Headteacher's Weekly Update 5 - Friday 2nd October 2026

Dear Parents and Carers

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

Our whole-school attendance remains at 93.4% this week, the same as last week.  Year 7 continue to set an exceptional standard at 98%, bravo.  As I regularly remind students, being in school every day really does matter; attendance is one of the most important things we can collectively get right to support both achievement and belonging.

I am also pleased to say that our student journals have finally arrived, or, more accurately, the correct journals have arrived.  Unfortunately, the company originally supplied us in August with journals containing last year’s dates, which was entirely beyond our control.  Students should now have their new journals. These are an important organisational tool: somewhere to record homework, deadlines and notes, but also another useful means of communication between home and school.  Families can use them to send us messages, including notes relating to uniform or other day-to-day matters, so please do encourage your child to use and look after theirs.

An important safeguarding update for families this week.  The National Crime Agency has published new resources about so-called online harm groups. These groups can use grooming, coercion, manipulation and blackmail to exploit young people online.  This is clearly concerning, but the most useful response is for adults and young people to understand the warning signs and keep conversations about online activity open.  There is specific guidance for parents and carers, as well as age-appropriate guidance for 11–18-year-olds.  Please do take a look and, importantly, talk to your child about it.

A lovely achievement from our Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition students this week.  Students have been working towards their Kelmscott Kitchen: Professional Kitchen Licence, demonstrating practical skills, independence, organisation and excellent food-safety standards. Following a series of assessments, from cheese and herb scones and a team pineapple upside-down cake challenge to chicken shawarma with homemade flatbreads and garlic yoghurt.   I am delighted that Teo, Nathan, Hayley, Zabrina, Eman and Faizan have become our first six students to achieve their Professional Kitchen Licence and receive their badges. A fantastic achievement – congratulations to all six.   

There is also plenty happening beyond the classroom.  October 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Black History Month UK, and to mark and celebrate this important milestone, Ms Jama is launching a creative writing competition for students this term.  Please see here for more details.  I know we have many talented writers across the school, so I hope to see plenty of entries.

Our French and Spanish theatre performances will return later this term, offering students in Years 8–11 studying these languages an exciting and interactive experience.  On Thursday 26th November, students will see Action!, a French-language comedy set on a film set, with audience members helping the performers create their would-be blockbuster. Then, on Tuesday 1st December, our Spanish performance, ¿Cuándo, Cómo y Quién?, will turn students into witnesses and suspects as two detectives attempt to solve a mystery in a chaotic restaurant. Both performances use accessible language, humour and plenty of audience participation, giving students the opportunity to experience French and Spanish in a completely different context.

Both performances begin at 9.00am and cost £5 per student.  Families can secure a place through their child’s ParentMail payments account.  Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; applications close at midnight on 18th October or once all places have been filled.

We are delighted that fourteen of our Year 8 students are participating in the Oxford Catalyst Programme, an outreach initiative delivered by St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, which aims to raise aspirations and give young people an insight into university study and life.  On Thursday 1st October, accompanied by Mr Mitchell and Ms Jama, the students visited Gladesmore Community School, where they were encouraged to see university as a realistic and achievable option and to think creatively about what their own “dream university” might look like.  They represented Kelmscott exceptionally well and were engaged, inquisitive and impeccably behaved throughout.  We look forward to learning more about the programme over the coming months. 

Today is National Poetry Day, and there has been plenty happening around school to celebrate poetry and the power of language.  Students have had opportunities to encounter, discuss and create poetry throughout the day, reminding us that poetry isn't simply something to be analysed for an examination – it can make us laugh, challenge our thinking and give us a way of expressing experiences and ideas that can sometimes be difficult to put into ordinary words.

It was also a real privilege this week to celebrate our Year 11 Smiling Girls.  The project has provided a supportive space for the girls involved to develop confidence, explore identity and relationships and recognise their own strengths.  The portraits produced through the project were beautiful, but what struck me most was the exceptional growth in the young women themselves. Hearing them reflect on their experiences and seeing their confidence was a lovely reminder of why opportunities such as these matter.

That work continues with the launch of Smiling Boys for Year 10.  The project provides boys with a similar space to explore identity, confidence, relationships, aspirations and what it means to grow into a healthy and responsible young man.  I am looking forward to seeing this group develop over the coming months and sharing more of their journey with you.

Today, thirty of our Year 7 historians stepped back nearly 2,000 years into Roman London during a fascinating trip to the London Mithraeum led by Mr Parfitt.  Exploring the evocative ruins of the ancient Temple of Mithras deep beneath the Bloomberg building, the students engaged brilliantly with interactive displays and remarkably-preserved Roman artefacts.  Their exemplary behaviour and boundless curiosity were a credit to the school, bringing ancient history vividly to life.

A small practical plea for our new Year 7 families: we already have a growing collection of lost PE kit.  Please make sure that every item of your child's PE kit is clearly named.  It makes an enormous difference to our ability to reunite lost items with their owners and saves families the unnecessary expense of replacing them.

Two polite reminders; our expectations regarding mobile phones remain unchanged: they must be unseen and unheard throughout the school day.  Please also be reminded that smartwatches are not permitted in school. 

The car park adjacent to Kelmscott School belongs to the Leisure Centre and is monitored by ANPR cameras.  If you choose to park there, please ensure that you pay and display or register a valid Blue Badge to avoid receiving a parking charge.

Looking at Reward Points for the week 21st - 25th September, Year 11 have done it again. Alexandra Gutoiu of 11C topped the school with an outstanding 48 positive points.  This means that Year 11 have produced every overall weekly winner so far this academic year, a fantastic example to our younger students as they begin such an important year.  Congratulations to Alexandra and all our year-group winners:

Year 7: Michael Nokes (7K) and Tejuon Crooks (7S) – 21 points each

Year 8: Mamediarra Ba (8L) – 34 points

Year 9: Felitia Abenou (9O) and Anushay Qaswa Asif (9K) – 32 points each

Year 10: Hafsa Nisar (10O) and Iulia Ripa (10O) – 32 points each

Year 11: Alexandra Gutoiu (11C) – 48 points

Finally, we were deeply saddened to learn of the death of former Kelmscott student and England youth international James Walker, aged 38. A talented footballer, James began his career in Charlton Athletic’s academy and went on to represent a number of clubs, including Southend United and Leyton Orient.  James went on to teach PE and after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2019, James faced significant and lasting health challenges with great courage. Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with his family, friends and loved ones at this very sad time. 

As always, thank you for your continued support.  I hope you and your families have a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Mr Sam Jones 

Headteacher