St Edward’s RC Primary, a Voluntary Academy

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a week! A huge congratulations to our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils — their production of The Lion King was absolutely outstanding. It was wonderful to see every child shine. Thank you to all the parents who supported them and the staff who gave their time and expertise to make the show such a success.

This week some pupils represented the school at the Emmaus end-of-year Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Collyhurst. It was lovely to see so many schools together as part of the Emmaus family — and we even had the chance to catch up with Mr McMahon.

Well done also to our netball team who finished third in the Oldham league, and to our cricketers who represented the school so well at Austerlands Cricket Club.

Next week is a very busy final week of term. Please see the events below — all parents and carers are welcome:

• Tuesday — Guitar assembly for pupils who took part in the Oldham Music Festival, 9:15am in the school hall.
• Wednesday — Leavers / End of Year Mass in church, 9:30am.
• Thursday — Rock Steady performance in the hall, 2:00pm. Year 6 bowling trip, leaving school at 3:15pm (Ashton Moss).
• Friday — Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly, 9:30am in the school hall.

Please note there will be no school clubs next week except for the rugby session on Monday (with an external coach working with Mr Power). Soccer Stars will run as normal on Thursday.

Thank you for your continued support and for everything you do to help our pupils thrive.

The award winners are

Golden Book Luna, Julian, Charlie, Ava, Hannah, Year 4, Oliver and Lottie.

Mission Award Aaron, Ayla, Theo, Robyn, Harper, Emily, Sophia and Alan

Super Writer Ivy, Maya, Jaxxon, Dylan, Dimitry, Demian and Verity

Well Done all of you.

Could we please ask that any outstanding balances for school meals, wraparound care, guitar tuition, and school trips are paid before we finish for the summer.

We are currently reconciling our accounts and a significant number of accounts still have outstanding arrears. Your prompt attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.

There will be no After School Club on the last day of trm Friday 17th July. Breakfast club will be open as usual.

We are now taking bookings for Wrap around Care in September. If you would like to apply for a place, please complete the application form using the following link. Wrap Around Care Sept 26 St Edward's R.C. Primary School Rowland Way Lees Oldham OL4 3LQ – Fill i…

You can pay your wrap around care fees using tax free childcare, Universal Credit Childcare or Childcare Vouchers

If you are eligible for Tax-Free childcare, you set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay for club

For working families claiming Universal Credit with children under 17. Claim back up to 85% of eligible childcare costs. Upfront childcare costs may be available to eligible parents moving in to work or increasing hours. Universal Credit Childcare - Best Start in Life

If you have any outstanding fees, please make payment as soon as possible to safeguard your childs place in club.

If you would like to enquire about Wrap around care, please email wraparoundcare@st- edwards.oldham.sch.uk or contact the school office on 0161 624 1377.

The class winners for week ending 6th July were:

St Martin class with 98.9% attendance and St Francis Class with ony 1 late.

There are some important changes to Free School Meals (FSM) which will take effect from September 2026.

What is changing?

End of transitional protection

Since April 2018, children who qualified for free school meals have continued to receive them even if their family’s circumstances changed.

This protection will stop at the end of the 2025/26 school year. From September 2026, all families will need to meet the current eligibility criteria to continue receiving free school meals.

FSM expansion

From September 2026, more children will be able to access free school meals.

There will be two types:

• Targeted free school meals For families receiving Universal Credit with household earnings of £7,400 or less per year
• Expanded free school meals For families receiving Universal Credit who do not meet the income threshold aboveWhat do you need to do?Please follow the guidance below.Oldham schools
• If you already receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax support, you do not need to apply
• If you receive other benefits, you will need to apply

Apply here: Instructions | Free School Meals (FSM) application form

Why apply?

Applying for free school meals can help your family by:

• Saving around £480+ per child each year
• Providing your child with a healthy, nutritious meal every school day

If you need any help or have any questions, please contact the school office – we are happy to help.

Have you considered being a member of the St Edward's '100' club?

It costs just over £1.00 per week and pays out prizes of £100, £50, and 2 x £20 per month plus £300 each quarter.

Payments are by standing order of £5 per month

To set this up, email Derek Clayton at derek17766@outlook.com for a reference number

Application forms can be obtained from Derek at church or from the school office.

"The Pantry" is open and available to anyone in need. This is not means-tested, monitored, or vetted, but we kindly ask that it be used responsibly by those who truly need it. The pantry is designed to assist families who may be experiencing a temporary shortage, providing them with essentials to get by.

The pantry is stocked with donations from staff, parents and members of the community. Thank you to those who have been able to contribute. We are currently collecting non-perishable food items to stock the pantry. Please note, we do not have the capacity to store fresh produce.

We very much appreciate the donations from the parishioners that are left at church for our panttry- Thank you.

If you would like to donate, you can drop off your items in the Box located in the entrance hall or leave them in the front office. Thank you for your support!

Get ready for September

We have lots of pre loved uniform available and we would love you to come along to use our school uniform pop up shop to pick up good quality pre – loved school clothing for free (or a small donation) to both save money and help the planet.

We are currently looking for donations of outgrown socks, especially for the younger children

Thank you to those who have donated good quality uniform.

Dear Parents/Carers,

We wanted to let you know about a free event that is taking place at Oldham Library, Saturday 11 July, 11 – 3pm.

StoryFest is a children’s literature festival, with a line-up of eight amazing children’s illustrators and authors.

Run by Oldham Libraries, StoryFest aims to inspire young readers with opportunities to meet their favourite authors and illustrators and enjoy a host of creative activities.

At this event children will also be able to sign up for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – Read to the Beat.

The schools with the most participation will win up to £300 in book tokens.

We’re passionate about developing your child’s love of reading and believe that these live author events are a great opportunity to do so. Please do consider going along to StoryFest. The event is free and there is no booking required.

Best Wishes

Oldham Libraries

GMP Notice - Off-road bikes in the Lees area

We have received two reports over the last few days regarding off-road bikes being ridden in the Medlock Valley area of Lees.

Off-road bikes can cause significant anti-social behaviour, pose a risk to members of the public, and cause damage to local green spaces. In response to these reports, we will be carrying out targeted patrols in the area and will take appropriate action where offences are identified.

We would encourage residents to continue reporting any incidents, providing as much information as possible, including descriptions of riders, bikes, locations, and times, to assist us in tackling this issue and keeping the area safe for everyone.

Do not buy a Bike

Are you thinking of buying a quad bike, mini motorbike or go-ped for your child to ride off-road in Manchester?

DON'T - there is nowhere legal to ride them.

· If these bikes are ridden off-road, you will be breaking the law and risk of a hefty fine, having the bike seized, being subject to ASB enforcement powers and/or a potential breach of your tenancy;

· It is illegal to ride off road vehicles such as quads, scramblers, mini-motos and go- peds on any public spaces in Manchester. This includes parks, pavements, waste grounds or parkways;

· To ride a bike on the road it must be especially built for road use. The rider would have to be over 16 and will need registration documents, MOT, road tax, insurance, a licence and an approved crash helmet just like a real motorbike; and

· Riders risk serious injury, even death, to themselves and pedestrians.

Is there anywhere legal to ride them?

There are no places to legally ride off-road vehicles within Manchester.

However, there are organisations that you can join across the north west that provide information on specially staged events and practice grounds where off-road bikes and quad bikes can be ridden legally. The Amateur Motorcycle Association is a good place to start looking.