Jessica's Newsletters

Newsletter Friday 17th July 2026

Fri 17 Jul 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Wow, the academic year has come to an end. I can hardly believe it's already here. I want to express my gratitude for a fantastic year and for all your kindness and support. It is truly an amazing community to be a part of and I feel very fortunate. Thank you for trusting us with your children; it is a pleasure and a joy to work with them and you.

Congratulations to Year 6 for their outstanding SATs results. They did an amazing job and should feel very proud of their achievements. These results reflect their hard work and determination. However, they are so much more than just their SATs scores; they are kind, thoughtful, fun and possess many other wonderful qualities. Their performance of "Oliver" this week was incredible, and the children truly shone on stage. Well done, Year 6. We will really miss you and believe you will excel in your new schools. They are very lucky to have you.

We collected the 20p coins along with the children's fundraising efforts and the results were incredible. The class that raised the most money was Cerise, with an impressive total of £569.16. Overall, we raised £3,061, the highest amount we've ever raised. Thank you to the children and everyone for your support.

Thank you for your kindness and support. Have a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Jessica
Headteacher

Newsletter - Friday 10th July 2026

Fri 10 Jul 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was so lovely to see you all yesterday at the sharing afternoon. It was great to see your children’s progress and all their hard work. We are so proud of all they have achieved this year. They should be very proud of themselves, too. Our School Improvement Partner came to school yesterday to observe the children’s learning and was very impressed. She commented on how engaged and enthusiastic the children are about learning, and how they approach tasks with determination and positivity. It was so lovely to hear that. We know your children are amazing, but it is also lovely to hear it from someone else.

The children visited their new classes this week, and they seemed very happy. Change can be hard, and we will support all children with the transition. The teachers are also very excited about their new classes.

I can’t believe we only have one week left. Please remember to bring 20ps and any other fundraising, as we will be counting the money next Friday.

We look forward to seeing our Year 6 parents and carers on Tuesday for the leavers’ show and garden party. You are in for a treat.

Please ensure all reading and library books are returned. We will have to charge for any unreturned books.

Thanks for your support during these last few hot days. The children have been brilliant and we have ensured they have stayed as cool as possible.

Please come and check the lost property before the end of term, as we will be disposing of any unwanted items.

Please ensure your Arbor account is paid so we can renew it for the new academic year.

Please remember that we only have clubs next week on Wednesday and Thursday, in place of the days we closed early due to the heat. There are no clubs on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday. We close at 1pm on Friday, and there is no Premier, so we ask that all children be collected on time.

I cannot believe next week is the last week of term. Where has the time gone? We will ensure that all the children have the best week.

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter - Friday 3rd July 2026

Fri 03 Jul 2026 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you had a good week. We have been busy with our STEM
activities during Parents and Carers Week. It was lovely to see you
there, and thank you for supporting the event. The STEM activities
made our Parents and Carers Week a real highlight. It was lovely to
see everyone thoroughly enjoying creative challenges that brought
science and engineering to life. It was lovely to see you working side
by side to build harmonicas with rubber bands and ice lollies,
construct wind‑powered vehicles from plastic bottles and balloons, and
create bubbling lava lamps using oil, water and Alka‑Seltzer. The
playground was buzzing with curiosity, teamwork and plenty of smiles.
Thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to join us and
help make the week such a success. We look forward to welcoming you
all again next year.

Thank you for all your support at the Summer Fair last Saturday. It
was a lovely day with a great atmosphere and lots going on. Thank you
to all the organisers, volunteers, helpers, and those of you who
attended. We really appreciate all the hard work.

As part of our Hispanic Week celebrations, the children at Betty
Layward enjoyed a delicious Latin-inspired lunch, giving them the
chance to explore the vibrant flavours and rich culinary traditions of
Latin America. Our talented catering team served a tasty, colourful
black bean and beef chilli with garlic rice, accompanied by a
selection of fresh salads. The meal was a huge success, with the
children sharing wonderful feedback, including "delicious!" and "lots
of flavours!" It was an enjoyable dining experience that perfectly
complemented our Hispanic Week celebrations.

We had a new headteacher this week, Leilahni from Year 6. She was
amazing. She led an assembly, observed learning and provided excellent
feedback on what she saw. She noticed good behaviour around the
school. She took on playground duty, helped at lunchtime, and
completed some very important paperwork. I was incredibly impressed
with her and now know who to contact if I need help. Well done,
Leilahni.

We will be counting the 20ps the children have been collecting and
their fundraising contributions on the last day of term. I have been
so impressed by the fundraising the children have done and their
enthusiasm for it. Please can you ensure that the children bring in
their 20ps or any fundraising amounts to school by Thursday 16th July?
I know they are going to be very excited about how much they have
raised, as are we.

I wanted to comment on how kind the children at Betty Layward are and
how lucky we are. I often see them being kind to one another in the
playground and around school, and it really makes me smile. Kindness
is so important, and your children are amazing. I am so proud of them.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Parent and Carer Sharing
Afternoon on Thursday 9th July. You can come in anytime between 14:00
and 15:00, or between 15:30 and 17:00 (with your child). They will
share the work they are proud of from this year and I am sure they
will have a lot to show you.

Please can I remind you to settle all outstanding balances on your
Arbor account by the end of this academic year. As a school, we cannot
afford to cover these costs, so PLEASE ensure all your accounts are
settled. Year 6 parents and carers, please ensure this happens as soon
as possible, as we do not want to be chasing them after your child has
left. Thanks for your support with this.

Have a lovely weekend,
Jessica