Newsletters

25/26 - Spring 1, Week 5

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Dear parents and carers,

Thank you to the 60 parents and carers who took the time to complete the William Ford Parent Survey during December and January. I am grateful for the care, honesty, and thought that went into your responses. The results have now been fully analysed, and a summary can be found below and via this link:

Parents 2025-26 January 2026.pdf

Overall, the survey presents a strongly positive picture of William Ford. Across all key areas, parents report high levels of confidence that children are happy, safe, well supported, and developing well both academically and personally. No area fell below 82% agreement, with many closer to or above 90%. This reflects a high level of trust in the school’s work.

Communication was identified as the main area where parents would like to see further improvement. We recognise this and accept that recent changes to systems affected how smoothly information was shared. Strengthening communication will remain a clear priority moving forward.

Importantly, where concerns were raised, these were generally individual rather than widespread. There is no evidence of systemic issues relating to safety, behaviour, teaching quality, or inclusion. Feedback around SEND provision and inclusion was particularly strong and reflects an established strength of the school. Parent voice remains a vital part of how we reflect, evaluate, and improve, and I thank you for your continued partnership.

This week, we were delighted to welcome Alfie Watts into school. Alfie, winner of the BBC One programme Race Across the World and an ambassador for YoungMinds, spoke powerfully to pupils about resilience, ambition, and maintaining a healthy mindset. His honesty about his childhood and the barriers he faced made a strong impression, and pupils described his visit as one of the most inspirational they have experienced.

I would also like to remind parents about Safer Internet Day (10th February) and the upcoming visit from Amit Kalley. Amit will be working with pupils and staff during the school day, building on our ongoing work around online safety, digital responsibility, and the growing impact of AI and social media. He will also be running an online session for parents after school at 4:45pm, details of which were shared last week. I strongly encourage parents to prioritise this session. We know that many online issues children face begin outside school, and strong understanding at home is essential in keeping children safe, confident, and informed online.

Our Brilliant Club pupils in Year 6 also had an exciting opportunity this week, attending Goldsmiths University of London to experience what higher education looks like. They have been working with a PhD tutor over recent weeks, completing their own academic theses, and represented the school superbly. Experiences like this are an important part of raising aspirations and helping pupils see future possibilities.

In Collective Worship, our focus has continued on new beginnings, exploring the story of Abraham. We were grateful to welcome Mr Edwards from Dagenham Parish Church, who spoke with pupils about what it really means to be, or to become, a Christian, and the faith, trust, and courage that journey involves.

As always, thank you for your continued support of the school and of your children’s learning.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Next week is Children’s Mental Health Week 2026. If you would like support with your child’s mental health, please feel free to speak to your child’s teacher, myself or Nancy, our school practitioner. Alternatively, you can take a look at Place2Be’s website for more support and advice for parents and carers: :Improving children’s and young peoples mental health – Place2Be 

Please remember to PREBOOK your children lunches.

Visit www.parentpay.com the menu is available to book up until the Easter holiday.

If you are still having issues please come and see one of the office team next week.

William Ford Win 2-1

William Ford celebrated a fantastic, muddy win against James Campbell. Winning 2-1! Goals from AJ and Justin wrapped up an impressive win against tough opponents! 

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Year Three

Sullayman

Year Four

Tiana

Year Five

Alexander

Year Six

Nabil

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Ellie and the Cat by Malorie Blackman 

 

I am enjoying reading this book especially because it is published in dyslexia friendly print which helps with my reading. The character’s grandma switches her body with a cat. Ellie must find a ring to swap back.   

 

Taliha 5W 

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Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
10
February
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
10
February
Christian Foley School Visit (Rap/Poetry)
All Day
11
February
WF vs Manor Jnr Football Match @ Goals
3:00pm – 4:00pm
12
February
Half Term
All Day
from 16 Feb until 20 Feb
16
February
Community Foodbank Distribution delivery - February Half Term 2026
9:00am – 12:30pm
20
February
Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
24
February
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
24
February

Community Foodbank Delivery on Friday 20th February 

We will message parents via WhatApp community to inform everyone when it arrives, Please add the group to your what app account.by scanning the qr code above or clicking this link https://chat.whatsapp.com/CqbK8wRCt6xI54BmMNOqLT

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06 Feb 2026
Brilliant Club at Goldsmiths
This week, Ryan tells us about their trip to Goldsmiths University
Read more
05 Feb 2026
Visit from Alfie Watts - winner of BBC Race Across the World
Inspirational visitor inspires hope and ambition
Read more
02 Feb 2026
Year Three Ancient Egyptian Day
Lavinia and Elisa from Year 3 enjoying making Egyptian bread.
Read more
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Year Three

It has been another great week in year 3. The children have been working hard! 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, the children have explored the poem The Sound Collector in English. They looked at rhyming words and onomatopoeia within the poem. In reading, children continued with the book Wild Cities, focusing on different cities around the world and exploring the animals found there. In maths, children have been dividing 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers including numbers with remainders. In R.E children learned about Shabbat, learning what it is and how it is observed. 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, children will plan, write and perform their own versions of The Sound Collector. In maths children will be looking at money, recognising coins and notes, converting between pounds and pence as well as adding and subtracting money. In geography, children will become cartographers, creating their own maps of their islands. In R.E. children will be learning about the Passover and how it is celebrated.  

Year Four 

 

It’s been a great learning week in Year 4.  

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, the children have been planning and writing their own diary entry based on our class text ‘How to train your Dragon’. In Science, the children have continued to look at our sound unit where they were able to recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance of the sound is further away. In R.E we researched different places of worship in our neighbourhood and plotted it on a map. In Geography we researched the different culture and traditions in Scandinavia.  

What we will learn about next week 

We will be drawing our own map based on our class text in English. In Maths, we will be looking at the perimeter on a grid and rectangle and finding missing lengths in shapes. In Science, children will be understanding and discussing how they hear sound and they will then be sequencing the steps to how we hear sound. In History, we children will be drawing up their own conclusion about Stonehenge theories.  

 

Year Five

It has been another eventful week in Year 5. 

What we have learnt about this week 

On Monday we enjoyed a visit to Dagenham Parish Church where we participated in an interactive exhibition entitled ‘LIFE. This enabled us to explore the life of Jesus as part of our topic in R.E. this term. In maths we have completed our multiplication and division topic, including using our skills to solve reasoning questions. In English we have been planning our own legends based on the story of Beowulf. We have now finished reading the story of Beowulf and Grendel. For geography we have used atlases to help us learn about latitude and longitude. It has been great to see how much the children in Year 5 haver improved with their swimming since lessons started. 

 

What we will learn about next week 

We begin our new topic in maths by revisiting fractions, starting with multiplying fractions. During our English lessons we will be writing an epic story about a hero and villain based on ‘Beowulf’. We will then be telling these stories and sharing them with each other in the style of Anglo-Saxons. In science we will be continuing to explore parachutes as part of our study of forces, looking at air-resistance. We will also be writing conclusions to our investigation. 

Year Six

It has been a brilliant learning week in Year 6 

What we have learnt about this week 

In English, we analysed language in our class text ‘Where Mountains Roared’, focusing on descriptive vocabulary used to portray a hotel, preparing us to write a hotel review next week. In Maths, we have been learning about decimals, adding, subtracting and partitioning them, while also developing mental arithmetic skills. In R.E, we explored our theme of life after death in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The children showed strong engagement and effort across lessons, demonstrating curiosity, resilience and increasingly confident subject-specific understanding overall. 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, in Maths, the children will be learning about fractions, decimals and percentages, building connections between the three and applying their understanding to problem-solving. In English, they will begin writing their own hotel reviews, using the features and descriptive language they have explored. In Science, the children will continue their investigation as lab technicians to determine who stole the laptop, before concluding the enquiry and revealing the culprit. Year 6 continue to shine, and we are incredibly proud of their enthusiasm, teamwork and determination. 

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Each week, staff select two 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!