Headteacher's Weekly Update 19 - Friday 30th January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always.  There is much to share as we continue to work together to support our students’ wellbeing and success.

I am pleased to report that our attendance this week has risen to just north of 93%.  This is encouraging and shows the impact of families ensuring their children are in school consistently. Colds and sickness that affected us earlier in the term have abated for now, which has certainly helped our figures.  We want to keep improving further and thank you for your continued support with this.  As a reminder, there is a clear link between good attendance and strong GCSE outcomes, students with attendance above 95% are significantly more likely to meet or exceed their GCSE targets than those with attendance below 90%. 

Year group attendance:

• Year 7 - 94.43%

• Year 8 - 94.73%

• Year 9 - 92.75%

• Year 10 - 91.30%

• Year 11 - 91.73%

  
  

You may be aware that earlier this week the Secretary of State wrote to Headteachers regarding mobile phones.  The letter makes clear that phones are not allowed in school, and this aligns with the position we already take at Kelmscott.  Nationally and politically, there continues to be ongoing discussion about the impact of smartphones and social media, on young people’s wellbeing and learning.

For the last three years, we have strongly encouraged our new Year 7 students not to have a smartphone at all.  A basic “brick” phone for calls and texts, with perhaps an Apple AirTag or similar for security, does the job well.  It will be interesting to see how policy evolves as a country. As always, we aim to strike a balance, working with families to protect our students, while also preparing them for adult life where technology is an integral part of the world.   It is a tricky line to tread and we appreciate your partnership here.

This week we marked Holocaust Memorial Day on Tuesday, a day of remembrance and reflection on the atrocities of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.  In assembly and tutor time, students considered the importance of memory, tolerance, and standing against hatred in all its forms.  Today, we held a two-minute silence to remember those who were murdered.  In times when antisemitism and other forms of prejudice are rising, it is more important than ever to reinforce our values of kindness, inclusion and respect across our school community.

Sports now; last night, the Year 7 A and B football teams were in action against Lammas.  In two very competitive matches, the wins went to Kelmscott, 2-0 and 1-0.  Man of the Match went to Muhammad Mahmood (7O), who worked tirelessly off the ball and played simple, effective football.

Today, our Sports Leaders, accompanied by Mr Sang, represented Kelmscott at the Score Centre in Leyton.  They delivered a series of golf sessions to groups of Year 1 primary school pupils.  I look forward to sharing more about this next week.

Best of luck to our Year 10 basketball team as they compete in their semi-final against Frederick Bremer next Tuesday.  The team has been training hard and it promises to be an exciting game.

Unfortunately, an opportunist thief climbed onto the school site and stole a bike that was left unlocked.  The police have been involved and we are continuing to review site security.  We also checked the bikes in our bike sheds and noted how many are not locked.  Please ensure that if your child rides a bike to school, that they bring a secure lock to protect it.  Thank you, this small step makes a big difference.

We were pleased to see The Felix Project this week, providing free fruit and vegetables to members of our community from a ‘pop-up shop’ based in the Walthamstow Leisure Centre car park.  They will return during the half-term holiday on Tuesday 17th February.  For more information about The Felix Project, please see here.

We are always working to ensure Kelmscott is a calm and purposeful place to learn.  Many years ago we removed our school bells to support this aim, and to encourage students to take personal responsibility for their timekeeping.  Lessons are always calm and purposeful, and while break and lunchtime can be noisier, as is to be expected with young people, we want all students to be self-aware and respectful of others.  For some, including neurodiverse students, quieter conditions are particularly helpful.  Over the coming weeks we will be talking with students about being mindful of noise and considerate of the needs of others.  Any support you can give us with reinforcing this message at home would be much appreciated.

An opportunity for students, interested in a career in the NHS, to undertake virtual work experience on Sunday 1st February at 9:30am.  Students will hear from a live guest speaker and follow patient journeys, gaining insight into working within an NHS multidisciplinary team across roles such as nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, radiography and pharmacy.  For more information, please see here.

A February half term opportunity; Monday 16th - Friday 20th February performing arts school X7eaven, presents Spoken Minds, a youth-driven and creative arts programme that connects Black boys and young men (10 to 25 years-old) with wellbeing support through culture, creativity and peer voice.   For more information please see here.

Classics Club will launch after February half term on Wednesday after school in L103.  Students will have the opportunity to explore further aspects of the classical world beyond those studied in lessons.  The club will begin with the Leeds University Greek Mythology Drama Competition, offering shortlisted entrants the chance to visit the university campus and perform in front of academics.  There are plans for further opportunities in the future, including trips and guest speakers.   Please note that the competition is KS3 only, and the club is primarily aimed at KS3 students, although any student with a keen interest to attend should speak to Mr Hailes.

Bon voyage to our Kelmscott students heading off to Barcelona next week.   We wish you a safe and memorable trip and I look forward to sharing highlights from the visit in my future updates to families.

Finally, well done to all our reward points winners for the week of 19th - 23rd January 2026. Special congratulations go to Milo Rossiter (10M) who topped the school with an excellent 34 points, a fantastic effort, and keep up the great work.

     ➪ Year 7, Nilufar Omarova in 7L with 29 points

     ➪ Year 8, Lukas Grazulis in 8C with 30 points

     ➪ Year 9, Asliddin Omarov in 9T with 32 points

     ➪ Year 10, Milo Rossiter in 10M with 34 points

     ➪ Year 11, Aseda Agyemang Prempeh in 11E with 16 points.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

With every good wish,

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher