Message From Miss Gladstone Dear Parents and Carers, As we reach the end of this half term, I wanted to take a moment to say a huge well done to all of our children for their fantastic efforts over the past few weeks. It’s been...
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of this half term, I wanted to take a moment to say a huge well done to all of our children for their fantastic efforts over the past few weeks. It’s been a truly brilliant start to the school year, and we couldn’t be prouder of how each and every pupil has embraced their learning.
A special mention must go to our Nursery and Reception children, who have settled into school life wonderfully. It’s been such a joy to see their confidence grow day by day – from making new friends and learning routines, to showing such enthusiasm in everything they do. What a fantastic start to their school journey!
Across the school, we are incredibly proud of our children for the way they come to school each morning – ready to learn, with big smiles on their faces and a clear determination to be the very best version of themselves. It’s this positive attitude that makes our school such a special place to be.
Thank you for all your continued support at home – it really does make all the difference.
Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half term break. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Tuesday 4th November.
Warm wishes,
Miss Gladstone
A gentle reminder that School Photo Day is coming up soon! On the day, individual, sibling, and class photos will be taken by Carmel Jane Photography.
You should have received an email with a link to pre-register. By registering, you’ll be notified as soon as the photos are ready to view and order online. If you haven’t yet received the link, please check your junk folder or contact the school office.
Please remember, all children must come to school wearing their red school uniform, regardless of whether it is their usual PE day.
We look forward to seeing lots of big smiles and smart red uniforms!
It has now been almost a year since we first consulted with parents and carers regarding our approach to home learning. Following that consultation, several changes were implemented to reflect the thoughts shared by the majority of our parents and enhance both the effectiveness of home learning and the wellbeing of our pupils.
As we reach the one year mark, we would like to take this opportunity to hear your views once again. A Google questionnaire will be shared with parents on Tuesday 4th November, and we kindly ask you to look out for this email.
Your feedback plays a vital role in helping us review what is working well and identify any areas that could be improved. By sharing your thoughts, you will be helping us continue to strengthen our home learning provision and support the wellbeing and success of all our children.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership.
During our recent parent coffee sessions, some of you shared that you would appreciate maths workshops for parents to help support your children’s learning at home. In particular, parents expressed an interest in understanding the strategies and vocabulary we use in school, so that they can ensure continuity and confidence when working with their children.
We’re really pleased to let you know that, in response to this feedback, Miss Lawrence, our Maths Lead, will be hosting a series of four parent workshops next half term. Each session is designed to focus on key areas of the curriculum and will offer practical guidance, examples, and the chance to ask questions.
The sessions will be as follows:
All dates for these sessions can be found in the ‘Dates for the Diary’ section of this newsletter and are also available on the calendar page of the school website. These workshops are a fantastic opportunity to build confidence, strengthen home-school links, and ensure our children receive consistent support with their maths learning.
We look forward to seeing many of you there!
We’d love to introduce you to our brand new Blog Squad members.
Asiya – Year 3
My name is Asiya and my favourite colour is blue, and I’m from Morocco. My favourite hobbies are gymnastics and learning new things at school.
Aalayna – Year 4
My name is Aalayna, I am 8 years old and my favourite colours are light brown and pink.
Zion – Year 4
Hello, my name is Zion. My favourite colour is blue and I am from Portugal and Mozambique.
Vera – Year 5
My name is Vera, and I am 9 years old. My favourite hobby is football, but when I am not kicking around on the pitch, I will have my head in a book or spend time day dreaming about mystery and adventure stories.
I strongly recommend you read: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling and Dog Man by Dave Pilkey.
Anoushka – Year 5
Hi guys, I am Anoushka! I am also 9 years old and some of my things I like are designing clothes and dancing, but other than that the things that I LOVE are writing and reading about daily life and friends that like detecting. I also like finding books that help people get better at reading and writing.
A book recommendation I have is Lottie Brook which is for older readers but also very funny!
Gabriella – Year 6
Hi all, it’s Gabriella here and I’d like to tell you a little more about myself. My favourite type of food is Greek cuisine. My hobbies are football, drawing and cooking. My favourite music group is Twice.
Ayah – Year 6
Hi again, it’s Ayah here and I would love to introduce myself. My favourite food is sushi. My hobbies are reading, writing and crafting. My favourite music group is Katseye and my favourite member in Katseye is Sophia.
We are so incredibly proud of all the children for their wonderful performance in Church this week as part of our Black History Month celebrations. The singing, the confident speaking, and the talented soloists were truly heartwarming, and a testament to the thought and hard work the children have put in. It was a beautiful event that reminded us all of the power of community, history, and hope.
A heartfelt thank you to all parents and carers who joined us to support their children and to celebrate Black History together. Your presence made the occasion even more special, and it means so much to the children to see such strong support from home.
At our school, we are proud to serve such a diverse and vibrant community. Celebrating Black History Month is just one of the many ways we honour our differences, learn from one another, and reflect on how far we have come – together. These celebrations help us build understanding, respect, and a stronger future for everyone.
In addition to the Church celebration, children have also enjoyed a range of inspiring workshops in their classrooms, exploring themes of culture, identity, and historical achievements. A big thank you to our amazing PTA for funding these experiences – the children have absolutely loved them!
Thank you, once again, for your continued support.
Reception Writing Sample
We’ve had another fantastic week of writing in Reception! This week, we introduced two new sounds: /g/ and /o/. The children have been busy practising how to form these letters correctly and are becoming more confident every day.
We’ve also been working on blending and segmenting CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words using the sounds we’ve learned so far. It’s been wonderful to see the children applying their phonics knowledge to build simple words and develop their early writing skills.
Keep up the great work, Reception!
We are so excited to invite you to their annual Lightparty! Where bright colours and Superhero fancy dress are a must, this is your invite to come along for lots of FUN for the family.
The room will be packed with inflatables, stalls, face painting, prizes, craft activities, food and much much more!
All children MUST be accompanied by an adult and have signed up using the below QR code:
The Mayor of London sends an official Christmas card to dignitaries around the world. This year, he invites children aged 4 to 14 to create a design for this year’s card based on the theme ’The Story of Christmas: Together in Hope and Love’.
Entries that represent the hope, joy and love that Christmas embodies, highlight the stories and symbols that invoke the magic and spirit of the festive season.
The winner’s artwork will feature on Sir Sadiq Khan’s official Christmas Card for 2025 to be sent to dignitaries across the world, including our sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III!
Additionally, the winner will have their card signed by the Mayor, receive a certificate, and a £100 gift voucher from Cass Art. There will also be two highly commended entries each receiving a certificate and a £30 Cass Art gift voucher.
Deadline: 2nd November
The Aquatic Centre have reached out and wanted us to share an exciting opportunity for the children in our school. Swim England is looking for children in the Learn to Swim stages 1-4 aged between 6-9, to take place in a filming event taking place on Wednesday 29th October 2025 at the London Aquatics Centre from 12:30-15:30.
Please see below flyer…
Non-Uniform Day : Friday 7 November
On Friday 7th November, we are inviting all children to come to school in their own clothes in exchange for a donation of any unused toys, small gifts, or leftover party bag fillers. These will be used for the Lucky Dip at our Christmas Fayre in December – the perfect chance for a little clear-out before the festive season!
Call for Carol Singers
All voices are welcome – big or small! We’re putting together a group of singers for the Highbury & Islington Christmas Carols on Friday 19th December (time TBC, likely 3pm or later).
Last year we raised £704.21 in just 1.5 hours – let’s make the magic even bigger this year!
Christmas Raffle – Prize Donations Wanted
We’re now collecting prizes for our Christmas Raffle – from generous gifts to little treats (perfect for creating our famous hampers).
If you can help with donations, singing, or volunteering, please speak to a PTA member or email stjohnandstjamespta@gmail.com.
Please can we remind all parents and carers that the school gate opens at 8.50am, ready for school to start promptly at 8.55am. We kindly ask that parents or carers do not come into the school playground or building with their child/ren.
Teachers and support staff are generally not available in the mornings as they are settling the children straight into assembly – should you need to speak with an adult, please go directly to the school office and Miss Nifa will be more than happy to assist you in arranging a suitable time.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that all children come into school in a calm manner and ready for a day of learning.
We would like to remind all families that a late collection charge of £5 for every 5 minutes will be applied if a child is not collected promptly at the end of the school day or from after-school clubs.
Please ensure that you are collecting your child on time to avoid any additional charges.
We also kindly ask that you check your ParentPay account regularly and clear any outstanding balances as soon as possible.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.
As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a smart, inclusive and focused learning environment, we’d like to send a friendly reminder about the school uniform policy here at St John and St James.
Our school uniform consists of the following items:
During the summer months, children are also permitted to wear:
Please also be reminded of the following additional guidelines:
We appreciate your support in helping ensure that your child arrives at school in the correct uniform each day. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in maintaining our school’s standards.
We would like to remind ALL parents to applying before the deadline via your parent correspondence channels. If you do not apply before the deadline, you child’s application will be late and will be considered after all on time applications have been dealt with. Late applicants are also less likely to get a place at your preferred school.
Dear God,
Please guide us to do the right things and help us to respect others even if they’re not kind to us.
May you banish any unkind feelings from our hearts and replace them with your everlasting peace, please.
Amen
Safeguarding is EVERYONE’S responsibility. Our attitude is, it could happen here.
At St John & St James we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect ALL staff, volunteers and visitors to the school to share this commitment.
If you have any concerns about the safety of a child, please speak immediately to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Joshua Watson.
If Mr Watson is not available, you can always speak to one of our school’s Deputy Safeguarding Leads:
This week, Year 6 created posters which highlighted the key events that happen to end World War 2. They used their historian skills to analyse sources of evidence that they considered as reliable to find key dates, moments and figures that contributed to ending World......
This month, as part of Black History Month, our students have been exploring the history and experiences of Black people and how their stories connect to Britain’s past. We’ve discussed how trade, exploration, and the movement of people across the world have shaped history — both......
This week in Year 4, we have been exploring area in a fun and hands-on way! We learned how to find the area of shapes by counting squares and discovered that squares are the best shape to use because they fit together perfectly without leaving any gaps. We also practised......
This week in Maths, Year 3 have been using the column method to add two 3-digit numbers together. The children began by using concrete resources to help them make a fair exchange when breached the 10 and 100 boundary. The children worked really well with......
During maths this week we looked at using the symbols for less than, more than and equal to. The children have been taught that the crocodile likes to eat the greater number, therefore the symbol would be facing the bigger number. The mouth open resembling......
This month, we have been learning about and celebrating Black History Month. Our focus has been on migration and the incredible stories of people who have moved to Britain and helped shape our society. We explored the journey of the Windrush Generation, learning about why they came to Britain,......
To celebrate Black History Month, Reception began an exciting art project inspired by Kente cloth from Ghana, West Africa. They explored the cultural significance of colours and shapes in creating unique patterns. Using under-and-over weaving techniques, the children carefully wove strips of paper together to......
This week our highlight in Nursery was learning about the painter Alma Thomas. She used bright colours and sharp lines to make striking paintings. We were inspired by her work to create out own concentric circle piece together. We used lemon stamping to imitate her......
In Year 5 this half term, the children have been developing their language skills through engagement with a familiar story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (La Oruga Glotona). The text has encouraged the children to ignite their prior learning, by recalling the translations for the days of the......