Dear Parents and Carers,

We have enjoyed a wonderful week celebrating reading and World Book Day. It was lovely to see children so engaged with the activities and dressed in their costumes. World Book Day was a great success and the children participated in a wide range of activities designed to foster their love of reading for pleasure. We started the celebrations with a visit from Ryan Crawford, author of the Cosmic Cadets series. Ryan led an exciting assembly, sharing how he became an author, inspired by his love of science fiction books. He kindly answered the children’s questions and signed copies of his books, which we have heard the children have been eagerly reading in class and at home.

On World Book Day, the children arrived dressed in wonderfully creative costumes inspired by their favourite book characters. Early Years and Key Stage 1 also enjoyed a visit from Polly Faber, author of Building a Home, who spoke to the children during a special assembly and signed copies for them. In class, the children spent the morning on a creative writing activity, rewriting the endings of stories. They produced some fantastic alternative endings to well-known stories, such as Goldilocks (who visited different planets that she found too cold and too hot) and The Day the Crayons Quit (where Duncan responded to the crayons to apologise for not using them). Later in the day, the classes shared and swapped books they had brought from home. This was a great success, giving children the chance to share and recommend books they love and discover new ones they might not have heard of before. We also held a class swap story time, where teachers shared favourite books and children visited different classrooms to enjoy stories read by different teachers. I have shared a picture of the books the children listened to; copies of these will be available in the school library. To finish the day, our Reading Ambassadors judged the class book corner competition. A big well done to Ruby, Chilli, Buttercup and Peach classes, who were chosen as the winners. These classes will receive new books for their book corners. 

To end the week, we were delighted to welcome parents and carers who volunteered their morning to read with their children's classes. Thank you very much to those who were able to join us. Thank you to everyone who supported and contributed to such a fantastic celebration of reading. The children thoroughly enjoyed the week.  

A few children and their mums from Cerise class went to see Neill Cameron talk about his Doughnut Squad books last Saturday: Teddy, Silas, Louis, Emma, Acer, and Tabitha. The children were very excited and really enjoyed drawing with Neil.

On Monday, Betty Layward School participated in the Hackney Chess Premier League. The event was held at William Pattern School, with six schools in attendance. The children were delighted to be crowned winners of the Hackney Chess League, finishing first among the six schools competing. They showed exceptional teamwork, focus and strategic thinking. Finishing top among such talented schools is a remarkable achievement and a proud moment for the entire school community. Well done to Sacha, Gene, Luca, Cyrus, Al, Henry, Acer, George, and Jacob.

On Tuesday, Year 5 Buttercup delivered a fun and engaging assembly about the English Civil War, captivating the audience with lively explanations of the rivalry between King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell. The children spoke with confidence and enthusiasm. Well done, Buttercup class.

We celebrated Safer Internet Day last week. The theme was The Safe and Responsible Use of AI. KS2 watched a BBC Live Lesson. The children explored the careful decisions behind responsible AI design, from selecting reliable, accurate, and unbiased training data to writing system prompts that prevent ‘bad’ AI behaviour. KS1 and Early Years looked at a story about a Voice Assistant and discussed how they worked. Continuing these conversations at home is really important, and the UK Safer Internet Centre has lots of useful resources for parents and carers: https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2026/top-tips-for-parents-and-carers

This week, our school enjoyed a special Holi Festival Lunch to celebrate the vibrant Hindu festival of Holi, often known as the Festival of Colours. Holi marks the arrival of spring and celebrates joy, friendship, and new beginnings. The kitchen staff decorated the dining hall with bright, colourful festival-inspired decorations. At lunchtime, pupils enjoyed a delicious lamb curry and a selection of amazing Indian-style salads. This was a wonderful opportunity for our school community to learn about and celebrate a beautiful cultural tradition.

This week, we have added a selection of new puzzles and Rubik’s cubes to the Opal playground, offering children a fun way to challenge their thinking, practice problem-solving, and enjoy quiet moments of focus during outdoor play. The children have been enjoying reading our collection of magazines now that the weather is brighter, as well as creating fantastic construction projects. Please see the photos attached. We are inviting our wonderful parent community to help us expand the Opal Playground. If you have any skills, materials, or professional connections you are willing to share or donate, we would love to hear from you. We are calling on all knitters, plumbers, electricians, and parents involved in textiles, design, gardening, construction, or the creative industries — as well as anyone who can connect us with useful resources through their workplace or profession. Whether it’s spare materials, practical expertise, or a helpful introduction, every contribution can help us make the playground even more magical for the children. Thank you in advance. We truly appreciate your kind donations. The children so enjoy it.

We are going to take part in the Hackney School Challenge again. You need to sign up if you would like your child/children to participate in the Hackney Schools Challenge to represent Betty Layward. Please be aware that registration does not guarantee a place. Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a great fundraising event for the school. Thank you to Richard, a parent, who is organising it. The event will be held on Saturday, 16th May at Hackney Marshes. Thank you for signing up. https://tinyurl.com/Hackney-Schools-Challenge

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher