Headteacher’s Letter – September 2022
Dear parent/carer,
I do hope you are well, and your children have enjoyed their first weeks back at school. We have certainly enjoyed seeing them. Students have made an excellent start to our new school term demonstrating an enthusiastic, positive and cooperative attitude to their learning. I am delighted at how smart they look in their uniform, which they are wearing with pride and would like to thank parents for your support in making this happen.
I have been incredibly proud to walk the school this week. Our focus for this half term is on our core standards: punctuality and the completion of homework / pre-learning. Our newly introduced centralised detention system is supporting this push and as I write a huge 31796 positive points have been awarded across the school, testament to the fantastic start all students have made.
Communication with parents
From the end of this month, all notifications will be sent through the Edulink app and you will no longer receive a text message. Please ensure that your Edulink account is set up by 23rd September to receive any notifications from the school. Please note that Gmail is the preferred email provider for EduLink to work smoothly. The data team will be sending regular reminders/sign up links to parents for the remainder of this month. Please check your junk mail in case our email have been redirected.
Open Evening 2022 for September 2023 places
The time is rapidly approaching for our annual open evening for prospective parents, which takes place on Monday 26th September 2022. We are looking forward to demonstrating all that is wonderful about Stepney All Saints and of course, the central aspect of this is our students, many of whom will be helping to guide tours or will be working in department areas. We have already welcomed large enthusiastic groups to our open mornings with the final event taking place on Tuesday 4th October. To attend please sign up on the school website.
Enrichment / Extra-curricular activities
All students at Stepney All Saints must take part in enrichment activities regularly during the course of the academic year. Research shows that regular participation in extra-curricular activities provides students with a significant advantage when making applications to university and for employment. At Stepney All Saints a wide variety of activities is on offer and full details have been given to students. A copy will be placed on the school website for reference by parents. Please encourage your child to participate and support us in ensuring that our students are well prepared for their future and develop a wide range of skills beyond their classroom studies.
Requests for holiday / absence in term
The law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. Any absence from school is detrimental to a child’s learning – teaching is missed and achievement affected. This is a situation that we all have a responsibility to avoid. If a family needs to make a leave of absence request, this must be done in writing to the headteacher. Parents will be invited into school for a meeting to discuss the application following which a decision will be made. Flights, etc. should not be booked before asking for permission. It is important to note that The Department for Education only allows an absence/holiday in term time in “special circumstances”. Very few requests fall into this category, the majority are refused and fines can be imposed for taking an absence/holiday during term time taken without the school’s permission. I hope you understand the reasons for these rules and you will support our efforts to ensure the highest standards of attendance and attainment.
I will be writing again in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please check our website and social media feeds for updates on what is taking place at Stepney All Saints. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via email on info@stepneyallsaints.school.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Woods
Headteacher