Jessica's Newsletters

Newsletter Friday 27th March 2026

Fri 27 Mar 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I cannot believe it is the end of term today. Where is the time going? We have had a lovely term and are looking forward to a fabulous summer term as well. On Monday, Year 4 children took part in a tour around the National Gallery. They explored various paintings and worked together to uncover the hidden meanings behind the objects, animals, and figures in the artworks. It was interesting how each child interpreted the paintings differently. They had the opportunity to engage in a collaborative discussion and sit in front of some famous paintings. It was a great day.

Thank you for all your help at the Jumble Sale. It was a great success. Including the sponsorship money from Oakwood for the boards, we made £3358.41 in total, which is £200 more than last year. This is fantastic and will really make a difference. Thanks to those of you who came and bought items, helped set up, ran a stall, and cleared up. It was a lovely event. A massive thank you to Fleur, who organised it all. As her child is in Year 6, it was her last jumble sale and I thank her for all her hard work organising them. Also, a huge well done to some Year 6 children who made nearly £100 for the French trip by selling their homemade items.

We had our school Eid lunch on Tuesday. We enjoyed very delicious food and each other' s company.

Year 1 Violet's assembly this week focused on hot and cold environments and it was very exciting. The children learned about icy places like the Arctic and very hot deserts and how people and animals survive there. A real-life explorer spoke to Violet class and answered many of their questions. This was a fantastic way to bring learning to life. Well done, Violet class.

The children are enjoying OPAL and the sunshine, eagerly exploring science through play, drawing around shadows and observing how shapes change. They have been having a fantastic time moving the kayaks on wheels and working together to create imaginative structures. They are really enjoying working together with energy, curiosity, and laughter.

Thank you for attending your parent/carers' meetings this week. It was lovely to see you and I hope you found the reports helpful for children in Years 1 to 6. Reception and Nursery will receive their reports at the end of the academic year.

Thank you for another great term. We feel very lucky to have you and your children at our school. I am proud of them every day, and their enthusiasm and kindness make it a pleasure to come to work.

I wish you a very restful and happy spring break. Have a very Happy Easter and Happy Passover.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 20th March 2026

Thu 19 Mar 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a lovely week, and we hope you have too. Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day with perfect conditions for running, and our pupils took part in the final cross-country race of the year. It was wonderful to see so many children giving their best effort, showing determination, resilience, and great sportsmanship throughout. A special well done goes to Mia for her fantastic 8th-place finish and to Aurora for her excellent performance competing against other schools in Hackney. We’d also like to congratulate Otto for finishing in the top 30 in the boys’ race, an impressive achievement. We are incredibly proud of all the participants who represented the school so brilliantly. Well done, everyone.

This week, Apricot class had a very special chance to help our local environment. They planted 70 trees in Clissold Park, which felt like a truly meaningful experience because we were contributing to nature and making a lasting difference for future generations. There are a total of 600 trees being planted, including Birch, Cherry, and Oak trees. This small woodland can be found near the start of the park, close to the zebra crossing by the Clissold Tavern if you would like to visit.

This week was Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a special occasion for us to recognise and celebrate the different ways our brains function. We held a special assembly where we discussed how everyone thinks, learns, and experiences the world in their own unique way, and why this diversity strengthens our school community. We are proud to promote kindness, understanding, and inclusion, ensuring every child feels valued and supported.

Saturday, the 21st of March, is World Down Syndrome Day, which we celebrated in school today. It is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about Down Syndrome. The children have been learning about the importance of inclusion and recognising that everyone is unique and valued. We wore our bright, colourful socks to celebrate differences and show our support.

We have our Jumble Sale tomorrow and we look forward to seeing you there. Thank you for your very kind donations, and thank you if you are volunteering to help, as any help makes a massive difference. Thanks to the organisers. Events like this make a big difference to the school, especially as budgets are very tight.

