Newsletters

23/24 - Spring 1 - Week 1

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Dear parents and carers,

Welcome back to a new calendar year and brand new term at William Ford.  I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas break and are ready for the excitement and challenges that a new term brings.  On behalf of the team at William Ford, allow me to wish you all a Happy New Year and to thank you for the cards, presents and warm words that we received just before the Christmas break.

Colombia Day

There is a lot to look forward to across the new term.  We began this week with Colombia Day as the school learnt more about the country where our sponsor children live, along with experiencing some of the culture and raising money to support our children who live in a very deprived town, within Colombia's banana plantations.  The charity which we support, Stand By Me, started the day for us by leading our collective worship and educating us more about our children and where they live.  We even sang one of their songs (in Spanish!) which was filmed to be shared with Emmanuel School in Guacamyal, Colombia.  Across the school, we had lessons across many subject areas linked to Colombia.  Pupils also donated money to come to school dressed in the colours of the Colombian flag.

  

Visit from Jon Cruddas MP

We also received a visit today from our local MP, Jon Cruddas into school.  This visit follows a recent trip I made to Parliament where I was asked about the challenges of running a school.  Topics covered included funding for buildings and maintenance, special educational needs provision and teacher recruitment and retention.  It was wonderful that our local MP listened to these concerns and followed up with a visit to William Ford to learn more.  During this visit he met with myself, Mrs Beech (our SENDCo) and Mrs Gladden our School Business Manager).  He also enjoyed a tour of the school and was amazed by our curriculum, displays and the provision we make for each and every child.  He also listened very carefully to our concerns.

Parent survey

A huge thank you to all the parents who completed our survey.  We received over 100 responses.  You should have received a copy of the report I produced, analysing every result and comment.  This can also be accessed by clicking here. 

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Deuteronomy 31:6

6 Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be frightened. The Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you.”

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Welcome back!

We have some exciting new intervention groups happening this term. Some of you may receive a letter and information pack about a new intervention called Hamish and Milo. Please read the leaflet carefully and if you have any questions feel free to call the office and ask for Mrs Finch, the Learning Mentor.

Don't forget your PE Kit or your swimming kit (Year 6)!!!

I have a list of PE and Swimming days for your diary..

Year 3

3N - Monday and Wednesday

3M - Monday and Thursday

3F - Wednesday and Friday

Year 4

4W - Thursday and Friday

4IW - Tuesday and Wednesday

4D - Monday and Friday

Year 5

5A - Tuesday and Friday

5H - Thursday and Friday

5P - Monday and Tuesday

Year 6 - have one PE session while swimming takes place

6B – Wednesday + Monday swimming

6I – Wednesday + Tuesday Swimming

6F – Tuesday + Wednesday swimming

Please note we no longer have spare PE kits to loan out to pupils 

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This week's book suggestion is 'When the Mountains Roared' by Jess Butterworth. We have only started to read this book this week as part of shared reading, and I am already hooked! Ruby, her dad and Grandma move from Australia to India. I am looking forward to seeing the adventures and challenges the family will face. 

Joy 6I. 

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Columbia Day
All Day
12
January
Art Project - Litter Patrol - Katja Class 5H
1:00pm – 3:00pm
15
January
Art Project - Litter Patrol - Katya Class 5A
1:00pm – 3:00pm
16
January
Year 6 Police Visit
9:00am – 1:00pm
17
January
Art Project - Litter Patrol - Katya Class 5P
1:00pm – 3:00pm
17
January
Lego Workshop4IW
9:00am – 1:30pm
19
January
Lego Workshop 4W and 4D
9:00am – 1:30pm
26
January
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12 Jan 2024
Colombia Day
Gregory and Liyanah from 4W write about Columbia Day
Read more
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Year Three

It has been lovely to welcome back all the children this week and get back into a routine. We have lots of exciting new topics to study this term and also our Egyptian Day in a few weeks' time.

What we have learnt about this week

In English, we have started our new class reader 'Around the World in Eighty Days' by Jules Verne. We have also looked at the features of a non-chronological report, proper and past and present tense.

In maths, we have introduced our new topic of multiplication and have looked at different ways that this can be shown visually through dot arrays, pictures and diagrams.

In science, we have begun our new topic 'Rocks and Soils' by learning about and sorting sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks.

We have begun a new R.E. topic in which we look at Judaism and compare it to elements of Christianity. We have had a brief introduction to the main beliefs.

What we will learn about next week

Next week in English we will look at subordinating conjunctions and write our own questions about a country of our choice, research the answers and present the information in paragraphs.

In R.E. we will learn about the founding of Judaism through the story of Abraham. 

In geography, we will begin our exciting unit which focusses on volcanoes and the layers of the earth.

 

Year Four 

Welcome back and welcome to 2024! Year 4 have made a great start to the new year and have begun new topics: George's Marvellous medicine and the Iron Age. 

What we have learnt about this week

In English and Reading, we started our new book: George's Marvellous medicine and have been learning about rhyming couplets and alliteration, in order to create our own poems. In Maths, we have started a new topic on measure and the pupils have had great fun being practical, whilst measuring all sorts of objects, using mm, cm and m. 

In History, year 4 have been researching why iron replaced bronze and why it is superior! In RE, the pupils looked at the way Christians live their lives and how this is based on their beliefs in God and in French they have begun their new topic on numbers and have been practicing speaking and listening, using numbers 1 to 31 (un - trente-et-un). 

What we will learn about next week

Next week, we will be looking at writing instructions in English, following our study on George's Marvellous medicine, as well as learning about and applying skills to perimeter. In RE, pupils will be writing interview questions, in order to interview a vicar. In History, pupils are going to look at the key events, that took place during the Iron Age. 

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

Year Five

It has been great to welcome the children back to school this week. The children seem well rested and ready to get back to learning in Year 5.

What we have learnt about this week

This week in English, we have begun a new reading and writing unit based around the book 'Boy, Everywhere' by A. M. Dassu. The story tells of a young boy and his family from Syria who have to flee their beloved home in order to stay safe during the unforgiving civil war. The children spent time this week getting to know the main character and finding out how his life was similar to their own. 

In maths, the children have been working on division. They have been using manipulatives and pictorial representations to help them solve short division problems.

In RE, we have begun looking at the Gospels and asking the question 'What would Jesus do?' to show how the Gospels help to provide a foundation for Christian living.

What we will learn about next week

Next week, in English, the children will be writing letters, taking on the role of the main character in the class book. They will need to be able to write in an informal style and to use figurative language to describe the journey of the refugee family.

In maths next week, we will continue to work on division but will look at how using factors can help break down the question into more manageable chunks. We will also be consolidating the children's knowledge of multiplication and division.

Year Six

It has been great to welcome the Year 6 children back after the Christmas break.  The Spring Term is going to be very busy for the children as not only are we completing our normal lessons, but we will have a weekly swimming lesson and our revision for the upcoming SATs will be a regular part of the week. 

What we have learnt about this week

This week, the children have been developing their knowledge and understanding about ratio in maths.  In English, they have started their  new unit of work on diary writing by examining the features of diary entries.  Our R.E. unit of work was completed this week during our exploration of how some famous Christians put their beliefs into practice.  In science, the children have begun their new unit of work based on electricity by recapping prior knowledge based on electrical circuits and electrical conductors.

What we will learn about next week

Next week, the children will be completing some past SATs tests and then we will be analysing the papers to address any misconceptions.

 

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Each week, staff select three 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!

 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Three

3F

Name: Abdulrahman 

For: working diligently in maths

 

Name: Chidera  

For: being a kind member of staff and looking after a friend when she is upset

 

Name: Favour

For: being ready to learn and being a role model for her peers in French 

3M

Name: Abigail

For: listening well, participating fully in lessons and for retaining the information she is taught. 

Name: Paula

For: showing kindness when looking after her friend who was feeling sad.

Name: Zainab

For: always being calm, beautifully behaved and hard working.

3N

Name: Umayma

For: a diligent approach to lessons

Name:  Umar

For: being kind and friendly to his peers and staff

Name: Christabel

For: being much more peaceful in class
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Four

4D

Name: Malachi

For: good collaborative work in our practical maths lessons this week

 

Name: Frankie Lee

For: being kind and helpful to others

 

Name: Collins

For: always being dedicated and promoting peace

4IW

Name: Delia

For: working diligently in all lessons this week, especially maths 

Name: Patricia 

For: being extremely generous, giving up her time to help in and around the classroom 

Name: Slav

For: living at peace and helping settle in a new class member to 4IW

4W

Name: Kayla

For: working diligently and creating a great poem, using rhyming couplets. 

Name: Daimon

For: acting generously and being really thoughtful and caring. 

Name: Divine

For: promoting peace by collaborating well when working in a group. 
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Five

5A

Name: Mia

For: her increased confidence and participation in maths.

 

Name: Tharik

For: generously sharing his fantastic and thoughtful ideas in shared reading.

 

Name: Nyima 

For: always demonstrating a calm and peaceful attitude. 

5H

Name:  Priscilla

For:  always working so hard during English lessons and for superb reading.

Name: Kendra

For:  acting generously at all times by helping other pupils and staff around the school.

Name:  Micha

For:  promoting peace in the classroom this week by remaining calm and concentrating hard.

5P

Name: Archie

For: working diligently in RE discussions, giving thoughtful responses.

Name: Bethany

For: always being a super helpful member of the class, willing to do any job!

Name: Maria

For: having a calm and peaceful approach to her learning.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Six

6B

Name: Demi

For: great listening in class and offering to answer questions

 

Name: David

For: thinking of others in a range of situations

 

Name: Maddie

For: a calm and kind attitude to her peers

6F

Name: Julian 

For: great work in maths this week working on ratio and proportion. 

Name: David

For: Sharing his ideas in class discussions. 

Name: Amelia 

For: great focus and peaceful presence in the classroom. 

6I

Name: Nasreen

For: working hard in maths and finding patterns using her times tables.

Name: Joy

For: being generous, helping others and joyful presence in the class. 

Name: Chelsea

For: settling in to the class well, bringing her bubby personality to 6I.
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