I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always.
It has been my pleasure, this week, to provide tours for our prospective Year 6 students and their
parents and carers, who are in the final stages of making their secondary school choices. I am always so very proud to show parents and students the Kelmscott school day - without fail, they always remark on how calm and purposeful our school is. My thanks to all students and staff, for extending such a warm Kelmscott welcome.
We had a busy day on Tuesday, with thirty of our GCSE geographers, off site exploring the Kings Cross redevelopment. Their field study included a walk around Coal Drops Yard, and a workshop with John McAslan & Partners, Architects, who were briefed to come up with a concept, to bring the redundant industrial sheds at King’s Cross back to life as a mixed-use development. An inspirational day for all students involved.
The Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge training took place in school on Tuesday. A full day of public speaking training with Dominic, a Speaker's Trust/Jack Petchey Foundation expert trainer, and twenty-five of our Year 10 students. The workshop nurtured students’ oracy skills and encouraged them to speak with confidence in public. It was fascinating to hear the perspective of our Year 10 student’s first hand. With topics explored and eloquently presented on topics including marriage, gaming and coding, social media, peer pressure, fashion, food, and the million dollar question, ‘what does the future hold for us?’
Congratulations to Dylan Chadwick, Rukhsar Hussain, Adam Hawrot and Zakaria Belgoufi who were the Kelmscott winners on the day. Their mature, composed delivery of their thought-provoking speeches were very impressive. We wish them luck as they enter a competition structure – sharing their speeches on school, regional and, potentially, national stages. Speeches are judged by panels of VIP judges, which helps to raise aspirations for students and the profile of young people in the community. The programme culminates in the Grand Final event, usually held at a West End theatre. Watch this space for future progress updates.
The college roadshow on Wednesday was an informative event for our Year 11s who were able to travel around the school hall, meeting with a variety of colleges and schools offering both A-Level and vocational opportunities. Students were able to ask questions about the courses they offer and pick up a prospectus and information to further consider their choices. It was so lovely to see some of our accomplished Kelmscott alumni, who confidently represented their current places of further education at the roadshow.
Thursday was a whole-school non uniform day, for those students and staff who wished to take part, donating £2 that will go towards the Kelmscott School Food Bank. Please get in contact if we can provide a parcel of food for your family on foodbank@kelmscott.waltham.sch.uk Students with an exemplary behaviour record this half term, were rewarded with an additional non uniform day, today. This amounted to an impressive number of students.
Year 11s are fast approaching their first set of exams as we continue to prepare them for the GCSEs in the summer. Selected Year 11 students have an extensive live online intervention programme this October half term. Year 11 students involved, will have been provided with all the details they need to access this opportunity. We hope that all of them will be working hard, this half term, on their revision in preparation for the autumn exams. School will be open in the half term should students require a study space, with computers available too.
We welcome our building contractors on to the school site, in early November, as work begins on the new ten-classroom teaching block. This is a prefab building that we hope will be ready for September next year. We lose a considerable amount of our playground space at the front of school, as a result, so are currently working hard to plan how we will manage this - more information to follow after the half term holiday.
There is a free cycling school this half term for secondary aged children at Memorial Park. Please see the link for details https://www.cycleconfident.com/sponsors/waltham-forest/ .
It’s been a very productive and fruitful half term in school, building on the success and momentum of last year; well done and thanks to all.
A reminder that we return to school on Wednesday 2nd November at the usual time; we wish you all a restful and enjoyable half term.
Finally, congratulations to Seema Anjum Suhail 8S who topped the rewards points charts last week with 37, keep up the good work.
Yours sincerely
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher
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