A message from St Luke’s and a Christmas blessing
A message from Rev Chris:
Thank you for using our Church, it is always such a blessing to have you all there. The children are so gifted and I can see that the staff are bringing the best out in each child.
The Blessing for all;
May the joy of the angels,
The eagerness of the shepherds
The perseverance of the wise men
And the obedience of Mary and Joseph
And the peace of the Christchild be yours this Christmas.
The blessing of God almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen
Hodnet Christmas Services;
Sunday 21st December 5.30 Lessons and Carols
Wednesday 24th December 3pm Crib Service
Thursday 25th December 11am, Christmas day communion.
Have a wonderful Christmas. With thanks and blessings of peace.
Well-being projects and Guinea Pigs
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the collection in church yesterday for school well-being. We raised £133.19p which will be used in the spring term.
Santa Fly Past!
We were all excited to see a very special sight in the skies above Hodnet School at lunchtime – Santa was getting a lift with in an RAF helicopter!
We could hear the helicopter coming closer to school but had no idea that it was carrying a special visitor until we saw the recognisable red and white suit waving to us from high above
Everybody on the playground cheered and waved whilst Santa circled above us. We then gave one final wave as Santa set off for the North Pole to get ready for Christmas Eve!
Attendance recognition
Well done to all our children and families who have tried so hard to attend school so far this year. Many children received certificates this week to recognise their commitment to attending school showcasing the value placed on education. As we said in church, children need to be in school to benefit from the rich learning environments and opportunities we offer.
Our target is 96% or above, so far this year we have exceeded our target by reaching 97.5% whole school attendance. Amazing! Please keep this up. Also the number of pupils classes as persistently absent has fallen, again amazing news. Only 4.8% of our school population are classed as being persistently absent, significantly better than the national average of 16.5%. Children are persistently absent if their attendance falls below 90%, triggering Education Welfare Involvement.
Class attendance – all our classes are at or above our school target – brilliant news! Classes in order or attendance:
- Class R, 97.92%
- Class 3, 97.64%
- Class 2, 97.63%
- Class 6, 96.92%
- Class 5, 96.87%
- Class 1, 96.76%
- Class 4, 96.50%
Lockers
We have purchased and installed almost 100 lockers for our KS2 corridor and Y6 classroom to replace our coat pegs. Children in classes 4, 5 and 6 now all have an individual locker to use to store their coat, bag and PE kit. This should make our cloakroom spaces significantly tidier and therefore safer.
We expect lockers to be used appropriately, showing respect to other users and to property. We have spoken to the children about locker use, including keeping them tidy and presentable and always keeping the key in the lockers at all time, spares are kept centrally.
Lockers were needed due to the large volume of property which was becoming a health and safety problem! Particularly with our larger classes who were finding the the pegs were not sufficient to hold all their things.
We reiterate – pupils only need a small bag to hold their reading folder and any homework. We do not wish to impose additional costs on families, there is no need to purchase smaller bags, but when considering a school bag in the future, please be mindful of size, as we have said previously many times, please only send essentials in to school as we simply do not have the space. Thank you.
Celebrating success. Special value awards Autumn term 2025
Well done to everyone who received awards yesterday in church. We are very proud of you.
The termly value awards and special awards go to:
- Respect Award – Emily in class 6 for showcasing respect at all times and being an enthusiastic learner and a joy to have in school.
- Resilience Award – Ben in class R for never giving up and always embracing school life – a fantastic start, well done, keep it up Ben.
- Responsibility Award – Beatrice P in class 5 for showing commitment and dedication to the many responsible roles she holds in school. Well done.
- Music and Performing Arts Award – Kiaan in class 4 for showcasing his fantastic trumpet talents in our 318 Orchestra this term.
Celebrating Success. Sporting Value Awards Autumn 2025
Well done to everyone who received awards yesterday in church. We are very proud of you.
The termly sporting value awards go to:
- Teamwork – Theo in class 6.
- Passion – Sam in class 6.
- Self-belief – Isabelle M in year 4.
- Honesty – Oliver B in class 1.
- Respect – Charlotte in class 5.
- Determination – Jake in class 2.
- Perseverance – Joshua G in class 5
Thanks to the Activsports team and staff members for their nominations.
Celebrating Success. Certificates of Achievement Autumn 2025
Well done to everyone who received awards yesterday in church. We are very proud of you.
The termly certificates of achievement go to:
Class R
- Ella for being a tough tortoise and always being ready to learn.
- Ada for growing in confidence and for making great progress.
- Theo for embracing learning and giving everything a go.
Class 1
- Alice for always being ready to learn and trying her best.
- Kai for having increased confidence and self belief too.
- Arlo for having much more confidence and and trying things on your own too.
Class 2
- Daniel for having increased confidence and being a fantastic role model.
- William H for a much improved attitude to learning and great progress with your writing.
- Willa for being a great role model, always trying her best and having great learning behaviours.
Class 3
- Georgia for an increase in confidence, resilience to learning and always being kind to her friends.
- William for having great general knowledge, being a keen learner and ready to learn and also having a super sense of humour.
- Sybil for being an excellent role model for learning, always producing a high quality of work and being responsible and reliable.
Class 4
- Emma for having a great learning and being a excellent role model for behaviour and showcasing school values too.
- Ewan for always being polite, respectful and hardworking . A great role model for learning too.
- Charlotte for superb perseverance and determination and always putting 100% effort into her work. You are always so smiley and positive too.
Class 5
- Wren for always displaying impeccable manners, being polite and kind to everyone.
- Jacob for always working hard, persevering with tricky tasks and pushing yourself to achieve more.
- Beatrice for always giving 100% effort with any piece of work. Also you have such a great love for learning too and always want to improve.
Class 6
- Charlie for such an increased confidence and resilience. Also for superb independence this term.
- Lily for such determination, being a fantastic role model and being supportive and respectful at all times.
- Eva for striving to do the best in all you do. Always being polite and respectful too.
Headteachers awards
- Lottie in class R for super learning behaviours, always trying her best and being a kind friend.
- Poppy F in class 2 for her hardworking attitude and excellent learning behaviours.
- Clara in class 4 for perseverance and showcasing our school values.
- Freddie in class 6 for improved attendance, hardworking attitude and perseverance. Really shining bright this term – well done!
Church Thank you for our Autumn Term Celebrations
Thank you to the families who joined us in church yesterday, great to see so many people supporting our school.
Thank you to the parents and grandparents who gave up their time to walk with us to church, we couldn’t walk up without you! Such a lovely walk through Hodnet Hall Gardens, shame the weather was so awful. Thank you to the Heber-Percy family and Gardens team for allowing us to walk through every term, enabling our children to experience the richness of the gardens as they walk.
Thank you to our Y6 pupils who walked with their class R buddies, demonstrating responsible attitudes and supporting and guiding our youngest pupils with their decision making. Also for talking to them, helping them with quality conversations and turn taking. The two classes have built up a great bond this term, lovely to see.
Finally thank you to the volunteers at St Luke’s who kindly enable us to have a termly service in their wonderful church. Something we would not be able to provide without their generosity to our community.
Christmas wishes
Thank you for your continued support, contributing to the continued success of our school. This term has showcased many highlights, from musical and dance talent opportunities within our Trust, to exciting trips and visitors and a super successful careers week. Our children have showcased their brilliance in many ways and made our school both happy and successful. They have worked their socks off in class and been kind friends outside, ensuring our values shine out at all times. As we approach the end of the year, we reflect on the achievements of the year and can feel a strong sense of pride to be part of Hodnet School.
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very happy new year, and look forward to continued happiness and success in 2026.
Mrs Lyall, and all at Team Hodnet.
KS2 Forest Schools
Due to staff absence at the end of term, we will catch up the missed session in the new year. The planned session includes a campfire and therefore requires additional resources and risk assessments, as such, this won’t be in the first week. We will notify you in the new year of the date and further developments with this club.
Thank you for your understanding.
Spring term 2026 diary dates updated
Dates shared December 2025. New dates added in red.
January
- Mon 5th – School reopens.
- Fri 9th – DEAR 3pm
- Fri 9th – closing date for Kitchen Assistant post applications in by 4pm.
- Mon 12th – Curriculum & Coffee morning 8.45 – 9.15am class R
- Tue 13th – Curriculum & Coffee morning 8.45 – 9.15am classes 1& 2
- Wed14th – Curriculum & Coffee morning 8.45 – 9.15am classes 3&4
- Thurs 15th – Curriculum & Coffee morning 8.45 – 9.15am classes 5&6
- Fri 16th – Swimming starts for Y3 & Y4 for 5 weeks.
- Wed 21st – Y4 visit to Blists Hill, information to follow
- Wed 21st – Y5 visit to Ironbridge, information to follow
- Thurs 22nd – Online safety virtual parents event.
- Mon 26th – Christingle Workshop 3.15-4.15, parents from 4.15-4.30 information to follow.
February
- Mon 2nd – Fri 6th – National Storytelling week with events in school and planned visitors. More information to follow.
- Thurs 5th – Sportshall Athletics competition.
- Fri 6th – DEAR 3pm
- Fri 13th – break up for half term.
- Mon 23rd – school reopens.
March
- Tues 3rd – Y6 visit to RAF Cosford, details to follow.
- Wed 4th – Parents Evening 3.30 – 7.30
- Thur 5th – Parents Evening 3.30-5
- Fri 6th – World Book Day, optional dress up.
- Fri 6th – DEAR 3pm
- Mon 9th – Fairtrade focus fortnight begins
- Wed 11th – Y6 class assembly 9am. Y6 parents welcome.
- Fri 13th – Mother’s day lunch.
- Mon 16th – Rock Steady Concert 9.15am.
- Wed 18th – Y2 class assembly 9am. Y2 parents welcome.
- Thursday 19th – Church service 2pm TBC.
- Mon 23rd – Fri 27th – Y6 residential to Oakerwood
- Tue 24th – Governing body meeting
- Thurs 26th – Church service 2pm. Cancelled.
- Fri 27th – Break up for Easter. Return to school Monday 13th April.