William Ford Junior School Parent Portal - 24/25

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Dear parents and carers,

Another great half-term

As we come to the end of another half-term, it is hard to believe how quickly this school year is passing. With just one half-term remaining before the summer holidays, we are entering a time filled with exciting events and special memories still to be made.

Although this half-term has been a shorter one, it has certainly been packed. Our Year 6 pupils tackled their SATs exams with resilience and maturity, and we are so proud of them all. Two different groups of children had the opportunity to attend residentials at Trewern, and Year 4 enjoyed their visit to Colchester Castle as part of their history topic.

Looking ahead, we have much to look forward to. The Year 6 production, our one-night residential trip to France, Sports Day, and of course, FordFest, which we are planning to make even bigger and better this year.

Park life - our much nicer school entrance

This morning, I stood at the park entrance to school and was reminded of just how lovely this route is. The park offers a spacious, traffic-free environment where children can run, play and arrive at school feeling calm and happy. It is only a two-to-three minute walk from our front entrance and provides quick access for pupils in 3M, 4IW, 4L, 4N, 5H and 5W. The council has also recently installed a fantastic new play park suitable for Key Stage Two children along with an outdoor gym (please check individual equipment age ratings before encouraging your children to use this), making the space even more appealing. If you have not tried this entrance before, I encourage you to give it a go. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Collective worship

In Collective Worship this week, we explored the story of Jesus walking on water from John chapter six. The disciples were frightened as the waves crashed around them, but when they saw Jesus, they were reassured. This story reminds us that even in the middle of life’s storms, Jesus is present and brings peace. We also reflected on the importance of forgiveness, thinking about how Jesus teaches us not to hold on to hurt or anger, but to forgive others as we have been forgiven. These messages are as relevant for adults as they are for children, helping us all to build relationships rooted in peace, compassion and understanding.

We wish all our families a restful and refreshing half-term break.

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Calling All Tesco Community Champions & Morrisons Colleagues!

Do you work for a supermarket?

Here at William Ford, we’re getting even more active in our fundraising efforts to enhance the learning experiences and opportunities for all our children.

We know that colleagues in supermarket chains like Tesco, ASDA, Lidl or Sainsbury’s often play a vital role in connecting their stores with local causes. If this is you, and you think your store might be able to support our school with small grants or donations, we would absolutely love to hear from you!

Please get in touch with Mrs Gladden in the school office, at 0208 270 6582 or Sgladden@Williamfordschool.co.uk. Your connection could make a real difference to our fundraising success.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

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As we approach the half-term break, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support.

For parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), school holidays can bring both opportunities and challenges.

This half term, we encourage families to make the most of the break by enjoying some fresh air and outdoor time together. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a trip to the woods, or simply playing in the garden, being outside can have great benefits for physical and mental wellbeing.

We know screens can be helpful and entertaining, but it's important to balance screen time with active, hands-on experiences as this can make a big difference to your child’s wellbeing and emotional regulation.

I hope you have a restful and refreshing break!

We are pleased to inform you that William Ford School will be receiving a food donation from the Felix Project’s Heat and Eat Scheme and Community Distribution Scheme.

As part of this generous donation, food parcels will be available for collection at the school on Tuesday, 27th May. These parcels are intended to support families within our school community.

If you would like to receive a food parcel, please complete the online request form.

https://forms.office.com/e/mnhFb9vn1x

as soon as possible. This will help us to organise the distribution fairly and efficiently.

You will receive a text message notification once the deliveries have arrived and the parcels are ready for collection (we are expecting it will be early afternoon).

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope this initiative provides some helpful assistance.

Huge thanks to all the parents for the short-notice change to collecting pupils due to the incident in the rear playground. It seemed to work really well and did not cause too much distress.

We appreciate all of your help and support. If, for any reason, you did not receive a text message regarding the changes, please let us know by emailing the school: office@williamfordschool.co.uk

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Year Three

Teddy B

Year Four

Suriel

Year Five

Justin

Year Six

Zech

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‘The chicken gave it to me’ by Anne Fine

This book is about a boy named Andrew who found a chicken and then the chicken gave him a book. When he got to school, a girl named Gemma got farm dust all over her face because he dropped the book right in front of her. If you want to find out what happened to Gemma, Andrew and the mysterious, read the book! My favourite character is Andrew because he is always curious to find out what the scribbles are on the book and what it means makes it interesting. One interesting thing that happened is that the chicken was friends with green aliens, and they found out he could talk. I rate this 9/10!

