for a significant proportion of absence across school.

•             Attendance is therefore one of our School Development Priorities for 2026–27. We will monitor individual attendance more closely so that we can spot patterns and offer support before they become established.

•             Mrs. Franklin is our Attendance Lead and will work alongside families where attendance begins to become a concern. Our approach will always combine high expectations with support and an understanding of individual circumstances.

•             Following feedback from parents, we will also begin sending every family a short attendance update each half term, rather than families only receiving their child's overall attendance figure at the end of the year. This isn't intended as a "telling off" – it is simply to make sure everyone has an up-to-date picture of their child's attendance.

Alongside this, we will continue to work hard to make every day at Bexton worth being here for. Our aim isn't simply good attendance figures; it is to have happy, confident and resilient children who want to come to school, enjoy their learning and feel supported when things are difficult.

As we said during the evening, our approach is very much one of support, not blame. If there are genuine barriers affecting your child's attendance, please talk to us. Working together and addressing concerns early gives us the best possible chance of helping every child make the most of their time at school.

🏃‍♂️ A Fantastic New Chapter for PE and Sport!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Mr. Roberts has taken the lead for PE and Sport across Bexton from this year! As part of this exciting development, Mr. Roberts will be our specialist PE practitioner, delivering all PE lessons for our Junior classes, whilst also supporting the delivery and development of PE lower down the school.

We feel incredibly lucky to have such an experienced, knowledgeable and motivational coach working with our children. Mr Roberts brings a real passion for sport and a wealth of expertise, and we are excited about the opportunities this will create for our pupils.

This bespoke approach will allow us to provide a high-quality, carefully planned PE curriculum, while giving our children the chance to develop their physical skills, confidence, teamwork and love of being active. Whether they are discovering a new sport, developing an existing talent, learning to work as part of a team or simply enjoying being active with their friends, we want every child to leave Bexton feeling that sport and physical activity is something they can enjoy and be proud of.

At Bexton, we are committed to providing the very best education and experiences possible for every child. Investing in specialist expertise like this is one of the ways we can continue to enrich our curriculum and make sure our children benefit from opportunities that inspire, challenge and motivate them.

We can't wait to see the impact Mr Roberts has across school this year – and, most importantly, to see our children enjoying PE, getting active and discovering what they can achieve!

Respectful Parking Around School

As we reach the end of our first full week back, we have unfortunately already received three complaints from local residents about vehicles blocking or partially blocking driveways around school.

We know that drop-off and collection times are incredibly busy and that finding a parking space can sometimes be tricky. However, please could we ask everyone to take a moment to check that they are parking safely and considerately and are not restricting access to residents’ driveways.

We work really hard to maintain positive relationships with our neighbours and, understandably, it can be extremely frustrating for residents when they are unable to get on or off their own driveways. The photographs below show a couple of examples that have been brought to our attention this week.

We will continue to pass details, including vehicle registration numbers where appropriate, to our local PCSO and will ask for increased patrols around school while everyone settles back into the routines of the new term.

Thank you, as always, for helping us to be good neighbours and for parking safely and respectfully around our school community.

Flu Vaccination

The School Age Immunisation Service (SAIS) will soon be visiting our school to offer the seasonal flu vaccination to eligible pupils. The flu vaccine helps protect children from becoming unwell with flu and can also reduce the spread of infection to family members, friends, and the wider community. If you have not yet completed the form, or if you require any support or have questions about the vaccination programme, please contact the School Age Immunisation Service. Telephone: 03333583 397 option 7 option 1. Email Imms.W-CE@intrahealth.co.uk

Clubs

There are spaces available at Little Sprouts After School Club on Tuesdays. If you would like your child to join, please click the link below to book a place.https://www.littlesproutsuk.co.uk/bookasession

Eco News

Autumn is a lovely time to get outdoors and enjoy the changing season. Why not go on an autumn walk, collect colourful leaves, make a leaf rubbing or create some nature-inspired artwork? You could also look for conkers, acorns and other signs of autumn while out and about. Please click on the link for more autumn activities.https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/children-young-people/family-activities/autumn-activities-for-kids

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, thank you for your wonderful book.