Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Thank you for your feedback!

  Mon 23 Mar 2026

  Thank you to all the parents who attended parents' evening.  74% of you attended which is amazing.  Thank you also to the 89 parents who completed the questionnaire and your lovely comments.  

   

  The results of the questionnaire and comments are shown below:

   

  Comments:

   

  Archie is thriving at Forestdale and he is always supported

  Not many after school activities are available for children

  Frankie absolutely loves school – She is happy here. She loves to learn, and it shows in her work

  I love Miss Ashe - Brilliant teacher

  I really appreciate all your support for my child

  Thank you, Mr Foster, Mr Cargill, Miss Munro and other teachers who support us, – Thank you again – Love you all

  Staff do their best, but some areas need a little more support with regards to difficult children

  I have a lot of support for the teachers – very good with communicating with me and each other

  I would like to see more extra activities e.g. music

  Study is good. Good staff and very caring and responsible

  No concerns – my children are very happy and so am I

  Thank you for your efforts you make with Emily during the school day

  Very satisfied!

  Great School

  Excellent experience – well done!

  Really happy with school life – no concerns

  We are happy with the development of our child at Forestdale – thumbs up

  We are very pleased with Mukundi’s work – she is showing great improvement - keep up the good work of moulding her

  We are very happy with the school staff including teachers

  Amazing school – always support when needed – thank you everyone

  I feel the fire really affected my child for a few weeks. So glad she has been helped to feel safe and content again

   

   

   

  

• School Wars Social Media Campaign Briefing for Parents and Carers

  Fri 06 Mar 2026

  School Wars Social Media Campaign Briefing for Parents and Carers

  We have been made aware of a social media campaign called school wars with a list of red schools pitted against blue schools urging students in each of the schools to combine as one team in getting involved in physical assault with points for beating someone up from the opposite team of schools and extra points for filming it or robbing a child.

  Schools in Birmingham are aware of the campaign which is being promoted on social media with no indication at present that this will take place. Schools are offering the necessary guidance and reassurance to children to refrain from getting involved and are being reminded to report any information and concerns to their school immediately. We are also sharing some helpful guidance for parents and carers to support your child as below:

  How you can help:

  • Speak with your child about staying away from any gatherings linked to this trend and the potential risks involved.
  • Continue to uphold a vigilance in respect of your child's mobile phone use.
  • Encourage your child to report any information or concerns through your school’s safeguarding reporting system.
  • If parents and carers hear or see anything worrying, including online posts, please report this to the police via 101, and notify the school as soon as possible.

  Our priority, as always, is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all our students. Thank you for your continued support in helping us address this matter promptly and responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your school.

  Finally, please feel free to reach out to me for any further information via email at Wasim.Arif@birmingham.gov.uk

• Parents Evening March

  Wed 25 Feb 2026

  Parents' Evening will be on the 17th and 18th March - a letter will go out on Monday 2nd March.

• LATEST UPDATE

  Mon 09 Feb 2026

  Good afternoon - I can confirm that Year 3 and Year 4 will be back tomorrow.

   

  Year 4 children need to come to the front entrance, Year 3 to their normal entrance.

   

  Year 2 will start back on Wednesday.

   

  Thank you all for your patience.

   

  Mr Foster

• LATEST UPDATE PLEASE READ

  Fri 06 Feb 2026

  6^th February 2026

   

  CRITICAL INCIDENT - UPDATE

   

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Thank you for your patience and continuing support following the fire that occurred on Thursday 29th January 2026. 

   

  School reopening

   

  The good news is that we are able to open part of the school on Monday.  Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6 will all be open as normal. Breakfast club will also be open and after school clubs will go ahead as planned.  

   

  Our plan for the rest of the school is subject to the working being carried out but this is what we hope:

   

  Tuesday – Year 3 start back as normal

  Tuesday - Year 4 start back as normal (temporarily based in the Rainbow room – children to be dropped off at the front entrance.)

  Wednesday – Year 2 start back as normal (temporarily based in the library – children to be dropped off at the front entrance.)

   

  I am hoping to confirm this in our communication Monday.

   

  Cause

   

  I know you will be concerned about the cause of the fire, and I want to reassure you that there were no structural or building issues that caused the fire. Initial findings suggest the fire was started deliberately. Whilst we do not yet know who was responsible, we are working with appropriate agencies to ensure this is fully investigated and that safety measures remain robust. I would like to reassure you that the fire was not caused as a result of an external person gaining access to the school or school grounds.

  Support for the children

   

  If you feel your child needs supporting following the incident, or you have any concerns please see me at the gate or arrange a meeting with me at the office.

   

  Moving forward all class teachers will be discussing the incident with their children following advice from The Birmingham Educational Psychology Service (EPS).  In addition to this, when the whole school are back in, the Fire Service will do a whole school assembly on the dangers of fire for Year 2 up to Year 6.

   

  Belongings

   

  If you have not collected your children’s belongings, please do so on Monday.

   

  INSET Day Change

   

  We have carried out our training this week and therefore have cancelled our INSET day on Monday 16^th March – so children will now be expected to be in school on that day.

   

  Next update

   

  We will update parents and carers again on Monday with an update including more news on the opening of Year 2,3 and 4. We understand that this is a worrying and disruptive time, and we are grateful for your patience and support. If your child feels anxious or needs additional reassurance, please let us know so we can support them.

   

  If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the school office on 0121 464 8659. Further information is available on our school website https://www.forestdale.bham.sch.uk/.

