Little Heath School

🚨 Important changes to Free School Meals 🚨

The government has broadened the eligibility criteria, meaning that a greater number of families will now qualify for free school meals. In particular, from September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of overall household income.

To ensure all eligible pupils are registered and able to access meals from the start of the new academic year, the government has asked schools to carry out a new eligibility check. A letter has recently been emailed home with further details.

We kindly ask all families who have previously received FSM, as well as those who currently receive Universal Credit (or believe they may now be eligible), to take a couple of minutes to provide the required details by completing the FSM Eligibility Form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sgPgevZlqE6KVGnVTEswPJbt-WiLauhPmh5autoXmwNUODVaMkcyQUtRUzk2RkRIOTVEM0NMVURBVy4u

Please complete the FSM Eligibility Form by midnight tonight, Wednesday 24th June 2026. All information provided is treated in strict confidence, and children’s FSM status is never publicly identified.

If you have any questions or would like help completing the form, please contact the school office.

Year 12 students attended our epic Careers and Higher Education Fair this morning, which was attended by over 50 employers and 33 universities.

Students embraced the chance to meet with universities to discuss courses and ask questions about university life.

They was a huge range of organisations to talk to including those in healthcare and the services, through to accountancy and conservation. There really was something for everyone!

Both students and exhibitors found the day to be really beneficial, with students feeling more informed and focussed, and exhibitors having some very worthwhile conversations.

Thanks to everyone who gave up their time to attend the fair and give our students such a valuable and insightful morning.

HOT WEATHER UPDATE

Under the current local guidance, I can confirm that the school will close at 1:20pm on both Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June. This decision has been reached in partnership with other local schools to ensure the wellbeing of all students and staff.

Please Note: The school buses will be here for 1:20pm to support this early closure.

The structure of the next two days will be as follows:
- AM Registration and Periods 1 & 2 remain unchanged.
- 11.00 – 11.30am Extended break time. Students who are eligible for FSM will be able to obtain their lunch allocation during this time.
- Period 3 – 11.30 – 12.20pm
- Period 4 – 12.20 – 1.10pm
- PM Registration – 1.10-1.20pm
- 1.20pm – Students leave

Work for Period 5 will be set on Satchel One by usual classroom teachers.

At the moment, we are planning for Sports Day to go ahead on Friday this week, but will continue to monitor the weather situation, follow LA advice.

A letter has been emailed home this afternoon. Please refer to this letter for full details. Thank you for your continued support and understanding whilst we all navigate these circumstances in the best interests of all.

Great to see the support between our year 9 and year 10 students in the Sports Day pre-events.

The main event is on Friday 26 June. Stirling are currently in the lead following the pre-events but that could all change...! 💚💙❤️💛

We're also looking forward to seeing all the supporters enjoying their day and waving the banners made as part of our House competition...more news later this week! Stay tuned! 🚩

Well done to all our year 7 and year 8 students who competed in the Sports Day pre-events of javelin, shot put and long jump. We had some incredible sportsmanship and some great performances!

Here are some of our medal winners 🏅

With the temperatures set to rise further this week, here are a few reminders to help students to cope in the heat:

💦 Students should bring a refillable water bottle each day. We have several places to refill on site, but students are welcome to bring an additional bottle. We encourage students to use a reusable bottle rather than a single use plastic bottle - this helps to minimise litter on the school site and is better all round for the environment. Bottles can be purchased on ParentMail and in Resources for £3.50.

🩳 Students are also permitted to wear shorts in the hot weather, as per our uniform policy. Shorts must be smart, tailored and appropriate for school.

☀️ We would encourage students to use sun protection during the school day. We advise applying sun screen and wearing a sun hat.

🌺 If your child suffers with hayfever, please ensure they take antihistamine medication.

The results are back for our most able mathematicians who were invited to participate in the follow on UK Mathematics Trust challenge exam: the Junior Kangaroo.

Seven boys from Years 7 and 8 had already excelled by qualifying for the next round. Levi and Ethan's performances were outstanding, both receiving Gold certificates. Gold is awarded to the top 10% of entries nationwide, meaning they are some of the brightest mathematicians in the country for their age.

A special mention also goes to Henry for his Bronze, another fantastic achievement.

Well done to all the boys who took part!

Today, a select group of students from Year 7 and Year 9 took part in a drop down session with Reading FC Community Trust Premier League Inspires team. They took part in three sessions, which focused on raising motivation and the importance of growth mindset.

In session 1, students looked at how we 'find a way' when things become difficult. Groups had to work together to navigate through an obstacle course, whilst facing a series of barriers that they had to overcome.

Session 2 explained the concept of comfort zones, and how we work to push through tricky situations by applying a growth mindset.

In session 3, students received a motivational talk from Keith, about his life and how he worked to work through some challenges in order to reach success.

We would like to thank Shelley, Ryan and Keith for delivering such fun and insightful sessions. We look forward to inviting them back very soon!

Year 8 Thorpe Park Update

Coaches are due back to school at 6:30pm. Can we please remind you not to park near the gates or opposite the school on Little Heath Road so the coaches have enough space to pull in.

Thank you

🏅 Inspiring the Next Generation of Physicists at Little Heath 🏅

We recently celebrated the outstanding achievements of our Gold Award winners in the British Physics Olympiad Junior Physics Challenge, a national competition designed to stretch students beyond the classroom and develop advanced problem-solving and scientific thinking skills.

A remarkable 155 Little Heath students took part in this year's challenge, demonstrating curiosity, resilience and a passion for learning. Competing against students from across the country, our students achieved:
⭐ 11 Gold Awards
⭐ 35 Silver Awards
⭐ 106 Bronze Awards
⭐ 3 Commendations

Gold Award students were recognised during a special awards presentation, receiving certificates and medals for their exceptional performance.

Physics is more than just equations and calculations , it develops the analytical thinking, creativity and perseverance that underpin careers in science, engineering, medicine, technology and many other fields. We are incredibly proud of all students who challenged themselves to take part.

Congratulations to everyone involved. We hope this success inspires even more students to embrace Physics and STEM opportunities in the future.

"Success in Physics comes from curiosity, determination and a willingness to tackle difficult problems."