Free School Meals (FSM)

The Department for Education has introduced a new national FSM framework.  From September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit are entitled to a free school meal, regardless of income. 

Pupils may now fall into one of two categories:

• Targeted FSM — pupils receive Free School Meals and Pupil Premium (additional funding for school) if household earnings are below £7,400.
• Expanded FSM — pupils receive Free School Meals.

Transitional protections ended on 31st August 2026, meaning families must now meet the new criteria to continue receiving FSM. 

If you have yet to reapply to check your eligibility, we advise you to do so as a matter of importance. 

We encourage all families to register their details on our OFSM system, to check their eligibility. 

Once you are registered, the system will update your eligibility, including when your annual eligibility needs to be rechecked, ensuring continuity. 

Applying ensures children receive their entitled meals and helps the school access additional funding where applicable.

Term‑Time Holidays & Attendance

The DfE’s national attendance framework continues to emphasise that term‑time holidays cannot be authorised.
The July 2026 update to ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ means that schools are legally obligated to follow strengthened processes for granting leave, tracking absence and legal intervention.  A reminder of statutory action which may take place through the Local Authority:

• 10 unauthorised sessions (5 days) in any rolling 10‑week period may lead to a fine or prosecution in the magistrate’s court.
• Fines are £80 if paid within 21 days, £160 within 28 days.
• Fines apply per parent, per child.

Please avoid booking holidays during term time. 

Excellent attendance is essential for learning, wellbeing, and progress and our attendance expectations remain high – our target for attendance is 97%. Last year, attendance was 96.34% for the year.  We have got off to a fantastic start this year, with attendance currently at 97.36% - let’s keep it up!

Punctuality is also key in helping children to settle into school routines and ensure they do not miss valuable learning time.

Please try to help your child be an attendance HERO this year – Here, Every day, Ready and On time!

PE and Sports Premium Grant

This year, there have been significant changes to the PE and Sport Premium Grant, with funding currently confirmed only until the Spring term. 

Despite these changes, we remain committed to providing high-quality sporting opportunities for our pupils.

We will continue to fund our membership of the local Sports Network, enabling children to take part in a wide range of competitive and participation events throughout the year.

We are also investing in Foundation of Light coaches to deliver specialist PE and sports sessions for pupils, helping to enhance both skills development and engagement in physical activity. 

However, due to the reduction and uncertainty in funding, unfortunately we no longer have the capacity to fully cover the cost of transport to sporting events.

As a result, we will be asking parents and carers for voluntary contributions towards bus costs to help ensure that pupils can continue to access these valuable opportunities. We greatly appreciate your support and understanding as we work to sustain an exciting programme of sporting experiences for all children.

Benedict's Law

Benedict’s Law is a new national initiative designed to help keep children with allergies safe in schools across England.

By ensuring that staff receive regular training, close communication with families, and appropriate support plans are in place, it strengthens the care and protection available to pupils with allergies.

These changes will help create a safer environment for all children.

To keep all children safe in St Matthew’s, please follow our school allergy policy.

• We are a nut‑free school: no nuts or nut‑containing products.
• We have pupils with airborne crustacean allergies: no crustacean products (e.g., prawn crackers, seafood snacks) in packed lunches.
• Always check ingredient labels carefully.

If your child’s medical or allergy information changes, please update it immediately on Arbor and inform school.

Parents must also ensure that school have in-date, labelled medication with up-to-date prescription dosages, to support your child’s medical needs.

Reading at Home

Reading at home each day is one of the most valuable ways parents can support their child’s learning.

Just a few minutes of reading each day helps children develop their vocabulary, comprehension, confidence and imagination, whilst also fostering a lifelong love of books.

Whether your child is reading independently or sharing a story with an adult, regular reading practice has a significant impact on their progress across the curriculum. Please ensure you support your child by signing their reading square each day that they read to receive exciting prizes!

Thank you for your continued support in making reading a positive and enjoyable part of your child’s daily routine.

Healthy Schools Award

We are delighted to celebrate achieving the Healthy Schools Award, recognising our whole-school commitment to promoting the health, wellbeing and happiness of every child.

This achievement reflects the hard work of our pupils, staff, parents and carers in creating a positive environment where healthy eating, physical activity, emotional wellbeing and healthy lifestyles are valued and encouraged every day.

Well done to everyone who contributed to this fantastic achievement!  Special thanks to Mrs Longster (PSHE Subject Leader) for her hard work with this.

Parking

Over the summer, double yellow lines and zigzag markings have been installed outside the school.  These markings are designed to keep the area around the school entrance clear, improving visibility for pedestrians and to improve safety.  

We kindly ask parents and carers not to park on the yellow lines or zigzag markings at drop-off and collection times, as these areas must be kept clear to ensure the safety of all children, families and the wider community.

We also ask that parents and carers are considerate of our neighbours and avoid blocking driveways, access points or causing obstruction on surrounding streets.

In addition, please do not park in, or block access to, the disabled parking bays within the visitors' car park unless you have a genuine need to use these spaces.

These bays are provided to ensure accessibility for those who require them and keeping them available is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in helping to keep our school community safe, accessible and respectful of our local neighbours.

Arbor Parent Portal

We ask all parents to log into the Arbor Parent Portal regularly to ensure information is accurate and up to date.

Please regularly check:

• Pupil details
• Medical conditions
• Allergies
• Home address
• Guardian contact information

Keeping Arbor updated ensures we can contact you quickly and support your child effectively.

Arbor is also used for:

• Wraparound care bookings
• After‑school club bookings
• Weekly meal choices
• Managing trips
• Consents
• Payments
• School reports

We hope you can take the time to familiarise yourself with the Arbor Parent App or Parent Portal website.

Admissions Deadlines

Applications for September 2027 primary and secondary school places are open for South Tyneside Admissions.

Reception (September 2027 Entry)

Deadline: Friday 15 January 2027 at 4:30pm

Families of nursery children should apply via the South Tyneside Council portal and ensure all documents are ready, including birth certificates, proof of address and baptism certificates (where applicable).

Our Reception 2027 open evening is Thursday 15th October at 5pm in the school hall and parents can register their attendance: 

Open Evening Registration

Year 7 (September 2027 Entry)

Deadline: Monday 2 November 2026 at 4:30pm

Year 6 families should list multiple preferences and check secondary school open evening dates:

• St Joseph’s Catholic Academy open evening is Thursday 24th September from 5pm until 7pm.
• St Wilfrid's RC College open evening is Thursday 1st October from 4pm until 6pm.

Friends of St. Matthew's

We hope all of our children have settled happily into their new classes and are enjoying being back with their friends. We'd also like to say a HUGE hello to all our new families, especially those joining Reception. We hope your first few weeks at St Matthew’s have been enjoyable and that you’re settling in well.

For those who may not know us, FOSM is led by two parent volunteers, Fran and Suzie, who work hard to organise fundraising events and special activities for the children. Every penny raised goes directly back into school, helping to fund trips, equipment, resources, events, and those extra touches that make school life even more memorable.

We’ve been busy planning for the year ahead and are excited for this term's events, which include 'My Child’s Art' Christmas cards, Captain Chemistry, our Autumn Disco, and our Grotto night. We have launched Penny Wars - a class fundraiser to help with the costs of school trips.  We’re also putting together a brand-new Amazon Wish List to support the school even further.  

There’s plenty more to come, so please keep an eye on our communications and social media channels for updates. We have an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share it with you all.  Here’s to another fantastic year at St Matthew’s!