   

  Thank you once again for your cooperation and understanding.

   

  Best wishes,

   

  Mr D Foster

  Headteacher

  Forestdale Primary School

• LATEST UPDATE CRITICAL INCIDENT - PLEASE READ

  Mon 02 Feb 2026

  2nd February 2026

   

  CRITICAL INCIDENT - UPDATE

   

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Thank you for your patience and continuing support following the fire that occurred on Thursday 29th January 2026.  I have just met with Birmingham City Council about the plan going forward in order to reopen the school safely.  In order to do this, a large part of the school will need a specialised deep clean to make sure that any residue from the smoke is removed before children come back to school followed by safety checks.

   

  School closure

   

  School will be closed to children for the remainder of this week as the deep clean takes place.  It is hoped that school will reopen next week, I will know more by Friday when I will update you. 

   

  Year 2 and Year 4

   

  Following the deep clean, we will be moving Year 2 and Year 4 classrooms to the library and rainbow room at the front of the school.  This is to enable the contractors to seal off part of the building while they refurbish the bathroom and corridors.   Children for these classes will be dropped off at the front of the building using the side door to access the school.

   

   Collecting belongings

   

  Thank you for those parents who have collected their child’s belongings.  Can I ask the remainder of the belongings be collected Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning between 10.30am and 11.30am along with these a work pack will be waiting for you.

   

   

   

  Free School Meals (FSM) provision

   

  Please check your emails – if you are entitled to free school meals you would have received a voucher for Monday and Tuesday this week.  You will receive another one for the remainder of the week Wednesday.  If you have not received an email, please email enquiry@forestdale.bham.sch.uk

   

  Learning during closure

   

  Work packs for the rest of the week will be delivered by staff on Tuesday, and additional learning resources will be uploaded to our school website to support home learning during the temporary closure.  If you have not collected your child’s belongings, your work pack will be at school for collection between 10.30am and 11.30am on Tuesday or Wednesday.  There will also be online work please check your class page on the school website https://www.forestdale.bham.sch.uk/

   

  Next update

   

  We will write to all parents and carers again by 4.00pm on Friday 6^th February with an update on progress, the return timeline, and confirmation of reopening arrangements.

   

  We understand that this is a worrying and disruptive time, and we are grateful for your patience and support. If your child feels anxious or needs additional reassurance, please let us know so we can support them.

   

  If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the school office on 0121 464 8659. Further information and support are also available on our school website https://www.forestdale.bham.sch.uk/.

   

  Thank you once again for your cooperation and understanding.

   

  Best wishes,

   

  Mr D Foster

  Headteacher

  Forestdale Primary School

• URGENT - CRITICAL INCIDENT PLEASE READ

  Fri 30 Jan 2026

  30^th January 2026

   

   

  CRITICAL INCIDENT

   

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  I want to reassure you that everyone at Forestdale Primary School is safe following the fire that occurred on Thursday 29th January 2026.

   

  When the fire alarm sounded, pupils and staff evacuated immediately using our well‑practised procedures. Everyone left the building calmly and sensibly, and no one was hurt or injured. We are incredibly proud of how maturely the children responded, and I encourage you to praise them at home.

   

  A section of the school has been affected by fire and smoke. We are now working closely with the Fire Service and specialist building professionals to assess the full extent of the damage and plan the necessary repairs. We will only reopen once we are completely satisfied that it is safe.

   

  School closure

  For safety reasons, school will be closed to all pupils on Friday 30th January and Monday 2nd February 2026.

   

  Collecting belongings

  Pupils may come to school on Friday 30 January to collect any personal belongings from the Main Entrance (entry through the side door), which has not been affected by the incident. Staff will be on hand to support children and families.

   

  Free School Meals (FSM) provision

   

  We will be providing packed lunches for pupils eligible for Free School Meals. These can be collected from Main Entrance side door  between 10.30-11.30.

   

  Learning during closure

   

  Work packs will be available for pupils, and additional learning resources will be uploaded to our school website to support home learning during the temporary closure.

   

  Next update

  We will write to all parents and carers again by 4.00pm on Monday 2nd February with an update on progress, the repair timeline, and confirmation of reopening arrangements.

   

  We understand that this is a worrying and disruptive time, and we are grateful for your patience and support. If your child feels anxious or needs additional reassurance, please let us know so we can support them.

   

  If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the school office on 0121 464 8659. Further information and support are also available on our school website https://www.forestdale.bham.sch.uk/.

   

  Thank you once again for your cooperation and understanding.

   

  Best wishes,

   

  Mr D Foster

  Headteacher

  Forestdale Primary School

   

• What I wish my parents or carers knew…’: A guide for parents and carers on managing children’s digital lives

  Thu 08 Jan 2026

  The children's commissioner has produced a document to help parents to manage their children's digital lives.  Click on the link below to find out more!

   

  'What I wish my parents or carers knew…': A guide for parents and carers on managing children’s digital lives | Children's Commissioner for England

   

• Santa visits Forestdale with his very naughty Elf!

  Fri 19 Dec 2025
  

• A Merry Christmas to all

  Thu 18 Dec 2025

  We are enjoying our Christmas activities. The school raised over £200 at the Christmas fete. We have had a visit from Santa in Early Years and rumour has it he is back for KS1 and KS2 on Friday!  There have been amazing school nativities and we have the carol concert from KS2 today.

   

  Wishing you all a peaceful and safe winter break!