Dear Howley families,

I hope you are all making the most of this lovely autumn sunshine! Whilst the days are flying by, I must say our children have made such a fantastic start to the term. We are incredibly proud of the hard work, enthusiasm, and resilience they are demonstrating every day, and look forward to sharing your children’s successes with you at our upcoming Parent’s Evenings.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported our recent Macmillan Coffee Morning. It was wonderful to see so many children, families, PTA and staff come together to support such a worthwhile cause that has touched many of our hearts over the years. Your generosity and kindness raised £260 and will make a real difference. We are incredibly grateful for the support shown by our school community.

Whilst we love to see children walking and riding their bikes and scooters to school, we would also like to remind everyone that bikes, including balance bikes, scooters etc must not be ridden on the school grounds. Our playgrounds are so busy at drop off and pick up times and unfortunately, we have recently had an incident where one of our children was accidentally bumped into by someone riding a bike. Thankfully, they were not badly injured but they did have a very upsetting start to their school day. I have talked to the children about this in today’s assembly and explained that to help keep everyone safe, we ask that all bikes and scooters are dismounted at the school gates and pushed while on site. We would very much appreciate our families help and support with this too.

As we move further into the autumn term, we look forward to the many exciting opportunities, events and achievements that lie ahead for our children. Thank you for being such an important part of the Howley family and for the continued partnership between home and school.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Miss Lewis

Reading Around Howley

Author visit

A group of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils had a fantastic time meeting the author Jack Meggitt-Phillips last week to talk about his new book Jekyll vs Hyde: The Potion of Doom.  The event was held at The Earls High School and organised by Dudley Children’s Book Group.  Jack entertained us from the very start with his quiz with ‘rubbish’ prizes, reading aloud from his book and creating monstrously funny characters.

BBC 500 Words

The UK's biggest children's story-writing competition for 5-11 year-olds opens for entries from Tuesday 29 September and closes 9pm, Friday 6 November 2026. For more details of how your child can enter, please visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words

Bookdrop Newsletter

The next edition of the Bookdrop newsletter is now available to view in the English section of our school website or by clicking on the link below:

Bookdrop SeptOct 2026

Created in partnership with UK’s children’s publishers and the Open University Reading for Pleasure team, Bookdrop is a half-termly digital newsletter that parents and children can share to support reading for pleasure at home.

Reading Ambassadors

Congratulations to our new Year 6 Reading Ambassadors who have been chosen to help to support and promote reading across the school. 

Next week they will be busy sorting and maintaining the book trolleys which will be located outside of the school office before and after school (weather depending) every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Children and grown-ups are invited to choose, read and return a book whenever they wish from the trolleys.

Safeguarding Update

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping children safe, we have recently held safeguarding assemblies across the school. During these sessions, pupils were reminded of the many ways we help to keep them safe in school and were encouraged to identify trusted adults they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns, whether at school or at home.

To further support pupils' wellbeing, below is a copy of a leaflet from the School Nursing Team containing helpful advice and strategies to support children in managing their emotional health and wellbeing. We encourage families to take a few moments to read through the information together.

Playground at Home Time

Please can we ask for your co-operation in leaving the school grounds promptly at the end of the day so that the gates can be locked on time?  Children attending outdoor after-school sports clubs have to remain inside school until the gates are locked for their safety, and delays in locking gates mean their clubs can't begin.  Many thanks.

Flu Nasal Spray Vaccinations

Vaccination UK will be in school on Friday 9th October to administer flu nasal spray vaccines to children whose parents have given consent.  Vaccination UK should be contacting you directly to obtain your consent.

Message from the Children's Commissioner

I am getting in touch personally, as Children’s Commissioner, to ask for your help in making sure the children and young people at Howley Grange Primary School have the opportunity to take part in my national survey, The Big Future. 

So far, I have heard from 11 children at your school. With hundreds of thousands of children and young people already taking part across England, I would like to make sure as many of your pupils as possible have the opportunity to add their voices. 

The Big Future is asking children and young people about their lives, their experiences and their hopes for the future. I will be using what they tell me to build a national picture of what matters to children today and to ensure their views are heard by Government. 

The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and can be accessed here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/thebigfuture

Dame Rachel de Souza

Children’s Commissioner for England

School Admissions

We are holding tours for parents of children who will start Reception in September 2027.  If you know anyone who would be interested in booking, please ask them to contact the office to book in.

The deadline for secondary school applications for September 2027 is 31st October 2026 and Year 6 families are encouraged to visit secondary school open days to help them make this very important decision.