Dear Families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year!
We hope you all had a wonderful break with family and friends over the holidays. It’s been lovely to welcome everyone back to school this week, full of energy and excitement for the term ahead.
School actually opened its doors a little earlier this year – on Saturday 27th December, we hosted a festive lunch for families, bringing people together over a delicious meal. Huge thanks to Uldson for cooking, for Kelly for organising this event, supported brilliantly by Leila, Kathryn, Nicola, Mel and Debbie. It was a true example of our values of community and compassion in action.
On Tuesday, we held a Welcome Back Assembly for Years 1–6 to mark the start of the calendar year. We shared the symbolism of the snowdrop – the flower that represents new beginnings – and how it links to this term’s school value: perseverance. The sudden burst of real snow during lunchtime was perfect timing for the children to enjoy some seasonal fun – plenty of enjoyment on display in the playground!
As we settle into the colder weather, please make sure your child comes to school with a warm, named coat and jumper each day – we want to make sure everyone stays warm and well this term.
We’ve got an exciting and busy term ahead. Our theme for this term is Understanding the Past, and children were thrilled to see their classroom doors transformed over the holidays to reflect the historical themes they’ll be exploring. The buzz around school on Tuesday was fantastic!
We’ll end the term with our much-loved Night at the Museum exhibition – please note the new date: Tuesday 24th March. This term is packed full of memorable experiences, trips and opportunities to deepen learning – we can’t wait to get started!
Don’t forget next week is Aspiration Week – at SSq, we teach our children to have high aspirations and to persevere even when faced with challenging situations. Throughout the week your children will meet a variety of speakers from a wide range of professions – also on FRIDAY 16th January, we invite the children to dress as their aspiration. We can’t wait to see all their different ideas!
Have a great week,
Matt
NEWS – ASPIRATION WEEK – NEXT WEEK!
Don’t forget ‘Dress as your Aspiration’ day on FRIDAY 16th JANUARY. Be creative – there are many inexpensive ideas online using things you may already have around the home!
We can’t wait to hear about and see your children’s aspirations!
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
PLACE 2 BE Support
We have had a partnership with the charity Place 2 Be for over 25 years – they provide school-based emotional support for children, and also support parents with parenting issues. If you are finding your child’s behaviour a challenge and would like some support and advice, please sign up for a free online parenting course run by Place 2 Be by 12th January via this link.
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
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 and let me know if you’d like to discuss this further. The government also has this website for support.
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.
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.
Please keep an eye on this information page outlining information from me about various issues.
Fi
Key Dates for the rest of the academic year
These are subject to change and we will endeavour to inform you of this as soon as possible.
