Message from Ms Gladstone As we come to the end of another busy and successful term, I would like to say how incredibly proud we are of all our children. Their hard work, resilience, and determination to be the very best they can be have...
As we come to the end of another busy and successful term, I would like to say how incredibly proud we are of all our children. Their hard work, resilience, and determination to be the very best they can be have truly shone through in everything they have done.
It has been wonderful to see the progress each and every child has made; academically, socially, and personally. They continue to impress us with their positive attitudes, kindness, and enthusiasm for learning, and they should all feel very proud of their achievements.
Thank you also to our families for your ongoing support, makes such a difference and is greatly appreciated by all of us here.
We wish you all a happy, restful, and enjoyable Easter break, and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 13th April, ready for another exciting term ahead.
There are a huge range of activities at the Daubeney Children and Family Hub.
Please find their timetable attached and contact them directly if you would like to attend any of the sessions.
Last Thursday 19th March, we were delighted to host our Science Week Fayre, celebrating this year’s theme of Curiosity. The school was filled with excitement as children took on the role of scientists, exploring, questioning and discovering together.
The level of engagement from the children was truly exceptional. Throughout the fayre, they showed genuine curiosity, asking thoughtful questions, making predictions and confidently sharing their ideas. It was wonderful to see every child so deeply involved and enthusiastic about their learning.
The investigations were a huge success and ran amazingly well. Children took part in a range of hands-on experiments and activities, as well as observing and leading demonstrations. Our Super Scientists spoke with great clarity about what they had done, explaining their investigations, what they observed and what they had learned. Their confidence and understanding were fantastic to see, and many took pride in demonstrating experiments to others.
We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and carers who came to support the fayre. Your presence made the event even more special and it was lovely to see families engaging with the children’s learning.
Science is fun, and it was incredible to see every child in the school thriving in science and thoroughly enjoying being a Super Scientist. We are so proud of the curiosity, confidence and joy shown by all of our children..
Last week Friday, 20th March, we celebrated Red Nose Day with our Take Yourself Funny for Money joke competition, and what a joyful event it was!
The children brought so much energy, creativity and humour to the day. It was wonderful to see so many children confidently sharing their jokes and embracing the theme with enthusiasm. Laughter filled the school as children performed, listened and enjoyed each other’s humour.
Our finalists and winners truly impressed us. They delivered their jokes with confidence, clear expression and excellent timing. What stood out most was not just how funny the jokes were, but the confidence and personality each child brought to their performance. They engaged their audience brilliantly and showed real courage standing up in front of others.
A special well done to our winners:
Year 2
Ayla: Why was the maths book so sad? Because it had too many problems.
Freyja: Two tomatoes crossed the road. One tomato got run over and the other tomato said, “Hurry up, ketchup!”
Year 3
Etienne: What did the builders do to the tram? Transformation (hahaha)
Florence: What did the cheese say to the mirror? Haloumi (hello me)
Dajanae: Why did the boy wear glasses to maths? It’s good for division (good for the vision)
Year 4
Mary: What does a nosey pepper do? Get jalapeño your business!
Teddy: What did the car say to another car crossing the bridge? It’s just a bridge. Get over it!
Aidan: Why are eggs terrible at telling jokes? They always crack up!
Year 5
Matthew: How does a tree access the internet? It logs in.
Maya: Waiter, waiter! How long will my pancake be? Waiter: Not very long, it will be round.
Year 6
Andrea: What do you say if someone steals your cheese? Nacho cheese.
Rupert: What did a couple of owls say in the rain? Too wet, too woo.
Beatrice: What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between you and me, something smells.
This event was a fantastic opportunity for children to develop their confidence, oracy skills and creativity in a fun and meaningful way. It also reminded us all of the importance of joy, laughter and coming together as a school community.
Thank you to all the children who took part and to the parents and carers for your continued support. Your contributions helped make the day so special while also raising money for a wonderful cause.
Parents and carers can still donate to Red Nose Day through our JustGiving page here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnd26-st-john-and-st-james-cofe-primary-school?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BCJ_CR_RNDPS_26_Activate_Day7_NonAct&mi_u=55244553&mi_ecmp=BCJ_CR_RNDPS_26_Activate_Day7_NonAct
Well done to our brilliant joke winners and to all of our children for taking part and making us smile!
In Year 4 writing, we explored the story Arthur and the Golden Rope and considered whether Arthur was helpful or a hindrance during his adventure. We used our understanding of the text to write balanced letters, sharing arguments for both sides and justifying our opinions with evidence from the story.
In Ariella’s work, she has shown fantastic effort and creativity. She has used a wide range of expanded noun phrases to add detail and description, helping her ideas come to life for the reader. She has also included a variety of conjunctions to clearly link her thoughts and build strong, well-structured arguments for and against Arthur’s actions. Her writing demonstrates thoughtful reasoning and a growing confidence in presenting different viewpoints—well done, Ariella!
I am writing to you regarding the hero that saved us from those horrible wolves. Some villagers think that Arthur helped us, but others think that it was not timid, weak Arthur, but brave, strong Thor that saved us. Can you help us decide?
To begin with, Arthur discovered the cave and went inside to capture Fenrir. Thanks to Arthur, the fire was restored and the village wouldn’t be cold. He even stopped the war between goblins and fairies.
On the other hand, Arthur explores the strange forest and plays with weird creatures that follow Arthur. Arthur was the first to see Fenrir. No one likes Arthur. No wonder he plays with weird animals. Arthur snuck out of his window and didn’t tell anyone what he was doing. He never told anyone what he was doing. What if he was told Fenrir to go to the village?
To conclude this letter, I think Arthur is guilty because he snuck out of his window without telling anyone. I think this because he lured Fenrir to the town.
Can you please settle this?
Best wishes, Atrix.
WhatsApp has been a significant concern for many schools, particularly chat groups where predominantly low level issues suddenly escalate. This month, WhatsApp announced that children under 13 can now use WhatsApp, but only via ‘Parent-Managed Accounts’.
On Good Friday, local community group Outdoor People are offering a free Family Wild Walk, an adventure for children to take their grown-ups on. Everyone is welcome, all details and booking links here: https://outdoorpeople.org.uk/blogs/events/wild-walks-2026 . We are meeting at the lovely new playground in Stonebridge Gardens, and the adventure will take about 90 minutes, with several play, history and nature stops along the way. Look out for our distinctive orange hats.
If families can’t join the guided Wild Walk, there are 12 maps of mini Hackney Family Wild Walk adventures to download here: https://outdoorpeople.org.uk/blogs/family-wild-walks/family-wild-walk-maps-to-download
I hope you and your teams have a good break, and I look forward to seeing or hearing about all your new play ideas next term.
We were treated to a fantastic iRock concert yesterday, and what a wonderful showcase it was of the children’s musical talents! A huge well done to all the children who took part.
It was truly impressive to see how much progress they have made, not only in their musical skills but also in their confidence as performers. Each performance was full of energy and enthusiasm, and it was clear how much the children enjoy making music together.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the concert too and it was a real treat for everyone who attended. We are very proud of all the performers and are already looking forward to the next opportunity to see them shine on stage!
Our annual PTA Easter egg hunt on Tuesday was a wonderful success and a real highlight for the children! A huge thank you to all the parents and carers who kindly gave their time to come in and support the event.
The excitement and joy on the children’s faces said it all – they had such a fantastic time taking part, working together, and enjoying the fun of the hunt. It was lovely to see them so engaged and full of enthusiasm, and of course, they were delighted with their goody bags at the end!
Events like this create such special memories for the children, and they simply wouldn’t be possible without your support. We are very grateful; thank you once again.
Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us at church on Wednesday for our Easter celebration. It was truly lovely to see so many of you there sharing this special occasion with us.
The children were, as always, absolutely fantastic. They performed with confidence and enthusiasm and it was clear how much effort they had put into preparing for the event. Their singing, speaking, and brilliant dance moves made it a special and memorable celebration for everyone involved.
Please complete the below link if you would like your child to attend: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=LRcezGhd4EK7xlruOG_8-44q-Lt2f-xJqp3vxRwpef9UMVJaNjc1N1VRRlk2VUVIV1RINFUxR0YxQy4u&route=shorturl
Term dates for the 2026–2027 school year, including INSET days, have now been agreed. All of these dates can be found on our website in the ‘news and events’ section.
We encourage families to take a look and make a note of the key dates for the year ahead.
NSPCC offers helpful advice for parents about children, mobile phones, and online safety. It answers common questions many families have, such as when a child might be ready for their first phone and how to manage potential risks.
The guidance provides clear, practical tips on recognising when your child is ready, setting boundaries, using parental controls, and having regular conversations about safe and responsible phone use. Exploring this resource can help you feel more confident, reduce worries, and support a consistent approach to online safety between home and school.
You can find the guidance here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/children-phones-online-safety/
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your incredible support over the past 18 months with the implementation of OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). Your generous donations and involvement have truly made a difference, and we’re so proud of the transformation we’ve seen in our playtimes. The children’s play experiences have been enriched in ways we couldn’t have imagined, and that is all thanks to the wonderful contributions from our school community.
With the Spring and Summer months fast approaching, we’re excited to continue enhancing the outdoor play opportunities for our pupils. To help us prepare for the warmer weather, we are currently looking for donations of the following items:
Additionally, if anyone would like to donate their child’s costume after World Book Day for our dressing-up area, we would be truly grateful. The costumes help spark creativity and imaginative play, and your donations would be greatly appreciated by all.
If you have any of these items to spare and would like to contribute, we would be extremely grateful. These donations will help ensure our children continue to have a variety of fun, creative, and active play experiences in the months ahead.
Thank you once again for your continued support in making our playtimes so much more enjoyable and engaging for the children. We look forward to seeing what more we can achieve together!
This is a gentle reminder that our After School Club finishes promptly at 5:00pm each day. If you wish to collect your child before 5:00pm, you must inform the school office in advance, so we can ensure your child is ready for collection. We have had an increase in parents arriving at different times between 4-5pm and this causing significant disruption.
For safeguarding reasons, we are unable to accommodate parents waiting in the school office until the club finishes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for all our pupils.
Thank you for your continued support.
A reminder that all parents and carers must remain in the playground during pick-up times and are not permitted to enter the school building. This is a key part of our safeguarding procedures and is essential to keeping all children safe.
Parents and carers may request to speak with their child’s teacher outside in the playground; however, this may not always be possible due to other commitments, such as staff training or scheduled meetings. In these cases, appointments should be arranged through the school office.
We appreciate your cooperation in supporting our safeguarding expectations and helping to ensure clear communication while maintaining a safe environment for all.
To find out what’s been happening across some of our wider curriculum areas across the school, follow the link to our new curriculum padlet:
We would like to remind all parents and carers to please check ParentPay to ensure any outstanding balances are cleared. We understand that the festive period can be a costly time for families, and therefore reflected this in our extended payment deadline of 31st January for this term’s Breakfast Club, After School Club, and Wraparound Care.
If anyone needs support with accessing ParentPay, please come to the school office and speak to Miss Nifa, who will be happy to help.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We want to thank you for blessing us to have another week with our loved ones. We thank you for our friends, families, teachers and neighbours. We have been given opportunities to reflect on how being truthful is important.
You are a God of truth, so we ask you to help us be courageous when we try to be honest. Help us to become more trustworthy because of our truthfulness. We long to feel the peace that comes with telling the truth.
We want to use this peace and gift to be loving to those around us.
Amen
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.
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:
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