Messages
Message from the PTFA
Page 14
Newsletter 3 - December 2025
We’re delighted to share that our recent Christmas Fayre
was a great success, which raised around £4000 for the
pupils. Thank you to everyone who supported the event
in any way. The PTFA has also been busy providing
refreshments at a number of school events, including the
Grandparents’ Mass and the Year 12 Prize evening.
Looking ahead, we will be supporting at the Advent Mass
on Thursday,18th December by providing refreshments
and we will be holding a raffle with cash prizes, hampers,
restaurant vouchers and more. Please email: ptfa-
chair@strichardscc.com if you wish to purchase some
raffle tickets before the Advent Mass. Our next big
fundraising event will be St Patrick's Night celebration on
March 8th 2026.
The PTFA raises vital funds for the school, and we really
do need more members to allow us to keep going. If
you’re able to help - even just for one event a year - it
makes a huge difference.
If you’d like to join the PTFA or find out more, please
contact Helen on 07855 409022 or Rachel on 07855
225419. Thank you for your continued support.
A Christmas message from the
Governors at St Richard’s
As we approach the end of another busy term, the
Governors of St Richard’s wish to share our heartfelt
gratitude and blessings with our entire school community.
This holy season reminds us of God’s love and the hope
that Christ brings into our lives. We give thanks for the
dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and
the unwavering support of families. Together, we continue
to nurture a community rooted in faith, learning, and
compassion.
May the peace and joy of Christ fill your hearts and
homes this Christmas. We pray that the New Year brings
renewed strength, happiness, and opportunities to grow
in faith and love.
Kirsty Eydmann, Chair of Governors
As expected in the winter months, seasonal
illnesses are circulating and to support
parents, please click here to view the NHS
guidance to know when a child is too ill for
school. Pupils should not miss school as a
precaution and can normally attend school
with a cough or cold.
If your child has a high temperature please keep them
at home until this goes away. Encourage good hygiene
habits; regular handwashing, using tissues to catch
coughs and sneezes and using hand sanitizer. If a pupil
has diarrhoea or vomiting, they will need to be kept off
school and should not return for 48 hours from the last
episode to prevent this from spreading.
Free School Meals
Your child may be able to receive free school meals if you are
in receipt of Universal Credit (provided you have an annual
net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by
earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment
periods):
Who is eligible for free school meals?
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or
whose parents are in receipt of,
one or more of the following benefits:
•
Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned
income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings
from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
•
Income Support
•
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
•
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
•
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act
1999
•
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
•
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to
Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of
no more than £16,190)
•
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you
stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
If you want to find out more, please visit the Parents section
of the school website here. Government information on Free
School Meals can be found here.
Sportitude Fully Funded Winter Holiday Camps for Free
School Meals Children:
Sportitude can help to support your pupils and families,
who need it the most, over the Christmas period, using the
considerable funding that ESCC has provided us through
the DfE's HAF program. Since the HAF program began,
Sportitude has been the single-most funded provider in the
county, and this is because the local authority recognises our
track record of producing inclusive, safe and fun provisions
that are particularly adept at managing those children
with physical, emotional and educational challenges. Our
Holiday Camps are generally sports based, but we also offer
alternative activities. Furthermore, we provide a healthy
and hot meal for all through a collaboration with a local
food delivery company. Find more information about the
Christmas programmes here.
HAF Holiday Food and Fun
The winter holiday is approaching and Holiday food and
fun! is back! Eligible families can find out what’s available
and book a place on the HAF booking website. This DfE
funded programme offers a range of exciting activities for
young people who receive benefits-related free school meals.
Parents can check if they qualify by reading the East Sussex
County Council website Free school meals page.
All sessions include a healthy meal and are free to eligible
young people. There is a great range of clubs spread across
multiple venues in East Sussex. Activities include sport, art,
theatre, forest school, animation, music, dance and circus
skills.
If you have any questions about Free School Meals or the
Pupil Premium Grant, please contact Mr Steele at mrsteelej@
strichardscc.com
Miss Thompson, Pupil Support Manager
Help for families