**School reopens on Tuesday 6th January 2026**

Autumn Term Wrap-Up

Celebrating Our School Community

 

As we come to the end of an incredible Autumn term, we want to celebrate the achievements, resilience, and dedication of our pupils, families, and staff.

At Sutton School, our motto — “Safe, Happy, Learning Towards Independence” — has truly come to life this term. Our pupils have shown outstanding resilience, determination, and perseverance, both academically and emotionally. They have engaged enthusiastically in learning, grown in independence, and supported each other in ways that make us immensely proud.

We have welcomed some fantastic new staff to our team this term, and it has been a pleasure to also welcome our new Year 7 pupils and their families into our community. The start of term has been full of new opportunities and events, from exciting student discos to the reformation of our Friends of Sutton School PTA, building on established links with our School Nursing Team and OT, and creating new connections with wider agencies such as CJ Boxing. These initiatives are helping to enrich school life, extend learning opportunities, and strengthen our community.

We are delighted to report that whole-school attendance remains above the national average, reflecting the incredible partnership between home and school. Thank you to our families for helping make this possible. Attendance is about more than being in school; it is about emotional wellbeing, engagement, and creating a sense of belonging for every pupil.

The Safe & Wellbeing Hub would like to give a special thank you to families who have worked closely with us this term in the best interests of their child. Your support has been invaluable in promoting pupils’ emotional health, personal growth, and engagement with school life.

This Autumn term has been full of learning, growth, and achievements across the school. From tackling challenges with perseverance to celebrating successes in both learning and wellbeing, our pupils have demonstrated exactly what makes Sutton School a safe, happy, and inspiring place to learn and grow.

Thank you to all our families, staff, wider agencies, and pupils for your continued dedication, support, and positivity this term. Together, we have created a safe, happy, and nurturing environment where our pupils can thrive, learn, and grow towards independence.

 

 

Supporting Families This Christmas – Black Country Food Bank

During this festive season, Black Country Food Bank continues its vital work supporting local families and individuals in need. We know this time of year can be very expensive, and with children at home, it can feel like they are “eating you out of house and home”!

To help, the food bank is asking for festive items such as mince pies, Christmas puddings, selection boxes, and other non-perishable treats.

Important notes for donations:

• Please ensure items do not contain alcohol.

• Donate with plenty of time before Christmas, so the food bank can distribute the items to local families in time for the holidays.

If you would like more information, or if you are arranging a large donation collection, please contact the food bank directly:

• Phone: 01384 671250

• Email: admin@blackcountryfoodbank.org.uk

Christmas Opening Times:

• The warehouse in Brierley Hill will close at 1:00 pm on Tuesday 23rd December.

• It will re-open at 9:00 am on Monday 5th January.

If you or your family anticipate needing support over the festive period, please do not hesitate to reach out — there is no need to feel embarrassed, and help is available.

Let’s work together to make sure everyone in our community has a brighter and happier Christmas.

 

Keeping Children Safe Online This Holiday

As the festive holidays approach, children are likely to spend more time on devices, playing games, chatting with friends, and exploring online content. While technology can be fun and educational, it’s important that we help children stay safe online.

Here are some top tips for parents and carers:

• Listen out for new voices or contacts: Children may be communicating with people they haven’t met in person. Encourage open conversations about who they’re speaking to online.

• Restrict access to certain sites and content: Using parental controls and device restrictions can help protect children from harmful material.

• Set boundaries and routines: Limiting screen time and balancing online and offline activities promotes wellbeing.

• Discuss online behaviour: Talk to your children about what’s appropriate to share and how to stay respectful online.

• Use trusted safety advice: Organisations such as Barnardo’s offer guidance on how to keep children safe online, answer common questions, and provide strategies for monitoring and supporting children’s digital experiences.

Benefits of online restrictions:

• Reduces exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.

• Encourages healthy screen-time habits.

• Gives parents peace of mind while children explore online spaces.

• Supports children to make safer choices and ask for help if needed.

By working together, families can ensure that children enjoy the online world safely over the holidays — while still having fun and staying connected.

 

Rivers Phase Newsletter – Sutton News Team 

As we come to the end of a busy and festive term, the Sutton News Team is delighted to share some of the wonderful learning experiences and achievements from across the Rivers Phase. Our pupils have worked incredibly hard, shown great creativity, and embraced new challenges both in and out of the classroom. From trips and performances to assessments and festive crafts, it has been a term full of memorable moments. 

9R1 

9R1 have enjoyed a varied and engaging term. In Humanities, they visited Dudley Town to explore its history and learn how the past has shaped the present and future of the area. The class has been very creative, making delicious Christmas crafts and contributing enthusiastically to the school show. They have also decorated their classroom beautifully with handmade snowflakes. In Life Skills, pupils have been learning about household chores, while in science they explored construction and design by creating Lego houses. 

9R2 

9R2 have been developing a wide range of practical and creative skills. In life skills, they cooked cheese and potato pie, building confidence in the kitchen. Pupils have also been practising their kinetic handwriting skills and took part in an immersive English lesson on the trenches, using their senses of smell, hearing and taste to deepen their understanding. The class created stunning stained-glass artwork using colourful materials to take to church and enjoyed making and decorating salt dough creations. 

10R1 

10R1 have shown great focus and determination as they prepared for and completed their English writing assessments. We are extremely proud of the effort they put in and the progress they continue to make. The writing they have produced is wonderful. They have also engaged well with tutor pathway lessons, exploring different roles within the public service sector. They asked great questions! 

10R2 

10R2 enjoyed a special trip to watch Lilo and Stitch, which was a lovely opportunity to celebrate their hard work together. They have continued to improve their mathematics skills and, in English, created thoughtful World War II propaganda posters. We are also incredibly proud of pupils who represented the school by performing at the Stourbridge Town Hall DPA concert—an outstanding achievement. 

11R1 

11R1 have had a very busy and successful term. Some Year 7 pupils joined their mathematics lessons to access higher-level learning alongside Year 11. The class also completed their Entry Level English speaking and listening assessments, and we are very proud of how confidently they performed. In life skills, pupils cooked cheese and potato pie from scratch, learning important safety skills such as knife use and operating an oven. They performed brilliantly in the school show, continued to work hard in maths, and are currently designing posters. The class also visited Merry Hill on a maths trip, where they managed a set budget and applied their functional skills in real-life situations. In addition, pupils have been building tents and preparing for their Duke of Edinburgh project, which they will complete by the end of Year 11. 

11R2 

11R2 have been strengthening their understanding of division through practical maths activities involving equal and unequal groups. As part of their pathway learning, they visited the Motor Vehicle Museum, created detailed diamond art, and explored famous art projects. In English, pupils have been working on writing and performing monologues. They also enjoyed baking carrot cookies and taking part in arts and crafts, alongside playing basketball in PE. 

It has been a wonderful term across the Rivers Phase, filled with hard work, creativity, and fantastic achievements. The Sutton News Team would like to thank all pupils for their enthusiasm and dedication, and all staff and families for their continued support. We wish everyone a very happy, peaceful, and well-deserved Christmas break, and we look forward to an exciting new term ahead. 🎄✨ 

A Huge Thank You to The Bell Group 🎁

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to The Bell Group for their incredibly generous donation of selection boxes for our pupils this year. This kind gesture has helped to spread festive cheer and ensure that every child is able to enjoy a special treat during the Christmas period.

The Bell Group is a well-established construction and property services company that has strong roots within our local community. They are well known not only for their professional work, but also for their ongoing commitment to giving back. Each year, The Bell Group generously supports local charities, schools and community organisations, recognising the importance of investing in the wellbeing and happiness of children and families.

Their continued generosity has a very positive impact on our school community. For many of our pupils, these small but thoughtful gifts mean a great deal — bringing smiles, excitement and a sense of being valued and remembered. Acts of kindness like this help to create joyful memories and reinforce to our children that they are supported by a wider community that truly cares.

We are extremely grateful to The Bell Group for their kindness and continued support, and we thank them for helping to make this festive season extra special for our children.

A Magical Christmas Day at School 🎄

Our Christmas Day at school was filled with excitement, smiles and festive magic, making it a truly memorable final day for our children. From the moment pupils arrived, the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation — especially with the much-loved Santa’s Grotto, which brought joy, wonder and plenty of smiles to children and staff alike.

Days like this do not happen without an incredible amount of planning, care and dedication. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff, who went above and beyond to make this day so special. From setting up festive activities to supporting children throughout the day, their extra hard work ensured every child felt included, valued and able to enjoy the celebrations in a way that met their individual needs.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Cash for Kids, whose generous donations helped to make the day even more spectacular. Cash for Kids is a UK charity dedicated to supporting children and young people living in poverty, illness or with additional needs. They work tirelessly to ensure that children who may otherwise miss out are able to experience the joy and magic of occasions like Christmas.

Their kindness and generosity made a real difference to our pupils, helping to create special moments and lasting memories that will be cherished well beyond the festive season.

If you would like to support Cash for Kids and help them continue their amazing work for children and families, donations can be made via their website:
👉 https://www.cashforkids.org.uk/donate/

Thank you to everyone who helped make this Christmas Day such a success. It was a wonderful way to end the term and celebrate together as a school community. Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all, and we look forward to welcoming you back in New Year.