Newsletters

Autumn 1 2026 Newsletter

Autumn 1 2026

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A positive start to the school year

Welcome back to our families, and a warm welcome to the new children and families who have joined St James Infant and Pre-School.

It has been a really positive first half term. Children have been getting used to their routines, making new friendships and building relationships with the adults who support them. There have been plenty of opportunities to learn, play and try new experiences, helping children grow in confidence and feel part of school life.

We have also recorded our best school attendance to date. This has meant that more children have been able to take part in the learning and experiences available, while benefiting from regular time with their friends and teachers.

Thank you for your support with morning routines, reading at home and helping children settle into the school year. We look forward to continuing to work together next half term.

Mrs O'Shea

Parent survey: thank you for your feedback

Thank you to everyone who completed our parent survey at the end of last term. Your responses help us understand what families value about St James and where we can improve.

We were pleased to see that, among those answering each question:

  • 96% would recommend St James to another parent.

  • 92% agreed that their child is safe at school.

  • 94% agreed that they receive a response when contacting school.

  • 94% felt the amount of communication from school was about right.

  • 84% felt their child receives enough pastoral support for their wellbeing.

“Friendly” and “welcoming” were the most frequently selected words to describe our school, each chosen by 77% of respondents.

One parent described the school as “like an extended family”, while another shared that their child “loves learning new things, and getting things right”.

The results also show areas for further development, particularly ensuring pastoral support meets children’s needs and broadening extra-curricular opportunities. We will use this feedback to guide our work and keep families informed about developments.

Thank you for recognising the care our staff provide and for sharing your views. Please continue to speak with us about what is working well and anything you feel could be better.

Pupil Voice: What Do Our Children Think?

Our children are the real judges of what we do! Listening to their views helps us understand what they enjoy, what they remember and what matters to them. Here is what some of our children have said about their first half term.

Year 2

💬 “I have a new teacher and I like her.”

💬 “I have loved learning about red pandas.”

💬 “Art has been fun, I like drawing and painting.”

💬 “I made leaves out of clay and then painted them.”

💬 “We have learnt about Plop, I like the story and we made fireworks pictures and had a campfire.”

💬 “I have been learning about red pandas. We described them and then wrote sentences.”

Year 1

💬 “I have enjoyed learning the sounds in phonics.”

💬 “I like being busy and writing.”

💬 “I really liked making the marshmallows on the fire!”

💬 “We made yummy marshmallows and biscuits on the fire.”

Reception

💬 “I really like my classroom.”

💬 “I really like drawing. I do lots of drawing!”

These comments give us a lovely glimpse of school through our children’s eyes. We will keep listening and using their views to help shape their experiences at St James.

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The children in Poppies have been helping to develop their role-play area into a doctor’s surgery. They have been learning about the skeleton and different body parts, answering the phone to book appointments and writing prescriptions. We may have some future doctors among us!

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Reception has welcomed a special visitor this half term… Paddington Bear! He has visited many of the children at home and has been taken on a tour of Daventry. His adventures have inspired a range of learning activities, giving the children opportunities to share their experiences, talk about familiar places and explore the Paddington theme together. Thank you to the families who have welcomed Paddington into their homes and helped bring his adventures to life!

Year 1 have been busy making use of their outdoor learning area, exploring maths, physical development, handwriting, music and art through activities linked to their big question.

Through the story Handa’s Surprise, the children have been learning about hot and cold locations and different habitats. Their outdoor experiences have given them opportunities to talk about their ideas, be creative and practise their skills together.

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Year 2 have been exploring the shapes, patterns and textures of leaves through clay printing. Each child chose a leaf, carefully shaped their clay and used tools to recreate its veins and details. This helped them develop their observation skills and practise shaping, pressing and marking clay. The children worked with care and concentration to create their own autumn leaves.

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We have now completed our first half-term phonics assessments. These help us identify what each child knows and their next steps in reading. Updated phonics groups will begin after half term, with teaching matched to children’s current needs.

Your support at home helps children practise what they have learnt in school. Phonics activities are sent home daily or weekly, depending on your child’s year group. Please use the resources and any videos shared by your child’s teacher to reinforce their learning.

Making the most of your child’s phonics book

Find a quiet, comfortable spot and enjoy a little reading together each day. Our Reading Pledge encourages around 10 minutes of reading at home daily, keeping sessions positive and celebrating effort.

When sharing your child’s Read Write Inc. book:

  • Practise the sounds and green words. Encourage your child to use “Fred Talk” to say the sounds and blend them together when needed.

  • Revisit the Speedy Green Words sheets. These words link to your child’s storybook. With practice, children become able to recognise familiar words automatically.

  • Practise the red words, paying attention to the tricky parts and helping your child recognise them confidently.

  • Read the book more than once. Familiarity helps children build accuracy, fluency and expression. A book becoming easier is a chance to celebrate their learning!

  • Chat about the comprehension questions. Reading is also about understanding and enjoying what the words tell us.

Become reading detectives!

In Key Stage 1, children are learning to find information, use clues and explain their thinking. You can practise these skills through relaxed conversations:

“Who is in the story, and where does it happen?”
“How do you think the character feels? What clues tell you?”
“What might happen next, and why?”
“Can you tell me the main things that happened?”

You can also try echo reading: read a sentence aloud with expression, then invite your child to read it back in the same way.

Keep the love of stories growing

Alongside phonics practice, continue reading aloud to your child. Bedtime stories, poems, comics, information books and audiobooks offer opportunities to enjoy language and discover new interests. Younger children may love joining in with repeated phrases, exploring pictures or retelling a story with toys.

Mrs Pounds has sent out details of each year groups' reading challenges- see if you can read 10 books before they are 5, or 6 or 7. Details are posted on Class Dojo pages. Your child can enjoy listening to you read these books — they do not need to read them independently. 

Please help your child look after their reading books and bring them into school each day. If you would like help with sounds, books or home activities, speak to us.

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To have 'good' attendance, the children need to be in school for 96% of the school year. 

Attendance Matters

Well done, Daisies, for your super attendance of 98.4%- you will all win a class treat from our Pirate Treasure Chest! 

Sunflowers- 98.2%

Buttercups- 98%

Snowdrops- 96.3%

Dandelions- 96.3%

Poppies- 94.7%

Bluebells- 94.1%

Our whole school year-to-date attendance is 96.6%, compared with 93.7% - an improvement of 2.9%. 

Holidays during term time and illness remain the biggest reasons for absence. We have had more conversations with families about support than ever before, from helping with morning routines to supporting the identification of medical needs. These conversations help us understand barriers and work together to address them.

Why do we aim for at least 96%?
Across a school year, the difference between 96% and 90% attendance is more than 11 school days—around 62 hours of learning. 

Attendance remains a priority within our commitment to safeguarding every child and helping them reach their full potential through regular, full-time education. We recognise that illness can be unavoidable and that messages about attendance can sometimes feel difficult. Our approach is to listen, offer support and work alongside you.

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At St James, safeguarding is woven into our assemblies, curriculum and everyday conversations. We want every child to understand that they matter, their feelings are important and there is always someone they can turn to for help.

Our Autumn term assemblies explored belonging, friendship, kindness and ensuring everyone has a voice. Through stories and discussions, children considered how to welcome others, include someone in their play and listen respectfully to different ideas.

Music helps us bring our values to life. Songs used in assembly include:

  • We Are Family by Sister Sledge — encouraging teamwork, togetherness and belonging.

  • This Is Me from The Greatest Showman — celebrating individuality, inclusion and being proud of who we are.

  • Happy by Pharrell Williams — exploring positive feelings and how kindness can bring happiness to others.

  • Respect by Aretha Franklin — reinforcing the importance of treating ourselves and others with respect.

These messages continue through our curriculum. In Pre-School, children begin by exploring emotions, sharing, taking turns and learning to express their needs. As they move through school, our Jigsaw PSHE and No Outsiders lessons develop their understanding of friendships, belonging, fairness and respect. Our online safety teaching helps children recognise when something makes them feel worried, uncomfortable or upset, and understand how to seek help.

Every child identifies five adults in school whom they feel safe with, creating their own Hand of Trust. This gives children a network of people they can approach if they need help, feel worried or want to share something important.

At home, you could ask your child who is on their Hand of Trust and remind them that they can always talk about a worry.

Two books from our assembly programme you might enjoy together are:

  • Only One You by Linda Kranz — celebrates individuality and the difference each person can make. Ask: “What makes you special? How can we help everyone feel they belong?”

  • Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud — explores how our words and actions affect others’ feelings. Ask: “How could you fill someone’s bucket with kindness today?”

If you are worried about a child, please speak up. You do not need to be certain before sharing a concern.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs O’Shea. Our Deputy Safeguarding Leads are Miss Cooney, Mrs Cousins, Mrs Caygill, Miss Harris and Toby Saul. 

School contact: 01327 702783
Email: safeguarding@sjis.inmat.org.uk
You can also speak to us in person during the school day.

Northamptonshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH): 0300 126 7000. Anyone can contact MASH directly with concerns about a child. For urgent concerns outside normal working hours, call the same number to contact the Emergency Duty Team. 

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Join the Friends of St. James Parents Association!

Would you like to make a real difference to our school community? Joining the Friends of St. James Parents Association is a wonderful way to get involved, meet other parents, and have fun while supporting our children’s education.

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Phone: 01327 702783
Email: FOSJ@SJIS.inmat.org.uk

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Please remember to order school lunches by 9.30am. Dolce will send out charges if they are not ordered in advance. 

Our children look so smart in their school uniforms. We do have many items for sale so please ask us if you need anything. 

We talk about road and pavement safety with the children. Support them with getting to school safely by using the zebra crossings.

Our school have a FOSJ account with Skitkins. These labels are indestructible for labelling all items- water bottles, clothes, bags. Please use these details: School fundrasing number to add to orders is 19752, as we gain commission. 

The play equipment is not to be used before and after school.

If you know anyone who may be interested in joining our Poppies class in 2026 or 2027, please see the office for a form. We are already so busy for the coming years.

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