Please ensure you have scheduled a parent/carer meeting for Tuesday next week. Years 1-6 will receive their child's report via email on Monday, so please watch out for these. If you would like to, you can discuss them during your meeting on Tuesday. Please remember that school closes at 1pm and the creche we provide is not for childcare. It is only available for the duration of your 10 minute meeting. Please make sure your child is collected at 1pm. If you require afternoon childcare, you can book this through Premier. We look forward to seeing you at your meeting.

Eid Mubarak, may this special day bring peace, happiness and prosperity to everyone.

Have a lovely weekend and see you at the Jumble Sale,
Jessica
Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 13th March 2026

Fri 13 Mar 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have enjoyed a wonderful week filled with exciting trips and workshops. This week, the children in Year 3 had an incredible time visiting the Pompeii immersive experience at the ExCeL Centre. Using VR headsets, they could walk through a Roman villa and see what it looked like before and after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In the immersive hall, the children also listened to the story of Pompeii from different viewpoints, which helped bring the history to life. It was a fantastic experience and a valuable learning opportunity for all. The children were excellent ambassadors for our school, representing the school superbly throughout the visit.

On Wednesday, Year 2 enjoyed an engaging Florence Nightingale workshop. They travelled back to the Crimean War of 1854 and imagined they were soldiers preparing for battle. The children then became nurses, assisting Florence Nightingale in cleaning Scutari Hospital to prevent disease from spreading and save British soldiers. Finally, they created a freeze-frame timeline of Florence's life from 1820 to 1910 and learnt a poem about her role in the war.

Year 4 Fuchsia delivered a splendid class assembly on Tuesday, during which children, parents, and carers learned a great deal about rivers. The class spoke clearly and confidently, sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the audience. A highlight was their passionate debate on the importance of protecting our rivers, which gave everyone plenty to consider. Their original song was a joy to listen to, performed with great confidence and energy. Well done, Fuchsia Class, for such a lively and thoughtful assembly.

As part of our ongoing celebration of World Book Day, we were delighted to welcome Eric Huang, author of the Guardians of the New Moon. Eric delivered an inspiring assembly, sharing his journey to becoming an author and discussing the ideas behind his books. He explained how his stories were influenced by Chinese mythology and his love of fantasy and science fiction growing up. The children were truly inspired by his talk, and some have already begun thinking about their own stories after hearing about Eric’s creative process. Eric kindly signed books for children who purchased copies, making the visit even more special.

On Tuesday, 10th March, a group of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils participated with great enthusiasm and determination in the Hackney primary schools' cross-country competition. The children represented the school brilliantly, demonstrating resilience and teamwork throughout. Special congratulations to Aurora and Illaria, who both achieved impressive top-10 finishes in the girls’ race, an outstanding achievement. We are very proud of all the children who participated and thank them for their effort and positive attitude.

You should have received information about the Parents and Carers’ meetings. Please make sure to book one, as it is a valuable opportunity to learn about your child's progress. If your child is in Years 1 to 6, you will receive their report by email the day before.

Please remember that, if your child is in Years 4 or 5, Tim Fox, the Headteacher of Highbury Girls’ School in Islington, will be coming in to speak to you about the school on Thursday, 19th March at 9am in the school library. This is an opportunity to come and hear all about secondary school, as you will soon need to start thinking about secondary schools for your child.

World Down Syndrome Day is on 21st March and we will be celebrating on Friday,y 20th March at school. Please could all children wear their favourite socks, making them colourful, mismatched, and as interesting as possible. The idea is to celebrate something we all have in common, but that is different. The theme for 2026 is "Together Against Loneliness." Everyone feels lonely sometimes. But for many people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, loneliness is a more common and painful experience. Thank you for your support with this.

We have our Jumble Sale on Saturday, 21st March, so this weekend might be a good time to have a clear out. Please volunteer if you can, as the event cannot go ahead unless we have enough volunteers. We look forward to seeing you there. Have a lovely weekend.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 6th March 2026

Fri 06 Mar 2026 Jessica

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