2026 Autumn #1

Welcome back

It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back to school this week and to see the children return on Thursday looking so smart and ready for the year ahead. A very warm welcome also to all of our new children and families joining us this September. We hope you will very quickly feel part of our school community.

Our Value – Respect

Our school value for this half term is Respect and this has been the focus of our Collective Worship this week.

We have been thinking together about what respect looks and feels like in our school and, in particular, how we can make other people feel that they matter through the words we use and the actions we take.

We will continue to explore this value throughout the half term and encourage our children to think about the small things they can do each day to show respect, kindness and consideration to others. It would be lovely if families could continue these conversations at home too.

A Few Communication Updates

As we begin the new academic year, there are also a few important updates regarding communication following our transfer to Diocese of Hereford Multi Academy Trust (DHMAT).

• New school email address

Over the summer, our school email accounts were transferred across to the DHMAT system. Our new school email address is:

admin@coalbrookdale.dhmat.org.uk

Please use this address when contacting the school going forward. As with any changeover of systems, there may be a few things that take a little time to settle, so we really appreciate your patience and understanding.

• School website

We are also currently working on moving our school website across to a new DHMAT site. This is still in progress and we will let parents and carers know as soon as the new website is live and ready to use.

• Seesaw – Reception parents

A particular thank you to our new Reception parents for your patience while we work to get everyone set up with access to Seesaw. We are currently in discussions with the provider and will make sure that parents have access as soon as possible.

In the meantime, school information and communication will continue to be sent via email so please do keep an eye on your inbox for our updates.

Dates for Your Diary

We have included some key dates for the autumn term through to Christmas in this newsletter.

(Yes… we are talking about Christmas already and the children have only just come back!)

We know how busy family life can be, though, so we wanted to give you as much notice as possible of the important dates, events and activities we already have planned. We hope having these dates early will help families plan ahead. Please do add them to your diaries, and we will provide further information about individual events nearer the time.

Thank you, as always, for your patience and support, particularly while some of our new systems are being put into place.

We have had a really positive first few days back and I am very much looking forward to all that the new school year will bring.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs M Dhaliwal
Headteacher

A reminder about Uniform and Appearance

We completely appreciate that the summer holidays are a time when children may enjoy doing things a little differently – whether that is having their nails painted, trying a temporary tattoo or experimenting with their hair!

Now that we are back at school, we would be grateful for parents’ support in helping children return to our usual uniform expectations.

As part of our school uniform policy, children should not wear nail polish or temporary tattoos to school and hair should not be artificially dyed in bright or non-natural colours.

We want to be clear that our expectations around hair are not intended to restrict natural hair types, textures or colours, protective hairstyles, or styles worn for cultural, religious or ethnic reasons. Our request relates specifically to artificial, brightly coloured hair dyes that are not part of our school uniform expectations.

Jewellery should also be kept to a minimum. Children may wear one pair of small stud earrings and one item of jewellery worn for religious or faith reasons, such as a cross necklace or Kara bangle.

We know that, particularly after the summer break, there may be one or two remnants of holiday fun still making their way back to normal! We simply ask that these are removed or returned to our usual school expectations as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and for supporting us in maintaining a consistent approach to school uniform and appearance.

School Library

We are absolutely delighted with our newly transformed school library. A huge amount of preparation, planning and hard work took place over the summer holidays to make this possible and I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful team of volunteers who generously gave up their own time to create such a special space for our children.

The transformation is fantastic. With freshly painted walls, new carpet and a bright, welcoming feel, the library has been given a completely new lease of life. The best response has been from the children themselves, who have already been telling us how excited they are to spend time in there, explore the books and enjoy choosing their next read.

A very special thank you must also go to the Friends of Coalbrookdale PTA and to all of our parents and families who have supported fundraising. Your contributions have helped towards the new carpet and additional resources for the library and this is a wonderful example of what we can achieve when our school community works together.

And we’re not finished yet! We will be adding further furniture and new books to enhance the library even more. Our School Learning Council will be helping to lead the next stage of this work, giving children across the school a voice in how the space develops and the books and resources they would like to see available.

What a fantastic way to begin the new school year by creating a space that puts reading at the heart of our school and, most importantly, helps our children to see reading as something to be enjoyed, explored and shared.

We cannot wait to see the library being used and loved by our children for many years to come.

PE Lessons

Children should come to school dressed in their PE kit (navy or white t-shirt, navy or black shorts, skort or knee length leggings and trainers or black plimsolls/pumps.  NO football tops or sportswear) on the days they have PE.  They do not need to wear school uniform.  PE lessons will take place on:

Monday:  Year 1 & Year 5

Tuesday:  Year 5 & Year 6

Wednesday:  Reception, Year 2 & Year 3

Thursday:  Year 3, Year 4 & Year 6

Friday:  Year 1, Year 2 & Year 4

NSPCC Speak Out. Stay Safe. Programme

We will be participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. Programme next week (8 September).  Please click on the link below for more information.

NSPCC – Sept 2026 Speak out Stay safe

National Teddy Bear Day – 8 September

Parents are invited to join their child for story time from 2.45pm.

Parent Lunches

We are pleased to invite parents to have lunch with their child across this half term on a Wednesday.  Lunch costs £3.60 and money should be handed into the school office in a named envelope.  For catering purposes, we will need to know if you will be having a school lunch.  A link will be sent out to parents via Seesaw the week before to confirm numbers.

Parents should arrive for lunch at midday.

16 September – Year 6 Parent lunch
23 September – Year 5 Parent lunch
30 September – Year 4 Parent lunch
7 October – Year 3 Parent lunch
14 October – Year 2 Parent lunch
21 October – Year 1 Parent lunch
4 November – Reception Parent lunch

Online Safety Newsletter – September

Please click on the link below for September’s Online Safety Newsletter.

Online Safety Newsletter Primary September 2026

Online Safety Video

This month’s theme is Back to school

Description: This video provides a quick overview on establishing family tech rules and tips on how to use AI.

https://www.knowsleyclcs.org.uk/online-safety-monthly-videos/

Online Safety – Parental Controls

Please find a link below to a Parent Online Safety booklet, which includes an overview of key parental controls. This is updated annually

https://www.knowsleyclcs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Parental-Controls-booklet-2026.pdf

Attendance

School attendance is mandatory for all pupils, and it is our priority to ensure that as many children as possible regularly attend school.  Any child who has less than 95% attendance is monitored by the EWO service.  If attendance drops below 90%, an Educational Welfare Officer may visit you to see if there are any ways in which they can help to improve attendance.

If your child is poorly, please telephone the school office (01952 386620) on the first day of absence, giving a reason for the absence.  This should be done for every school day they miss.  If your child is still poorly on the 3rd day of absence, we kindly request medical evidence. Please discuss with the admin team for further support and guidance on this.

The Government introduced a new ‘National Framework for Penalty Notices’ September 2024. This will apply to all Telford & Wrekin schools.

Below are some of the significant changes you need to be aware of:

• If your child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10 school-week rolling period, you may be issued with a Penalty Notice. These 10 sessions may include any unauthorised absence, including leave in term time and do not have to be consecutive. Unauthorised absences are recorded for children who are late after the register has closed (from 9.15am), do not provide medical evidence or have not contacted school.
• Penalty Notices are increasing to £160 from September 2024. This can be reduced to £80 but only for the first Penalty Notice issued, if paid within 21 days – this reduction does not apply to any subsequent Penalty Notice.
• Any 2nd Penalty Notice, to the same parent for the same child, issued within three years of the date of the first Penalty Notice will be charged at a flat rate of £160.
• A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three-year rolling period, to the same parent for the unauthorised absence of the same child, – alternative action or legal measures will be utilised for subsequent offences.
• In some circumstances a ‘Notice to Improve’ may be issued – However, a Notice to Improve will only be used in cases where support is appropriate. They will not be issued in cases of unauthorised leave in term time for holidays, where information for parents is included on school’s website or a simple warning by the school that a Penalty Notice could be issued if unauthorised leave in term time is taken will suffice.
• Absence for leave in term times will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances – please note that holidays or extended leave for family visits cannot be considered as exceptional circumstances. We will be updating our Attendance Policy to reflect this.

We totally understand the challenges of the costs of holidays during the school holidays and of having extended family who live abroad, however the guidance from the DfE is clear that we cannot authorise these absences. As a school we will always consider exceptional circumstances that sit outside these reasons on a case-by-case basis.

We also want to make you aware that there is a tightening of the guidelines around pupils arriving late. If pupils are consistently late this could contribute to their unauthorised absence levels and result in action being taken by the Local Authority.

Maintaining a good level of attendance is not only essential for your child’s day to day learning but is also crucial in setting positive habits and mindsets for their future. If you need support with your child’s attendance, please come and talk to a member of the team.

Attendance – Holidays in term time

It is important that children do not miss school due to holiday as they will miss important parts of their education and assessments that help us to plan their learning to ensure they make progress.  As you may be aware, the government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time.  The governors of the school support this and have decided that children will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances which prevents the leave being taken during the 12 weeks school holidays.

Request for leave forms are available from the school office.  Any time off in term time will be at the discretion of the Head teacher.

Late / Appointments in school time

If your child is late or you need to pick them up during the day for an appointment, please go to the school office.  Parents will need to sign children in/out of school.

School Uniform

Children should bring a book-bag to school to hold their reading book and home-school reading diary (these will be handed out by the end of first week back).

Children can bring in an appropriately sized water bottle. Water is available for all children in class throughout the day.

In line with NSPCC and safeguarding guidance, children should come to school in their school sports kit on the day(s) that they have PE unless you are advised otherwise.

Children will be expected to be in full school uniform on the days that they do not have PE.

School uniform is a royal blue sweatshirt or cardigan; royal blue polo shirt (or white/blue polo shirt or shirt); dark grey or black skirt or trousers/shorts; blue check dress for girls in summer; black, grey or white socks and dark, single coloured footwear (not trainers).

PE uniform is a white or navy t-shirt, navy or black shorts, skort or knee length leggings and trainers or black plimsolls/pumps.  NO football tops or sportswear.

NO jewellery apart from stud earrings should be worn.  Children should not bring in toys as these can get lost or damaged.  Headbands (Alice Bands) must be suitable for school – no unicorn horns or rainbow tails!

School uniform can be ordered online with Lads and Lasses Schoolwear via their website at Coalbrookdale & Ironbridge Primary School | School & Work Uniforms | Lads & Lasses Schoolwear.  Orders can then either be posted direct to you (for a small charge), collected from their shop in Bridgnorth (157 Victoria Road, Bridgnorth WV16 4LL) or sent to school.

Naming School Uniform

Please ensure all items brought to school are named.  This includes school uniform, coats, PE kit, shoes, trainers’, school bags, lunch boxes and water bottles.  Any items put in lost property without a name will be sent for recycling at the end of each term.

School Dinners

School lunches are £3.05 (Years 3 – 6 only) and should be paid for online https://www.telford.gov.uk/info/20028/school_meals/8/pay_for_school_meals.  Contact the office if you do not have your child’s Pupil Reference Number.  Please ensure your child/ren’s dinner account/s is always kept in credit to ensure your child receives a school dinner.

Children can order sandwiches (ham, cheese, tuna mayonnaise or egg mayonnaise) from the kitchen for their school lunch instead of a hot meal.  They will also be able to choose from either a biscuit or piece of cake; organic yoghurt or fresh fruit; cheese portion or packet of raisins.  Sandwiches should be ordered in advance.  Please contact the school office for more details on how to do this.

A copy of the lunch menu can be found on the school website School Dinners – Payment and Menu – Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge C.E. Primary School

Nut Free School

We are a nut free school due to several members of our school community (children and staff) who have nut allergies. Anaphylaxis (allergic reaction) can occur as a result of digestion, inhalation or any other contact with nut-based products. For their safety, the decision has been made to ban all nut-based products from the school premises.

Please do not send your child into school with any nut-based product for packed lunch or snack – this includes products that may contain traces of nuts.

Mobile Phones / Smart watches in school

Parents are reminded that children should not be bringing mobile phones into school.

If you feel they need a phone with them, perhaps because they walk to and from school on their own, they should be handed into the office.

Watches with the ability to take photos should also not be worn in school.

Water Bottles

Children should bring in a named water bottle to school every day.  These should contain water only and are kept in class.  Children can have juice in their lunch boxes if they wish.

Music Lessons – Mrs Angus

My name is Rosemary Angus and I have been teaching music for nearly 40 years now. I have been teaching music at Coalbrookdale since 2004.

I teach piano, singing, violin, flute, clarinet, guitar, recorder, and saxophone. In some instances, I am able to lend instruments free of charge, depending upon my availability of the instrument needed.  I teach students from Reception to Year 6 and beyond.

Lessons are taught on an individual basis during school time.  Lessons this academic year will be £9.50 for 15 minutes of individual tuition per student per week.  30 minute lessons are £18 for individual lessons per student per week.

I look forward to teaching your child and sharing the wonderful art of making music.

Please contact the school office so that I can then contact you and commence lessons.

Rosemary Angus 

Term Dates

Bank Holiday                             Monday 31 August 2026

PD Day                                          Tuesday 1 September 2026

PD Day                                          Wednesday 2 September 2026

Autumn Term begins              Thursday 3 September 2026

Half Term                                    Monday 26 October 2026 – Friday 30 October 2026

Term Ends                                   Friday 18 December 2026

PD Day                                          Monday 4 January 2027

Spring Term begins                 Tuesday 5 January 2027

Half Term                                    Monday 15 February 2027 – Friday 19 February 2027

Term Ends                                   Thursday 25 March 2027

Summer Term begins             Monday 12 April 2027

Bank Holiday                             Monday 3 May 2027

PD Day                                          Friday 28 May 2027

Half Term                                    Monday 31 May 2027 – Friday 4 June 2027

Term Ends                                   Tuesday 20 July 2027

PD Day                                          Wednesday 21 July 2027

Community News – Health Protection Hub

This time of the year, as we head toward winter and with children mixing again at school, always leads to a rise in illnesses such as colds and flu. Here’s a few pointers on how to keep everyone healthy this autumn term:

• Good hygiene habits – encourage your children to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and running water, use tissues (or the crook of the elbow) to catch coughs and sneezes, and let fresh air into your home. The e-bug resources for all ages can help you to explain and discuss hygiene habits, and why they are important, to your child.
• Know when to keep your child at home – they can go to school with a minor cough or cold, but if they have a fever they should stay at home until it’s resolved and they feel better. While testing for COVID isn’t generally necessary, if they do test positive, they should stay off school for 3 days after the day they took their test and return then, if well enough and no fever. If they have diarrhoea and/or vomiting, they should stay off until 48 hours after the last episode.
• Know the signs of common illnesses:
  • Scarlet fever – includes sore throat, fever, swollen neck glands, a bumpy rash on the chest and tummy with a sandpaper-like feel, flushed cheeks and ‘strawberry tongue’. If you suspect your child has scarlet fever, contact your local GP. Stay away from nursery or school until 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics.
  • Measles – like those for a cold (runny nose; a cough; sneezing; a high temperature; and red, sore, watery eyes), followed by white spots in the mouth a few days later, and by a rash on the face and body a few days after that. It’s very unlikely to be measles if your child has had both doses of the MMR/MMRV vaccine or they’ve had measles before. If your child has the symptoms of measles and has not had both doses of the MMR or MMRV vaccine, they should not attend school until 4 days after their rash started.
  • Chickenpox – an itchy, spotty rash anywhere on the body. There may also be a high temperature, aches and pains and a loss of appetite.
• Ensure your child is up to date with vaccinations – vaccinations offer the best protection against childhood illnesses like measles, and general illnesses like flu. Check you child’s red book or call your GP if unsure, and keep an eye out for consent forms for the flu vaccine from the school or NHS.

More detailed information is available here: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/28/a-guide-to-keeping-kids-healthy-this-school-year-for-parents-and-carers/

Kind regards
Telford & Wrekin Health Protection Hub