Dear parents and carers,
Welcome back to a cold but exciting new term at William Ford.
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and we would like to wish you a very happy New Year.
On behalf of all the staff at William Ford, thank you for the kind Christmas cards, gifts, and messages of goodwill that were shared with us. These gestures are genuinely appreciated and mean a great deal to the team.
One of the most valuable gifts you can give us as a school is completing the parent survey. The survey has been open for several weeks, and we intend to keep it open for a little longer. We have received around 50 responses so far, but we would ideally like to double this number.
Every response is read individually by the leadership team. Already, feedback has helped us identify areas where we can make improvements, as well as aspects of our provision that parents particularly value and want us to protect. It is also a pleasure to share positive comments directly with class teachers. The survey is anonymous, and while we ask for your child’s class, this is optional. This simply helps us target improvements and share praise more accurately. We are currently very short of responses from Year Six families, and we would really appreciate a few minutes of your time if you have not yet completed it.
Survey link: https://forms.office.com/e/dyPLPw3FD4
School meal ordering
As we start a new year, we would like to take some time to explain our approach to school dinners. As with all schools nationally, we must be extremely careful around allergies, dietary/religious requirements, and food safety. At the same time, schools are under significant financial pressure, and we must avoid unnecessary food waste.
Over the years, regardless of our approach, school dinners have consistently resulted in high levels of waste. To manage this responsibly, and to ensure children receive meals they want, can eat safely, and that meet medical or religious requirements, we ask parents to order meals in advance. This is the safest and most effective way for us to ensure children receive a nutritious, suitable meal each day.
Reducing waste also allows us to direct money where it matters most, helping to keep the cost of trips, residentials, and experiences such as visits to France as low as possible, whilst continuing to invest in the curriculum and school facilities. Thank you to the many parents who already order online. This support makes a real difference.
We understand that there have been concerns about what happens when meals are not ordered in advance. This is a difficult balance, but please be reassured that we are working hard to ensure every child receives a warm, nutritious meal that is safe and appropriate, whilst also encouraging the advance ordering system that protects pupils and the school. Please see 'Kerry's Korner' below on how to order or do speak to the school office if you have any issues or would like a demonstration.
Colombia Day
The week began with Colombia Day, which was a wonderful way to celebrate our partnership with the Stand By Me charity. Through this partnership, we sponsor four children in Colombia. This not only supports them directly through sponsorship and relationship-building, including letter writing and shared learning, but also allows our pupils to learn about a different country and culture as part of the curriculum. It was lovely to receive an update on how the children were doing, to see how they celebrated Christmas, and to take part in a range of Colombia-focused activities across the school.
Congratulations to Year Four, who collectively achieved the most Green Points. As a result, they were able to choose a special gift for their sponsored child, Nailin, which was a proud moment for the whole year group.
Career visit
On Thursday, we were delighted to welcome Simon Lacey, who spoke to the children about his career in cyber security. This is an area that strongly appeals to many pupils with an interest in computing. Simon also spoke openly about dyslexia and how it was not a barrier to success in his career. Whether pupils are dyslexic or not, this was a powerful reminder that there are many possible pathways into future careers.
Collective worship
In Collective Worship, we have begun a new theme called New Beginnings, where pupils are exploring British values and what they mean in practice, both within school and beyond.
I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.
Mr. David Huntingford
Headteacher
