I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always.
We bid a very fond farewell to Year 11 yesterday, who finally left us, having completed the last of
their exams; the Physics element of their Science GCSE. They then enjoyed the usual rites of
passage, with shirt-signing and an emotional leavers assembly, with an excellent speech from their
Head of Year Ms Thorp. We will see many of Year 11 again at the Prom this evening and, of course, at GCSE results day on Thursday 25th August – more information about that via MyEd nearer the time.
I think the Class of 2022 deserve a huge well done on the successful completion of Year 11, what a five years they have had. To think that their last ‘normal’ year was back in Year 8 is incredible.
Despite the challenges of the last few years, they have always been incredible role models to the
younger year groups. Their resilience, regardless of what has been thrown at them, has been
second to none. I really hope they enjoy a fantastic, long, summer holiday.
Of course, they are at the start of a very exciting new stage in their lives, but the shared experience
that they have as a year group, is a bond that will never be broken. I urge Year 11 to stay in touch,
and keep us updated on the many successes I know they will all have in the coming years.
A reminder that masks have now been phased out at school and are no longer allowed to be worn
unless families have written in to form tutors. There are a number of students, understandably,
feeling quite anxious about this measure, but we are working hard with those individuals and their
families, to support them in adjusting to the removal of masks, in the coming weeks. As I hope is
always the case, a common sense approach prevails, many thanks for your support with this matter.
Our school community showed great resilience this week in dealing with the challenges of the train
and tube strikes. Staff pulled together, sharing lifts, to ensure that no members of staff were absent
on the days, and students too did very well to attend school on the two days. Accompanying this
letter is a poster about walking zones, how long it takes to walk to Kelmscott from a three mile, or
so, radius. This forms part of our TFL STARs accreditation to encourage young people to be more
physically active, and environmentally conscious, on their way to and from school. It feels
particularly timely to share this, this week.
It was non-uniform day today in school, with students paying for the privilege of wearing their own
clothes for the day. The proceeds will be split between the Kelmscott Food Bank and Praxis, a
charity that provides advice, support and a place to meet for vulnerable migrants and refugees.
This seemed particularly pertinent to us here in school, due to the increasing number of Ukrainians
arriving in our community, as well as the fact that it was Windrush Day yesterday.
Co-curricular opportunities this week included Natasha Ramirez-Chibebe, from Year 10, taking part in an event with the Royal African Society. Natasha was part of a student panel which discussed, along with a teacher panel, ways in which the curriculum could be further diversified. Well done Natasha for representing the school on this important topic, and with such confidence. In addition, Year 9 students, studying Classics next year, enjoyed a trip to the Greenwood Theatre to see The Plague at Thebes, to deepen their understanding of Ancient Greece.
Prior to the publication of next year’s school calendar, shortly, please note the September return to
school dates. Year 7s only will return on Monday 5th September and Years 8-11, along with Year 7 on Tuesday 6th September 2022. Please be mindful that you may be liable for a
fine if your child does not return to school on these dates; the policy dictates that taking a holiday
during term time will result in the issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice fine of £120 per parent, per child.
Finally, well done to Antonio Gianguzzi in 7C who topped the reward points chart with a noteworthy thirty-one.
Yours sincerely
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher