Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for supporting our 25th Birthday celebration last Friday. It was a fantastic event, and it was lovely to see so many current and former families there. I was impressed by how well attended it was, demonstrating what a special and thriving community Betty Layward is. We should organise an outdoor dance floor more often. Thank you to everyone who helped; your support is greatly appreciated, as events like these couldn't happen without you.

We are excited to launch this year’s Black History Month celebrations under the powerful theme: “Standing Firm in Power and Pride.” This is a time for our school community to come together in celebration, reflection, and learning, honouring the achievements, voices, and resilience of Black individuals past and present. It’s also an opportunity for us to continue nurturing a culture where every child feels seen, valued, and empowered. This year’s theme encourages us to move beyond simple recognition to affirmation, helping our pupils understand the importance of embracing their identity, justice, and pride in who they are. Through stories, art, music, history, and discussion, we’ll explore what it truly means to stand firm in our identity and support others in doing the same. We will share stories that bring this theme to life: 'Standing Firm in Power and Pride.' Stories of service and sacrifice, deep roots in Britain’s history, protest and activism, speaking truth to power, breaking barriers in Parliament, and creative acts that reshaped culture. Each story reminds us that Black history is British history, and by honouring the lives of those we study, we carry their legacy forward. Some individuals we will learn about include George Bridgetower — virtuoso violinist who performed with Beethoven; Claudia Jones — journalist and Carnival founder; Olive Morris — activist for housing, women’s liberation, and racial justice, David Pitt — pioneering physician and peer; Benjamin Zephaniah — poet and activist; Diane Abbott — the first Black woman MP; Paul Boateng — the first Black Cabinet Minister; and Valerie Amos — the first Black woman in Cabinet and later UN leader. We are also welcoming some great visitors during the month to talk to the children in assemblies, as well as organising engaging workshops for the children. We will celebrate with a series of events throughout the month, integrated into the curriculum, culminating in our school event on Wednesday, 22nd October, in the hall after school. More details about the event will be shared soon. Please join us in celebrating Black History Month.

Thank you to everyone who attended the PTFA AGM this week. The fundraising efforts you contribute make a significant difference, especially as school budgets are very tight. We cannot run these events without volunteers, so if you’re able to help, please do. Every little bit counts.

Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome the North London Waste Authority to our school for an engaging and informative session on waste management. They collaborated closely with our Eco Committee to support our ongoing efforts to reduce waste across the school. Together, they carried out a comprehensive waste audit, sorting and weighing our rubbish to better understand what we dispose of and where it ultimately ends up. This practical activity helped us develop a tangible action plan to cut waste and promote more sustainable habits within our school community.

This week, Year 5 enjoyed an exciting trip to the IFS London Cable Car as part of their Design and Technology studies on gears and pulleys. It was a fantastic opportunity to observe real-life pulleys in action and understand how they help the cable cars move smoothly across the Thames. The experience sparked a lot of curiosity and will inspire the children as they design and build model cable cars in class. Everyone had a great time. We look forward to seeing their creative engineering ideas come to life. 

This week, we participated in a live broadcast about road safety. It discussed why phone use is so dangerous, what to do if someone close to you is distracted while driving, and how everyone, including young people, can help make journeys safer.  

Thank you to all the families who joined us for our Nursery Family Morning and shared an object that is special and meaningful to you. We saw some very creative objects that the children enjoyed making at home.

We are collecting household and recycled items for OPAL. If you have the following items at home and no longer need them, we would be grateful if you could donate them to support our role-play and interactions during playtimes.

• Pots, pans, and utensils
• Old phones, keyboards, or typewriters
• Steering wheels
• Old costumes (e.g., hats, scarves, uniforms)
• Shopping trolleys or wheelbarrows
• Mirrors (acrylic for safety)
• Beanbags, cushions and blankets (clean)

We have a nasty sickness bug going around at the moment. We ask that you follow our guidelines, which state that a child does not return to school until 48 hours have passed since their last episode of diarrhoea or sickness, as this will help prevent the spread of germs. I appreciate your support with this.

We are collecting for the Hackney Foodbank for Harvest. Any donations are welcome.

Grandparents’ Week is approaching and we will be sending you the time slots soon. It is happening during the week beginning Monday 20th October. Please ask Grandparents to come and visit that week. We look forward to seeing them at school.

I would like to wish all our families a meaningful Yom Kippur this week.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher