Headteacher's Weekly Update 1 - Friday 4th September 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this letter finds you and your families well, a Friday update for you as always.

What a terrific start to the new academic year. It has been lovely to have our students back with us this week. They have returned looking incredibly smart and, most importantly, motivated and ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

One of the things I love most about schools is that we are afforded so many fresh starts: the beginning of a new term, the beginning of a new calendar year and, this week, the beginning of an entirely new school year. It is an opportunity for every one of us to reset, establish good habits and decide what we want to achieve in the months ahead.

I have had the pleasure of speaking to every year group in assemblies this week. My message has been simple: work hard, be determined, give everything you can in the classroom and out, but don't stop there. Take advantage of the myriad opportunities beyond lessons at Kelmscott and great things can happen.

A particular mention must go to our new Year 7 students. The gold ties have made a terrific start. They have been mature, polite and ready to learn, and have settled remarkably quickly into secondary school life. Well done, Year 7.

At the other end of the school, our Year 11 students have begun the year looking every inch the senior students we need them to be. They have an important year ahead and an equally important role in showing our younger students how we do things around here.

I shared two news stories from this summer. At just 17, Gracie Smith was selected for England's senior netball programme, having broken into the Netball Super League at 16. Her story is a wonderful reminder to our students that you do not have to wait until you are an adult to become exceptional at something.

I also spoke about the Youth Sport Games in Croatia, which involved almost half a million young people through its qualifying competitions. The emphasis was not simply on winning, but on friendship, teamwork, participation and spending time together away from screens. Another simple message: join in, put the phone down sometimes, and collect experiences.

Closer to home, we were delighted to hear that former Kelmscott student Michal Rosiak has signed for FC Twente. We are immensely proud of his achievement and wish him every success as his professional football career continues. 

Our clubs and co-curricular timetable is currently being finalised and we hope to share it very shortly. I would love every student to find something this year that interests, challenges or excites them.

Our PE team are wasting no time with our Year 7 girls’ and boys’ football trials taking place on the Green at Kelmscott on Tuesday 8th September. The trials will begin after Session 3 and finish at 4:30pm. Students wishing to take part must bring their PE kit and trainers to school. Parents and carers collecting their child should wait outside the school gates, where students will meet them at 4:30pm.

A reminder that our motto for this year is “No one belongs here more than you.”

We want every student to find their place at Kelmscott and to know that they belong here. That also means recognising that everybody else has exactly the same right to belong, regardless of their background, interests, personality or identity.  Our students do not need to change who they are to fit in. We want them to be themselves, be kind, find their people, find the things they enjoy and contribute positively to our community.

Our second-hand uniform event during the summer was a great success, with good-quality donated uniform made available free of charge to families in our community.  The success of the event does mean that our stocks are now rather depleted! Having seen some considerable growth spurts as students walked into assembly this week, I suspect many families have recently found themselves replacing uniform.

If you have used, but good-quality Kelmscott uniform at home that your child has outgrown, we would be extremely grateful to receive it. Please simply bring it to Reception or ask your child to give it to their form tutor. Something sitting unused in a wardrobe could make a real difference to another family.

We have a photographer in school on Monday. As well as the more traditional individual school photographs, they will primarily be capturing our students doing what we want them to be doing – learning. These photographs will be used on displays around the school to celebrate our students and bring our buildings to life.  Student headshots will be used for our internal school systems.

I also want to alert families to something that has concerned us this week.

We have become aware that young people can buy inexpensive tattoo gun kits online, of the type pictured here, and using it to give themselves tattoos. To be absolutely clear, these are not transfers or temporary: the equipment uses needles and ink to create permanent tattoos.

I was genuinely shocked by how cheaply and easily professional-style tattoo equipment appears to be available through online retailers popular with young people. Aside from the permanence of the tattoo itself, using this equipment without appropriate training and sterile procedures presents obvious risks including infection, scarring and blood-borne infection.

It is illegal in the UK to tattoo someone under the age of 18, except where carried out for medical reasons. Please talk to your child about the risks and, where appropriate, keep an eye on their online purchases and deliveries.  We will also be raising our concerns directly with the retailer regarding the ease with which this equipment appears to be accessible to children.

Supporting children to make healthier choices does not need to be complicated. Beezee Families provides free healthy-lifestyle programmes to help families across Waltham Forest build positive habits around food and physical activity. Programmes are available both in person and online.  Their latest Parent Mail, which includes straightforward advice from family nutritionists, is attached to this update. You can also visit the Beezee Families website to find out more about the free support available.

Families living in Waltham Forest, or whose children attend school in the borough, can access a wide range of free support for parents and carers. The September to December 2026 Parent/Carer Support Timetable includes practical family sessions, short online courses and specialist support covering areas such as sensory needs, co-parenting, bereavement, SEND and navigating the school system.  Further information is available through the Best Start Family Hubs support for adults webpage.

This year Edulink remains our single communication app for families. Please ensure that you are signed up, that your child is correctly linked to your account and that notifications are enabled. It is increasingly important that we have one reliable means of communicating quickly and effectively with all families.

If you are experiencing any difficulty accessing Edulink, please contact the school and we will be happy to help.

Our Rewards Points competition also starts again this year. We will begin celebrating our weekly year-group winners in next Friday's letter.  There is everything to play for, so I look forward to seeing who establishes an early lead.

It has been a genuinely positive first few days. There is a lovely atmosphere around the school and I have been particularly impressed by the maturity, smartness and enthusiasm with which our students have returned.

The challenge now is to maintain it.

Work hard, be kind. Get involved. Look after one another. And remember: no one belongs here more than you.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher