Dear Families,
We’re heading into the final stretch of the autumn term and what a term it’s been!
Last week, we had the return of the magical Winter Wonderland, made possible by our wonderful partners at The Caring Family Foundation. The day was filled with joy and excitement: a giant snow globe in the playground, face painters, balloon modellers, magicians, dancing elves and a festive disco! The children were also treated to a delicious three-course lunch courtesy of Bill’s restaurant, and every child took home a gift bag full of special treats. It was the perfect way to start the festive season and truly brought the values of joy and community to life. You can see a summary of the day below.
This Friday (12th December), we’ll be celebrating our whole-school theme of the term: Be the Change. Children from Years 1–6 will be sharing their Changemaker Projects with the rest of the school – showcasing how they’ve taken action to make a difference in their class, community or the wider world. Each teacher will also be awarding a Gold Changemaker Badge to a child who has particularly stood out – through their compassion, leadership, or the way they’ve inspired others to get involved.
Meanwhile, rehearsals are in full swing for Winterfest, our end-of-term performance celebration. Each class is learning a winter or festive song, and we can’t wait to welcome families in to enjoy the performances. Please check the poster below for the time and date of your child’s performance – and thank you for supporting them with learning the words at home!
In this week’s assemblies, we’ve continued our focus on celebrating difference – exploring how the words we use can either build up or break down our community. Children have been reflecting on how language shapes belonging, and how we all have a role to play in ensuring SSQ is a safe, inclusive and joyful place for everyone.
A reminder that school finishes at 1:45pm on Friday 19th December for all children. Children are welcome to wear non-uniform on this final day to celebrate the end of a fantastic term. Please ensure your child is collected promptly at 1:45pm, as there is no after-school provision.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Matt
NEWS – MARKETPLACE FESTIVE SPECIAL THIS SATURDAY!
Join OKRFZ for this wonderful festive event with gifts for the children and lots of activities. All FREE and HERE at SSq on Saturday from 10am-2pm!
NEWS – SWIMMING GLORY FOR YEARS 4 and 5!
Ten children from Y4 and Y5 represented the school on Monday in a swimming gala at Darwin Court were they were competing against 3 other local schools. It was a great event, enjoyed by all.
Our swimmers got lots of medals in individual & relay races. Plus our school came 1st!
ASPIRATION WEEK – JAN 2026 – CAN YOU HELP?
At SSQ, we teach our children to have high aspirations and to persevere even when faced with challenging situations. We are also keen to encourage our pupils to think about the social motivation of what they may like to do, not just their own personal ones. To enable this we run an aspiration week, which aims to challenge our pupils to think about the world of work, what they may like to do, what their dreams are, and how they can achieve them.
We always have an overarching theme (this year is 'Future Ready!'), and then invite speakers from a range of professions and backgrounds to come in and talk to the children about what they do, their journey (including any challenges they face) and top tips.
The children have the opportunity to share their future aspirations and identify the journey they will need to take to achieve their goals.
Are you able to give up a short amount of time to inspire our wonderful children with your area of expertise? Please fill in this form and we will be in touch with you shortly. Thank you!
Dear Parents and Carers,
The government has recently passed a new housing act called “Awaab’s Law”. Awaab's Law is a new rule for social landlords (like the council or housing associations). It was created after the tragic death of a two-year-old boy, Awaab Ishak, who died because of severe mould in his home that his landlord ignored. The main point of the law is to force landlords to fix serious problems in your home very quickly and stop them from ignoring dangerous issues like persistent damp and mould. If you report an emergency, like a leak, the landlord has 24 hours to investigate and start fixing the issue. If you report a significant hazard like severe damp and mould, they have to begin the repair within 5 working days and investigate within 10 working days. If you are experiencing any of these issues, please email repairs@southwark.gov.uk or dampandmould@southwark.gov.uk mentioning Awaab’s Law – feel free to copy me in fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk
Certain families in Southwark with a child who is under 5 years of age until August 2026 can apply for Rose Vouchers, giving them access to free fruit and veg. You have to be on certain benefits, or have No Recourse to Public Funds or if you are seeking asylum. Please use this link to register https://www.1stplace.uk.com/rosevouchers
More information here https://www.1stplace.uk.com/rosevouchers
I’ve been made aware that some Health Care companies are having their licenses to sponsor overseas workers revoked, which means that people in the care sector on sponsorships might lose their jobs. If this applies to you, please see this website https://hub.goodworkselondon.co.uk/international-recruitment and let me know if you’d like to discuss this further. The government also has this website for support https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked/support-offer-to-international-asc-workers-whose-employers-sponsor-licence-has-been-revoked
London South Bank University (LSBU) provides a free legal advice service for a range of issues. Please see this website for more information about how to access support https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/our-colleges/law-and-education/study/subjects/law/legal-advice-clinic
Please can you let me know if you currently live on the Aylesbury Estate. We know that conditions in some of these blocks are very poor right now, and we would like to support you if possible.
Please do remember to let me know if you are in Temporary Accommodation or are renting privately, and would like support with any housing problems. We have a great partnership with a housing advocacy organisation called Kineara, who can support our parents with questions they might have about living in TA or in the private-rented sector. Please come and collect a referral form from me if you would like to book an appointment.
I am available in school from Monday to Wednesday – do get in touch (fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk) if you have any questions in the meantime.
Keep an eye on my information page outlining advice from me about various issues that may concern you plus many opportunities that are available to you and your family here in Southwark, also check out the numerous opportunities in and around our area at the bottom of this page!
Fi
Attendance Last Week
Well done to Year 6 Arday Class who had 99% attendance last week. Keep it up folks!
Please contact us daily if your child is off ill or for another reason.
Email attendance@ssq.org.uk or phone 0207 7033049 (option 1)
Menu Update
This week’s menu is Week 1. Next week is menu 2.
Key Dates for this academic year
Family Cinema Fun in Covent Garden
See below for more local opportunities and events!
A message from Music Centre London:
We have been in Southwark for 15 years now and hundreds of Southwark children and young people have benefited from our provision. If you have a moment in your busy lives to take a quick look at our website you will find a lot more information about what we do and how we do it. Suffice to say here that we are committed to accessibility and provide free places from the charity to any family who cannot afford the subscription. No child is turned away through inability to pay. We are non-profit-making – all our income goes back into the provision.
For more information speak to Chris or check out their website.
Click here for all the ongoing community events in and around our area!