By Ayaan 6I

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Break up for half term @ 3.15pm

HALF TERM [In-person]

All Day

from 26 May until 30 May

26
May

Felix Project Community Distribution delivery [In-person]

9:00am – 1:00pm

27
May

Children return to school @8.35am

from 02 Jun until 03 Jun

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23 May 2025

Colchester Castle - Year Four

Enriching learning about the Romans

23 May 2025

Colchester Castle Trip

This week Iqrah and Avantika from 4L tell us about their trip to Colchester Castle.

21 May 2025

Junior Citizen Trip

Learning to be responsible citizens

20 May 2025

Trewern Life Skills Adventure

A residential to remember

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Year Three

What a busy and brilliant week it’s been! The children have worked incredibly hard across all subjects and have truly impressed us with their enthusiasm, focus, and positive attitudes.

What we have learnt about this week

In Maths, we’ve launched our new unit on time. The children have been revisiting o’clock, half past, quarter past, and quarter to – and it’s been great to see those “aha!” moments clicking into place. In English, they completed their writing assessments, and the quality of their work has been fantastic – real authors in the making! In RE, we explored the story of the Widow’s Mite, and in PSHE, we’ve had some thoughtful discussions around what it means to be a great global citizen. It’s been heartening to see such mature and compassionate ideas shared.

What we will learn about next week

Looking ahead to next week, we’re excited to introduce our new class book, The Boy Who Grew Dragons. We’ll begin by exploring a description of a magical garden – expect some wildly imaginative writing! In Maths, we’ll continue with time, diving into AM/PM and learning about days, weeks, and months. In Science, we’ll be using LEGO to explore the parts of a plant (because why not mix photosynthesis with a little plastic creativity?), and in History, we’ll be time-travelling back to Ancient Greece to learn about the very first Olympic Games – togas optional.

Wishing you all a fantastic half term – may your children let you sleep past 7am at least once!

Year Four

What a fantastic week Year 4 have had. We had a wonderful time at Colchester Castle and the children learnt so much

What we have learnt about this week

This week in English, the children have been writing their non-chronological reports about the Amazon Rainforest. They have learnt so much about the diversity of animals and plants found there and have begun to consider the impact of deforestation.

In maths the children have finished their work on time and have been revising their arithmetic skills.

In history, the children have been thinking about the Roman occupation of Britannia and what happens when people resist and rebel against an occupying force. They have considered the story of Boudicca, looking at historical sources to find out about her. They have thought carefully about her significance.

What we will learn about next week

We hope that you all have a restful half term and look forward to the children returning afterwards to embark on their final half term in Year Four.

Year Five

What a term it has been in Year 5! Although a shorter term than normal, Year 5 have made lots of progress and learnt many wonderful things.

What we have learnt about this week

This week, in English, the pupils have been putting their learnt skills in English into action, by planning and writing a sequel to their Lion King story, creating a setting, dilemma and resolution.

In maths, pupils have been finishing off their unit, looking at shape and coordinates.

In Science, pupils have been continuing their life cycle units, by comparing and exploring the life cycle of insects.

In RE, pupils looked at one of the five pillars – Hajj and how the journey of pilgrimage that a Muslim takes is both sacred and a significant part of their lives.

What we will learn about next week

Next week will be our half term break and we hope you have a wonderful time of leisure and rest, to come back for our last term in Year 5, full of fun and exciting learning!

Year Six

In the aftermath of SATs being over, the children have been fantastic! We can’t commend them enough for their hard work and diligence – well done Year 6!

What we have learnt about this week

This week in Year 6, we had a fantastic time on the Junior Citizens trip, learning about fire safety, bus safety, and understanding substances, among other things.

We also resumed our art and design & technology lessons, where it’s been great to see the children's creativity shine.

To top it off, the whole year group enjoyed a fun trip to the swimming baths in Barking. It’s been a week full of learning, creativity, and excitement!

What we will learn about next week

Next week, after half-term, Year 6 will resume shared reading and dive into our new focus text. As a school and year group, we’ll be focusing on Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which protects children’s right to privacy.

This will tie into our ongoing commitment as a Rights Respecting School. We’ll explore what privacy means and how to protect it in different aspects of life, both online and offline. Additionally, we'll continue our swimming lessons on Friday, building on the skills we've developed so far.

It’s set to be an engaging and educational week ahead, with plenty of opportunities for learning and growth!

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Each week, staff select three children from each class who have shown effort and commitment to upholding an aspect of our school vision, shown at the bottom of the page. Congratulations to this week’s ‘stars of the week’ for their tremendous endeavours!

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Newsletters

24/25 - Summer 1, Week 5