Jessica's Newsletters

Newsletter Friday 25th April 2025

Fri 25 Apr 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. I hope you had a lovely break. It’s wonderful to see everyone back with such bright smiles. The weather is improving, which is lovely to see.

This week in Opal, we have been learning about how to use equipment safely during wet weather and how to access equipment safely in our loose parts shed. We have two fantastic sheds that store all of our Opal equipment. One shed holds our loose parts, which can be accessed daily, while the other shed contains our smaller parts for various activities, including construction, arts and crafts, sports, role-play, and more. This week, we introduced a large construction kit with wheels, cogs, panels, and poles. The children have thoroughly enjoyed building vehicles and castles; we even managed to move the vehicles. We are seeking further donations of wellies and waterproofs. If you have any spare wellies or waterproofs to add to our Opal collection, please bring them in. While we are hoping for more sunshine, we are also preparing our wet weather play resources and equipment for Opal to be ready when needed. Thank you.

It’s 20p time again. If you haven’t done this before, we ask the children to collect as many 20p coins as they can. This can be achieved by children helping out at home with chores or participating in fundraising activities. This initiative allows the children to take the lead in fundraising for the school, and the class that raises the most will win £20 to spend as they wish. It’s a great fundraiser, and we appreciate your support with this.

We are pleased to share that Betty Layward is working towards achieving the Bronze Rights-Respecting Schools Award stage—a nationally recognised initiative led by the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK). This award supports schools in creating and maintaining safe, respectful, and inspiring learning environments. Through this programme, children are not only valued and respected, but their individual talents are nurtured, empowering them to flourish both personally and academically. By beginning our journey towards the Bronze Award, we are formally committing to placing the values of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of everything we do. At this early stage, we are working to raise awareness throughout the entire school community about what it means to be a Rights-Respecting School. Our goal is to ensure that children feel valued, listened to, and empowered to play an active role in their learning and in the life of the school. Thank you for your continued support as we work towards this important achievement.

We have 80 children registered for the Hackney Half, and only a handful of places remain. This is the highest number we have ever had. Please check that you have received an email from letsdothis (it may be in your junk or spam folder). If you do not have an email, please message Kirsty as soon as possible. If you are not fully registered, your children WILL NOT be able to run. PLEASE also start getting the children sponsored by friends, family, workmates, and neighbours so we can raise money for our school. The fundraising link is https://gofund.me/7da4ca9d. We appreciate your support with this.

Please remember to check the school calendar for dates this term, as there will be new events added, such as Blastonbury on the afternoon of Tuesday, 20^th May.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 4th April 2025

Fri 04 Apr 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I cannot believe we are at the end of another term. Where is the time going? What a great term we have had. The children have been amazing. Thank you for all your support.

Thank you for attending your parent/carer meeting yesterday. I hope you found them useful. Some of the children who received reports told me how much they enjoyed reading them and were very proud of themselves. It was lovely to hear, and every report was lovely to read. Well done to all our children for an excellent term and for working so hard. We look forward to seeing it continue in the summer term.

Last Tuesday, Key Stage 2 girls were visited by OCL Facades, who came to talk to them about careers in construction and engineering as part of their Girls' Can Build programme. In the United Kingdom construction industry, girls are significantly underrepresented, comprising only about 15% of the workforce, with only around 2% of on-site workers being female. The Girls' Can Build initiative not only highlights the possibilities within the construction industry but also aims to plant the seeds of curiosity and ambition in young girls, paving the way for a more diverse future in construction. All Key Stage 2 girls took part in an assembly, where they were introduced to construction and then discussed the different careers that are on offer. The Year 4 girls took part in a construction workshop, where they were challenged to construct a bridge. The girls took on various construction roles, such as project manager, designer, and builder. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the workshops and created some fantastic bridges.

Fuchsia class performed a wonderful assembly this week on the Tudors. They spoke clearly and acted brilliantly. Well done fuchsia class.

On Wednesday, Year 2 went to St Mary's Church to support their learning about Christian beliefs, baptism and Easter. The children were able to explore the church, try on robes, hold the communion plate and chalice, and go up on the pulpit. They then took part in an imaginative baptism and saw what it is like when a baby is christened. Finally, they listened to a story about Easter and had the chance to ask questions about Christian beliefs and the church.

On Thursday, April 3rd, the Junior Road Safety Officers were outside of school at the beginning of the school day to observe the school street and check that the school entrance was not blocked. Their role is to provide important road safety messages to the school community and be aware of the roads and road safety in the local area. Thank you for all your kind words and supportive interactions with our officers.

