Headteacher Message

Rain, rain, go away.  Please come back another day.  We have not and will not be defeated by the weather.  Coats on, hats on and let’s get on with it.  It may be dreary outside but as ever there is plenty of warmth inside the school.  We have now finished the Spring term and Summer is officially on its way.  I wanted to share with you some significant wins this term and for the purpose of your eyes I will bullet point them.

• Our Year 5 and 6 Debate Mate team currently sit in the top ten schools in London.  I have personally witnessed some of their debating against other schools, and they are a formidable unit.  The whole school focus on oracy and vocabulary development can clearly be seen when watching them in action.   

• We have drastically increased our representation at borough sporting events.  This term we have run a girls’ and boys’ football team and a mixed tag rugby team.  We have also paid for specialist coaching for these teams.  It is a marathon and not a sprint, and it is fair to say that our football teams have found it hard against some of the bigger schools.  However, our tag rugby team has been a revelation - winning the majority of their games and just missing out on the knockout stages.  I am not competitive (I am!) but we will continue to strive to be the best we can be.

• We continue to develop our curriculum and some excellent work has continued this term on ensuring that children retain the knowledge they are taught.  I was just testing Year 2 on capital cities and they were excellent.

• Parental support of the school has increased. It has been so lovely to see various parents supporting the  school. At our forest school sessions, reading, assisting with maths and supporting our many trips. We have had a parent putting their design skills in action and supporting our geography teaching through map work in Reception. Thank you to all and a reminder that if you do have any spare time please contact the office. 

• There has been an increase in pupil and parental voice, this term.  The school council is increasingly involved in decision making and our newly established Eco Team is ready to go for the Summer term. They are just waiting for their badges.  The badges are rightfully very important!  Pupil voice has also resulted in the setting up of two new clubs for the summer term. The parental survey has been extremely helpful, and we will share with you the results after Easter.  

• A number of new families have been welcomed into the school.  We started the term with 192 children on roll and finish with 212.  It has been so lovely to see the way the community has welcomed these families, especially the children, who have looked after and nurtured our new arrivals.

We are expecting a visit from OFSTED early next term and will keep you informed about this.  Much has been written and said about the inspection process in this country.  I have my personal feelings about this but also recognise the need for accountability and will be using the inspection as an opportunity to celebrate what we do well at this school and learn how we become even better.  Talking about celebration, I would like to wish all of our families a happy and restful break. We look forward to seeing you in the super sunny summer term.

Joe Porter 

Communications

Sent Home

• Selected Students - Debate Mate Cup Trip

• Year 5 - Christ's Open Morning Information

• Year 5 - Swimming Summer Term Letter

• Whole School - Easter Reading Challenge

• Whole School - Esafety Newsletter

Stars of the Week!

Early Years Star of the Week

Wonder Class

Brandon - for always concentrating and thinking carefully when answering questions and for working so hard at phonics.

Peake Class

Darcie - for being a kind, caring member of the class and always concentrating hard. Well done, Darcie!

Weir Class

Olivia - for taking responsibility for her presentation in English and for challenging herself to be the best writer she can be! Well done, Olivia!

Walker Class

Whole Class - for having a wonderful term learning and enjoying lots of new activities. Well done, everyone! 

KS2 Star of the Week

Newton Class

Tipene - for trying really hard in his Maths work & for always having a positive attitude. 
Well done, Tipene!

Thunberg Class

Anthony - for his concentration and enjoyment whilst writing and drawing his Perseus comic strip.

Darwin Class

Whole Class - for the hard work they have put in throughout the term.

Attenborough Class

Eliza - for her commitment to her learning, making excellent progress in all subjects.

Parks Class

Teddy - for his enthusiastic attitude and great contributions in class.

Rashford

Leon - for being a welcoming friend when we have visitors and for his excellent classwork.