Letter from the Governors

Dear Parents/Carers and Darell School Community

It has been another very busy term at Darell and it is hard to believe that 2025 is almost over. Time flies and when we are all so busy it is sometimes difficult to take the time to reflect on achievements and successes before we move on to the next challenge. I wanted to take this opportunity to do just that and outline some of the challenges the school continues to face.

We now have a full Governing Body with a wide range of skills and experience (you can find out more about the governors here and we have reorganised the way we work to try to be more efficient and supportive for the school –this is work in progress but with three new Committee Chairs (Elaine, Felisa and Janica) we are well on our way!

Governors are there to support with the School Development Plan priorities and to monitor progress towards those objectives. For Darell the focus this year includes

Improving outcomes in Mathematics across the school – lots of work being done to further enhance Mathematics learning in school. There are some useful workshops for Reception and Key Stage One parents coming up to show parents how to support their children at home and particularly to understand the mathematical language the children use everyday. We had a very interesting discussion in an Achievement and Curriculum Committee meeting about the difference between a square, a rectangle and an oblong!
Improving school attendance – this is a national and Darell priority. There is a direct link between good school attendance and punctuality, and achievement. Children who miss school also miss out on the social experiences that school provides and can find it difficult to maintain friendships. Darell had a high number of persistent absentees last year (below 90% attendance) and are working hard to improve this.
Money, Money, Money – as in all schools (and everywhere else!) income remains the primary challenge, particularly when pupil numbers are small. We are working hard to promote Darell as the school of choice in the local area and anything you can do to support this is much appreciated! We are also looking at ways to make the most of the school building which is now available for lettings (the hall is great for birthday parties!). Please contact the school office if you want to find out more.

Finally, the real strength and real USP of the school – the wonderful Darell staff! It is very unusual (particularly in London) to find such a stable and committed staff team as there is at Darell. Mr Porter is now the longest serving Headteacher in this area (and we want to keep it that way!) and the fact that the whole staff team all know every child so well is such a credit to the school – the individual greeting, the chat at playtime about a particular interest or the goodbye at the end of the school day help to make Darell the special place that it is where everyone is welcomed!

I would like to thank you all for your support during the last term and to wish everyone a very happy festive season and best wishes for 2026!

With kind regards

Laura Morgan and the Governors of Darell Primary School

Newsletters

Newsletter 14 – Friday, 12th December 2025

Headteacher Message

Letter from the Governors

Communications Sent Home

The Reading Corner

EYFS Star of the Week

Reception

KS1 Star of the Week

Year 1

Year 2

SRP 1

Nurture Star

KS2 Star of the Week

SRP 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

What's going on in the community?

Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink

Meet Santa in his Magical Grotto 2025

Christmas Moonlight Swim

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