Dear parents and carers,
It has been another busy and inspiring week at William Ford. Our pupils have continued to show curiosity, determination and kindness in all that they do, both in and out of the classroom.
West Ham United Player Visit
On Wednesday our boys’ and girls’ football teams were visited by two Premier League players, Karl Walker Peters and Callum Wilson from West Ham United. The children were put through their paces with some training activities and then had the chance to ask questions about life as a professional footballer. The whole session was filmed and will be used in some of West Ham’s publicity. We are not able to share much more at this stage, but we will let you know as soon as the videos go live on West Ham’s social media channels over the next couple of weeks.
Careers on the Moon!
On Thursday we were delighted to welcome Vince Beech, who works within the space industry, to speak to pupils. Vince shared how he grew up with autism, which was not diagnosed until his early twenties, and how he did not always find school easy. Despite this, he has gone on to use his mathematical skills and computer programming to help control lunar vehicles that operate on the surface of the moon. His message was very powerful. He reminded pupils that autism and other forms of neurodiversity are not simply barriers. They can also be strengths, offering different ways of thinking and solving problems. This was encouraging for children who love maths, science and coding, and also for those who may have a diagnosis of autism themselves or are waiting to be assessed.
Pupil and parent Neurodiversity workshops next week
Linked to this, our next visitor will be J Grange, who is coming into school next week. J will be leading workshops with pupils and will also be offering a session for parents and carers. If you are wondering whether your child may be neurodivergent, perhaps with traits linked to dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, PDA or autism, or if you already know that your child is neurodivergent and want more ideas on how to support them at home, this will be a very worthwhile workshop to attend. Please see the information and letter below for further details.
Science Museum
Our science curriculum has also been very active across the week. Year 5 classes have visited the Science Museum as part of their unit on space. They enjoyed seeing real rockets, satellites and exhibitions that built on what they have been learning in class. Back at school, Year 5 have been creating some very impressive space videos. They have been combining their scientific knowledge with media and TV production skills, learning how to plan, film and edit as if they were working in the world of television and broadcasting.
Victorian Day
On Friday, Year 6 stepped back in time for their Victorian Day. It has been wonderful to see how many pupils made the effort to dress up, helping to bring history to life. They have not just been acting like Victorians though. They have also been working like Victorian tailors, carefully designing and making their own waistcoats. This combined practical skills, creativity and perseverance, and the finished results have been very impressive.
Cake Sale
Thank you as well for your support with our latest cake sale. It has been encouraging to see so many children keen to help raise money. All funds will go towards a very special school event that will be taking place soon. We will share more details once everything is confirmed.
Collective Worship
In Collective Worship we have continued to explore the story of Daniel. This week we focused on Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, looking at how Daniel trusted God even when he was far from home and under pressure to fit in. We thought about how God gave Daniel wisdom and courage, and how this helped him to live differently and make good choices. We also reflected on the idea of discipline. Discipline is not just about rules and sanctions. It is about the small daily habits that help us reach our goals. We linked this to our visitors and to our own school values. Professional footballers, scientists and people working in the space industry all need discipline to keep practising, keep learning and keep going when things are hard. We encouraged pupils to think about the areas where they need discipline, whether in their learning, their behaviour or the way they treat others.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support for the school and for all you do at home to help your children be successful, healthy, fulfilled and empowered to make a difference.
I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.
Mr. David Huntingford
Headteacher
