Headteacher's Weekly Update 32 - Friday 22nd May 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this letter finds you and your family well; a Friday update for you as always.

Attendance for the week of 11th - 15th May 2026 was 92%.  As we head towards the final half term of the academic year, I would really encourage all of us to make a strong push on attendance and punctuality.  We know attendance can be a complex issue for some families and young people and appreciate the support many of you provide behind the scenes each morning.  At the same time, every day in school matters enormously and strong attendance gives students the very best chance of success both academically and socially.

Attendance by Year group:

• Year 7 96.15%

• Year 8 93.13%

• Year 9 91.62%

• Year 10 90.47%

• Year 11 87.92%

  
  

Thank you to all the families who attended our Year 10 Progress Evening yesterday.  These events are incredibly important in helping students understand their current progress and identify the next steps as they begin preparing for their transition into Year 11.  It is always pleasing to see such strong engagement from families and students alike, with so many thoughtful conversations taking place.  Your continued support and encouragement at home play a vital role in helping students grow in confidence and achieve their potential.

This week, we celebrated National Numeracy Week across the school, with a range of exciting activities taking place for students throughout the week:

On Monday, students from Years 7–10 took part in a cross-curricular Treasure Hunt, solving numeracy-based challenges around the school site.  It was fantastic to see so many students demonstrating teamwork, resilience, and enthusiasm.  Our Numeracy Mentors also played an important role in supporting and encouraging participants throughout the event.  Tuesday saw students attend a numeracy workshop delivered by KPMG, focusing on tax, National Insurance, and how numeracy is used in everyday life and the workplace.  Students engaged thoughtfully with discussions and practical activities, while also gaining valuable insight into future careers and professional environments.  On Wednesday, students showcased their creativity through the Number Heroes Poster Exhibition, designing posters that explored how numeracy is used within their local communities and everyday lives.  The quality and imagination shown in the entries was outstanding, and selected Year 7 and 8 entries will now be submitted to the national competition.  Thursday’s Numeracy Building Challenge saw teams compete in the Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower Challenge, testing their problem-solving, collaboration, and engineering skills as they attempted to build the tallest free-standing structure.

The week concluded with a celebration event on Friday lunchtime, where winners and participants were recognised for their efforts and achievements.  Winners received prizes, certificates, and R5 points, while all participants received certificates and R3 points.  It has been wonderful to see students engaging so positively with numeracy in creative and practical ways, and the week has been another excellent example of the wider enrichment opportunities available at Kelmscott.   A huge thank you goes to Ms Sugathan and the Maths team for organising such a varied and engaging programme. 

A group of Year 9 and 10 boys recently visited Red Light Busking’s Bedroom Shut, Music Up Exhibition, an immersive experience exploring grime music, youth culture and the wider social issues linked to the criminal justice system.  During the visit, students listened to oral histories from people who grew up in Waltham Forest, explored an interactive recreation of a teenager’s bedroom from the early 2000s and took part in a treasure hunt-style activity.  The visit concluded with a live music performance and Q&A session.  Staff accompanying the trip were extremely proud of the maturity, engagement and conduct demonstrated by our students throughout the day.  Organisers also commented very positively on how well the students represented both themselves and the school.  

A group of Year 7 students, nominated as Reading Champions by their English teachers, took part in an online event this afternoon as part of the British Library’s Black British Literature Live! Programme.  During the session, students watched performances from schools across the country showcasing five critically acclaimed texts, before taking part in a live Q&A with renowned author Malorie Blackman. Following the webinar, students reflected on and discussed their thoughts and opinions on Malorie Blackman’s work together as a group.  It was wonderful to see such thoughtful engagement and enthusiasm for literature from our Reading Champions.

Another fantastic week of sport at Kelmscott has seen students demonstrate impressive performances, teamwork, leadership, and competitive success across a range of events.

A special mention must go to our Year 9 and 10 PE Sports Leaders, who recently supported and ran a local primary school sports day at Jenny Hammond Primary School.  Staff, parents and organisers were incredibly impressed with the maturity, enthusiasm and organisation shown by our students throughout the day, so much so that Kelmscott has already been invited back for next year’s event.  Students successfully led activities including relay races, speed bounce, javelin and the 100m sprint, representing the school brilliantly throughout.

Our Year 7 and 8 girls also enjoyed a successful athletics event on Tuesday, achieving some outstanding results.  The Year 8 relay team finished first in their heat, while Myah Farrugia and Talihya Lottrie both secured first place in their respective Year 8 200m heats.  Iris Bogan in Year 7 and Ellie Nickson in Year 8 each achieved second place in their events, while Sky Ashworth-Jones in Year 7 impressed in the field events, finishing second in a very competitive triple jump competition.

It was also an exciting start to the athletics season for our Year 7 and 8 boys competing at the Feel Good Centre.  Outstanding performances included Ivo Edwards finishing first in hurdles, Jayquan Lewin taking first place in the 100m, Sam Lyall-Lee finishing second in the 300m, and Renis Cuka achieving second place in both the 100m and shot put.

Tuesday lunchtime also saw the launch of our KS3 Dodgeball Club, with an excellent turnout from enthusiastic Year 8 students.  Students worked on throwing techniques before putting their skills into practice in a series of energetic games.  Staff are already looking forward to continuing the club after half term.

Well done to all students who competed, participated and represented the school so positively this week.  Their effort, sportsmanship, and commitment continue to make us proud.

Congratulations to our reward points winners for the week 11th - 15th May 2026:

• Year 7, Flyn Steel in 7C with 33 points

• Year 8, Caleb Evers in 8S with 40 points

• Year 9, Adela Ciolan in 9O with 28 points

• Year 10, Zikrea Turkmani in 10E with 35 points

• Year 11, Amelie Merry in 11K with 4 points.

  
  

A special mention to Caleb Evers in 8S, who topped the reward points chart with 40 points and was the overall top reward point winner across the school last week. 

Finally,  I would like to wish all of our families a happy and restful half term break and hope you enjoy some quality time together.  We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday 1st June at the usual time. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

With every good wish,

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher