Taking Stock: March 2025

• To ensure our children are happy and we explain things well
• To ensure no child leaves our school unable to read
• To ensure children learn a broad vocabulary to access the world around them
• To enhance the educational experiences of diagnosed and undiagnosed children with SEND

Welcome to this month's issue of Taking Stock. Hasn't the month of March flown by? I cannot believe how much we have packed into the last few weeks. There has been so much happening around the school and the children have made fantastic progress. We should all be incredibly proud of our achievements. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support. It means the world to us.

This week, the Year 4-6 choir went to perform as part of the Lambeth Music Service Singing Festival. They did a brilliant job, learning all of the words and actions. The performance was an absolute joy, with the children from 25 schools coming together to share this wonderful experience.

I was incredibly proud of the choir and their hard work. They even kept me on the straight and narrow when I forgot some of the actions!

Well done to this incredible group and watch this space for information about our next performance.

It's not too late to buy photos, videos and tote bags from the event. Visit The 'Dreamy Pop' shop here.

8th March was International Women's Day. We honoured the occasion by flooding the school with inspirational women from all walks of life.

The children were visited by people from lots of different professions, including:

• journalism
• bus driving
• tattoo artistry
• banking
• finance
• PR
• advertising
• education
• beauty
• nail artistry
• writing and broadcasting
• nursing
• advertising
• government

We thank every person that came in to inspire the children . It's so important that our children understand that they can do and be anything they set their minds to. Thank you for help us to show them that the sky is the limit.

We also celebrated World Book Day in March. This year, we opted for our second 'Comfy Cosy' World Book Day. We all came to school in pyjamas, tracksuits, dressing gowns and bonnets, ready for a cosy day of reading. Ms Thomas did a brilliant job of organising the day, arranging a Book Swap and for every child to also go home with a brand new book.

We even did a Story Door walk, with children going around the school to see the doors that had been redesigned to represent books we know and love.

The Children's Centres also got involved in the fun, dressing up as characters from 'The Day the Characters Quit'.

Last week was British Science Week, and what a week it was. The focus was Change and Adapt. We used this as an opportunity to focus on Climate Change and the Environment. We thought about the world around us and how it has changed. We also thought about the impact we can have on our environments.

Ms Hancock kicked the week off with a Science Week assembly, letting the children know the theme for the week. She also worked with Father Nature, to organise the planting beds around the school and provide opportunities for every class to plant seeds and seedlings. Finally, she and the Eco-Leads relaunched the Eco-Refill shop and sold raflle tickets for prizes at our Science themes Community Event. Thank you to Ms Hancock for all of her hard work.

Last week was Comic Relief. The school was awash with red for Red Nose Day. Mr Serra and the House Captains were busy selling Red Noses and activity packs during the run up to the main event. Even the parents accompanying trips were decked out in red on the day! It was lovely to see everyone getting involved.

In total we raised £414 for this worthwhile event, which is an incredible amount. Well done everyone!

We were delighted to welcome For2Feet into school to provide scooter training for our Year 2 children. The children learnt how to avoid the main causes of scooter accidents. They were taught:

• How to check their scooter is safe
• What to do if they get tired
• How to slow down, stop and deal with an emergency situation
• Pavement etiquette with pedestrians.
• Common pavement dangers and hazards
• Cars reversing from driveways
• Road crossing with a scooter

The children thoroughly enjoyed the session, both in the school playground and out on the pavements. Well done Year 2!

Did you know that Reception are doing a sponsored walk around Brockwell Park. They are aiming to do at least 5000 steps to raise money for an upcoming event. If you can spare a little (or a lot) to boost their progress, please support them online be visiting their Crowdfunder Page, or clicking the button below.

Maher was our player of the day, scoring 16 goals in 5 games. In the Yr2 team, the player of the day was Damarious, who both won individual awards. The children had so much fun and made us all so proud.

We can’t wait to see the future of football at Stockwell Primary.

We would also like to say a massive 'Thank You' to the parents who accompanied us on the trip and made it a smooth journey.

Sports Star of the month: Yonatan

Mr Osman, Sports Coach

Our Out of School Hours Clubs are back.

This time round we are running:

Gymnastics: (ages 4-8) - Wednesday 6pm-7pm

Cricke: (ages 8-11) - Saturday 10.15am-11.15am

Football: (ages 8-11) - Saturday 11.30am-12.30pm

We will be running taster sessions in school during the next two weeks. Visit bjsfederationclubs.classforkids.io to book a place for your child.

Please see our community events below for clubs at our Federation Schools.

Don't forget to drop off your old, unwanted clothes. The donations will go to new homes that need them and we will raise money for the school. We have already filled the bank once, so keep your items coming please. Every time we fill the bank it raises money for the school.

Fill up a bag and pop it in.

Have a look at the poster below for more information.

The clothes bank is located outside the Main Hall.

• Caring means being kind, helpful, and considerate to others. It can also mean being sensitive to others' feelings and showing that you are thinking about others

  • Sharing toys or belongings

  • Helping someone who is sad

  • Using "please" and "thank you"

  • Helping people in need

  • Thinking about how your actions will affect others

To learn more about the curriculum for your year group/s this term, visit the school's website to access the knowledge organisers.

Homework is issued on a Friday and is due back in on a Wednesday. Please make time to help your child with their homework. All tasks are based on what the children have been learning in school. While the children can learn independently, they might need your help to get started.

All children should be reading at home daily. Please remember to make a comment in your child's reading record after you have listened to them read.

At the Stockwell Primary School, our PSHCE curriculum is designed to develop the whole child through carefully planned and resourced lessons. The curriculum helps children to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes to ensure that they are developing personally and socially, while also promoting their social, mental and physical development. The curriculum is designed to develop the children’s understanding of their role as global citizens in a diverse society; how to develop and maintain healthy relationships; how to stay healthy physically, emotionally and mentally; the rule of law; and democracy. We provide opportunities for the children to learn about rights and responsibilities, RSE, Drugs Education and E-Safety.

TheStockwell PSHE content aims to introduce students to sensitive matters in an age appropriate manner. Inclusion of topics like Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), First Aid, Drugs and Alcohol, have been chosen to guide all students, including vulnerable and potentially vulnerable groups, while also meeting our statutory duties.

Children at the Stockwell are encouraged to develop their self-confidence and self-worth, through a robust pupil leadership programme. Election to many of these roles enforces the children’s understanding of voting and rights as these roles are elected through a democratic process. Children are encouraged to contribute to both school life and the wider community.

Particular attention is paid to the 5 core rules throughout each school day:

• Be kind
• Be responsible
• Be respectful
• Be hardworking
• Be a good listener

Zones of Regulation and Growth Mindset approaches are used in and around the school so that children learn how to self-regulate and recognise their emotions. These approaches are taught systematically as part of the PSCHE curriculum and are continually referred to during the school day.

PSHCE is taught weekly as part of the planned programme of study for all pupils, focusing on the core themes of Relationships, Health and Well-being and Living in the Wider World. Cross-curricular links are then made to other National Curriculum subjects, such as Science, PE, Computing and RE as well as British Values and SMSC. Circle times and whole school, Icons and Phase assemblies are used to reinforce the core messages as well as to promote the schools’ values and drivers (Enterprise, Possibilities, Environment, Communication and Wellbeing) that underpin our curriculum.

March

• 28th - 5AP Class Assembly
• 28th - Spring Enterprise Event

April

• 2nd - LKS2 Play
• 3rd - PTA Cake Sale
• 3rd - Topic Dress-Up Day
• 4th - Easter Bonnet Parade
• 4th - End of Term: 1:30 Finish

7th - 21st April: Easter Holidays - School closed

• 22nd - Term begins for Reception - Year 6
• 22nd - Nursery/ Preschool Stay and Play Sessions
• 22nd - 25th - Cycle Training
• 23rd - Continuing Pre-School and Nursery children return
• 24th - New to Nursery (from SPS Preschool) and Preschool children start
• 25th - PTA Eid Celebration
• 28th - Year 3 and 4 mixed football tournament
• 29th - New to Stockwell (not from SPS Preschool) children start

May

• 1st - Topic, Homework, Art and DT Exhibition of work
• 2nd - INSET DAY - School closed for all pupils

Streamers are people who stream themselves gaming, drawing, making things etc. for people to watch on the internet. Usually, this will be done live, and others are able to chat with them in real time while they do so. Influencers are social media stars who hold influence over the people that follow them, like a kind trend-setter or taste-maker, who companies often pay to promote their products. A streamer could also be considered an influencer in their chosen area.

In the guide, from the National College, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as adult content, online bullying and online purchases.

We have an active PTA, called Friends of Stockwell, who do a brilliant job of fundraising for the school and bringing the community together. It is great to see new faces taking part. Every parent is a Friend of Stockwell. I ask that everyone gets involved. If you can spare an hour per term (that's three hours per year), your contribution would make a huge difference.

Please email friendsofstockwell@gmail.com to get involved.

The Friends of Stockwell Primary School PTA have been busy this year! We’ve organised 2 movie nights, a disco, a summer fair and a winter fair, raising an incredible £1879. We’ve also raised another £250 from Easy Fundraising, the clothes recycling bin and the Asda Cashpot scheme.

We’ve used this money to support pupils at the school - we’ve contributed £1415 towards school trips to make these affordable to everyone, £480 to class Christmas presents, and added to parent contributions towards Secret Santa so families who need it get vouchers to help over the festive season.

We’re very proud of all the hard work by parents on the PTA. Please join us so we can do even more next year!

Can you help out around the school? Are you a keen gardener? Do you have skills or knowledge that the children would benefit from? Visit our Call to Action page to let us know how you can help.

Central to raising standards in all schools and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is the need for children to attend school regularly to benefit from their education.

There is a strong link between good learning, high achievement, rapid progress and developing good social skills with excellent attendance.

We want to take this opportunity to outline our expectations for school attendance this academic year.

If your child arrives at school from 9am they will be marked as LATE, if they arrive after 9.30am, they will be classed as “late after the register is closed” and their attendance is classed as absent for the morning session. As the registers would have already been returned to the Department for Education.

Regular poor punctuality can also have a negative effect on your child’s attendance as well as their academic learning. Being 6 minutes late each day equals 30 minutes of missed learning every week.

If your child’s attendance drops below 90%, we will need to share our concerns with the Local Authority Education Welfare Officer at Lambeth Council.

Holidays in Term Time

Education Law states that it is not a parent’s right to take a child out of school during term time to go on holiday. Families must seek permission from the school and your school’s Headteacher is limited in what they can authorise. We can authorise leave if a child is in a performance and a performance license has been granted by the local authority. For any other authorised holiday, there must be extenuating circumstances therefore we cannot authorise a holiday because it is cheaper outside of term time.

Well done to 1S for achieving 100% attendance last week.

We have also achieved 97% attendance overall.

Keep up the good work everyone!

School uniform should be worn throughout the school day. While we do not enforce that all school uniform should be branded, children should be wearing the correct colours (white t-shirt tops, navy trousers/ skirts/ pinafore dresses, sensible black shoes). Football boots/ coloured trainers are not school uniform and should not be worn.

Children should be changing into their PE kits for PE lessons (blue or black tracksuit bottoms, plain white t-shirt, trainers). We have made arrangements for girls and boys to be able to change separately, so the expectation is that all children change for PE.

While our supplier of school uniform is WearAbouts, we do have some items available for sale from the school office. Please check with us to see if we have what you need in stock.

If you have a concern, please see your child's class teacher in the first instance.

If they are unable to resolve the problem, please speak to your child's phase leader.

If they are unable to help, please see one of the school's Assistant Headteachers.

If you are still dissatisfied, please see the Head of School.

We let space around the school.

You can hire the school hall, and grounds, on a regular basis or as a one off.

Need a space for a party?

Looking for a pitch for your team?