Some of the findings were:

Some parents are standing too close to the school gates, so we advise you to stand on the other side of the road. We would also advise that parents, carers and children look both ways whilst crossing over the road. We noticed this was not always happening, and there were vehicles and many cyclists travelling down the street. Please be careful not to walk into the school's No Parking signs. These should not be moved. We also noticed that whilst we were on a school street, there were cars and vans coming into the street and travelling down the street. Please be careful around the school entrance. The Junior Road Safety Officers will be out again soon to check that everyone is keeping safe and the school entrance is clear.

April is World Autism Month, and this year, we will be celebrating World Autism Appreciation Week at Betty Layward during the week beginning the 21st of April. We will start a project called LEANS after the holidays (Learning About Neurodiversity at School). Classes in Key Stage 2 will learn about neurodiversity and how it impacts children's school experiences. Neurodiversity means the differences in how people’s brains process information. Neurodivergent people’s processing differs from the majority (and often each other), sometimes in ways that substantially affect daily life. Autistic, dyslexic, and people with dyspraxia, or those with ADHD or Tourette’s syndrome, could all be described as neurodivergent - though individuals may not identify that way. LEANS is a multi-session curriculum with a mix of hands-on activities, storytelling, and factual resource items. It was developed by a neurodivergent team of researchers and educators at the University of Edinburgh. LEANS’ stories expose pupils to perspectives and school experiences that might be quite different from their own - whether they are neurotypical or neurodivergent.

The curriculum consists of 7 topic units:

- introducing neurodiversity
- classroom experiences
- communication
- needs and wants
- fairness
- friendship

- reflecting on our actions.

There is information available here if you would like to find out more:

https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/leans/about

The children are bringing home bulbs today to nurture and grow. They will then need to identify what plant they have. We look forward to hearing all about them. Thank you for your support with this.

Thank you for all your support this term. We hope you have a lovely holiday and the sun shines. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 22nd April.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 28th March 2025

Fri 28 Mar 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have had a good week. I know many of you will be celebrating Eid this weekend and on Monday. May this Eid bring you endless joy, peace, and prosperity. Wishing you and your family a blessed Eid filled with love, laughter, and happiness from all of us at Betty Layward.

I would like to thank you for your responses to the letter I sent this week about the cost of trips and how we cannot continue to cover the cost of these in the future. It was lovely to receive so many emails of support. I also appreciate those of you who have gone back and paid for past trips and have set up direct debits. Every contribution makes a difference. Thank you for all your support with this.

Cerise class performed a great assembly about rivers this week. It was informative and well performed and the children did an amazing job. Well done Cerise class. You remembered all your words and sang beautifully.

On Tuesday, Year 2 visited the Estorick Collection of Italian Art and were fortunate enough to have the entire gallery to themselves. They had time to explore the gallery and looked for curved and straight lines, warm and cool colours, and geometric and organic shapes in the artworks. Year 2 then had a chance to act as curators by grouping works of art and deciding how they would display them in an exhibition.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our first Betty Refillery shop. It was wonderful to see so many families championing our mission to reduce plastic usage. A big thanks to the Eco-Committee for their hard work. Betty's Refillery will open again on Thursday, May 8th, at 3:15 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there.

In OPAL this week we have enjoyed seeing our planting spring into life. Our bulbs are beginning to grow. The children have enjoyed watering the plants and seeing them grow. We have also been enjoying the balance equipment, dress-up, obstacle course, stilts and balance boards.

Please can you ensure that the children are at school on time. We are having too many children being late to school. We are currently monitoring this and would like to see it improve. Thank you for your support with this.

We are looking at what children can bring in for their birthday treat which I know they like sharing with children in their class. We are now asking that it is not cakes or homemade items as more and more products are saying they contain nuts or might contain nuts. We therefore cannot have these in school. We ask that you bring in individually wrapped items such as McVities Club biscuits, Tunnocks caramel wafers or McVities Gold. You must ensure that there are no nuts or a trace of nuts in the product as we will not be able to give those out. Please do not bring in sweets or chocolate bars. Thank you for your support with this.

One of our children, Silas got involved in an initiative last weekend - tidying up and replanting the massive low traffic neighbourhood planters on Nevill Road. It was organised by Abi, who runs the Everyday Sunshine cafe on the corner of Nevill and Barbauld Road and the Rude graphic communications agency. Neighbours tidied up the planters and plants for the summer. It is going to become a regular activity. Well done Silas, it is so important to look after your local area and this is an example to us all.

Please remember to book your parent and carer's meeting on Thursday. We look forward to seeing you there. School closes at 1pm.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Jessica Bailey

Headteacher
The Betty Layward Primary School

Newsletter Friday 21st March 2025

Thu 20 Mar 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is so lovely to see the sun out and feel some warmer weather. It is great to see the children enjoying the sunshine in the playground.

Thank you to our Nursery parents and carers for attending our family morning on Monday, it was lovely to see you there. We hope you enjoyed it too.

Chilli's class performed an amazing assembly on Tuesday about World War 2. Their knowledge, acting, singing and dancing were incredible and they kept the audience engaged all the way through. I thought about this class when they joined in Nursery or Reception and am so proud of how they have grown into such wonderful, independent, creative and wonderful children. Well done Chilli class, it was a great performance and one you should be very proud of.

You will have received a letter about parents and carers meetings and we look forward to seeing you there. This is an important meeting about your child's report which you will receive in the same week. Years 1 - 6 will receive reports then and Nursery and Reception will receive theirs in the summer. Meetings are available for all classes. These meetings allow us to share your child's progress, learning and behaviour at school so please ensure you sign up. We want to share all their achievements with you.

Our refillable shop opens on Thursday 27th March after school. Please come along and buy some household essentials such as shampoo and conditioner. It would be lovely to see you there and thank you for your donations of bottles. More are welcome.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Newsletter Friday 14th March 2025

Fri 14 Mar 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you have had a good week. We have had a productive week with lots going on and there are lots of exciting things coming up.

We are pleased to announce the opening of Betty's Refillery, a new eco-refill shop at Betty Layward. The shop will offer a selection of eco-friendly, plant-based products to help families live more sustainably. To support our first shop on Thursday, 27th March, we are asking parents and carers to bring in 500ml bottles for refills. We appreciate your help in reducing waste and promoting sustainable choices. You will be able to come and buy shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and other items in our refillable bottles or you can bring your own. This will be an ongoing project and one we hope you will find useful. We look forward to seeing you on 27th March to fill your bottles.

On Friday, 7th March, a squad of Girls from years 5 and 6 took part in an International Woman's Day football competition at Berger Primary School. We played against Millfields, Gayhurst, Mossbourne and Berger. The girls had lots of fun and played very well. Well done to all the children who took part. It was great to share in such an important celebration.

This week, we introduced an obstacle course into Opal playground. The children have enjoyed crossing over planks, crawling through tunnels, and balancing on beams and stepping stones. The children have been generating different pathways and combining different levels of movement. The children have been particularly successful in teamwork, sharing and turn-taking. It is great watching them plan and make different obstacle courses. They are really enjoying it.

World Down Syndrome Day is on Friday, 21st March. We are asking everyone to 'rock their socks' and wear bright, bold and funky socks to celebrate the uniqueness of every chromosome - each one is one of a kind. The theme this year is 'Improve Our Support Systems': governments are being urged to make sure that people with Down Syndrome get the support they need all around the world.

Please remember Chilli's class assembly on Tuesday at 9:15am. We look forward to seeing Chilli parents and carers there.

If it is your child’s birthday, they can bring in individual cakes to share with their class. Please can you check that there are no traces of nuts on any of the labelling. We cannot give these out and if they are homemade please ensure that all ingredients are nut-free too. Thank you for your support with this.

Have a very lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 7th March 2025

Fri 07 Mar 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a lovely, sunny week with many great things going on. World Book Day was amazing and thank you for all your support with the costumes and story jars. They were great. This year, the children from Reception to Year 6 were arranged into mixed classes. Each group enjoyed a morning of book related activities. The children created new stories, acted out puppet shows and devised new characters for well known books. The children had a fantastic day and it was great to see the deep love of stories. Thank you to all the staff who made this possible. The children really enjoyed the day and loved being in classes with all the year groups. The children were extremely excited and it was wonderful to see so many amazing costumes and Book in a Jar creations.

Thank you to those of you who organised, helped and attended our jumble sale on Saturday. The sun shone for us and it was lovely to see so many of you there. The extra clear up help also made a huge difference so thank you to those of you who also did that. The Jumble Sale raised a total of £3125.67, including the sponsor money from Winkworth for the estate agent boards in your gardens. This is an amazing result and will make a difference for us. A big thank you to Winkworth, too.

On Monday, Year 4 had an exciting visit to the National Gallery, where they learned about Tudor portraits. The children eagerly deciphered the clues hidden within the paintings, such as clothing, certain objects and facial expressions, to identify the subjects of each portrait. They demonstrated impressive knowledge, explaining who the figures were and their role in Tudor society. Throughout the trip, the children displayed excellent behaviour, engaging fully with the guides and showing respect for the gallery environment. It was a truly enriching experience for all involved.

On Tuesday, 4th March, a team of children from years 5 and 6 took part in the Hackney Primary School cross-country race at Hackney Downs Park. Huge congratulations to Olly, who finished in 11th place in the boys' race; Jane who finished 7th; Illy who finished 11th and Elsie who finished 12th in the girls' race. Well done to all the children who took part and thank you to all the parent volunteers for your help.

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day under the theme “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. This year’s theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a feminist future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation—youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls—as catalysts for lasting change. At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum. We at Betty Layward, want to ensure no one is left behind. On Tuesday, 25th March 2025, we will be hosting Girl’s Can Build. Girl’s Can Build is a ground-breaking initiative aimed at inspiring primary school girls to explore careers in construction, which has achieved remarkable success. Local Basildon business OCL Facades Limited will be coming in to deliver an assembly for all Key Stage 2 girls and then will lead a series of workshops for girls in Year 4 led by a group of talented women from OCL Facades Limited. We look forward to the girls having the opportunity to engage in these hands-on sessions.

Opal is going well in the playground and we are now introducing large parts such as planks, crates, etc. Children can use their imagination to create obstacle courses or make cars, etc. We are excited to see how they will use them.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy this sunny, warm weather,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 28th February 2025

Fri 28 Feb 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is lovely seeing everyone back after half term. I hope you had a lovely week. It is also lovely having the sun out and I hope this will be the same for the Jumble Sale tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you for all your donations and for volunteering your time if you are helping tomorrow. These events make a real financial difference for the school and we really appreciate them.

Please remember that this Wednesday is World Book Day. Children can dress up if they would like to, but we ask that they do not wear masks and that they wear outfits that they can go to the loo in. We are also looking forward to seeing their books in a jar. We have organised a lovely day. Each teacher is teaching about a picture book and the children will be grouped from Reception to Year 6 and work together and learn about this book. We are really looking forward to it.

This week, we took a group of children to Wembley to watch England Women's football team play against Spain. It was great to see them so happy and having so much fun. This was a great opportunity, and we all really enjoyed it.

This week, we opened a planting station in the playground as part of our Opal playground project. The children have enjoyed planting bulbs and learning how to care for them, take turns, share, and work together. They have also been turning over the soil, searching for worms, digging, and planting herbs. We look forward to the bulbs and herbs growing and to seeing the results of their hard work.

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the Jumble Sale tomorrow,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 14th February 2025

Fri 14 Feb 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are half way through the school year. I can’t quite believe it. Where is the time going? It’s been a great term and thank you for all your support.

Thank you for attending our Artbash art exhibition today. I was so impressed with all the children’s artwork. They really enjoyed the workshops, and we enjoyed seeing them proud of their creations. We hope you enjoyed them, too.

On Wednesday, the Year 4 classes had an exciting trip to the Southbank BFI as part of their Spanish learning. The children worked together to answer a variety of questions and interact in Spanish. In the afternoon, pupils enjoyed the luxurious BFI theatre seats and watched a Spanish film, El Ratón Pérez, with subtitles. It was a great day.

On Thursday, February 13th, 2025, a group of children took part in the Hackney Primary Swimming Gala at Clissold Leisure Centre. The children competed against six schools from Hackney in different races, including backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle, as well as team relay races. Betty Layward secured second place in this year's swimming gala. Well done to all the children who took part. We are proud of all of you.

It was Safer Internet Day this week, and we had an assembly on 'Who can we trust?'. We discussed the importance of not giving away information to anyone, how to check if things are true, and what to do if we are unsure or worried about something on the internet. There is a lot of information and support online, so please have these conversations at home as well.

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

As you know Teresa, my PA, is leaving today and has some exciting times ahead travelling and enjoying retirement. We wish her well and thank her for all her hard work. Karen, who is currently a TA in Year 3 Emerald class will be taking over the role after half term. She will continue working in the mornings as the Year 3 TA and will be PA in the afternoon until we have found a new TA for Year 3. The sewing club will also continue this term.

I hope you have a lovely half term and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 25th February.

Thanks

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 7th February 2025

Fri 07 Feb 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have had a good week. We have had a lovely week full of fantastic art workshops and we are looking forward to even more next week. Because the children are still working hard on their art, we will be having our Art Exhibition on Friday, February 14th, after school (3:15 to 4:30 p.m.) in the hall. There will not be an exhibition on Thursday 13th February. We hope you can come along with your child next Friday and see all the wonderful artwork the children have created. One of the artists they have been looking at lived in Stoke Newington. Althea McNish (1924 – 2020) was amongst the first, if not the first, designer of African-Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition. Her designs injected much-needed colour and life into the post-war fashion and textiles industry from the 1950s onwards. This is to be massively respected. She spent most of her life living and working in Stoke Newington. Althea McNish revolutionised design with her bold and beautiful prints. After moving to England from Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1950s, McNish studied printmaking at the London School of Printing and completed postgraduate studies in Textiles at the Royal College of Art. Just days after she graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1957, Arthur-Stewart Liberty – the chairman of Liberty of London – bought her entire graduation collection on the spot. He was so impressed with her work that he placed her in a taxi to see Zika Ascher, a fashion and textile entrepreneur who was well known in the industry for his use of artists’ designs for fashion fabrics. In Althea's words, this meeting would change her life. Alongside designing for Ascher and Liberty, the artist – who died in 2020 aged 95 – went on to create works for Heal’s, Cavendish Textiles, Hull Traders and Danasco; fashion houses, such as of Dior and Balenciaga; and many other well-known European and international design companies.

Jade class presented a fantastic assembly this week on the Ancient Egyptians. It was great. The children spoke with confidence and taught us many interesting facts as well as showing us their excellent dancing and singing skills. Well done Jade class.

I wanted to let you know that Teresa, my PA, is leaving on Friday, 14th February. She has worked at Betty Layward for 17 years and is a wonderful member of staff and not only an excellent support for me but also a great support for all staff, families, PTFA and governors. Teresa will be dearly missed and I know you will join us in saying that we wish her all the best for her next chapter. Thank you Teresa, for all that you have done for the school. It has meant a lot.

We have put the lost property outside on tables by the entrance. Please can you check it as we will be sending any items not claimed to charity.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing you at the exhibition next Friday.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter 31st January 2025

Fri 31 Jan 2025 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you have had a good week. We have had a lovely week at Betty Layward. Peach class led the most amazing assembly about Australia and we learnt some amazing facts. The children spoke with confidence and we are very proud of them. Well done Peach class.

There have been lots of trips and we are extremely proud of how well the children behaved. On Tuesday, the Chilli class participated in the Hackney Junior Citizenship scheme at Forest Road Youth Hub, an exciting opportunity to gain valuable skills and knowledge about staying safe and being active members of the community. During the trip, the children had the chance to learn from several key organizations, including The Hackney Health and Well Being team, focusing on dental hygiene and mental health strategies, Transport for London, offering guidance on safe travel with a Zip Oyster card, the Met Police, discussing robbery and the importance of reporting, Hackney Road Safety, teaching crossing awareness and stopping distances, the London Fire Brigade, providing proactive advice on escape routes and the Hackney Substance Misuse team, highlighting the importance of healthy choices and the consequences of misuse.

Year 4 visited the Estorick Gallery of Italian Modern Art in Canonbury to discover how sounds, shapes and colours around us have been a source of inspiration for many artists. The trip supported the children's abstract thinking and creativity and they created their own pieces, making drawings based on the experience and sounds of the trip. It was a lot of fun.

On Tuesday a group of children from year 5 and 6 took part in the Hackney Cross Country competition at Hackney Downs Park. Despite the downpour of rain, the children put in a tremendous effort with Oli finishing in 7th place in the boy’s race and Elsie finishing in 10th place in the girl’s race. Well done to all the children who took part and a special thank you to all the parent volunteers.

The children in Reception also enjoyed Family Friday and thank you to those of you who made it. I know you might not be able to come every time and I am sure your children understand this too. We want you to feel involved in our child’s learning journey. Thank you to the Reception parents who completed our survey. There was a lot of positive feedback and some really good suggestions for future Reception years. Thank you for those as we are always looking at ways we can improve.

In support of our art and design curriculum, from next week we will be hosting Art Bash. Art Bash is an art organisation that brings art directly into schools creating bespoke projects that are linked to the Primary Art and Design National Curriculum. Over the next two weeks, each class from Reception to Year 6 will participate in workshops inspired by the following three artists - Althea McNish, Lakwena Maciver and Yinka Ilori. These workshops will culminate in an exhibition of the children’s artworks. The exhibition will take place on Thursday, 13th and Friday,14th February from 3:30 to 4:30pm in the main hall. This is an amazing opportunity for the children to create and have their work displayed like a professional artist. To make this a success we are asking parents and carers to make a voluntary donation of £15 to help cover the costs of the workshops and art supplies. We look forward to seeing you all at the exhibitions on Thursday, 13th and Friday,14th February from 3:30 to 4:30pm in the main hall.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher