Headteacher's Weekly Update 1 - Friday 5th September 2025

Dear Parents/Carers

I hope this letter finds you and your families well, a Friday update for you as always, as we come to the end of the first week of the new school year.

We have had a very positive start back at Kelmscott. Our students have returned smart, polite and enthusiastic, which has been very encouraging indeed.  They have gone out of their way to make our new Year 7s feel welcome, which is lovely to see.  Thank you, as always, for your support in ensuring that your children have returned well presented, well equipped and ready to learn.

In my first assembly of the year, I spoke about the idea of a fresh start for every year group.  I reminded students of the importance of hard work both inside and outside the classroom, and of taking up the many opportunities that we provide, whether that is clubs, trips, visits or workshops.  These experiences enrich students’ time at school and help them grow in ways beyond the academic.

I include for your attention, a letter from the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, addressed to parents and carers on Best Start in Life.  You can read it in full here.

As a reminder, energy drinks have always been banned at Kelmscott.  Research is clear that they are not suitable for children: the very high levels of caffeine and sugar can affect sleep, concentration and behaviour, as well as longer-term health.  The government is also moving towards an under-16 ban on their sale nationally.  We ask for your continued support in ensuring that these drinks are not brought into school.  Water bottles, which can be refilled throughout the day, remain the best way for students to stay hydrated and alert for learning.

A timely reminder for all parents and carers: if your child is eligible for free school meals, please make sure to apply – even if they already qualify.  Every application helps ensure our school receives the vital funding.  For more information please see here. 

Mr Smith is working hard on finalising our clubs timetable, which we hope to share with families next week. We will also run a freshers fayre style event for our Year 7 students, where they can browse what is on offer and even suggest clubs that do not currently exist.  This has been a popular and effective way of getting students involved right from the start.

Please do encourage your child to speak to the PE team about any sports trials or clubs they may be interested in.  Further details, including the dates for any trials,  will be shared with students during their PE lessons.  The PE co-curricular timetable will be published next week, so please keep an eye out for it.  We are proud to offer a wide range of sporting activities and warmly encourage students to get involved and try something new.

We will be practising a fire drill at some point next week, and later in the half term, a lockdown drill as part of our preparations under Martyn’s Law.  For those unfamiliar, this new legislation is about strengthening security in public spaces.  Whilst we have never had cause to evacuate or lock down the school in this way, it is vital that we are prepared.  In many ways, it is a little like buying insurance, the best way of ensuring nothing ever happens is to prepare thoroughly.  I would be grateful if you can talk to your daughters and sons about this, emphasising its importance whilst also providing reassurance at the same time.

The following important message comes from the Waltham Forest Health Team, which we fully support as a school.  Vaccination is the most effective way to protect children, families, staff, and the wider community from infectious diseases.   Thanks to vaccines, illnesses such as smallpox, polio and tetanus that once caused widespread illness and death are now eradicated or rarely seen. However, if vaccination rates fall, these diseases can return quickly.

Vaccination UK, commissioned by NHS England, will be visiting all Waltham Forest schools twice during 2025/26 to deliver routine vaccinations.  This includes the flu vaccine for all year groups (autumn term), the HPV vaccine for Year 8 (spring), the 3-in-1 booster and MenACWY for Year 9 (spring), and MMR catch-up for any year group if needed.

You can read more about each vaccination here: Flu, HPV, 3-in-1 booster, MenACWY, MMR.

Please note that halal flu vaccinations are available and can be requested either when completing consent forms or by contacting Vaccination UK directly.  We strongly encourage families to take up this offer, vaccination is one of the simplest and most effective ways of keeping our children and community safe.

The Waltham Forest health team has asked us to make families aware of a dangerous online trend that has resurfaced recently, known as the “Salt and Ice Challenge.”  This involves young people placing salt on their skin and then pressing ice on top.  It can cause severe cold burns, similar to frostbite, sometimes requiring hospital treatment or even skin grafts.  The harm is often not obvious until it is too late.  If this does occur, the advice is to cool the area with lukewarm running water for at least 10 minutes, cover with clean cling film and seek medical help.  Please do not use ice, creams or fluffy dressings. 

The message for our young people is clear: hurting yourself for likes online is never worth it, the scars, both physical and emotional, can last a lifetime.

The Waltham Forest Mental Health Support Team has announced a series of upcoming webinars that students and parents might find helpful and informative.  Please see here for more information.

As I mentioned in my Summer update to families, and not wishing to be alarmist, I do feel it is important to keep this matter at the forefront of our thoughts.  Sadly, phone theft continues to be an issue in the borough, and we would therefore strongly urge students to exercise caution when using their phones on their journeys to and from school.

An opportunity I would like to share for children with disabilities aged 11 and over to join The Together Troupe for weekly performing arts classes.  Created by The Together Space in partnership with sisters Emily & Sophie from Down The Lens, this course offers a space for children with disabilities to explore, develop and showcase their creative skills.  Build confidence through music, drama and dance with fun and engaging sessions - culminating in an end of term performance for friends & family.  For more information please see here.

We will not have our top reward points winners until next Friday’s letter, but I look forward to sharing those with you soon, hopefully with some new names on the list this year.

I wish you and your families an enjoyable and restful weekend.

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher