Welcome To
Oldcastle Primary School
Inspire Motivate Educate
Welcome To
Oldcastle Primary School
Inspire Motivate Educate
We conducted a cost of living survey to better understand the needs of our school community. We were pleased to identify several strengths in our approach, as well as areas where we can further improve our support.
The school's efforts to support families during the cost of living crisis have been well-received and have had a positive impact. Feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing gratitude for the school's proactive approach and the practical assistance provided.
One of our key strengths identified from the survey is the way we support families and share information. We've been mindful of financial pressures and have consciously kept our requests for contributions low. Our free pre-loved uniform initiative has been a great success, helping families access school clothing free of charge. The survey also recognised our proactive approach in providing information about uniform grants and other financial support available.
We're proud of our good communication, advice, and signposting services, which have helped many families access the support they need. Our school food pantry has also been a valuable resource for many Oldcastle families. We are delighted that we can work in partnership with Baobab Bach to offer surplus supermarket food and grocery items to our families and the wider community at reduced cost.
We recognise there's always room for improvement. We're looking at ways to allow more time for payments and to extend our support to families who may be struggling. We are developing a cost-of-living calendar to help families plan for school-related expenses throughout the year.
In addition to expanding our free pre-loved uniform offerings, we're considering including non-uniform school items to help reduce families' costs. We also plan to provide more information about the various ways the school subsidises activities and resources to keep parents' costs down.
At Oldcastle Primary, we're committed to supporting our school community through these challenging times. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome as we work together to ensure every child has the best possible educational experience.
Oldcastle Primary, in partnership with Baobab Bach, supporting the community with weekly groceries.
The school is very keen to act as a hub and provide reduced cost food to families. Baobab Bach is an established organisation working with local organisations and volunteers to build and help sustain community pantries that provide a helping hand to those that need it. The organisation aims to promote good mental health, support the environment and eradicate food waste.
Baobab Bach provides surplus supermarket food and parents can pop into our community room and fill a bag with 15 items for £5.
To purchase a bag, participants should be a member of the Baobab Bach pantry scheme which costs £1 for life. Membership cards are available from Oldcastle Primary School.
We have been fortunate to receive further funding that allows us to top up our food pantry with fresh food on a weekly basis.
The pantry is open to all and we encourage all our parents and carers to make use of the facility.
We are delighted to be able to offer free school uniform via our uniform swap shop in main reception. We have a range of items and encourage parents to call in and make use of the pre-loved uniform. We also accept donations of uniform that children have grown out of.
Please do not hesitate to talk to us if you are struggling to buy food, uniform or heat your home.