Newsletters

25/26 - Spring 2, Week 3

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Dear parents and carers,

It has been a fantastic and very busy week at William Ford, with a number of inspiring visitors joining us to talk to pupils about their careers and life experiences.

This week we welcomed three very different guests, each sharing their journey and helping pupils see the wide range of opportunities that exist for their futures.

Ben Levy visited us to talk about his career in psychology and magic, performing some impressive magic tricks during our school assembly while also explaining how understanding the human mind plays a role in what he does.

We were also delighted to welcome Amar Mehta, who spoke to pupils about his career in sports journalism with Sky Sports News. Amar shared stories about interviewing famous sports personalities and gave pupils a fascinating insight into what life is like working in journalism and broadcasting.

Finally, we were pleased to welcome our local MP, Margaret Mullane, who spoke about her journey into politics and why she wanted to represent the community as the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham.

All three visitors spent time answering pupils’ questions, were interviewed on our school radio station, and enjoyed a tour of the school. Most importantly, they helped expose our pupils to three very different career paths, raising aspirations and reminding pupils that there are many exciting opportunities available to them in the future. We are delighted that more visitors are already planned in the coming weeks, so the inspiration will continue.

Alongside this, we also have several exciting events coming up for pupils. Year 5 will soon be visiting the West End to see The Lion King, while a small group of pupils will be travelling to Trewern, our educational residential provider, for a special visit.

In Collective Worship, pupils have continued learning about the temptations of Jesus, reflecting on the importance of making good choices even when things may feel difficult. As we move into next week, we are looking forward to beginning our learning about the Easter story, helping pupils understand the significance of this important time in the Christian calendar.

We are also looking forward to our Easter Celebration Breakfast on Tuesday 25th March, which is always a lovely opportunity for pupils and families to come together as we approach the Easter period.

It has been another busy and positive week at William Ford, and we look forward to sharing more exciting news with you soon.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us this week for parents evening. You should have received a copy of your child’s targets and their review for the Spring term. If you did not receive this and would like a copy for your records, please speak to your child’s class teacher who will happily print it off for you.  

If you have any further questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please speak to their class teacher in the first instance, but you can request a meeting/ phone call with me via the school office.  

There will be an Easter Bonnet / Hat competition during the Easter Celebration on 25th March.

If pupils would like to enter, they should make a hat at home and bring it to school with them on the morning of the celebration.

Prizes will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place

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Year Three

Philip

Year Four

Tiana

Year Five

Israel

Year Six

Justin

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The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton  

 

I am enjoying reading this book. It is a fun book with lots of descriptive language. A group of children find a magical tree in the woods and make new friends with the characters inside. 

 

By Omotade 3M 

 

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Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
17
March
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
17
March
Primary Music Festival - Host
9:00am – 12:30pm
20
March
Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
24
March
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
24
March
Easter Celebration Event (time TBC)
8:00am – 8:30am
25
March
SEN Bikeability Riding Lesson
1:00pm – 3:00pm
25
March
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12 Mar 2026
Margaret Mullane MP inspire pupils about careers in politics
Learning about careers in politics 
Read more
11 Mar 2026
Sports journalist Amar Mehta inspires pupils with career in sport media
Inspiring children to consider a career in sports journalism.
Read more
09 Mar 2026
A 'magical' visit inspires pupils to believe in their strengths
Learning about careers in psychology and magic
Read more
05 Mar 2026
World Book Day
Year 4 pupils enjoying dressing up for World Book Day.
Read more
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Year Three

It has been another great week for year 3, showing great effort with their work. It was lovely to meet with so many of you at parents evening.   

What we have learnt about this week 

This week in English, children have explored similes and metaphors for describing characters appearance and personality. They have considered characters feelings based on events in the text. In maths, children have continued to learn about length, adding, comparing and finding equivalent lengths between m and cm and mm and cm. In geography, children took on the role of geologists, independently researching the layers of the earth to create a poster to present to the class. In RE, children learnt about Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, children will learn about perimeter in maths. They will look at what perimeter is, measure and calculate perimeter. In English, children will learn about using apostrophes for singular possession and explore descriptive words to use to describe a new character in the book. In history, children will learn about Alexander the Great. In RE, children will conclude their learning on Judaism learning about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Year Four 

It has been a great week in Year 4 with lots of notable learning. It was great to see several of parents at parents evening.  

What we have learnt about this week 

In English this week, children have been understanding what rhyme is and creating their own poem using personification. In maths, children used their fractions knowledge to count beyond 1 and partition a mixed number. In history, children analysed historical evidence. In computing, children started their new weather unit by researching what the weather is like in other countries. They then used the information they retracted to create their own spreadsheet. In RE, children have continued to rehearse the Easter Story for their production.   

Please remind children to bring in empty plastic bottles for our science unit.   

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, children will continue to rehearse for their production. In History, they will start to learn about the Romans and think about their origin. In RE, children will be retelling the story of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet. They will be explaining why this was an act of humility and love. In Science, children will be determining whether a lamp lights through an open or closed switch.  

Year Five

It has been another busy and exciting week in Year 5. The children have worked very hard across all subjects and have shown great enthusiasm in their learning. Here are some of the highlights from our week. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week in Maths, the children learned about thousandths as decimals and fractions and explored thousandths on a place value chart. They also practised ordering and comparing decimals with the same number of decimal places, helping to strengthen their understanding of place value. 

In English, we explored a Planet Earth poem and analysed the metaphors used within it. The children worked on understanding how metaphors create imagery and meaning in poetry. They then wrote their own stanzas using metaphors and performed them to the class – it was great fun! 

In PE, the children really enjoyed their swimming sessions and showed great enthusiasm in the pool. 

During Geography, the children wrote their own voiceover scripts for a video about North America, using their knowledge to describe key features of the continent. 

In Computing, the children explored stop motion animation and created their own short animations using the iPads. 

 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week in English, we will be exploring a simile poem and identifying how similes are used to create vivid imagery. By the end of the week, the children will write their own stanzas inspired by the poem. 

On Wednesday, we will be travelling to central London to watch The Lion King at the theatre. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the children to experience a live stage performance. 

In RE, the children will explore the question of who was responsible for the death of Jesus, encouraging thoughtful discussion and reflection on different viewpoints. 

In Geography, the children will compare London and New York, looking at the similarities and differences between these two major cities. 

Year Six

What We Have Learnt About This Week 

This week, the children took part in a SATs practice week. They completed a reading paper, a mental arithmetic paper, two reasoning papers, a spelling paper, and finally a grammar and punctuation paper. 

All the children worked extremely hard, tried their utmost, and we are very proud of the effort and resilience they showed throughout the week. 

Alongside the testing, the children also took part in online maths quizzes to sharpen their skills and confidence. 

In the afternoons, they enjoyed carrying out research projects, exploring different topics and presenting what they discovered. 

What We Will Learn About Next Week 

In Maths, we will continue our work on angles, focusing on degrees, identifying different types of angles, and solving word problems involving angles. 

In English, we will be writing our narrative poems based on our book study of The Highwayman. The children will continue to apply everything they have learnt, including using figurative language, hyperbole, and varying their sentence structures. 

In RE, we will be concluding our topic on Salvation, reflecting on the key ideas we have explored. 

In Science, we will continue learning about Living Things as we move towards the Easter break. 

Well done, Year 6. Continue working hard before the Easter break 

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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!