SSq Newsletter - 26th November 2025

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Visit Your Child in Class Morning last week. It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from families.

Parents appreciated the focus on talk, inclusive questioning, visible progress in writing, and the positive, calm atmosphere in classrooms. Many noticed how all children were included and heard and how pupils responded to teacher strategies with confidence and clarity.

On Monday, we had a powerful Interfaith Assembly led by Mother Ellen and Imam Chernor, who spoke about the similarities between their two religions and the shared value of community. Children heard about how this value is lived out both through faith and in our school every day. It was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on what unites us and how we can show respect for different beliefs.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at our Community Evening TONIGHT (Wednesday 26th November) from 5:00–6:30pm. Children in Years 1–6 will be sharing their Changemaker Projects and there’ll be a delicious dinner served afterwards, prepared by our school chefs. You do not need to bring food with you this time. EYFS families are warmly invited too.

Finally, last Friday we were proud to welcome a group of 15 school leaders from the North of England. They spent the day learning about our ethos, speaking with children and parents, and visiting classrooms. The feedback they shared was glowing:

"Our participants have really seen in action today everything we've been discussing in the last few months on this programme: moving beyond typical assumptions of what a school is and can be, and actively designing it with the community in mind. The confidence of your students, the obvious warmth we saw in all classrooms and the unbelievable fortitude of the parents we heard from were all really powerful."

We’re really proud to share the work of our incredible children and staff with the wider education community.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Matt

NEWS – CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY – NEXT WEEK!

NEWS – Year 2 Sink Opposition in Science Competition!

Well done to Year 2 Otedola Class who guessed correctly that Marcia’s mystery object was indeed a plughole in a sink. Enjoy your prize!

NEWS – ASPIRATION WEEK 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!

NEWS – Year 4 get ‘Into Film’

Year 4 Edwards Class – like other classes across SSq – have been enjoying the Into Film Festival this month. They were lucky to visit the beautiful Garden cinema in Covent Garden to see Paddington in Peru. The staff were so friendly and welcoming – we can’t wait to go back! The cinema is. a short bus ride away (172) and offers a ‘Pay What You Can’ series on Saturday mornings for families. For more information visit their website.

NEWS – Rosen Class enjoy Rosen Chat

Nursery’s Rosen Class enjoyed a HUGE Poetry Party on Thursday 13 November to celebrate Michael Rosen Day – the inspiring person their class was named after. The aim of the day was to make reading, listening to, and writing poetry fun, enjoyable and accessible for all, helping children and young people of all ages to discover its magic. This year’s theme was FUNNY FOOD and our Rosen Class children certainly were inspired by Michael and his FEAST of fabulous poems.

Rosen Class also enjoyed their first trip out to Burgess Park as part of the topic Our Five Senses.

NEWS – Exciting Singing Opportunity!

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.

Keep sharing the word!

Our FINAL Open Sessions for Prospective Reception Families!

Do you know a family member or friend who is looking for a primary school place for September 2026? Let them know about our upcoming open morning for prospective pupils this term. Please share this link with them.

Dear Parents and Carers,

The government has just 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 [email protected] or [email protected] mentioning Awaab’s Law – feel free to copy me in [email protected]

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 ([email protected]) 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!

Attendance Last Week

Well done to Nursery Rosen (PM) who had 100% attendance last week. Keep it up folks!

Please contact us daily if your child is off ill or for another reason.

Email [email protected] or phone 0207 7033049 (option 1)

Clubs Update

Important: Deadline for Outstanding ParentMail/Arbor Payments (28th November)

Dear Parent/Carers,
This is a reminder to clear any outstanding balances on your ParentMail/Arbor account(s).
The deadline for these payments is Friday 28th November 2025.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Maxx in the office.

Menu Update

This week’s menu is Week 3. Next week is Week 4.

Key Dates for this academic year

A Message from The Walworth Living Room!

THIS WEEK:

As the days get shorter and the weather a little colder, we want to remind parents/carers that the Walworth Living Room is a welcoming space just across the street for dropping in after AM drop offs and PM pickups .

We can’t wait to welcome you.

*The Walworth Living Room Team*.