Contact the school office on:

clericalofficer2@stockwell-pri.lambeth.sch.uk

to make an enquiry.

What are Pre-School, Nursery and Reception learning about? Find out below.

Years 1 and 2 are incredibly busy with their learning. Find out more on our website.

Are you keen to find out more about the learning in Years 3 and 4? If so, have a look by clicking the button below.

Please check our website, to find out what the children in Years 5 and 6 are learning about.

We are delighted to to have on site our Children Centre where the team works with families at Stockwell and our local community. The Children Centre is open every week day and during the holidays. All of the team will be happy to meet parents and carers to give help, advice and support relating to the following issues:

Citizens Advice

Parenting Support and Advice

ESOL classes

Vaccination clinics

Access to Midwives and Health Visitors practitioners

Take Your Pick sessions

Baby and Toddler session

Benefits advice

Food Bank Vouchers

Disability Living Allowance applications

Cost of Living information

Training and employment advice

Activities for children during half-term breaks

Advice on support available within Lambeth

In these difficult times any of us can find ourselves in challenging situations. Should you need support, please contact Mrs Fraga or Mrs Bonsu who can support with food vouchers discreetly.

Our Children Centre team have a great deal of knowledge and expertise and are a fantastic asset to have working with us at Stockwell. Please feel welcome to pop in and find out more during their opening times.

The children's centre can now support children up to 11, so do pop in to see what they can offer.

An amazing opportunity for our young children living in Lambeth!

Parents can register with Dolly's Parton's Imagination Library and receive a free book each month through the post, from birth up until their child's fifth birthday.

The flyer is attached, or visit this link: Register for the Imagination Library

Please see below for wallet friendly family events in Lambeth and the local area.

Check out the flyers below to see the clubs on offer at Jessop and Bonneville.

The Gaia Centre provides support for Lambeth residents affected by gender-based violence, including domestic abuse. It’s closed on 29th March and April 1st, 2024, but has an out-of-hours on-call service: 07725245779. Normal hours are 8am-6pm Monday – Friday. It also offers services for young people and advice for practitioners. Tel: 020 7733 8724, E: lambethvawg@refuge.org.uk.

Helpline support is available:

• National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 24/7
• Women’s Aid live chat, daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Men’s Advice Line, weekdays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Samaritans Helpline, 24/7
• Childline 24/7
• In emergencies, call 999

Support online:

Kooth is a free online mental health and wellbeing service available to all young people in Lambeth aged 10-25. It is a self-referral service, where young people have access to fully-qualified online counsellors until 10pm every single day of the year. There is also a range of other support including: an online interactive magazine, discussion boards, self-help tools, and wellbeing activities.

The new Lambeth microsite to accompany the ‘It’s Not That Deep’ campaign is aimed specifically at young people and contains information for those experiencing harassment, those wanting to become allies, and those who are doing the harmful behaviour.

You can view useful resources on emotional wellbeing and mental health support services for children in Lambeth.

For the latest Lambeth VAWG news and campaigns please go to: https://linktr.ee/lambethvawg

We have an engagement hub with a specific page focused on what we can do to improve public safety for women and girls which asks residents and visitors to tell us where in Lambeth they feel safe and unsafe by placing a pin on the Map. Please sign up for email updates about the project using the ‘follow’ button on the new site.

A new child comes into care every day in Lambeth. Many of these children will need the love and stability that a foster carer can provide.

What is fostering?

Being a foster parent means caring for someone else’s child as part of your family. Foster carers look after children who are unable to live with their parents, through no fault of their own. You'll be given lots of training and support, as well as allowances to cover living costs, the costs of food, travel and for the time you'll need to invest in supporting any child in your care.

Who can foster?

Lambeth Fostering welcome applications from everyone with a passion for caring. You just need to be over 21, have a spare room, good written and spoken English, and permanent UK residency.

Find out how you can be the difference: www.lambeth.gov.uk/be-the-difference

Have you downloaded the BJS Federation parent app?

Stay abreast of school events, book trips, clubs and give permission.

If you are finding it difficult to find your way around the app, check out our guide below.