Dear Parents/Carers
I hope this letter finds you and your families well; A Friday update for you as we finish the first week back after the half term holiday. I hope you had a good break and are enjoying the warmer and longer days.
The warmer weather also lends itself well to athletics, and the Kelmscott athletes have been in action again this week against other schools in Waltham Forest. Well done to Ada Yeow in 7S who, for the second time running, came first in the girls’ 100m, to Rafah Kara in 8O who placed second in the girls’ 800m and Lina Boultouak in 8O also, who came fourth in the same race. The boys’ results will be included for your interest, next week.
A creative writing opportunity kicked off this week for students in years 7 - 10. A series of workshops over the next four weeks that will result in an anthology of creative pieces which will be published in print at the end of the summer term. Students and their friends and families will be invited to a book launch at the beginning of the next academic year to celebrate their achievements.
It was lovely to see so many of you at Tutor Parents’ Day (TPD) on Thursday this week. We really value these days and the chance to further develop our relationship with families. I hope you found it useful and informative. It has been interesting for us, in preparation for TPD, to analyse which students do and don’t take advantage of the many co-curricular opportunities we have on offer at Kelmscott. I really would urge students to take us up on our offer as there really is something for everyone.
Students in Years 7-10 should have completed the careers activities at some point yesterday during Tutor Parents’ Day, shared with them on Google Classroom by Mr M Jones. Please ensure your child has completed these. The data captured helps us to shape our careers offer and will hopefully begin fruitful conversations at home about potential careers pathways that your children are drawn to.
It was World Environment Day on Wednesday this week, we are exceptionally proud of the work we are doing on climate action here and the strides we have made as a community, led by our brilliant Eco team, under the expert stewardship of Ms Hill. World Environment Day coincided with Kelmscott receiving our Gold TFL status, once more. I would also like to signpost the Climate Action Countdown that suggests lots of fun and interesting activities for young people and families to engage with.
A group of year 10 students participated in a work experience visit to KPMG in Canary Wharf today. They had a fantastic time learning about the types of jobs they could do working at one of the largest businesses in the world. They completed a group activity which recreated the experience of working as team in a business setting. They were then treated to a tour of the stunning building and facilities where they talked to people working in the office. The year 10s were impeccable throughout the visit, one of our KPMG link colleagues told us that the receptionist thought that they were clients not school children.
Today also saw thirty of our Year 10 students participate in our second Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge event. The Speak Out Challenge is a programme managed and delivered by Speakers Trust, the UK’s leading public speaking organisation, and is supported and funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation. Their aim is to amplify young people’s voices by building confidence, developing skills and creating platforms for young people to share their stories and ideas to empower not only themselves but each other. In this way, they champion effective, positive communication to use in education, employability and social change.
Earlier today, a group of Year 10s were given the opportunity to visit the University of Oxford. The Catalyst Programme continued their work with our school by providing them with a tour of St Catherine's College and Jesus College. Students were also invited to ask current students at Oxford about their own learning journeys as well as experiencing an academic taster session themselves. A great experience for all involved especially as the students start considering their own future and begin making decisions about their own career paths when they are in Year 11.
One of our Year 7 parents has co-curated an exhibition on Global Maths and Art with King's College London. The exhibition is on for a month on the Strand and has been designed for young people ages 11-16. You can get a taste of what is on offer on the links below, I have to say I am very impressed, what a talented community we boast. It All Adds Up: Global Discoveries in Maths | King's College London Zarah Hussain: "There's incredible beauty in maths." | King's College London
We have been allocated a new Safer Schools Officer (SSO) PC Paulina Wiercioch, who has taken over from PC Simon Owers. Every London school is allocated a SSO to help break down barriers that are sometimes present in our communities. PC Wiercioch is looking forward to getting to know our community over the coming weeks and months.
A polite reminder to our families that if you choose to park in the Leisure Centre car park, you only have 10 minutes grace before you are charged with a penalty notice by the parking firm. We are not in a position to overturn such fines, even if there are extenuating circumstances. If in doubt, our advice is to purchase a ticket from the machine. Any disputes, I’m afraid, must be picked up with the Leisure Centre.
A coding opportunity now for some of our female students, who are interested in this area, where you may be aware that girls are currently underrepresented nationally and globally. ‘Girls Meet Code’ is an opportunity in August for girls to learn more about this area. More information and sign up details can be found here.
An opportunity now for students aged 14-18 who are considering careers in medicine. A series of in-person hospital work experience days will be taking place at Kings College Hospital in London offering a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and insights into various medical fields during their summer holidays. For those interested you may register through the website. There is also an opportunity to register for an online work experience week taking place from 15th - 19th July 2024.
The School Health service has asked me to share some information about the external school nurse service with families. Please note that this is an external provider service and is not delivered or facilitated by our in-house Student Health Manager. For information on, or to arrange to meet with the external School Health Service school nurse, Dorothy Oseki please see here.
Finally, well done to the following students who topped the reward point charts for last week with a special mention for Vlera Podvorica 9C with 81 points and Eric Henig Griffin who has topped the Year 11 reward points for the third week running.
Year 7 Mabel Harris with 64 points
Year 8 Bailey-May Harley with 52 points
Year 9 Vlera Podvorica with 81 points
Year 10 Shanay Wogan with 57 points
Year 11 Eric Henig Griffin for the third week running, with 44 points.
With every good wish,
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher