Article 2

All children have these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what their parents do, what language they speak, what their religion is, whether they are a boy or a girl, what their culture is, whether they have a disability, whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis.

End of Term Message – What a Year!

Another academic year has come to an end – and what a fantastic year it has been!

We’ve had a wonderful time watching our children grow, learn, and thrive. Throughout the year, we’ve continued to embed our school values and host VIP events, while the children have enjoyed a wide range of enriching experiences. From exciting trips and visiting guests to residentials, Diwali celebrations, our Christmas Church service, Sports Days, class assemblies, and extra-curricular clubs – the list goes on!

These moments have created lasting memories and supported our children’s development not just academically, but personally and socially too. This year, we’ve also placed a strong emphasis on mental and physical wellbeing. Our soft starts each morning — welcoming and reassuring children at the door — have helped to create a calm, nurturing atmosphere, ensuring every child begins their day feeling safe, valued, and ready to learn.

We’re incredibly proud of the children’s achievements, including strong outcomes across the school in Phonics, the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), and Year 6 assessments. You can find more details on our school website, but above all, it has been a joy to see every child making progress and taking pride in their efforts.

None of this would be possible without the continued support of our dedicated staff, parents, and carers. It is through working together as a school community that we create the best possible environment for our children to shine.

Thank you for all you’ve done to make this year so special. Wishing you a relaxing and joyful summer break!

On Tuesday 1st July, Blanford Mere Primary School took part in an exciting Year 5/6 Cricket Festival. The team represented the school with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship. Although the event was not competitive, they won every game they played. Their teamwork, determination, and positive attitude stood out throughout the day, making the school incredibly proud of their performance. Well done to all involved!

Farewell and Happy Retirement, Mrs. Barlow!

After more than 21 wonderful years as part of our school family, we say goodbye to Mrs. Barlow with heartfelt gratitude and best wishes.

She has been a beloved member of our community, whose kindness, dedication, and care have left a lasting impact on so many children and colleagues. Her presence will be greatly missed, but we are excited for her as she begins this new and exciting chapter.

We wish Mrs. Barlow all the happiness and fulfilment in retirement, may it bring her relaxation, joy, and new adventures!

Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Mrs. Barlow. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Staffing update.

There will be a few staff changes at the end of this term.

• Welcome to Miss Edmonds as the new Breakfast Club Manager.
• Goodbye to Mr Di Tano our cleaner – we wish him every luck in his next venture.
• We say goodbye to Miss Porter in October as she starts her maternity leave. Miss Morris will take over the family group.
• We welcome Mrs Pardoe, who will be joining us from September in Year 1 as a maternity leave cover.  We are sure that you will make her feel extremely welcome. 
• Miss Jordan, Miss Postings and Mrs Dorricott will be supporting teaching and learning once they return from maternity leave.
• We welcome Mrs Watton who will be joining our lunchtime team.

Goodbye Year 6!

Huge congratulations to our Year 6 children on their brilliant SATs results! We’re so proud of all the hard work and determination you’ve shown this year. A big thank you to the teachers who’ve supported the children every step of the way and helped them shine. You’ve been such a fantastic year group. You’ve made us laugh, made us proud, and kept us on our toes! Now it’s time for your next adventure, we know you’re all going to do amazing things, and we can’t wait to hear all about your new journeys. Don’t forget to come back and visit us!

Year 6 Leavers Assembly
On Thursday 10th July, Year 6 put on a fantastic performance of ‘Spring Chicken’ for their families. A huge thank you to Mrs Oliver and Mrs Hart for all the hard work they put into making the day so special. We loved every minute and are excited to see where the children go next. Good luck!

Year 6 Leavers Trip
On Wednesday, Year 6 enjoyed their special Leavers Trip with a fun day out at Dudley Showcase Cinema followed by bowling. What a perfect way to end their time at our school! We wish Year 6 all the best as they head off to secondary school.

Celebrating Our Pupil Leaders

As we come to the end of another fantastic school year, we want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to all the children who have taken on leadership roles and contributed so positively to school life.

This year, our pupils have shown incredible commitment, teamwork, and care for others through a wide range of roles, including:

• Peer Supporters – helping friends and classmates through challenges and representing Pupil Voice with maturity and compassion
• Sports Ambassadors – promoting active play and encouraging teamwork and fair play
• Wellbeing Ambassadors – looking out for the mental health and happiness of our school community
• Digital Leaders – supporting technology use and keeping everyone safe and confident online
• Art Ambassadors – sharing creativity and helping to make our school environment more vibrant
• School Council – working together to represent your classmates and drive positive change
• RRSA Leaders – promoting children’s rights and helping to embed the values of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) throughout our school
• Maths Champs – inspiring a love of maths and supporting others with problem-solving and number skills
• Green Team – championing sustainability, caring for our environment, and leading the way in making our school more eco-friendly

Each of you has made a difference, not only through your hard work but also by being positive role models for others. Your dedication and kindness have helped shape a supportive, fun, and inspiring school community.

Well done and thank you for an amazing year of leadership and service.

Music Club sang at Morrisons yesterday to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital – thank you to the families who supported them.  They were amazing and raised £112.

VIP event End of Term Treat
For our last VIP assembly of the term, the children enjoyed taking part in a variety of activities of their choice — lots of fun and smiles all around!

The rest of the day was dedicated to wellbeing activities, giving everyone the chance to relax, recharge, and focus on looking after their mental and physical health. It was a wonderful way to end the term on a positive note.

Friendly reminders:

• Medical Supplies: To keep everyone safe and healthy, please make sure all inhalers and epi-pens are in school on the first day of term. We kindly ask parents to check that these are in date. If your child has asthma, please complete and return the asthma form sent home earlier, along with two clearly labelled inhalers and a spacer, by Tuesday 2nd September 2025. If your child was diagnosed with asthma over the summer, just email info@blanford.dudley.sch.uk with your child’s name and year group, and we’ll send you the form to complete.
• School Bags: For ease and organisation, Reception to Year 2 children should bring a red book bag for their belongings. KS2 children only need a small bag to carry essentials like planners, reading, and spelling books. We really appreciate your support in avoiding large rucksacks to help us keep our school spaces tidy and manageable.
• PE and Jewellery: To help all children fully enjoy PE lessons, please ensure jewellery and earrings are removed for these sessions. If you’re thinking about ear piercings, the start of the summer holidays is a great time, so ears have plenty of time to heal before school starts.
• Hairstyles: We encourage hairstyles that are neat and school appropriate. Long hair should be tied back to keep everyone comfortable and ready to learn.
• PE Kit: Please remember to send your child’s full PE kit every day from day one of term. PE lessons start straight away, and on nice days, teachers love to make the most of outdoor sessions!
• Dogs: To ensure a calm and safe environment for all, dogs are kindly asked to stay off the school grounds. If you bring a dog nearby, please be mindful not to block pathways or gates, as some children are nervous around dogs.
• Uniform: As the weather can vary, children may wear summer or winter uniform in September — whichever suits you best. Please help your child feel comfortable by ensuring skirts are an appropriate length for easy movement. We kindly ask for your support in making sure children wear black leather-style shoes to school, rather than trainers. This helps us maintain our smart and uniform look, and we really appreciate your help with this!
• School Meals: To help with smooth lunchtime arrangements, please pre-pay and pre-order meals online via School Grid. Reception and KS1 children enjoy free daily fruit and are entitled to free school meals — we encourage all families to take advantage of this wonderful offer. If you think you may qualify for free school meals through benefits, please apply as it helps our school funding.
• Healthy Snack: For breaktimes, KS2 children are encouraged to bring a healthy snack, like a piece of fruit. We appreciate your help in supporting our healthy eating policy by avoiding crisps, chocolate, and snack bars.
• Water Bottles: Staying hydrated is important! Please send your child with a named water bottle filled with water only (no squash or juice) each day. This helps everyone stay refreshed and keeps things hygienic by avoiding sharing.

Attendance and Absence
Attendance is compulsory. If your child is too ill to attend, please call the school office by 9:05 a.m. with a reason. Unexplained absences are recorded as unauthorised. Remember to call on each day of absence to keep our registers updated.

Please note, holidays during term time are not permitted and may result in fines from the Dudley Education Investigation Service if the absence is 5 days (10 sessions) or more or ten sessions in a ten-week period. We encourage you to be mindful of this when planning holidays or trips.

Holiday Dates
We break up for summer holidays today, Friday 18th July. School reopens for all children on Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

Please check the information about start and finish times and entrances/exits sent out on Thursday 17th July. It’s also available on our website under the ‘Newsletter’ tab.

Key dates

2^nd – 26^th September – KS2 Swimming.  Email sent to Year 5/6,

Wednesday 10^th September 3.30pm -4.30pm we will be holding a ‘Meet the Teacher’ session to explain the expectations for the year with your child's teacher.  This is a great opportunity for you to ask questions and get to know your child's class teacher. We hope you can make it and support your child’s future learning. If you have more than one child in school, it may be helpful to attend your eldest child's meeting as you will already know the expectations from previous years.  We will look after your child throughout the meeting, should you require us to do so. 

If you can attend/not attend, please complete the online form ‘Meet the Teacher 2025’ found in the 'Forms' section of the website.   We need to know how many adults to expect.  If you require your child to be looked after throughout the meeting we would like to know, so that we can organise staffing.  Please complete the online form by Monday 11th September. 

Many thanks

Blanford Mere Nursery and Primary 

Friday 12^th September – Reception Phonic Meeting for Parents.  9-9.45am. More details to follow.

Monday 15^th September – School Photographs.

Friday 19^th September – Yr 1 Phonic Meeting for Parents. 9-9.30am. More details to follow

Wednesday 10^th September – ‘Meet the teacher’ Parent Meeting.  Save the date.  More details to follow.

Friday 26^th September - Macmillan Coffee Morning – Join us in supporting a great cause and help make this year's event truly special. Come along for a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake for just a £2.00 donation via School Money. Everyone is welcome from 9.00am to 10.15am. Enjoy live performances from our wonderful Music Club throughout the morning.

We would be very grateful for any cake donations, whether homemade or shop bought, which can be brought in by children on Thursday 25th or Friday 26th.

On the day, children are invited to wear their own clothes and bring in a minimum £1 donation via School Money. In return, they will enjoy a drink and a piece of cake.

Let’s see if we can beat last year’s fantastic total. Thank you for your support.

Tuesday 30^th September – Blanford Babies – 9am-10am

Wednesday 15^th October – Parents Evening

Thursday 17^th October – Parents Evening

Tuesday 21^st October - Blanford Babies – 9am-10am

Thursday 23^rd October – VIP Day

Friday 24^th October – INSET day – school closed to children

Monday 3^rd November – Children return to school in winter uniform

Friday 7^th November – Remembrance Day.  Children who are members of Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Beavers, or similar organisations are warmly invited to wear their uniforms to school on this day. It’s a great opportunity for them to proudly represent their associations.

W/C 10^th November – Anti-bullying week

Monday 10^th November – Odd Socks Day.

Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun! It’s an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! There is no pressure to wear the latest fashion or to buy expensive costumes.  All you have to do to take part is wear odd socks to your school, at work of at home, it couldn’t be simpler!  Odd Socks Day will take place on the first day of Anti-Bullying Week each year to help raise awareness of bullying.

Friday 14^th November – Loudmouth Bully Busters - Year 3

Mon 17^th November – 24^th November – Cycling – Year 5/6.  More details to follow.

Friday 21^st November – Children in Need.

Tuesday 25^th November- Blanford Babies – 9am-10am

Thursday 4^th December – Rec – Year 6 Film Night

Friday 12^th December – Christmas Breakfast and Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day. More details to follow

Tuesday 16^th December – Blanford Babies – 9am-10am

Tuesday 16^th December – Nursery and Reception Christmas Craft and Singalong. More details to follow.

Wednesday 17^th December – Christmas Lunch for children. More details to follow.

Thursday 18^th December – Santa’s Grotto. More details to follow.

Friday 19^th December – VIP Day.  School closes for Christmas break.

Dates for next academic year 2025/2026

Autumn 2025

Term starts – Monday 1 September 2025

Half term – Monday 27th October to Friday 31st October 2025

Term Ends – Friday 19th December 2025

Spring 2026

Term starts – Monday 5th January 2026

Half term – Monday 16th February to Friday 20th February 2026

Term Ends – Friday 27^th March 2026

Summer 2026

Term starts – Monday 13th April 2026

Half term – Monday 25th to Friday 29th May 2026

Term Ends – Monday 20th July 2026

Bank Holiday

Monday 4th May 2026 (Early May Bank Holiday)

INSET Days

Monday 01/09/2025

Friday 24/10/2025

Friday 13/02/2026

Friday 22/05/2026

Monday 20/07/2026

Break up Friday 17th July 2026

Polling Day

Thursday 7^th May 2026

Have a wonderful summer break and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Mrs Crook and Miss Stanton

Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher