Welcome from the Head Teacher
As a practising Roman Catholic, I am extremely proud to be the HeadTeacher at St Ethelbert's Catholic Primary School and Nursery. Since starting in September 2020, I lead an experienced, hardworking, outward looking and committed team who look forward to developing the school further for the children and local community. I have worked in Thanet throughout my whole career so know the area very well.
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5th June 2026
Latest Newsletter from Mr Marshall Loving God, as we begin the final term of this school year at St Ethelbert's, we thank you for all that we have learnt and achieved. Bless our pupils, staff, and families with perseverance, kindness, and joy in the weeks ahead. Help us to work hard, support one another, and use our gifts to serve you. May St Ethelbert inspire us to live with faith, courage, and compassion each day. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Dear St Ethelbert's Community, Welcome Back to Term 6 Welcome back to Term 6! We hope that everyone had a restful half-term break and is ready for the final term of the academic year. This is always a busy and exciting seven-week term, packed with special events, celebrations and important milestones for our children. Please keep this newsletter close at hand, as there are many important dates to remember over the coming weeks, including Sports Days, transition days, Year 6 leavers' events, end-of-year reports, school trips and other key activities. We will continue to send reminders, but having the newsletter readily available will help ensure that no important dates are missed. Year 1 Phonics Screening Check Next week, our Year 1 children will take the national Phonics Screening Check. During the check, children are asked to read 40 words, made up of both real words and nonsense (alien) words. The pass mark has typically been 32 correct answers, although this is confirmed nationally each year. The children have worked incredibly hard throughout the year and have been practising regularly in school. We wish them every success as they complete the check on a one-to-one basis with Mrs Webb. To help your child do their very best, please ensure they get a good night's sleep, arrive at school on time and attend every day next week. The children will complete the check at some point during the morning sessions across the week. Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check Our Year 4 pupils will also continue completing the national Multiplication Tables Check next week. During the assessment, children answer 25 random times tables questions on a computer and have six seconds to answer each question. The children will complete the check individually with Miss Todd. Some pupils have already completed their assessment this week, while others will continue next week. Thank you for supporting your child with regular times tables practice at home. Please continue to encourage them and ensure they arrive at school on time each day. Parents will receive the results of both the Phonics Screening Check and the Multiplication Tables Check in their child's end-of-year report, which will be sent home in July. God Bless Mr Marshall Headteacher St Ethelbert's Engineers! A team of Year 5 pupils travelled to Canterbury Christ Church University to take part in the celebration event linked to the Primary Engineer Vehicle Programme which they took part in last term along with 12 other schools from around Kent. The children really enjoyed putting the vehicle, which they named Bertha, through its paces, completing a number of tasks including a straight line test and an incline test. Making some last-minute design adjustments the children persevered and adapted the design of Bertha improving the performance each time. They worked as a team to make the improvements and took it in turns to try out the adjustments. The children were congratulated on their resilience and determination by the judges. Mrs Lawrence said "I am extremely proud of all the children; their hard work, determination and teamwork. They are truly showing the values of our school: Thoughtfulness, Knowledge and Inclusion. Their behaviour and attitude were exemplary. They were a credit to the school and their hard work paid off as they finished up placing 1st overall! We are very proud of them all. Well done! Uniform Reminder – School Ties A gentle reminder that ties are part of our school uniform policy. Recently, several pupils have been coming to school without them. We kindly ask for your help in checking that your child is wearing their tie each day. We do have a limited stock of second hand ties and if you require one, please check availability with the school office. Thank you for your cooperation. School meal price increases Due to rising costs KCC and Caterlink have made the difficult decision to increase the cost of school meals. Please note that from 1st September 2026 the price of a school meal will increase from £3.37 per meal to £3.48 per meal. PTFA Father's Day Gift Wrap There will be a Father's Day gift wrap event on Tuesday 16th June. The payment for each gift (£2.50) will be available through 'School Money' soon. The children can choose a gift from our various stock of items, which will be wrapped and ready for someone special. We are looking for additional volunteers to help the children choose and wrap gifts during the morning of the event. Any help would be very much appreciated. If you are able to support, please contact: ptfa@stethelbertsschool.co.uk Special Visit: Kent Fire and Rescue Service On Wednesday, 10th June, we will welcome the Kent Fire and Rescue Service to our school for a special educational visit. They will deliver interactive, age-appropriate fire safety workshops to our children. These essential sessions are designed to teach life-saving skills in a fun and engaging environment. What the Children Will Learn: Our Community Heroes: Understanding the role of firefighters and what the service does daily. Emergency Action: How and when to correctly dial 999 for help. Home Escape Plans: Creating and practicing safe exit routes with their families. Fire Survival: Practical steps on staying safe if a fire ever breaks out. Electrical Hazard Awareness: Spotting common dangers like overloaded sockets and faulty chargers Year 3 Swimming – Term 6 The Year 3 swimming will start on Friday, 5th June at Ramsgate Swimming Pool. The children will start their lesson at 1.10pm and finish at 1.55pm. The children will be back at school and ready to be dismissed as normal. The programme will take place every Friday up to and including the 17th of July 2026. Your child will need to bring swimwear, goggles and a towel on these days. No spray deodorants are allowed, only roll-on. They must wear a coat as they may be cold walking to and from the pool. Sports Day In three weeks' time we have sports day for each year group. Please can children wear their PE kits for their sports days as well as their PE day (if different days). Sports day may not be the same day as their normal PE day. Please all come through the Dane Park Road entrance. If the weather is bad or even too hot, then we will try to rearrange the day. Normal PE days will resume week beginning 29th June. Nursery 22nd June 2.15pm Reception and Year 1 23rd June at 1.15pm Year 2 and Year 3 24th June at 1.15pm Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 25th June at 1.15pm Water bottles and fresh fruit/veg snacks To help keep our children healthy and ready to learn, please ensure your child brings a filled water bottle to school each day which they can then refill throughout the day. The bottle should be filled with water only and not juice. We also ask that any healthy snacks sent in from home are cut into bite size pieces to minimise choking hazards and support safe eating habits. Children will be encouraged to sit and eat before playing, helping them enjoy their snacks calmly and safely. Tesco Free Fruit and Vegetables for Schools We are thrilled to share that Tesco is kindly supporting healthy eating in our school by providing free fresh fruit and vegetables for our children! Since Early Years and KS1 already receive daily snacks, we are offering this wonderful donation to our KS2 pupils to enjoy during morning break times. The fruit and vegetables will be available on: Tuesdays: Years 3 and 4 Thursdays: Years 5 and 6 Thank you Tesco! Job Opportunity Join Our Team! We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated individual to join our school community. We have an exciting opportunity available for a Teaching Assistant. For full details and application forms please follow the link: Kent Teach PLEASE NOTE THAT THE YEAR 6 RESIDENTIAL MEETING (2027 cohort) ON MONDAY 8TH JUNE HAS BEEN POSTPONED a new date will be set Thanet Family Hubs Below are details of some upcoming courses taking place at Thanet Family Hubs Autism Awareness - 3-week course Explore, recognise and celebrate the unique strengths and abilities of autistic individuals in this empowering course. Newington Family Hub, Thursdays 11th June - 2nd July: 10am - 12pm Northdown Road Family Hub, Fridays 3rd July - 17th July: 10am-12pm First Aid for Babies Join in our practical and supportive workshop to learn vital first aid techniques to confidently care for your baby in an emergency. Cliftonville Family Hub - Monday 8th June: 9.30am-11.30am Priory Family Hub - Tuesday 21st July: 12.30pm - 2.30pm Please note that these sessions are delivered by Kent Adult Education (KAE) and are not run by the Family Hubs, however they are being held within our premises. These courses provide valuable information and support for families and professionals, and we encourage you to share them with anyone who may benefit. Further details, including dates, times, and booking information, can be found in the attached leaflets. SEND Please click here for the latest Kent County Council Newsletter for SEND. Here you will find the latest news on Children's mental health, KCC SEND progress to date and further general advice, guidance and support. Children showing our school values this week Year Group Class Name/Saint Name Child Value Reason for Value Nursery United Kingdom Saint George Lottie Knowledge Using her phonic knowledge to write a sentence Malachai Thoughtfulness Being very caring when one of his friends fell over, showing great kindness and empathy. Reception Poland Saint Jadwiga Phoebe Thoughtfulness Always showing respect when sitting on the carpet. Well done, Phoebe! Asmin Thoughtfulness Being a kind and caring friend when they hurt themselves Year 1 Romania Saint Andrew Ivy Thoughtfulness Showing how kind and considerate you are. A thoughtful friend who uses kind words and makes everyone feel valued. We are very proud of you! Poppy Knowledge Always listening carefully, following instructions and setting fantastic examples to others. You are kind, positive and have a fantastic attitude to learning Year 2 Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary Anora Thoughtfulness Always being willing to help others Kayden Knowledge His accuracy in labelling a blank map of Kenya Year 3 Japan Paulo Miki Akorede Knowledge Working so hard to improve his comprehension skills Ella Thoughtfulness Helping others during her journey to school with the walking bus Year 4 Italy Catherine of Siena Scarlett Knowledge Working consistently hard in all lessons to maximise her learning Riley Thoughtfulness Treating others with respect and using good manners. Year 5 India Saint Mother of Teresa Bailey, Luiza Knowledge Showing off their engineering knowledge yesterday. An asset! Adriana, Joe Showing off their engineering knowledge yesterday. An asset! Year 6 France Saint Vincent de Paul & Saint Therese of Lisieux Eve Thoughtfulness Supporting her friends to achieve their targets Phoebe Knowledge Continuing to produce outstanding written work Well done! Class Masses If you would like to join us for a class Mass, then you are very welcome. Children lead the Mass with readings and bidding prayers. Date Year Group attending Mass 11th June Year 2 18th June Year 5 25th June Year 4 2nd July Year 3 9th July Year 2 16th July Year 6 Leavers Mass Mass will be on Thursday mornings at 9.30am in St Ethelbert's church Attendance this academic year... Our attendance policy states that we aim for a 100% attendance Reception 94.2% Year 1 95% Year 2 95% Year 3 95% Year 4 92.1% Year 5 92.8% Year 6 93.9% Whole School this week 94% Whole School academic year to date 95.2% National Average academic year to date 94.9% PLEASE NOTE – IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT A MEMBER OF THE WRAPAROUND CARE STAFF AFTER 4PM THE NUMBER TO CALL IS 07400 170519 DIARY DATES 2025/26 June 2026 8th Year 6 Residential meeting (2027 cohort) - POSTPONED w/c 8th Yr1 and Yr2 PHONICS SCREENING 16th PTFA Father's Day gift Wrap 16th New YN and YR parent's information evening w/c 22nd Sports Week 22nd - Nursery Sports Afternoon 2.15pm 23rd - Reception and Year 1 Sports Afternoon - 1.15pm 24th - Year 2 and Year 3 Sports Afternoon - 1.15pm 25th - Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 Sports Afternoon - 1.15pm 24th Feast of St John 25th New YN and YR play and stay 4-5pm 26th/29th/30th Bikeability July 2026 2nd TRANSITION DAY 3rd SUMMER FAIR 3-5pm 9th Year 6 dress rehearsal to school - 1:00pm 9th Year 6 Production to parents - 7:00pm 15th End of Year Reports to parents 15th Year 6 Disco -6.00pm - 7.30pm 16th Year 6 Leavers Mass, Graduation and Afternoon Tea - 1.00pm 17th Benediction 1.15pm 17th Nursery Graduation 2.30pm 17th End of Term 6 for children 20th INSET day (4 of 5) 21st INSET day (5 of 5) 21st END OF TERM 6 PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS OR WRAPAROUND CARE ON FRIDAY 17TH JULY
4th June 2026
Today, some of the year 5 children travelled to Canterbury Christ Church University to take part in the celebration event linked to the Primary Engineer vehicle Programme that they took part in last term, with 12 other schools from around Kent. The children really enjoyed putting the vehicle, which they called Bertha, through its paces, completing a number of tasks including a straight line test and an incline test. The children persevered and adapted the design of Bertha improving the performance each time. They worked as a team to make the improvements and took it in turns to try out the adjustments. They were a credit to the school and their hard work paid off as they finished up placing 1st overall! We are very proud of them all. Well done!
2nd June 2026
Join Our Team! We are seeking enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join our school community. We have two exciting opportunities available: Sports Coach and Teaching Assistant. For full details and application forms please follow the link:
31st May 2026
Welcome back to Term 6! We look forward to seeing everyone back to school tomorrow (Monday 1st June) at 8.40am. Breakfast club and wrap around as normal.
22nd May 2026
Sharing the Leaning Year 5 had a fantastic time this afternoon teaching their parents about conductivity. They definitely looked the part in their lab coats!
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‘Every child at St Ethelbert’s is to fulfil their academic, social, behavioural and emotional potential in the surroundings of a Catholic community, and in which each individual shares or respects the Catholic Church and Christian way of Life.’