I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always.
I trust you have enjoyed your Tutor Parent day visits today, as we welcomed Year 7-10 families on
site to discuss your child’s progress. It was really nice for our staff to finally put a face to a name, as
it was the first time we have met some year 7-9 family members in person. Discussion points can
hopefully be turned into action on Monday as our young people look to further improve themselves
as students.
The improved behaviour over the last few years at Kelmscott is well publicised. We are proud too,
that the majority of our students conduct themselves just as well in the community, on their way to
and from school. Disappointingly though, there have been some isolated reports of poor behaviour
from a small number of students that has upset me recently. The reputation of Kelmscott is hugely
important to me, and it is the job of all of our community to uphold that reputation and, hopefully,
share all the good things about the school, with others outside of the school. With this is mind, we
shared a few reminders with students this week, that I would like to share with families too:
➔ Students are asked to go straight home at the end of the day
➔ Students are reminded to wear their Kelmscott uniform in full and create a positive
impression, taking pride in their appearance
➔ Students should be aware of their language and the volume of their voice, being respectful to
those around them
➔ We must all respect others’ property in the community, placing any rubbish in the nearest bin
or in a pocket until a bin is found
➔ If students visit a local community area such as a park, they should always behave in a
mature and responsible manner and be mindful of other people using the facility
➔ Students should be mindful when playground equipment is designed for primary students
and, therefore, should not be used by secondary aged students
➔ Students are also asked to be particularly aware of the elderly, primary school children,
prams, wheelchair users or visually impaired community members
We would be most grateful if you could talk through the importance of these sometime over the
weekend, as we work together to develop fantastic citizens and community members.
A polite request to families when dropping off your child in the mornings please. We have had a
number of complaints about cars stopping abruptly on Queens Road or Markhouse Road as well as in the Leisure Centre Car Park, as we approach 8.40am and our cut off for being late. This has nearly caused accidents on those roads as a result. We know that traffic in the local area, and Waltham Forest in general, can be very poor but encourage families to try to allow time for this, so that there is not a rush in the mornings. In an ideal world, secondary aged students can make their own way to school, on foot, if they live close enough, to ensure that the traffic is not an issue.
Whilst I recognise this message may grate somewhat, I hope you can respect this candid approach. At the heart of this message is the safety of our young people and other community members of course, something I know we can all buy in to.
Year 11 have begun their autumn exams this week, an excellent opportunity for us to see where they are on their respective learning journeys. We have received some information this week from
Ofqual, the exams regulator, about adaptations that will be made in the summer exam series, as a
result of the pandemic. More information and detail will follow in the New Year when we receive it. An example of an adaptation that is being made, is that formulae sheets will be given to students in Maths and Science exams, rather than the students having to learn them, as in previous years. Ofqual have asked me to share a letter to current Year 11 students and their families, this can be found in the link below.
Contingency plans are also being discussed nationally, just in case exams are not able to take place. This will be a very similar process to last year when teachers were asked to assess students on evidence collected in school, in exams as well as in class. I am hopeful that exams will take place in the summer but we will, of course, keep families updated here.
For your information, there have been five cases of Covid-19 this week in students, our additional
measures will still be in place next week including mask wearing I’m afraid.
I talked in this letter about the improved behaviour of students at Kelmscott, I would like to finish
with an example I witnessed on Thursday morning at the start of the day. A Year 9 boy approached me outside of school to say that he had found a five pound note outside the school gate and he wanted to see if we could return it to the rightful owner. Not long afterwards, a younger student reported to their form tutor that they had lost a five pound note on their way to school and we were able to return the money to them, allowing them to pay their non-uniform money. I am always humbled by such acts of kindness and integrity, it gives me great hope about this generation, and their enormous potential.
Finally, well done to Aariz Bhatti and Dilyan Ivanov, both in 7E, who topped the rewards charts last week with 26 points each, keep up the good work.
Please get in contact if we can be of assistance in any way with regard to your child’s education,
many thanks for your ongoing support.
Yours sincerely
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher