Friday 4th September 2026- A wonderful start to the new school year
Headteacher’s Blog
A wonderful start to the new school year
What a fantastic start we have had to the new school year at Romilly!
It has been wonderful to see the children return to school so positively and settle back into their classes and routines. There has been a real buzz around the school this week and I have been incredibly impressed by how quickly our pupils have settled into their learning.
A particularly warm welcome goes to all of our new Nursery and Reception children, as well as the many new pupils who have joined Romilly across different year groups. We hope you and your families will very quickly feel part of our Romilly community.
Thank you, too, to our staff for the enormous amount of work that went into preparing classrooms and learning spaces ready for the children’s return.
Romilly Together – Safe, Ready, Respectful
This year we are introducing three simple school rules that will provide a consistent approach across the whole school:
SAFE • READY • RESPECTFUL
We want these words to become part of everyday life at Romilly.
Being Safe means looking after ourselves and others and making choices that help everyone feel secure.
Being Ready means being prepared to learn, having the right attitude and making the most of every opportunity.
Being Respectful means treating other people, our school and ourselves with kindness and consideration.
Importantly, these are not simply behaviour rules. We will be helping children understand what being Safe, Ready and Respectful looks like in the classroom, on the playground, in the canteen, online, during assemblies and throughout every part of school life.
Alongside these rules, we will continue to help children understand and live out our school values so that they become thoughtful, confident and caring members of our community.
Wellbeing Fortnight
During this week and next, all classes are taking part in our Wellbeing Fortnight.
Children will be thinking about what helps us to feel happy, safe and ready to learn; developing positive relationships; understanding our emotions; learning how we can support one another; and thinking about the choices we make.
It is also an opportunity for each class to establish positive routines and relationships at the beginning of the year and explore how our values and our Safe, Ready and Respectful rules can be lived out every day.
We know that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, included and ready to learn, and this will continue to be an important part of our work at Romilly this year.
PE Days
PE lessons will begin next week.
This year, PE will be taught by class teachers rather than being linked to STEAM sessions. This means that each year group will have a clearer designated PE day.
Our PE days are:
Monday – Plaza
Tuesday – Nursery and Year 3
Wednesday – Year 5
Thursday – Year 4
Friday – Year 2 and Year 6
Please ensure that children come to school wearing the appropriate PE kit on their PE day.
Our school PE kit is:
Plain white T-shirt
Black leggings, joggers or shorts
Grey hoodie
Appropriate footwear, such as trainers
We are not expecting families to purchase house T-shirts or house jumpers. We recognise that this is an additional expense that is not necessary. However, children who already have these items are, of course, welcome to continue wearing them.
School Uniform
Uniform is an important part of school life at Romilly. It helps establish high expectations, creates a sense of belonging and helps children feel part of our school community.
Our school uniform is:
Burgundy jumper or cardigan – no hoodies please
Yellow or white polo shirt/T-shirt
Black or grey smart trousers, shorts or skirts
Black school shoes
We know that the cost of living continues to put pressure on families, so we do not insist on branded school uniform. Suitable uniform can be purchased from local supermarkets as well as Ruckleys on Holton Road.
We also have pre-loved uniform available through school for a small donation.
If you would like to order name labels for your child's clothing, please visit Label Planet and quote our PTA fundraising account number 17006. The PTA receives commission from each purchase.
School Meals
School meals continue to be free for all pupils from Reception to Year 6.
Meals are prepared by Big Fresh and served in our school canteen.
You can view the current menu here:
https://www.bigfreshcatering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Menu-Sept-26.pdf
We apologise for the difficulties some families experienced ordering meals through CYPD this week. This appears to have been a wider system issue rather than one specific to Romilly, and we have been reassured by Big Fresh that the problems have now been resolved.
Thank you for your patience.
Every Minute Matters – Punctuality
Our school gates open at 8.45am and children should be in their classrooms ready to learn by 8.55am.
Being punctual really does matter.
Arriving just five or ten minutes late might not seem significant, but repeated lateness quickly adds up and can mean children miss important instructions, phonics, registration activities or the introduction to a lesson.
It can also make the start of the day more difficult for the child when everyone else has already settled into learning.
Please help us by ensuring that children arrive in plenty of time each morning.
Attendance Matters
Our whole-school attendance target is at least 94%.
Every day in school matters. Good attendance gives children the best possible opportunity to learn, build friendships, develop confidence and make progress.
When children miss school regularly, gaps can quickly develop in their learning and it can become harder for them to keep up with their classmates.
We appreciate that children will occasionally be too unwell to attend school. However, whenever children are well enough to be here, we want them in school, learning and enjoying everything Romilly has to offer.
Throughout the year we will continue to work closely with families to support strong attendance.
After-School Clubs
We are currently putting together a programme of school-led enrichment clubs for the autumn term and will share further information about these with families next week.
Alongside this, we already have two independently run, fee-paying clubs available to Romilly pupils:
- Art with Sarah – creative art sessions for children aged 5–11, with collection from Romilly available. Sessions run on Mondays and Thursdays, 4.00–5.00pm at the 10th Barry Guide Hall opposite the school.
- Dawn Dobbs Active Futures After-School Sports Club – held in the Romilly Sports Hall from 3.30–5.00pm, with Years 3 and 4 on Wednesdays and Years 5 and 6 on Thursdays. Sessions are booked in five-week blocks.
Information about both clubs has already been shared with families and bookings should be made directly with the providers.
We hope that, together with our own school enrichment programme, these opportunities will give children a wide range of ways to develop their interests, creativity and sporting skills beyond the school day.
I think this works better for the newsletter because it makes it crystal clear that these are external, paid-for clubs, while the school’s own club programme is separate and still to come.
📸 Celebrating Learning at Romilly
At Romilly, we love celebrating the wonderful learning, achievements and experiences of our children and sharing these with our school community.
Throughout the year, we may take photographs and videos of pupils during lessons, activities, trips, performances and other school events. These may be shared through:
- our weekly year-group blogs;
- the school newsletter;
- the Romilly Primary School website; and
- our closed school Instagram account – @rps.barry.
Our Instagram account is private, and follow requests are only approved for parents and carers of children currently attending Romilly.
The privacy and safeguarding of our pupils is always a priority. We do not publish a child’s full name alongside their photograph and, wherever possible, we share photographs showing groups of children enjoying their learning and taking part in school life.
Please complete our Photo & Video Consent Form
A huge thank you to the 200+ parents and carers who have already completed the form.
If you have not yet done so, please take a moment to let us know your preferences by completing the Google Form linked here.
Your responses help us make sure that we respect every family’s wishes while continuing to celebrate the fantastic things happening across our school.
Please complete the form for each child attending Romilly Primary School.
Thank you for helping us celebrate everything that makes Romilly Together such a special community.
Finally...
Thank you to everyone for such a positive first few days.
Starting a new school year is always exciting, but what has struck me most this week is the warmth across the school. Children have returned smiling, staff have worked incredibly hard and there is already a lovely atmosphere around Romilly.
There is a great deal to look forward to during 2026–27 and I am excited about what we can achieve together.
As we begin the year, our message to the children is simple:
Learning, Growing and Succeeding Together!
Be Safe. Be Ready. Be Respectful.
And above all, remember that we are Romilly Together.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mr James Griffiths
Headteacher