Dear Families,
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at Surrey Square! Last week, our Year 6 students took their SATs, and we are incredibly proud of them. They showed exceptional perseverance and responsibility, giving it their all and completing every paper. Their focus now shifts to showcasing the many other incredible qualities they have through their ePortfolios and, of course, creating their Year 6 show, which we can’t wait to see!
This week, we are also marking National Mental Health Awareness Week, with the theme “There is Power in Community.” We launched this theme last Friday in assembly, where we heard inspiring updates from Year 1–6 about their community projects – please continue reading to see a summary of these. It’s been wonderful to see how each class has embraced the power of community. As part of this, the children have been set a challenge to work together as a class to nurture a strawberry plant and help it grow and bear fruit – a lovely way to connect with the theme.
This week is also Foundation Subject Week, where our pupils will dive deep into exciting learning in Art, Geography, Computing, and RE. We’re looking forward to seeing their creative work come to life!
SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday 25th June is our SSq Festival. Always a great community event, please look out for more information soon!
Finally, a reminder that half-term is just around the corner. We’ll finish at our usual time of 3:30pm on Friday, so be sure to enjoy a well-earned break next week!
Matt
Year 1 – Sustainable Living for All
Year 1 has focused on the importance of having the right resources in homes and communities to thrive. They learned the difference between needs and wants, and each student created 3D models of their ideal communities. Their goal is to raise awareness by presenting their needs lists to a housing association and to create a mini Surrey Square community. They will host a fun day at Marketplace on May 24th to showcase their project.
Year 2 – Hygiene Awareness
Year 2 has been working to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene. They have designed posters and created a video about "Pesky Germs" to encourage handwashing around the school. Their project was inspired by Anik Singh’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They aim to ensure every classroom has soap and to help the school community understand the importance of proper hand hygiene.
Year 3 – Healthy Lifestyles
Year 3’s project focuses on promoting healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise. In partnership with Alive and Kicking, they learned about nutrition, portion sizes, and the importance of sleep and exercise. They created informative slides and a Kahoot quiz to teach others in the school about healthy living, helping the wider community make better choices for their well-being.
Year 4 – Encouraging Biodiversity
Year 4's project focuses on improving engagement with the biodiversity area in the playground. They have written persuasive letters to the school and designed posters to encourage others to respect and interact with nature. Their success will be measured by how many children engage with the biodiversity area, with a summer scavenger hunt planned to raise awareness.
Year 5 – Tackling Air Pollution
Year 5 has been addressing the problem of air pollution, which is linked to thousands of deaths each year in the UK. They collaborated with science students from UCL to identify the most polluted areas locally and surveyed the school to track their travel habits. Their goal is to promote walking along routes with cleaner air and raising awareness about roads which are the most polluted.
Year 6 – Boys' Mental Health, Inequality in Education, and Migrant Poverty
Year 6 tackled three major issues: boys’ mental health, inequality in education, and poverty among migrant children. They have written persuasive speeches, surveyed their peers, and presented their findings to leaders. Their goal is to increase access to mental health support for boys, ensure a more representative curriculum at SSQ, and raise awareness about the financial struggles faced by migrant families.
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.
We have freshly-cooked weekly takeaway meals for any parent to collect from school on a Wednesday morning. If you would like to sign up for this, please email Chef Kam on kphillips@ssq.org.uk or Abbi on aolujumu@ssq.org.uk to add your name.
Please check all the wonderful opportunities in our local area over Half Term at the bottom of this page.
I have been made aware of the Cayr Charity and their project Pink Stitch – a workshop series focused on using creativity to explore and process health experiences. See the flyer below for more information.
If this is something you relate to and if you’d like to surround yourself with women who’ve been on a similar journey , share your story, engage with your experience in a more creative way and be a part of something special, register your interest here .
Don’t forget, we have a housing expert coming in once a month, specialising in supporting people in Temporary Accommodation or facing other housing challenges. If you would like an appointment for the next drop-in session in May, please let me know asap, so I can give you the self-referral form to complete – fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk
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
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR CORE VALUE CHAMPIONS FROM LAST WEEK!
NEWS – Marketplace returns THIS SATURDAY!
Join us this Saturday from 10am-1pm for the return of the Marketplace at SSq. See below for everything on offer for FREE – please tell your friends and family.
Trips and Experiences @SSq
Simmonds Class: Nature's Little Explorers!
Nursery – Simmonds Class has been busy discovering the wonders of nature right here in our classroom! We've been on an amazing journey with our caterpillars, carefully watching them munch and grow bigger every day. This week, we have seen them transform into beautiful butterflies, and we can't wait to release them into the big wide world! Our classroom pond has also been a hive of activity, as we've had the incredible experience of seeing real tadpoles swimming and growing. It's fascinating to watch them wiggle and develop!
And that's not all – we've also been busy gardeners, planting and growing our very own potatoes. We're learning so much about how plants grow and what they need to thrive. It's been a truly exciting time in Simmonds Class, full of hands-on learning and incredible discoveries about the natural world around us!
Last Tuesday Reception Hayden-Smith class visited Spitalfields City Farm to see some animals. We have been learning about the lifecycle of chickens and hatched our own chicks in class, so the children really enjoyed being able to pet a full grown hen and learn about how they live. We also petted and fed guinea pigs, sheep, pigs, goats and donkeys. It was a wonderful day and Hayden-Smith class showed lots of enjoyment and responsibility. Thank you to all the parents who came to support us and Anastasiia for taking the beautiful photos below!
Year 1 have welcomed Sunny the meerkat from the book Meerkat Mail into their classrooms. The children learned about animals in the Kalahari desert and then wrote fact files about meerkats. They have taken Sunny on trips to Burgess Park and Elephant Park, then written postcards home to his meerkat mob in Africa.
YEAR 3 EXPERIENCE MORRIS MANIA
On Wednesday 14th May, Year 3 visited William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow to see some of his incredible work. Whilst they were there, the children were able to explore the gallery by completing a quiz to find out information out William Morris and how he created some of his iconic work. During our Art sessions this Foundation week, the children are going to be creating relief clay tiles inspired by William Morris.
Year 4 Children Set Sail!
On Wednesday 14th May, six Year 4 children had a wonderful opportunity to go sailing. They thoroughly enjoyed their time on the water, learning new skills and having fun in the fresh air. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved!
WANTED – Multilingual Story Books
We are still looking to build up our collection of multilingual story books. Do you have any books at home in your own language that you would be willing to donate to the school? If so please leave them in the office. Thank you!
Music Update – Instrumental Lessons – KS2:
There are still spaces across most of the instrument lessons (Drums, Guitar, Violin and Keyboard) If you are keen for your child to have a lesson then please email Maxx (mwalker@ssq.org.uk) or Chris (canderson@ssq.org.uk) ASAP.
Key Dates including next academic year
Please see our updated Key Dates summary for the rest of 2025 PLUS next academic year.
Attendance Last Week
Well done to Year 6 John-Baptiste Class who had 99.7% 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 for after half term
Week beginning Monday 2nd June (Week 3 Menu)
Look below for all the wonderful activities at the Walworth Living Room (right over the road from SSq) this week!
The Walworth Living Room is a warm, welcoming community space where building community is the heart of their work , it's a place to share food, share stories, and just be together. They are open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and there's always something happening from community brunch to baby and toddler music, crafts, social knitting, chess, African drumming and even teen coding, and yes, it's all free for the community. Places like the Walworth Living Room are so important because we all need a place to feel at home.
Follow them on Instagram @pembrokehouse or to scan the QR code to stay up to date with everything happening at The Walworth Living Room.
Discover more activities from the Walworth Living Room here!
Experience a real live orchestra for FREE during Half Term!
FREE HALF TERM GIRLS’ FOOTBALL!
Free Street Dance Club from Mentivity!
RBO Youth Opera Programme Applications (2025-2026)
The Royal Ballet and Opera have opened applications for places on our FREE Youth Opera programmes for the 2025-2026 season (beginning in September 2025). We invite applications from all enthusiastic young singers living in/around London, who will be aged 8 –11 on 1st September 2025.
Young Voices Programme
Young singers who will be aged 8 on 1st September 2025 are invited to apply for our Young Voices programme – a FREE singing programme aimed at developing participants’ vocal skills and musical literacy.
Youth Opera Company
Young singers who will be aged 9-11 on 1st September 2025 are invited to apply for our Youth Opera Company programme – a FREE in-house chorus which offers all-round training in the performing arts and opportunities to audition for the children’s chorus in the Royal Opera Company’s productions.
All applicants should be able to demonstrate:
· A passion for and commitment to singing and good vocal control
· An interest in drama and performing skills
· The ability to collaborate well with others and follow direction
We particularly welcome applications from boys, those who are from a global majority background, and those who are disabled, as they are typically under-represented within our applicants.
For more information regarding the RBO Youth Opera Programmes and how to apply, please visit our website here: RBO Youth Opera Programmes
Please submit your application by midnight on Friday 23 May. Should you experience any issues completing the application form, please contact youthopera@roh.org.uk in advance of the deadline.
Parkrun
Don’t forget we are lucky to live so close to Burgess Park where each weekend there are FREE PARKRUN activities for adults and children. Check out this website for more information!
