School Newsletter : 23 October 2026

Nursery and Reception Curriculum Workshop

A huge thank you to the parents and carers who joined our workshop. It was lovely to see so many of you and share how we support your children’s learning, particularly early reading and writing. If you couldn’t make it, we hope the resources shared by email and at Parents’ Evening were helpful. We’re grateful for your partnership in giving our youngest learners the best possible start.

Autumn Term Parent-Teacher Evening

Thank you to all the families who joined us this week. Sharing the children’s progress is always a highlight, and we hope you enjoyed seeing the work they were proud to show you. From the pieces chosen by pupils in Years 1–6 to the work samples and floor books in Early Years, there was so much to celebrate.

Your encouragement and interest make such a difference. Thank you for your continued support, and we wish all our families a happy and restful half-term break!

School Choir

Our School Choir have been working hard this half term, learning a wonderful selection of music for a busy and exciting Christmas season.

The children are preparing six movements from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins for a performance at St Gabriel’s Church on 2 December. They will also lead the singing at our school carol service at St John’s Smith Square on 7 December, including This Little Babe by Benjamin Britten and Angels’ Carol by John Rutter, before sharing their festive music at the Abbey Community Centre on 14 December.

Alongside these performances, the choir are helping to create a brand-new Christmas song with Westminster School. It will be recorded and filmed in November, ready for public release in early December. We are incredibly proud of the children’s enthusiasm, commitment and hard work, and look forward to hearing them perform!

KS1 STEM Club

Our budding scientists have enjoyed a term full of discovery! Before each experiment, the children made predictions, tested their ideas and discussed what they found.

Their hands-on investigations included watching raisins “dance” in lemonade, exploring surface tension using milk, food colouring and washing-up liquid, and testing whether an orange floats or sinks with and without its peel.

To round off the term, the children built their own cone-shaped volcanoes. Using vinegar, washing-up liquid and baking powder, they were delighted to watch their creations erupt! We are proud of their curiosity and enthusiasm, and look forward to more exciting experiments next term.

Woof!

How is it already the end of half term? It has flown by, with so much learning, fun and excitement across the school!

Sadly, I missed several days this week after an accident while running in my garden left me unable to walk on my back legs. I was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital in Wanstead, which was worrying for everyone, but I’m very happy to say I’m now back on all fours and feeling much better.

The veterinary team took wonderful care of me, although I was very relieved to come home last night and curl up in my own bed. A huge thank you to Year 1 for their lovely get-well cards and the beautiful artwork they made to thank the team who looked after me. You certainly helped cheer me up!

I’ll be having a very quiet half term, with plenty of rest so I’m ready for a pawsome return as we head towards Christmas.

Wishing you all a safe, happy and restful break. See you in November!

Biscuit x

Please do not include:

• Crisps, sweets or chocolate bars
• Fizzy or sugary drinks, including juice drinks such as Capri-Sun or Fruit Shoot
• Probiotic drinks such as Actimel, Yakult or kefir drinks
• Desserts in excess of the guidance above
• Any nut products, including chocolate spreads containing nuts

School Trips and Packed Lunches

Packed lunches for school trips should also be healthy and balanced, following the guidance above. However, one small packet of crisps may be included on a school trip, whether the lunch is provided from home or by school.

All other items listed above as unsuitable should not be included in trip packed lunches. A balanced lunch will help pupils stay focused and energised throughout the day.

Thank you for your support in helping us encourage healthy habits and keep our whole school community safe.

October:

• Monday 26th–Friday 30th: October half term.

November:

• Monday 2nd: Go Create Workshop for Year 5 (1/6). In school.
• Thursday 5th: Year 4 ITSU Youth Kitchen Program (Session 1/5). In school.
• Friday 6th: Year 6 Trip to Westminster Abbey (Not Forgotten Project). Pupils will have lunch before they leave.
• Monday 9th: Go Create Workshop for Year 5 (2/6). In school.
• Wednesday 11th: Remembrance Service. Families are warmly invited to join us for this service. Please arrive at the black school gates for entry to the playground (outdoor service; weather permitting), at 10:40.
• Thursday 12th: Year  4. ITSU Youth Kitchen Program (Session 2/5). In school.
• Thursday 12th: Children in Need. Non-unifom day. More information to follow.
• Friday 13th: Y6 Trip to the Royal Albert Hall 13:00 – 17:00. More information to follow.

November (continued):

• Monday 16th – Friday 20th: Anti – Bullying Week. More information to follow.
• Monday 16th: Odd Socks Day
• Thursday 12th: Year 4 ITSU Youth Kitchen Program (Session 3/5). In school.
• Thursday 19th: BC Choir & Westminster Music Partnership Filming Session. The Manoukian Music Centre,  15:00 – 16:30. More information to follow.
• Monday 23rd: Go Create Workshop for Year 5 (3/6). In school.
• Thursday 26th: Year 6 Moving the Dust Away Musical Show at Kensington Town Hall. 09:30 – 14:00. More information to follow.
• Thursday 26th: Year 4 ITSU Youth Kitchen Program (Session 4/5). In school.
• Friday 27th: INSET DAY. School CLOSED to all pupils

Pupils are welcome to continue to wear their school summer uniform until the end of September. However, as the weather changes to more cooler and wetter patterns, all pupils will need to be wearing the Autumn/Winter School Uniform from the beginning of October, or sooner if they wish.

Please ensure that all pieces of school uniform are named.

Please ensure that your children are wearing the correct school uniform to school each day. It is important that all pupils are also wearing the correct school shoes – which are black shoes, and not trainers.

The  Autumn/Winter term uniform options for pupils in Nursery to Year 6 are:

Please find here the agreed term dates set by our school’s Governing Body for the upcoming academic year, starting September 2026.

Please remember that holidays will not be authorised during the school term, and that all children should be in school, and on time, every day.

The first half term has flown by! With rainy days keeping us busy indoors, Preschool have enjoyed baking and getting creative.

This week, the children made delicious carrot muffins. “I make these at home!” one child told us. Together, they explored how to use the grater safely before taking turns grating the carrots, developing their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The muffins were a welcome treat at afternoon snack time!

The children also made pink playdough. One child was so proud of his gingerbread figures that he showed everyone, and his classmates celebrated his creativity with lovely comments. It has been a happy end to our first half term, full of learning and shared achievements. We wish all our Preschool families a lovely half-term break!

Nursery have had a wonderful week exploring autumn. The children examined pumpkins and squash, feeling their textures and noticing their different colours. They also talked about the changing season and observed the leaves beginning to fall around them.

In writing, the children helped create instructions for a very lost bear to find his way home to the North Pole after getting confused in the city. In maths, they explored the numbers 1, 2 and 3, looking closely and counting carefully to find how many objects were in each group.

Thank you to all our Nursery families for your support throughout a lovely first half term. We wish you a happy and restful break!

In maths, Reception have been developing their subitising skills, recognising small quantities without counting each object. Using arrangements of objects and familiar dice patterns, the children practised identifying how many they could see and explaining how they knew, building their number sense and confidence. At the water tray, the children enjoyed washing pumpkins with sponges, exploring their different sizes, shapes and textures. This hands-on activity also helped develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

This week in PSHE, Year 1 discovered that teamwork can be fan-tastic! Working in pairs, the children took turns decorating a paper fan, with two minutes to add their ideas before passing it to their partner. Each finished fan combined both children’s contributions, helping them practise taking turns, respecting others’ ideas and creating something together. Their final challenge was to agree on a fair way to share their creation, exploring kindness, compromise and what it means to be a good partner.

This week, Year 6 have completed diary entries inspired by One Day by Michael Rosen. Writing from Eugène’s perspective, the children explored his thoughts and feelings as he recalls his attempt to escape from Drancy. Through carefully chosen vocabulary, descriptive language, rhetorical questions and varied sentence structures, they conveyed his fear, uncertainty and hope, creating atmosphere and bringing his experiences to life.

As our first half term draws to a close, there is plenty to reflect on. Visits to Tate Britain and Benjamin Franklin House brought history, art and science beyond the classroom, while our Not Forgotten project with Peter Daniel from Westminster Archives deepened the children’s understanding of the First World War and its impact on our local community. Across the curriculum, they have shown growing confidence, teamwork and responsibility, particularly during their first Year 6 class assembly.

The children are continuing to settle into Year 6 routines and expectations. Next half term, we look forward to building on these foundations, strengthening their independence and supporting them through new challenges. We wish all our Year 6 families a restful and enjoyable half term.