SSq Newsletter - Friday 27th March 2026

Dear Families,

We’ve reached the final day of the term – and what a brilliant way to end it!

This week’s Night at the Museum was a real highlight. It was fantastic to see the incredible quality of the exhibits, showcasing the children’s history learning from this term. The creativity on display was outstanding, and the school genuinely felt like a real museum for the evening. It was wonderful to welcome so many families, and there was such a positive buzz and atmosphere throughout – an incredible event.

In assembly on Monday, we talked about how we show respect in our galleries, and our brilliant Guardians of the Galleries did a fantastic job spotting this in action and awarding respect tokens. These will be entered into a raffle, which will be drawn in assembly on Friday, alongside the draw for the completed treasure hunt entries.

A huge thank you to all staff for the thought, effort and creativity that went into making Night at the Museum such a success – and to Steve for leading and supporting teachers through the process.

Thank you also to those who have already shared feedback with us. If you didn’t get a chance, please do complete the form via this link – we really value hearing what you loved and how we can continue to improve.

Today we welcomed Mother Ellen to lead our whole-school assembly, where she will be sharing more about Easter – how and why it is celebrated by Christians, and how it connects to other faiths and our core values.

We hope our Muslim families had a lovely time celebrating Eid last week. It was wonderful to mark this in school with a special Eid lunch on Wednesday and to see children wearing their celebratory clothes. Thank you to everyone who contributed £1 towards Save the Children as part of this – an important reflection of the charity and generosity at the heart of Eid.

A reminder that our parent/carer survey is still open – we would love as many families as possible to complete this here. The deadline is Friday 27th March, and all responses will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.

We have also been very lucky to receive a large donation of beautiful books from the Children’s Book Project – a charity that works to get more books into children’s homes. Today, every child will have the opportunity to choose a book to take home and keep.

Finally, a reminder that school closes today at 1:45pm, and there will be no after-school clubs. Children return to school on Tuesday 14th April.

Please check out some of the many activities on offer in our local area over the holidays listed below in our community section. Wishing you all a wonderful, restful break!

Matt

As members of Southwark & Peckham Citizens, we are holding a local election Assembly in All Saints Church, Rye Lane, Peckham on Wednesday 22nd April, 5-7pm. We will be inviting some of the local politicians along, to answer questions about how they would support the community if they are elected as councillors in the May elections. If you would like to contribute to this, by either letting us know what local issues are most important to you, or by coming along on the night, please let me know fcarrick-davies@ssq.org.uk

Southwark Council are considering offering portable WiFi units for residents living in Temporary Accommodation, where WiFi isn’t already installed. There will be strict guidelines about who will be eligible for this – you must be on a low income and live in Temporary Accommodation provided by Southwark Council (not in accommodation that you rent privately from a landlord) and the council will carry out checks for each family. This accommodation could be in Southwark, or might be out-of-borough. Please let me know if you would be interested in finding out more.

Please keep an eye on this information page outlining information from me about various other issues that I can help with.

FI

NEWS – Don't Move the Goalposts!!

Last week, our Gold Changemakers plus some of our parents, took a trip to Parliament, to raise awareness about the government's proposals to increase the number of years people may have to wait until they gain their Indefinite Leave to Remain. This is a very important issue for us, as we know how many of our families, as well as others in our local community, will be affected if the new rules are applied. We joined friends from across London Citizens, and were invited by Neil Coyle MP, to meet him in Westminster Hall to talk more about the proposals. Our Gold Changemakers had the opportunity to become "activists and advocates for themselves and others", one of the goals for all Surrey Square students by the time they leave our school.

NEWS – Help Our Playtimes!

We need your help! If you are clearing out your cupboards or garages, please consider donating any of the following items:

Kitchenware: Old pots, pans, muffin tins, and baking sheets.
Utensils: Wooden spoons, whisks, spatulas, and ladles.
Outdoor Play: Buckets, shovels, and sturdy plastic containers.
We are also looking for: prams, bikes, scooters and skates

We aren't looking for anything fancy—well-loved and "experienced" items are perfect for our children to use in our mud kitchen and dramatic play areas.

Please drop off any items to the school office. Thank you for helping us create a fun, hands-on learning environment!

**NEWS – Year 3 leave it to Fate at Barbican!**

Year 3 performed at the Barbican on Monday backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

They sang The King who Tried to Change his Fate with Bindi McFarlane, Jan Blake and the LSO! Thank you to Melanie and Matt for taking the time to prepare the children for the concert and for their fantastic singing.