Newsletters

24/24 - Autumn 2, Week 7

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Dear parents and carers,

As we reach the final week of term, I want to express my immense pride in the hard work and dedication shown by our staff and pupils. This term has been full of challenges, but also many good times and much to celebrate. It’s been a privilege to see how our pupils are progressing in their work—it’s a joy to witness their growth and achievements.

Christmas Celebrations

This week, our joint Christmas bazaar with our neighbouring infant school was a resounding success! Thank you to everyone who attended, and to the staff from both schools who worked tirelessly to make it such a wonderful event. On Thursday, our annual disco provided an enjoyable experience for all our pupils, filling the school with laughter and fun.

This week, all pupils attended a beautiful Christmas service at Dagenham Parish Church, where we reflected on the true meaning of Christmas. It was a poignant reminder of the love and hope that this season represents as we remember the birth of Jesus, Son of God.

Farewell to Staff

It is with sadness that we must say goodbye to some members of staff this term. As shared previously, budget challenges have led to difficult decisions, and we now bid farewell to Mrs. Patullo from our teaching team, as well as Mrs. Collins-Greenwood, and Mrs. Bowles from our support staff. Shortly after we return in January, we will also say goodbye to Mrs. Huckle and Mrs Porter.

These individuals have contributed greatly to William Ford, and we wish them all the best for the future. Please join me in thanking them for their dedication and assuring them of our prayers and best wishes.

I also want to reiterate my commitment to ensuring all classes are led by qualified teachers. After Christmas, Class 5P will be taught by Mr. Buckingham, our Deputy Headteacher and Year 5/6 Phase Leader.

Exciting Developments in the New Year

We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of our radio station after Christmas! Led by Mr. Wakeford and Mr. Lazarus, we are retraining pupils and training new ones to enhance the quality and variety of our broadcasts. Most excitingly, we will officially launch a breakfast show (8:30-8:45am) and a going home show at the end of each day.

These broadcasts will include highlights from Collective Worship and updates on key events—perfect for parents to enjoy! We’d love your feedback, so do let us know what you think.

A Phenomenal Opportunity for William Ford

I’m thrilled to share some very exciting news! William Ford has been approached by Jamie Oliver Productions and Channel Four to feature in a TV documentary focusing on special educational needs, particularly dyslexia.

Filming will take place on 15th and 29th January and 11th March, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver joining us on two of these dates. Selected pupils and staff will also visit Parliament as part of the production, where they will meet the government’s Education Secretary. Pupils who are going to feature have already been selected and their families contacted.

This is an incredible opportunity to showcase all the wonderful things we offer at William Ford and to contribute to a national conversation about education. This also promotes the school across the local area, meaning that more families will hopefully join us which increases our funds to spend on pupils. Rest assured, any other pupils included in filming will have parental consent, or their faced will be blurred. I will personally review the programme before it airs to ensure it is fair, kind, and appropriate.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Happy Christmas!

As we close this term, I want to thank you all for your continued support and wish you and your families a peaceful and joyful Christmas.

We look forward to welcoming pupils back on Tuesday, 7th January, when we hope to kick off our new breakfast programme!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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See below for details on a parent workshop for supporting you with your child's behaviour that is being run by Place2be.

Partnership with The Felix Project: Request for Food Parcel

William Ford are excited to announce our new partnership with The Felix Project, an organisation that rescues surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise go to waste. This food is then delivered to food banks, charities, primary schools, and holiday programmes in London.

On the afternoon of Saturday, 28th December 2024, we will be receiving our first delivery of surplus food. We are unsure of the exact items we will receive. However, should you like to request a food parcel please complete the online form linked below.

You must be able to collect the food parcel from the school on Saturday, 28th November. We are unsure of exact times at the moment, but you will receive a message for collection on the day.

We look forward to working together to reduce food waste and help those in need.

https://forms.office.com/e/kw4gJaP0Y5

Thank you for your support!

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Year Three

 

 

Year Four

Year Five

 

 

Year Six

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BFG by Roald Dahl 

 

I like this book because the giant is kind and it teaches us to be kind to others, he was my favourite character. The characters in this story were Sophie a small, human child, the Bloodbottler who is the rude character that no one likes and the queen who is good. I recommend this book because it teaches you kindness and it is funny. 

 

By Talia 4L 

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Break up for Christmas @1.30pm
All Day
20
December
Inspire Minds Through Sport xmas camp
9:00am – 3:00pm
24
December
Inspire Mind through sports Camp
9:00am – 3:00pm
02
January
Inspire Minds through sports
9:00am – 3:00pm
03
January
Inset - Non Pupil Day
All Day
06
January
Children return to school @8.35am
All Day
07
January
Y5 Group 1 Swimming
9:30am – 10:30am
08
January
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19 Dec 2024
Dancing the Night Away at the William Ford Pupil Discos!
Dancing the Night Away at the William Ford Pupil Discos!
Read more
19 Dec 2024
Christmas Bazaar 2024
A Festive Success: Christmas Bazaar Brings Joy to the Community
Read more
17 Dec 2024
Congratulations to Belita – 1st Place at Prima Grand Gymnastics Competition!
1st Place at Prima Grand Gymnastics Competition!
Read more
16 Dec 2024
Celebrating Christmas at church
Christmas Church Visit – A Day to Remember
Read more
13 Dec 2024
Rocking the Stage: Celebrating music and community at William Ford Junior School
Rocking the Stage: Celebrating Music and Community at William Ford Junior School
Read more
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Year Three

It has been a very long term for both the children and the staff, but we have made it to the end of the first term and we are so proud of how well the children have settled and the progress they have already made. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week we have finished our shared reading book. We have also applied our learning of the features of a postcard when writing our own postcard. 

We have had an exciting time in our design and technology lessons designing our own Egyptian collars, learning to sew and evaluating our success. We will finish these off in the new term, ready to wear on Ancient Egypt Day. 

In art, we made papyrus paper. It was a very sticky lesson, but the results are effective. 

What we will learn about next week 

Next term we will be beginning our new shared reader, a non-fiction book called ‘Wild Cities’. 

In maths, we will be returning to multiplication and division calculations and continuing to improve the speed and accuracy of our calculations. 

Our new R.E topic will be looking at Judaism and in science we will begin our unit on rocks and soils. 

May we take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year. 

Merry Christmas from the Year 3 Team 😊  

Year Four

We have finally reached the end of this amazing term. The children have made such good progress. 

What we have learnt about this week 

We have finished reading Journey to Jo’burg this week. The children enjoyed the story and learnt so much from it. It has developed their understanding of treating people justly and they have discussed the issues raised so maturely. 

We also finished our unit on Hinduism in RE this week. Again, the children showed their maturity through their discussion and through their understanding of different belief systems.  

History saw the children using their enquiry skills as historians to understand the technological developments of the Bronze Age. They asked amazingly thoughtful questions about the topic. 

What we will learn about next week 

After Christmas, the children will start a new class novel, How to Train Your Dragon. This story will closely link to our geography topic ‘Our European Neighbors’ which focusses on the area of Scandinavia. The book is based around the mythology of this fascinating area of Europe. 

History will see us continuing through Britain’s history, moving from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age. 

The Year 4 team would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Hope that you all have a fantastic break and look forward to seeing you all in 2025. 

Year Five

What a fantastic term we have had in year 5! It has been an action-packed, eventful term, ending in an array of Christmassy activities! 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week we completed our unit of persuasive writing, in English, with the pupils writing a persuasive argument, based on our book: The boy at the back of the class.  

In maths, we completed out unit on fractions, and pupils also took part in some Christmas maths investigations, relating to fractions and multiplication.  

In History and RE, pupils completed their respective units, by carrying out an assessment on Anglo-Saxons and Incarnation. 

What we will learn about next week 

After the Christmas break, will be beginning new units in lots of our subjects.  

In English, we will be starting a new book: Beowulf, by Michael Murpurgo.  

In maths, we will be consolidating our skills in multiplication and division.  

We very much want to wish you a wonderful break and we hope that you have a fantastic Christmas and New Year, from the Year 5 team! 

Year Six

We have made it to the end of the final week of the Autumn Term!   

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, we have concluded many units of work across the curriculum.  In science, the children planned and carried out an investigation into light colour-mixing.  In R.E. the children explored the role of art in faith before comparing the use of art in Christianity and Islam.  The children have also enjoyed planning and creating a podcast about mountains in their geography lesson, whilst in computing they planned and created a radio advert using the school’s radio station studio. 

What we will learn about next week 

After the Christmas break, the children will continue working on algebra in maths.  In English, we will be moving onto a new unit of work based on the text, When the Mountains Roared by Jess Butterworth.  In science, the children will explore living things and their habitats with a focus on classification.  The Year 6 team wish you all a relaxing Christmas break with friends and family.  Merry Christmas. 

 

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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

 

Name: Elie 

For: her brilliant sewing skills.

 

 

Name: Manhoor 

For: her kind attitude this week. 

 

Name: Maryam 

For: always being an amazing role model for behaviour.

3F

Name: Mateo 

For: working diligently on his cross stitch during DT this week.

Name: Amiya  

For: always being kind and generous to her peers and adults.

Name: Hamza  

For: living at peace and being a calm member of the class

For: 

3M

Name: Faith 

For: working hard this week when writing a postcard in English.

Name:  Amira 

For: being so helpful around the classroom and for being a good friend. 

Name:  Emily 

For: being a calm, sensible, reliable member of the class.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Four

4D

Name: Fateha

For: working diligently in all areas across the curriculum.

 

Name: Teddy

For: being a good friend to others in the classroom.

 

Name: Fatima

For: always being calm and peaceful in the classroom.

4IW

Name: Arya

For: working hard this term and making great progress.

Name: Kingston

For: being generous with his time and always being helpful around the classroom.

Name: Alexander

For: always having a calm and postive approach to learning this term. 

4N

Name: Jameel 

For: a much more settled approach to his schoolwork. 

 

Name: James 

For: being kind, generous and helpful to his friends and to adults. 

 

Name: Sofia 

For: a peaceful approach to lessons.

 
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Five

5H

Name: Jamie 

For: his English advert video.

 

 

Name: Ezinne 

For: always sharing her equipment generously. 

 

 

Name: Deba 

For: remaining calm and peaceful at all times. 

 

5P

Name: Daimon 

For: Trying hard in all areas of the curriculum.

Name: Kacie 

For: being a kind friend.

 

Name: Adesewa 

For: being a calm member of the class.

5W

Name: Kaitlyn 

For: working diligently and showing great effort in her writing assessment.

Name: Viola 

For: acting generously and always offering to help, in class.  

Name: Cherie 

For: showing courage and not giving up in PE and for the girls’ football team. 
 

Working diligently

  

Acting generously

Promoting peace

 

Year Six

6B

Name: Aisela 

For: excellent focus on her work throughout the term.

 

Name: David 

For: active participation in group work.

Name: Kendra 

For: having a calm and hard-working approach in lessons.

6I

Name: Belita 

For: Always striving for her best in all lessons. 

 

Name: Fiona 

For: Always putting others first.

 

Name: Khalid 

For: Always being at peace in class.

 
 

6L

Name: Stephanie 

For: Confidently participating in all French lessons.

 

Name: Onirban 

For: Reading with excellent intonation during shared reading. 

Name:  Emma 

For: Walking around the school quietly and sensibly.

 
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