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Dear parents and carers,

Welcome back to what we are already confident is going to be a brilliant year. A particular welcome to all of our new Year 3 pupils, who have made the most impressive start. I have thoroughly enjoyed stopping to chat with them at lunchtime and around the school this week, and the reports from staff have been equally encouraging. They have settled with a confidence and warmth that speaks volumes about the families behind them. We are very glad to have them with us.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for the incredibly kind cards, messages and gifts sent to myself and members of the team at the end of last year. These are received with genuine gratitude and mean more than you might realise. They remind us why we do what we do, and they send us into the new year motivated and encouraged.

A School Transformed
Those of you who have been into the building and grounds this week will have noticed that a significant amount of work has taken place over the summer, and we are delighted to share that all of it has been delivered at no cost to the school. Our former 3M classroom has been redeveloped into an extension of our Lighthouse provision, with a new outdoor area to follow shortly. Our old science room, which previously had no natural light, has had four skylights installed and been completely refurbished to become a brand new Year 6 classroom. This work has overrun slightly and caused some disruption this week, which we appreciate has not been ideal; we are grateful for everyone's patience and the school has coped admirably. Air conditioning is also due to be installed in that room, which will be very welcome when the warmer months return. Beyond the building works, the goodwill shown by staff over the holidays has been extraordinary. As well as continuing to run our school food bank, they have created a new garden for pupils near the Year 5 classrooms, redecorated the school kitchen, and refreshed our office and entrance area. Classrooms across the school have also been beautifully prepared as wonderful environments for learning. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and generous team.

Radio Station and Vision Day
Our radio station has had to be temporarily dismantled as a result of the building works overrunning, which is why it is not currently broadcasting. We have used the time well, however, training a new group of children to take the reins, and we look forward to being back on air by the end of the month. We have also had a fantastic start to the year exploring our school vision and meeting our sponsored children in Colombia. You can read more about both of these in the linked articles below.

Our Website


Finally, a reminder that our school website was relaunched at the end of last year and is now much easier to navigate. Whether you are looking for upcoming dates, curriculum information or news about what your child has been up to, you should be able to find it at www.williamfordschool.co.uk.

We are aware that a small number of pages are still being updated and are working to address these. As ever, if you need any help or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office or speak to a member of the leadership team. We are always happy to help.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

  

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteache

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Your Ways | Psalm 25:4-5 - Tricia Goyer

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Welcome back! 

It has been lovely to welcome everyone back to school and to see our pupils settling into their new routines. I hope you and your families had a restful break. 

As we begin the new term, I wanted to share a few SEN-related updates and reminders to help make the transition back to school as smooth and positive as possible. 

🌟 Settling Back In 

The first few weeks of a new year can feel like a big adjustment, particularly for children and young people with additional needs. Changes to routines, classrooms, staff and expectations can sometimes feel overwhelming. 

Please remember that settling in takes time. Some children may appear confident and settled at school but find the transition more difficult once they are at home. Others may need additional reassurance, repetition and support before they feel comfortable with new routines. 

At school, we will continue to support pupils through clear routines, visual prompts, communication, reassurance and individual strategies where appropriate. 

If your child has SEND, please continue to share any information that you feel may help us understand how they are managing. Small changes at home or school can sometimes have a significant impact on a child's wellbeing and ability to engage.

William Ford CofE Juniors School works with Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity that helps children to explore their emotions and feel better about themselves. 

 

“When I feel worried, it’s like I’m in a maze and the people in Place2Be are coming with a torch and showing me the way” – Boy  

 

“My daughter had become such a different person – one we didn’t recognise – but since counselling we see signs of our old loving daughter coming back.” – Parent  

Children can go to the Place2Be room in school to express themselves by making art, playing or talking. 

When is Place2Be useful? 

Sometimes children can feel particularly sad, confused, scared or angry. 

Maybe something difficult happened at home, like losing a family member or parents separating. Or perhaps they’re struggling with something at school, like bullying. 

This can make them behave differently, lose confidence in themselves or find it difficult to concentrate in class. 

Place2Be is there to help children find ways to cope, so their worries don’t get in the way of their friendships, their learning or how they feel about themselves. 

What does Place2Be do? 

Place2Be’s professionals work with children one-to-one or in small groups, giving regular support for pupils who need it. 

Children can also book a short appointment to talk about any problems or worries they have – this is called Place2Talk. 

How does Place2Be work with adults? 

Place2Be provides support and advice for parents and carers, as well as teachers and school staff. Visit place2be.org.uk/family or get in touch with our Place2Be staff member (details below) to find out more.  

Place2Be always gets agreement from parents or carers before they support a child through one-to-one counselling. They also meet with parents or carers regularly to keep them updated and make sure they are involved from the start. 

Any questions? 

Nancy Volley is our Place2Be staff member.   

She works on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

You can either arrange to meet her at school or get in touch on 0208 270 6582 or nvolley@williamfordschool.co.uk

If you want to find out more about Place2Be visit place2be.org.uk 

 

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YEAR THREE

 

YEAR FOUR

Maia Niculescu

YEAR FIVE

Hamza Miah

YEAR SIX

Zakariya Wallace

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At William Ford we encourage book talk, it would be lovely for the children to continue this outside of school.  

This half term each year group will read a focus text as part of reading lessons.  

Year 3 – Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx 

Year 4 – Nell and the Cave Bear 

Year 5 – Hidden Figures 

Year 6 – Street Child 

Please support and encourage your child to talk about their reading. There are a selection of questions in the middle of your child's Reading Record for prompting. 

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08 Sep 2026
The William Ford DJs Are Back
The mic is warming up — William Ford Radio is almost back on air.
Read more
08 Sep 2026
Vision Day/Stand By Me
A new year, our school vision, and children already changing the world.
Read more
17 Jul 2026
iRockSchool Concert
iRockSchool Concert: a fantastic way to end the year in music
Read more

Year Three

Year Four

Well done to all the children for completing their first week at William Ford!  

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, the children have worked hard to complete a number of base line assessments. This has allowed the teachers in year 3 to know what the children already know and where their gaps are in their learning. Next week we will be starting to teach the year 3 curriculum.  

What we will learn about next week 

In English we will be starting to read our first year 3 text. The story is called â€˜Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx.’ The children will also be writing a character description of Marcy. 

In maths, we will be starting unit one which is all around place value. The children will be recognising and representing numbers to 100, using based 10 and counters. 

In history we will be exploring ancient civilisations and comparing objects from the past.  

Science this half term is learning about animals, including humans. They will be identifying the bones in the human body and learning about their function. 

For RE this week, children will be looking at different natural objects and thinking about why God created it. 

PE days for Year 3 will be on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please make sure your child has their PE kit in school for these days. 

It has been a great week in year 4 and it has been good to welcome all the children back to school .The children have made a great start to the new school year, adjusting to their new teachers and classrooms. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week the children have begun reading their new class novel, Nell and the Cave Bear by Martin Brown. They have had the opportunity to analyse the front and back cover and predict what is going to happen in the story. They have also created their own word bank to describe a setting. In Maths, the children have been understanding place value , working with numbers up to 100 and 1000. In Science , the children have identified the different types of vertebrates and invertebrates. In RE, we have started our new unit of Hinduism where the children looked at a range of artefacts and wrote a sentence , comment or question. In french the children started a new unit looking at french adjectives.  

What we will learn about next week 

Next week , we will continue to press on with some more learning. In English , the children will be retrieving and organising information from their class text. They will then use their ideas to write in the style of the author. In Maths, they will continue on place value representing numbers to 10,000.    In History, the children will begin their new topic on The Stone Age to the Iron Age.  In Art , the children will be designing their own paisley patterns.  

PE days for Year 4 will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school for these days. 

Year Five

Year Six

It has been a great week in year 4 and it has been good to welcome all the children back to school .The children have made a great start to the new school year, adjusting to their new teachers and classrooms. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week the children have begun reading their new class novel, Nell and the Cave Bear by Martin Brown. They have had the opportunity to analyse the front and back cover and predict what is going to happen in the story. They have also created their own word bank to describe a setting. In Maths, the children have been understanding place value , working with numbers up to 100 and 1000. In Science , the children have identified the different types of vertebrates and invertebrates. In RE, we have started our new unit of Hinduism where the children looked at a range of artefacts and wrote a sentence , comment or question. In french the children started a new unit looking at french adjectives.  

What we will learn about next week 

Next week , we will continue to press on with some more learning. In English , the children will be retrieving and organising information from their class text. They will then use their ideas to write in the style of the author. In Maths, they will continue on place value representing numbers to 10,000.    In History, the children will begin their new topic on The Stone Age to the Iron Age.  In Art , the children will be designing their own paisley patterns.  

PE days for Year 4 will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school for these days. 

It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school after the summer break. They have made a fantastic start to the new school year, showing a positive attitude, excellent focus and great effort across all of their lessons. 

What we have learnt about this week 

During shared reading this week, we have begun our new class novel, Street Child by Berlie Doherty, and the children have already enjoyed beginning to explore the story and its characters. In English, we have been developing our descriptive vocabulary and using this to create vivid descriptions of a Victorian street scene. In Maths, we have been recapping our understanding of place value, working with numbers up to 10,000,000 and reminding ourselves of the importance of the value of each digit.  We also began our baseline assessments by completing a reading SATs paper.  We have also enjoyed a varied week across our wider curriculum. In music, we were introduced to the KodĂĄly system and began exploring how it can help us understand and develop our musical skills. In art, the children discovered the fascinating world of zentangles and experimented with creating intricate repeated patterns. 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, we will continue to build on this positive start. In English, the children will be editing and improving their descriptive writing, focusing on making their vocabulary and sentence choices even more effective. In Maths, they will complete place value and then move on to reasoning SATs papers as part of their baseline assessment, while in SPAG they will also complete SATs papers to help us identify their starting points and inform our teaching. In Geography, we will begin our new topic on mountains by learning interesting facts about some of the world's most famous mountains and exploring where they can be found. 

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