SSq Newsletter - 11th February 2026

Dear Families,

It’s the final week of this half term and there has been so much happening across the school!

We’ve been celebrating Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week across the school, launched in assembly on Monday with the theme “This is My Place” – all about how we can feel a sense of belonging, and how we can help others feel they belong too. We talked about how small, kind actions – like including someone in a game or asking how someone’s feeling – can have a big impact. We’d really recommend watching this short video featuring some of our SSQ children, created especially for the week:

Alongside this, it’s Foundation Subject Week – a time where children take a break from their usual timetable and spend each day becoming artists, geographers, computer whizzes and theologians. It’s a brilliant opportunity to immerse themselves in new skills and deepen their curiosity and understanding across the curriculum.

Thank you again for all your support this half term – we hope you have a wonderful break with your families and we’ll see everyone back in school on Monday 23rd February.

Matt

NEWS – Hive Bakers Rock!

As part of their life skills lessons, the afternoon children in the Hive all got stuck in making rock cakes! They poured in and mixed their ingredients, cracked eggs, used their fingers to rub in butter and shaped the dough with their hands. They all had a lot of fun – including the adults!

NEWS – Year 2 On The Road Again!

Year 2 had a busy yet fantastic week of more trips. On Wednesday they visited Pizza Express, where the children became mini chefs and made their own tasty pizzas which they thoroughly enjoyed making and eating!

The next day, we headed off to the London Archives to explore exciting facts, maps and objects from the past. The children were curious, enthusiastic and behaved brilliantly as they showed off their knowledge of the Great Fire of London.

Time for a rest now!

NEWS – Get Fit AND Do Your Homework!

NEWS – Marcia Sows Competition Seed!

Look out after Half-Term for Marcia’s successful seed growing competition. Check out these images for more information and speak to Marcia if you have any further questions.

NEWS – Happy Lunar New Year To All!

This weekend and during the Half Term break, many of our community will be celebrating the Lunar New Year – this year it’s the year of the horse! To mark this occasion at school we are holding a special Lunar New Year Lunch on Tuesday 24th of February.

Children have a chance to take part in a chopstick challenge and send their friends good luck messages!

In the lead up to the New Year celebrations, Rosen Class made spring rolls as as part of our celebration for the Lunar New Year (the year of the Horse). They also made lanterns!

NEWS – PUBLIC CONSULTATION – HAVE YOUR SAY

BIG EDUCATION TRUST – PROPOSAL TO MERGE WITH OASIS COMMUNITY LEARNING

Please read more about this here. Your feedback is important to us. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey and share your thoughts on the proposed merger: please fill in this form to do so.

Ramadan is fast approaching and we know this is a special time for many people in our community! While fasting is not obligatory for children, we recognise that many of our students choose to participate, and we are committed to supporting them during this special time.

To ensure the wellbeing of our fasting students, the following options are available:

PE & Activities: Students may choose to opt out of physical education (PE) lessons.
Singing Assembly: Following student feedback, children may opt out of singing assemblies if they have permission from their parent/carers.
Emergency Snacks: We ask that all fasting students carry an emergency snack in their bag. If a child feels unwell or finds the fast too difficult, they will be encouraged to break their fast for their safety.
An area will be provided at lunch time for prayer.
On request, fasting children can be provided with a packed lunch to take home. Please collect from the Pavilion at home time.

Permission Slips

Please complete a paper copy of the Ramadan permission slip (sent via Arbor) stating exactly when they will be fasting. This only needs returning if your child is going to be fasting or not participating in a singing assembly during Ramadan or not participating in a singing assembly during Ramadan.

Years 5 and 6: Permission slips are available directly from class teachers upon request.
Younger Students: We encourage "part-day" fasting for younger children. Slips for these year groups can be collected from the School Office.
Please ensure you include when your child will be fasting, if they require a pack lunch* and whether they will be participating in Singing Assembly.

Parents with children on School Journey at PGL, please consider that they are doing full days of physical activity.

We wish all our students and families a peaceful and rewarding month.

During the month of February (to join in with the national celebrations of LGBTQ history), we will be sharing and celebrating some inspirational contemporary and historical LGBTQ figures.

This week we shine a light on Barbara Burford

Barbara Burford was a pioneer for equality and diversity in healthcare, the civil service and her consultancy work. She was born in Jamaica in 1944 and moved to London as a child. She studied medicine and went into medical research, first specialising in electron microscopy and doing research on heart and lung transplant surgery for infants and children. She was also a writer of poems, plays and a novella entitled The Threshing Floor. She described herself as a “descendant of three different diasporas: African, Jewish and Scots", as well as claiming her lesbian identity. In honour of her work in Equality and Diversity, the University of Bradford founded the Barbara Burford honour (excellence in STEM) in 2017, to recognise LGBTQ+ individuals who have made a difference in their field. Burford died in 2010.

Please also check out the events at our local libraries to coincide with this month.

COFFEE MORNING – TUESDAY 10th FEB!

It was great to read about our School of Sanctuary award ceremony on the Southwark Website. You can read more about it here.

Please check out the many activities on offer in our local area in the Community Noticeboard at the bottom of this issue.

Please keep an eye on this information page outlining information from me about various issues.

Attendance Last Week

Well done to Woolf Class in the Nursery who had 99.3% 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 @SSq

Check out what’s on the menu – this week is week3!

Key Dates for the rest of the academic year

Look out for our Night At The Museum – NEW DATE – Tuesday 24th March.

These are subject to change and we will endeavour to inform you of this as soon as possible.

LOTS OF HALF TERM ACTIVITIES!

A world-class venue a sort bus ride away offers lots fo fun activities this Half Term – many of which are free!

Check out the full schedule here.

CINEMA OFFERS IN COVENT GARDEN

A short ride on the 172 tales you to the wonderul Garden Cinema – see their latest offers for families and young children:

The Garden Cinema recently launched its Bring Your Baby screenings – a chance for parents of babies aged 12 months and under to see the latest releases in a relaxed environment, with raised lighting, reduced volume levels, and subtitles where possible. Parents can feel free to get up and walk around during the screening, and babies can cry and coo without bothering other cinema-goers. Recently screened films include No Other Choice, Hamnet and Marty Supreme.

The cinema also hosts family film screenings every Saturday and Sunday morning, and on weekdays during the school holidays. The screenings are 'Pay What You Can', which means you’re free to pay as much or as little as you can afford. On Sundays the films are followed by free fun and creative activities for children. Upcoming films include Frozen, Fantasia and The Tigger Movie.

Full Details: https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/#by-strand

Upcoming films:

The Smurfs (U) – Saturday 7 Feb at 11am + Sunday 8 Feb at 11am
Frozen (PG) – Saturday 14 Feb at 11am + Sunday 15 Feb at 11am + Tuesday 17 Feb at 11am
Fantasia (U) – Friday 20 Feb at 11am + Saturday 21 Feb at 11am + Sunday 22 Feb at 11am
Wonderful Animated Shorts for 3 -12 year-olds (PG) – Saturday 28 Feb at 11am + Sunday 1 Mar at 11am
Homeward Bound (U) – Saturday 7 Mar at 11am + Sunday 8 Mar at 11am
Little Amélie (PG) – Saturday 14 Mar at 11am + Sunday 15 Mar at 11am
The Tigger Movie (U) – Saturday 21 Mar at 11am + Sunday 22 Mar at 11am
Shaun The Sheep Movie (U) – Sunday 29 Mar at 11am + Tuesday 31 Mar at 11am
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (U) – Saturday 4 Apr at 11am + Sunday 5 Apr at 11am + Monday 6 Apr at 11am
Aladdin (U) – Thursday 9 Apr at 11am + Saturday 11 Apr at 11am + Sunday 12 Apr at 11am
Encanto (U) – Saturday 18 Apr at 11am + Sunday 19 Apr at 11am
Mary Poppins (U) – Saturday 25 Apr at 11am + Sunday 26 Apr at 11am