Newsletters

24/25 - Spring 1, Week 1

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Dear parents and carers,

Happy New Year, and welcome back to the spring term at William Ford Junior School! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Thank you so much for your kind cards, presents, and good wishes before the Christmas break. Your thoughtfulness truly keeps us motivated and reminds us why we love being part of this incredible school community.

Channel Four filming

As mentioned in my previous newsletter before Christmas, William Ford has been chosen to feature in a Channel Four TV documentary. This will be produced by Jamie Oliver Productions, focusing on special educational needs, particularly dyslexia. Filming will take place on 15th and 29th January and 11th March, with Jamie Oliver himself joining us on two of these dates. As part of this incredible opportunity, selected pupils and staff will also visit Parliament to meet the government’s Education Secretary. Families of pupils participating in the production have already been contacted.

This is a fantastic chance to highlight the exceptional support and inclusive education we provide at William Ford, while also contributing to a national conversation about SEND. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our school and promote its strengths to the wider community, which we hope will attract more families to join us, increasing the resources we can invest in our pupils. Please be assured that any other pupils included in filming will have full parental consent, or their faces will be blurred. I will personally review the programme before it airs to ensure it reflects our school in a fair, kind, and appropriate manner.

Collective Worship

Starting next week, Collective Worship will focus on the theme of Peacemakers. Inspired by our vision to "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14), we’ll explore stories, teachings, and activities that encourage pupils to be peacemakers in our school, homes, and community.

Rights Respecting Schools

We are delighted to introduce our new Rights Respecting Ambassadors, who have already begun their important work in promoting children’s rights throughout the school. A Rights Respecting School places the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of everything we do, empowering pupils to learn about their rights and respect the rights of others. Our ambassadors will work closely with their peers to ensure every child at William Ford knows their rights and how to uphold them, creating an inclusive and respectful school environment. A huge thank you to Mrs. Buckingham and Mr. Lazarus for their hard work and dedication in setting up this initiative. Their efforts ensure that our school community continues to grow in kindness, respect, and understanding.

We look forward to a fantastic spring term filled with learning, achievements, and opportunities for our pupils to thrive.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Did you know 1 in 5 people are dyslexic?  

Miscosoft have created an incredible resource bank for teachers, parents and children to raise awareness of dyslexia.  

Access it for FREE here: Kids - Made By Dyslexia 

Next week we have Colombia day on Thursday 16th January and will have a special menu.

Colombian Style Roasted Chicken
or
Colombian Style Roasted Quorn
Served with 
Rice
Mango Salsa
and Salad Bar

Dessert

Selection of desserts or
Arroz con Leche Colombiano
(A traditional dessert made with rice, milk, sugar and cinnamon)

This can be pre-ordered on the parent pay booking system. Although we will also check in class the pupils choice on Thursday morning

William Ford Food

in partnership with The Felix Project. 

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Huge thanks to the staff and parents who came to the school site on Saturday 28th December to help set out the food donated by The Felix Project. We will be getting a new delivery soon and will let you all know closer to the time. This is food for the whole school community. Everyone is welcome to join us and get some items. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please contact Mrs Noakes at office@williamfordschool.co.uk

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Year Three

Kris 3M

 

Year Four

Quinn 4IW

Year Five

Shiven 5W

 

Year Six

Claude 6B

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Emmanuel A book report: The Berlin Olympics

It’s 1935 and Eleanor and her best friend, Sarah, are determined to compete in the national swimming team for the 1936 Olympics. Their dream comes true when both are selected. But the host city is Hitler’s Berlin and Sarah is Jewish.

Eleanor witnesses the nazi’s hostility to Jews and hears the distant murmurings that will erupt in WW2.

Author: Vince Cross

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Y5 Group 1 Swimming
9:30am – 10:30am
15
January
Y5 Swimming Group 2
10:30am – 11:30am
15
January
Columbia Day
All Day
16
January
Parent Meet - Y6 SATS - what they are, how your child is assessed and how best to support them.
9:30am – 10:30am
20
January
Y5 Group 1 Swimming
9:30am – 10:30am
22
January
Y5 Swimming Group 2
10:30am – 11:30am
22
January
Young Voices @ the O2
All Day
23
January
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10 Jan 2025
Year Four Lego Mandirs
Year 4 tell us about their Lego Mandirs
Read more
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Year Three

We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday season. It’s great to see the children back in school, eager to learn and explore. This week, we've had a busy start to the term with lots of exciting activities across different subjects. 

What we have learnt about this week 

In Maths, the children have been working on multiples of 10, exploring related calculations, and reasoning through problems involving multiplication. They’ve been gaining a deeper understanding of how numbers relate to each other, which will help with more complex calculations later on. In English, the children have started reading the book Wild Cities. They’ve been summarising key information from the text and learning new vocabulary to improve their understanding. We've also been discussing unfamiliar words and their meanings, which helps to expand their language skills and comprehension. In Computing, the children have been tinkering with Scratch, a free programming software that they can also access from home. It’s been great fun, and they’ve begun creating their own simple programs. Encourage them to explore this at home to continue building their coding skills. 

What we will learn about next week 

In Maths, we will be looking at multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers, both with and without exchange. In English, we’ll focus on alliteration and explore the features of a diary. In Science, we’ll be investigating and describing different types of rocks, and in History, we’ll delve into the fascinating world of ancient Egyptian gods. 

 

 

 

Year Four

We hope you and your family had an enjoyable holiday. The children have returned to school with great enthusiasm, and we’re already diving into some exciting learning activities. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, we’ve started reading How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. The children were introduced to the main characters, Hiccup and Toothless, and have begun discussing their personalities and adventures. Ask your child what they think of these characters so far—they’ve shared some great observations in class! 

In Maths, we introduced formal methods for multiplication. The children are working hard to practice these techniques and build their confidence. You can support them at home by encouraging them to explain the steps of a multiplication problem or practice with real-world examples, like working out totals or areas. 

Our journey through British history continues! We’ve now reached the Bronze Age and have begun an exciting enquiry into the life and significance of the Amesbury Archer. In Science, we’ve been investigating the water cycle. From evaporation to precipitation, the children are beginning to understand how water moves through our environment. 

What we will learn about next week 

We’ll be continuing with our class text, How to Train Your Dragon. This engaging story ties beautifully into other areas of our learning, and we’re excited to dive deeper into the adventures of Hiccup and his dragon. 

In maths, we will focus on consolidating our multiplication skills. We’ll revisit strategies, sharpen mental maths, and apply our knowledge to problem-solving challenges. 

In geography, we are starting a brand-new unit: Our European Neighbours. Next week, we’ll focus on the region of Scandinavia, exploring its geography, culture, and links to the Norse mythology featured in our class text. 

Year Five

A massive welcome back to all the pupils and it has been great to have them all back and to hear about their great adventures of the Christmas holidays.  

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, in maths we have begun our new topic on multiplication and division. Pupils looked at multiplying 4 by 1 digit, as well as 2 by 2-digit.  

In Reading, pupils have begun their new book: Beowulf. Our book is also directing our English learning, and this week pupils have been looking at hyphenated words, as well as kenning poems. Pupils learnt what a kenning poem is and then applied this knowledge to creating their own poem.  

In geography, we began our new unit on North America and pupils learnt about the key facts of North America, as well as where North America is located and what continent it is in.  

What we will learn about next week 

Next week we will be moving onto division in maths, whilst we will be looking at and analysing a narrative poem, as well as exploring character’s emotions.  

In RE, we will be beginning our new topic of Christianity, looking at how Christians try to follow Jesus’ example.  

In PE, we will be doing football and swimming. Please be aware that our PE lessons are on Tuesday (football) and Wednesday (swimming) now. On Wednesdays, please ensure that your child has their swimming suit, swim hat and goggles, as well as a towel and a suitable bag. Thank you.

 

Year Six

What we have learnt about this week 

Welcome back and Happy New Year! Our students have settled back into school beautifully and have made a strong start to 2025. This week has been filled with exciting lessons across various subjects.  

In maths, they've explored symbols in formulae, formed algebraic expressions, solved one-step equations, and revised key arithmetic skills. In English, they practiced using question tags, analysed diary entries, and used inference skills to understand Ruby’s feelings in Where the Mountain Roars. In geography, students located South America on a map and learned to read four-figure grid references. They began their artist study with David Hockney in art, and in music, discussed how different film music evokes emotions. It's been a productive week full of exciting learning! 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week, the children will plan and write a diary entry from the perspective of the character Ruby. In maths, they will work on two-step equations, finding pairs of values and solving problems with two unknowns, and will begin learning about ratios later in the week. In history, they will start a new unit on crime and punishment in medieval times. The children will also explore the work of the next artist, Paula Rego, in art. In computing, they will dive into the uses of AI technology, exploring its impact and applications. It promises to be another exciting and busy week of learning! 

 

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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

3A

Name: Fran

For: Working well in maths this week.

 

Name: Daniela

For: helping tidy up the classroom when it gets disorganised.

 

Name: Desiree

For: settling back well and listening to all instructions.

3F

Name: Ana

For: working incredible hard in all lessons this week

Name: Mateo

For:  being a calm and focused member of the class

Name: Jessica

For:  being a calm and focused member of the class

3M

Name: Kairo

For: working hard in all lessons

Name:  Myla

For:  being a helpful, reliable and sensible member of the class

Name: Aderayo

For: working peacefully and trying hard in all lessons.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Four

4D

Name: Mikail

For: trying his best in maths this week.

 

Name: Freddie

For: being helpful around the classroom and showing kindness to others

 

Name: Arya

For: for always making a great effort with his work and having a calm attitude to learning.

4IW

Name: Zion

For: working diligently to contribute to class discussions

Name: Demi

For: being a kind and generous member of the classroom.

Name: Michelle

For: always being a calm and peaceful member of the classroom

4N

Name: James

For: asking thoughtful questions and thinking very carefully in history.

Name: Chidera

For:  being kind and helpful in the classroom.

Name: Milly

For: being calm and ready to work in all lessons.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Five

5H

Name: Slav

For: presenting his maths so neatly and carefully this week.

 

Name: Amiyah

For: generously helping another person in swimming this week.

 

Name: Abdullah

For: his calm and peaceful approach to lessons this week

5P

Name: Kacie

For: A great attitude to learning and always willing to seek ways to improve her work.

Name: Mia

For: Always willing to share her thoughts and contribute to class discussions.

Name: Maysan-James

For: A calm, polite attitude and enthusiastic approach to reading

5W

Name: Rosie

For: working diligently and putting extra effort in – especially when creating a kenning poem.

Name: Ayaan

For: acting generously and for his fantastic effort in maths this week. 

Name: Shiven

For:  living at peace and being an excellent role model to the rest of 5W.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Six

6B

Name: Joanna 

For: good focus and effort in lessons.

 

Name: Zechariah 

For: helpfulness with classroom jobs and towards his peers

 

Name: Ava 

For: having a calm and peaceful approach in lessons. 

6I

Name: Archie

For: Pushing himself this week, he has made great strides with his learning

Name: Orlaith

For:Her kindness and thoughtful nature. 

Name: Nia

For:  great addition to the class, we love the new energy you bring to the class.

6L

Name: Michael A

For: fantastic understanding of algebra.

Name: Emmanuella

For:  great perseverance in identifying features of a diary.

Name: Handel

For: great reflection and improvement in behaviour.
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