Headteacher's Weekly Update 33 - Friday 5th June 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this letter finds you and your family well.  Welcome back to the final half term of the academic year.  As always, a Friday update from me.

Attendance for the week before half term (18.05.26 - 22.05.26) was 91%.  Whilst this is lower than we would like, it mirrors the national picture.  A new half term provides us with a fresh opportunity though. As I know you are aware, every day in school matters. We know that attending school regularly is not always straightforward and can cause anxiety for some young people, but attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success, wellbeing and future opportunities. Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child attends school every day and arrives on time.  I know we will work together to make this a positive final half term.

Attendance by Year group:

• Year 7 96.15%

• Year 8 93.13%

• Year 9 91.62%

• Year 10 90.47%

• Year 11 87.92%

  
  

You may have seen recent media coverage regarding mobile phones and social media. The government has announced plans to place existing guidance on mobile phones in schools onto a statutory footing, effectively strengthening the expectation that schools remain phone-free environments.  The debate continues nationally, with discussion around the impact of smartphones on learning, concentration, wellbeing and social interaction, alongside questions about how schools and families work together to manage technology use.

As families know, Kelmscott has long had a clear expectation that mobile phones should not be seen or heard during the school day.  We will continue to monitor developments carefully and give thoughtful consideration to our approach moving forward.  As part of this work, students will shortly be completing a survey about mobile phones, smartphones and social media use.  This will help us better understand the experiences of our young people and inform future discussions with families.

As the weather improves, this week aside perhaps, I would also like to remind families about our summer uniform expectations.  We remain committed to maintaining the high standards that our community rightly expects. Top buttons should be fastened and shirts tucked in at all times.  If students are feeling warm, the first item to be removed should be their school jumper.  If students remain too warm, blazers may then be removed and carried by hand.  This helps to ensure that blazers, often the most expensive item of school uniform, do not become creased or damaged when stuffed into bags.  As such, we should never see students wearing a jumper without also wearing their blazer.

A reminder that Tutor-Parent Day will take place on Thursday 11th June for students in Years 7–10.  These meetings form an important part of our partnership with families, providing an opportunity for students, parents/carers and tutors to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements and discuss priorities and next steps for the remainder of the academic year.

Please note that students are only required to attend school for their allocated appointment time and should arrive promptly for their meeting.  Students who do not attend their scheduled appointment will be marked absent and the absence will not be authorised.

Students are expected to attend in full school uniform including their lanyard and ID.

For Year 10 families, attendance at the meeting itself is optional for parents, as students have recently had their Progress Evening and we appreciate that work and family commitments can make attendance challenging.  However, every Year 10 student will still have an important meeting with their form tutor as we begin to look ahead to Year 11 and the significant year that lies ahead.

Students will complete a reflection exercise in advance of the day.  We ask that families review and sign this document beforehand.  There will also be space for parents and carers to leave comments or raise any questions they would like tutors to consider.

Our annual Interform Football Competition will take place during the week beginning 22nd June. These events are always hugely popular and provide an excellent opportunity for students to represent their form, develop teamwork and enjoy some healthy competition.

The schedule is as follows:

• Year 8/9/10 Girls – Monday 22nd June 

• Year 9 – Tuesday 23rd June 

• Year 10 – Wednesday 24th June 

• Year 8 – Thursday 25th June

  
  

Year 8 girls may choose either to participate in the girls' competition on 22nd June or play alongside the boys in the Year 8 competition.

Another exciting week of athletics with Year 7 and 8 boys representing Kelmscott at the track. Despite the awful weather conditions, students produced impressive performances across a range of events.  Congratulations to Renis (7L), 1st place in the Year 7 200m, Jayquan (8O), 2nd in the Year 8 200m and Hussnain (8O), 3rd place in the Year 8 Discus.  Our relay teams produced outstanding efforts, with the Year 7 team finishing in 2nd place and the Year 8 team in 1st place. We are very proud of all our athletes and we look forward to seeing them continue their success in the coming weeks as they build towards the Borough Finals in July.

Tuesday saw a group of six Year 8 students visit the University of Oxford as part of an outreach programme, where they attended a fascinating lecture on Linguistics and gained an insight into university life.  George Murray and Jessica Georghe were particularly impressive during the session, making contributions that even caught the attention of current university students in attendance.

Students also enjoyed a tour of the beautiful Queens' College and a talk from current undergraduates about life at university.  Despite some significant travel delays, due to the train strike, our students were a credit to the school throughout the day, demonstrating exceptional patience, maturity and resilience.  We were extremely proud of how they represented Kelmscott and hope the experience has inspired many to consider higher education in the future.

Finally, a reminder that Monday 6th July is an INSET Day.  School will be closed to students on this day whilst staff undertake professional development and training.

Congratulations to Fernando Marchiori Junior in 10S, who finished the half term as the highest reward points earner in the entire school.  This is a fantastic achievement and reflects Fernando's commitment, effort and positive contribution to school life.  Well done also to our year group winners:

• Year 7, A hat trick for Iris Bogan in 7C, Athina Giannopoulou and Aaron Osei Addo in 7T with 23 points each

• Year 8, Musa Nasir in 8E with 29 points

• Year 9, Idries Akhtar in 9T with 35 points

• Year 10, Fernando Marchiori Junior in 10S with 42 points

• Year 11, A hat trick for Niamh Bonner in 11E, Jason Vijayendra and Iris Stoian in 11K

We continue to be proud of the many students who consistently demonstrate our values and contribute positively to the Kelmscott community each and every day.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.  We have a busy and exciting half term ahead and I look forward to sharing more successes and achievements with you in the coming weeks.

With every good wish,

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher