Welcome to your newsletter for week ending September 18th
Another busy week in school with children (and staff!) getting in to full school routines.
It was lovely to see so many family members at the Welcome Back meetings for Year 1-6 this week. Hopefully, having a chance to hear about our priorities for the year and our expectations as well as an opportunity for you to meet and chat to teachers has been useful. All the presentations are on the Families section of the website here. If you weren't able to attend or have questions following the meetings, please do get in touch.
As you will see below, bookings for the first set of Parents' Evenings for the year are opening this evening- please have a look on Arbor to get your slot reserved.
It's been wonderful to see acts being prepared and practised on the playgrounds, in readiness for auditions and the Talent Show in October- we are really looking forward to seeing our children up on stage, being encouraged and celebrated by their peers and families.
Also below is some information about the way the Government have changed the eligibility rules for children entitled to free school meals. Please read the information and check the details for your children. As well as your children benefiting from free hot meals, the change in funding will probably adversely affect our school income so we really need as many eligible families to check their details.
Parents' Evening
At 8pm tonight the option to book your parents' evening appointment will be live on Arbor.
Dates: Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd October
Booking: To book, head to your Arbor account (the option to book should be available to see on the homepage). If the option to book is NOT showing on the homepage, head to "View Student Profile">> Guardian Consultations>> Parents Evening - Autumn 2026
Any problems, please contact enquiry@bournvillevillageprimary.org.uk or call us on 0121 675 9098
Could your child now qualify for Free School Meals?
The eligibility rules have changed. From September 2026, all children living in households receiving Universal Credit may qualify for Free School Meals, regardless of household income.
Please take a moment to check—even if your child was previously found ineligible or receives a universal infant meal. A successful application could provide free meals, additional support for your child and valuable funding for our school.
Check now:
https://apply.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims
We can only act on the information held by the eligibility system, so please recheck if your circumstances have changed. If the result differs from your child’s status in Arbor, contact the school office.
Secondary School Applications – September 2027
If your child is due to start secondary school in September 2027, you can now apply.
Application deadline: 31 October 2026
Secondary school places offered: 1 March 2027
Applications can be made online, and families can find all the information they need on the Birmingham City Council website: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions
To assist, please see attached a short parent carer facing briefing, poster, and link to a short video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzAIIlyhBjY
Birmingham City Council will also be sharing helpful information and reminders about the application process through their social media.
Reminder: Photo Permissions
Our individual school photographs will be taking place next month.
To ensure your preferences are up to date, please log in to your Arbor account and consent to or decline photograph use for your child.
Consent covers photographs used for:
- Individual school photos
- School trips, activities and events
- Your child’s Arbor profile for internal use
- Celebrating achievements in the school newsletter
Please follow the instructions below to update your preferences.
To view more dates, please visit our website calendar under the 'Families' tab or click here.
| Date: | For: | Event: |
| Thursday 24th September | PARENTS/ CARERS | Pastoral Coffee Monring (read below for more information) |
| Friday 25th September | YEAR 6 | Year 6 Trip to Pikes Pool (email already sent) |
| Monday 28th Septmber | KS1 | Reception- Year 2 Numbots Parent Workshop (15:30-16:15) In Elizabeth Hall |
| Tuesday 29th Septmber | KS1 | Phonics Workshop (09:00-09:30) In Elizabeth Hall |
| Wednesday 30th September | YEAR 4 | Harvest Celebration at St Francis Church (09:15-10:00) |
| Thursday 1st October | WHOLE SCHOOL | Maths Dress Up Day. Children in KS1 can dress up as robots and children in KS2 can dress up as rockstars |
| Thursday 1st October | KS1 PARENTS | KS1 Parent Phonics Workshop (15:30-16:00) In Elizabeth Hall |
| Friday 2nd October | INVITED FAMILIES (OF THOSE PERFORMING) | Talent Show (KS1 9:30-11:15 & KS2 13:30-15:00) |
** Where to wait for values assembly after drop off:
KS1: Elizabeth Building doors (by the ramp)
KS2: School Office**
Today the following pupils received the Values Certificate for demonstrating INTEGRITY...
| YEAR ONE | 1C- Robert G | 1M- Keziah K | 1TD- Mason C |
| YEAR TWO | 2D- Kali-Louise A-B | 2P- Ava N | 2T- Lily B |
| YEAR THREE | 3B- Heidi-Rose B | 3M- Henry B | 3S- Amelya D |
| YEAR FOUR | 4MS- Habiba H | 4S- Jacob G- R | 4SR- Amanda M-M |
| YEAR FIVE | 5B- Jack C | 5C- Polly M | 5S- Rosie R-B |
| YEAR SIX | 6B- Toby B | 6OM- Zoya J | 6S- Anais G |
Each week the Attendance Armadillo is handed out to the class(es) with the highest scoring attendance in their building!
This week's Attendance Armadillo winners are...
Our Key School Times
As we settle into the new school year, here is a reminder of the key times for our school day…
Doors open at 8:40am
The school day begins at 8:50am and pupils will be in their classroom ready to learn at this time.
Pupils will receive a late mark if they are not in their classroom on time. Pupils attending after the start of the day, but before 9.20am will receive a mark to show that they were on site; however, this will count as a late mark.
The morning register closes at 9.20am. Pupils arriving after this time will receive a mark of unauthorised absence for the morning session.
Where a pupil receives 10 late marks in a term, a supportive meeting will be arranged with myself to explore reasons for lateness, identify barriers and to agree a supportive plan to improve punctuality.
Where there are 10 or more unauthorised absences, this may result in a penalty notice/fine, in line with attendance regulations.
If you ever have any questions or concerns about your child's attendance or punctuality, please do get in touch at attendance@bournvillevillageprimary.org.uk
Katie Walker-Bailey
Attendance and SEND Ambassador
Pastoral Coffee Morning
On Thursday 24th September at 9.00am-10.30am, we would like to invite you to the first Pastoral Coffee morning of this academic year, if you would like to attend, please follow the link below to confirm your space:
Parent Pastoral Coffee Morning – Fill in form
They will be held half-termly and run throughout the year
Everyone is very welcome and it will be a relaxed opportunity to:
- Meet the team and get to know each other.
- Share any questions, concerns or ideas.
- Meet and connect with other parents for peer support.
- Talk about what would be useful to include in future parent coffee mornings and help shape these meetings around what families would like.
We would also like to remind families that we offer weekly pastoral drop-in sessions every Tuesday after school until 4:30pm. These sessions provide an opportunity to discuss any concerns, seek support, or simply have an informal chat with a member of the pastoral team. We'd love to see as many of you as possible. Please feel free to drop in, have a coffee and a chat.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the team at pastoral@bournvillevillageprimary.org.uk or contact the main office.
Next week we will be on WEEK 1 of the menu.
You can pre-book meals in advance on Arbor till the end of the academic year (Arbor>> Meals>> Meal Choices Available>> Select Meal Choice)
Reminder: Even if your child is a packed Lunch, parents will need to book that lunch option on Arbor!
In the Summer Parent/ Carer survey, some of you said you don't know what your children are learning.
All information around this is available ion the Year Group pages here. (We are aware there is some information missing for the Reception classes- we will get this sorted ASAP.)
As well as many other leadership groups, we are shortly going to be looking for children across the school who would like to be our Rights respecting Ambassadors for the year. Watch the video here with your children if they are keen to take on this hugely important role.
School Shop
The rain slightly dampened spirits at the school shop today. If you couldn’t make it this time, we will try to open it again soon, as we know it is appreciated.
Bournville Heritage Day
A big thank you to all our volunteers last weekend. The Heritage Day cafe was a great success, with the chocolate crunch cake selling out fast! Our Reception duck race and picnic also had a brilliant turn out. Well done to the winner of the duck race who was A in Twirls. We will be in touch!
Silent Disco Kit for Hire
The silent disco kit can be hired out to any of our families or local community so please get in touch on pta@bournvillevillageprimary.org.uk
And finally...
We hope the sun comes out for you over the weekend and that you all get a chance to enjoy being with family and friends. Take care... as always, please get in touch via head@bournvillevillageprimary.org.uk if there is anything you need help with.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of everyone in our school and at all times we consider what is in our children’s best interests. We work to ensure our children are safe and cared for and by doing this we are protecting their health and development and preventing them from harm. If we are worried, we will raise concerns, share information, and take prompt action with the aim of ensuring families receive the right help at the right time.
Free Workshop
SEND Birmingham is hosting a Male Parent Carer Workshop on Tuesday 29 September 2026 via Microsoft Teams.
The session is an opportunity to connect with other male parent carers, share experiences and access information and support. For the booking link please click the link below:
Message from St Francis
Tiny Treasures is a new stay and play at St Francis Church where through Praise, Play and prayer we will be exploring aspects of the Christian faith. Everyone is welcome to come along.
Birmingham’s Clean Air Day Competition
We’re delighted to share that a selection of zines created by pupils for Birmingham’s Clean Air Day competition will be on display at MAC’s Big Green Weekender on 19–20 September 2026.
As part of Birmingham Climate Week, the event celebrates creativity and local action for our planet. The zines explore air quality, school journeys and healthier ways to travel, showcasing our pupils’ fantastic ideas and creativity.
To find out more: MAC's Big Green Weekender | Mac Birmingham
SkillVille Holiday Camp – Bookings Now Open!
SkillVille is back for another action-packed holiday camp at Bournville Village Primary School!
Expect plenty of games, cooking, creativity, outdoor activities, team challenges and lots more, with each day offering something different. Our camps are run by experienced education professionals and are all about giving children a fun, safe and welcoming place to spend their school holidays.
Places can be booked for individual days, so families can simply choose the dates that work for them.
View dates, information and book here:
https://skillvilleclubs.classforkids.io/camps
Places are limited and our previous camps have filled quickly, so we'd recommend booking early to avoid disappointment!
SkillVille – fun, friendship and adventure!
The SkillVille Team
