Heads Up - Friday 23rd May_2025

Heads Up

CEO’s Welcome Dear Colleagues, As we approach the half term break, I’d like to thank you for all your support during the past few weeks. It’s been a busy time in our schools with national testing and internal assessments. Thank you for making such a difference!

Time to switch off now and to enjoy a peaceful and relaxing week with family and friends.

Best wishes, Tom

Tom Canning CBE

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Attendance Data Below is the attendance and persistent absence data from across the Trust for the period of Monday, 12 May 2025 to Friday, 16 May 2025.

Group Name

Attendance

Attendance

Persistent Absence

Clara Grant Primary

95.5%

11.3%

Cleves Primary

96.2%

12.8%

Monega Primary

94.0%

16.2%

New City Primary

95.3%

8.3%

Ravenscroft Primary

94.9%

15.5%

Rosetta Primary

92.7%

19.4%

Shaftesbury Primary

96.8%

11.2%

Tollgate Primary

96.3%

9.0%

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Earth Day In acknowledgement of Earth Day, our dedicated Eco Warriors participated in a litter pick as part of their commitment to the environment.

Equipped with gloves, bags, and litter pickers, they cleaned up the school grounds and surrounding areas, collecting various types of litter. This hands-on activity raised awareness about the importance of waste management and re- cycling. The Eco Warriors’ efforts set a positive example for the community, fostering teamwork and a strong sense of responsibility towards maintaining a healthy planet.

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Growing Plants This week in the nursery, the pupils learned about growing. They enjoyed exploring the different gardening tools that can be used for planting. Throughout the week, we had many discussions about how to grow a plant, care for a plant, and the life cycle of a plant.

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Healthy Snack Bar The children in Pathways1 have been exploring healthy foods during their DT (Design and Technology) lessons. They were excited to create their own healthy snack bars. After tasting and exploring different ingredients, they decided to make a healthy snack bar using cornflakes, strawberries, raisins, and honey.

The children followed step-by-step visual instructions to cre- ate their snack bars.

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Pathway Pirates This week, the students in our Pathways 2 classroom embarked on a thrilling adventure as pirates. They wore hats and eye patches, diving into engaging role-playing activities. They partic- ipated in a lively tug-of-war, testing their strength and teamwork. In science, they explored which pirate objects sink or float, experimenting with items like coins, jewellery, and toy ships. In maths the pupils counted and sorted coins, learning about addition and subtraction.

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The works of Robin Brooks In Art, the pupils in Year 5 explored the work of Artist Robin Brooks, focusing on themes of nature and the natural world. Inspired by the artist’s style, the children created their own landscape paintings, using sketch pencils and watercolours.

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Reception Easter Picnic Before the Easter break, Reception Parents were invited in for a special Easter picnic with their children. The children made their own sandwich- es to eat and sat in the sunshine enjoying them. They also had an Easter bonnet competition. The children designed their own bonnets for a special Easter Parade.

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Eco Warriors Monega's Eco Warriors have been learning more about the impact of littering. Now they have decided to take action. Our young campaigners are taking part in The Great School Clean Up by Keep Britain Tidy. We have picked up lots of litter in our local area nearby our wonderful school. We also designed creative posters to help educate our lo- cal community. We hope you enjoy our video and join us in helping our local community by Putting Litter in the Bin. Watch the Eco Warriors at Work Here

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Remembering Stephen Lawrence Last week, our pupils remembered Stephen Lawrence. He was a positive role model with a positive attitude and his legacy is to consider the powers that we have to make a difference.

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Formal Pathways VE Day The children in the Learning Hub had a wonderful day celebrating the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The children decorated their own paper plate in red, white and blue, just like the Union Jack flag. In the afternoon, the children gathered together to have a street party to enjoy some party food and music with lots of dancing.

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Online Safety Last week our Year 6s were given a presentation about Online Safety from a local police officer.

The presentation was both engaging and informative and taught the children how to stay safe online- a vital skill for the increasingly technological world we live in! The children showed their New City values by engaging respectively and enthusiastically with the guest speaker.

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VE Day at New City Last Friday as a school we celebrated ‘VE day’ which marked the 80th anniversary of the allied forces victory in Europe during the Second World War. The day was enjoyed by all as the children and staff dressed in red, white and blue to repre- sent the Union Jack.

Parties, games and plenty of singing marked the day as a complete success.

Our PTA also put together a cake sale and drop in for a ‘cup of tea and a slice of cake’ before and after school which brought our wonderful community together in celebration.

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Y3 Faith in Schools Lesson – Why is the cross important?

Year 3 took part in a Faith in Schools lesson where they learned about why the Cross is so important to Christians.

They discussed the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus as well as watching a short film.

After this, the Faith in Schools helpers discussed what the cross means to them and helped the children to design their own cross which they then shared with class.

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Race Charter – School Council Equality Workshop & Assembly Children from the Ravenscroft School Council and from Early Years took park in an Equality workshop and then presented what they had learnt to the rest of the school in an assembly with the theme of ‘We are one!’

They displayed the posters they had created with titles including ‘Equality to Everybody’ and ‘We are all equal no matter what’.

They also discussed different behaviours everyone should model which included acceptance, respect, kindness, positivity and supportiveness.

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Y5 Spring Nature Workshop The Year 5 students went to Canning Town Recreation Ground as a follow up of their Autumn visit to the same location.

The students explored how nature changes through the seasons and were encouraged to look for signs of Spring.

They tasted the Hawthorn flowers and leaves, smelled the wonderfully aromatic lemon balm and played blind-folded games of tree identification only through touch. It was a lovely and educational experience.

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Reception - VE Day, library visits and special visitors!

Reception has had an extremely exciting time at school recently as we’ve had some special visitors! We had some eggs delivered to school, along with an incubator and a pen. We had good fun guessing what might come out of the eggs, and it turned out they were chicks! We’ve been doing lots of chick and chicken related work which all the children have been really excited to learn about thanks to our special visitors. We’ve also been making our termly trips to the library, where we listened to some fantastic stories and got given our first library cards so we can borrow our own books. On the 8th of May we celebrated VE day by wearing non-uniform and having a party, we all had lots of fun sharing food and playing some party games.

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Y6 English This term in English, Year 6 have been reading and exploring different genres of writing based on the novel Skellig by David Almond. The children wrote narratives inspired by selected chapters of the book, with a particular focus on setting and characterisation. They were encouraged to use a variety of figurative language, incorporate dialogue that accurately conveys character and advances the plot, and apply a range of cohesive devices. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed writing their own narratives and were pleased with the outcomes. See images for some examples of their work.

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Rosetta Pupils Shine on the World Stage We are absolutely thrilled to share the incredible news that three of our students from Rosetta Primary School recently represented the Ascension Eagles Cheerleading Team in an international cheerleading competition held in Orlando, Florida—and returned as champions!

Sofia and Marta from 6S, and Chloe from 5D, travelled across the Atlantic as part of Team ‘Destiny’, competing in the Level 1 Under 12s division. With outstanding performances, dedication, and spirit, their team secured an impressive 1st place victory in their category!

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity saw our students not only showcasing their athletic talent, but also enjoying the sunshine and excitement of Florida throughout the week.

Fromexhilarating routines to exploring a new culture, it was an experience they’ll never forget.

The Ascension Eagles, based in E16, are known for their mission to enrich the lives of young people through the sport of cheerleading. They focus on building essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, discipline, and confidence—all while making sure it’s fun and inclusive.

We could not be prouder of Sofia, Marta, and Chloe. They are not only excellent athletes, but also incredible ambassadors for our school community. Their dedication and hard work truly embody the values we strive to promote at Rosetta.

What an achievement—congratulations, girls!

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Cakes for the Spring Fair The Junior Leadership Team (JLT) led by the very capable Ms. Mani, baked cakes for the Spring Fair. The array of attractive pastries was just too tempting: the Bake Sale stall not surprisingly sold everything and made a handsome profit.

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Earth Day We celebrated Earth Day at Shaftesbury recently. As part of the celebrations Year 2 used newspapers and magazines to make a bug hotel and flowers, while Year 6 used recycled materials to create art. Other children were involved in work in the eco-garden and made a little contribution to it by carrying out some weeding, cultivating the soil and then planting seeds. Our school garden provides a unique, hands-on learning environment for the children and offers a great space where students can connect with nature.

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West Ham Park Year three recently visited West Ham Park as part of their Science learning topic- Plants.

They observed how seeds and bulbs grow into ma- ture plants and how they need water, light, and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy. They also sketched a plant and labelled different parts.

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Y4 Learn About St Francis of Assisi This week, Year 4 were delighted to welcome Reverend Cris from All Hallows Church, who visited as part of their RE topic on influences.

Reverend Cris brought the story of St Francis of Assisi to life in an engaging and memorable way.

One lucky pupil even got to dress up as St Francis, helping everyone visualise the saint’s remarkable life.

The children learned that St Francis was deeply influenced by the life of Jesus. He was known for his love of animals, his commitment to prayer, his creativity—including creating the first ever nativity play—and his dedication to serving the poor and caring for all of creation.

The session ended with a lively quiz, which the children tackled with enthusiasm and impressive knowledge. It’s safe to say they smashed it! A big thank you to Reverend Cris for such an inspiring and interactive visit.

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Y2 Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park visit In Science class, Year 2 children are exploring the fascinating world of plants, focusing on key concepts such as growth, germination, and pollination. To enhance their learning experience, they took an educational field trip to a local cemetery park. This remarkable setting provided them with the opportunity to observe a diverse range of plants up close. During their visit, the students engaged in hands-on investigations, examining different species and noting their unique characteristics. They learned about the various stages of plant growth, from seeds to mature plants, and discussed the processes of germination and pollination in detail. These real-world observations helped to reinforce the scientific concepts they have been studying in the classroom. Our young scientists thoroughly enjoyed the experience, actively participating in discussions and asking insightful questions. They took great care in recording their findings, demonstrating a growing understanding of botanical science. The trip not only enriched their knowledge but also instilled a sense of curiosity and appreciation for the natural world around them.

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Y5 Emotional Explorers Year 5 students are enthusiastically engaging in a transformative six-week program called Emotional Explorers, organised by the Tower Hamlets Education Wellbeing Service. This initiative is designed to help children delve into the complex world of emotions, exploring their meanings and understanding how these feelings influence our daily lives. One of the most exciting aspects of the program has been the array of interactive games that encourage teamwork and collaboration. Through these activities, the children learn to support one another as they navigate various emotional experiences throughout the day. In their upcoming session, the focus will shift to a crucial topic: the impact of sleep and diet on emotional well-being. The students will discov- er how essential these factors are in regulating their moods and overall emotional health, equip- ping them with valuable strategies for managing their feelings both now and in the future

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Tollgate Football Team Tollgate’s football team finished their season this week with two disappointing losses. In both games the team played really well and deserved more from the game but some individual mis- takes whilst defending and an inability to convert some of the glorious chances the team created proved costly. In the first game we lost 7-4 to Nelson Primary and the goal scorers were Nile (5D) x2, Ryan (6G) and Kamari (5D) with his first goal for the school. In the next game we played School 21 and lost 5-3 with Nile x2 and Kamari scoring the goals. Well done to Mr Cabadak and the team on their hard work all season.

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World Autism Day Before half term, Tollgate celebrated World Autism Day, fostering an environment of understanding and inclusion. The theme "Wear Blue" resonated strongly with our students, as they donned blue attire to show solidarity and raise awareness about autism. In addition to this, we organised various activities centred on autism and inclusion, where students participated in workshops that provided insight into the lives and experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum. These activities not only educated our students but also encouraged empathy and respect for diversity. Furthermore, we dedicated time to celebrate our school environment, highlighting the importance of creating a supportive and inclusive community for everyone.

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VE Day This week, we have had a meaningful and engaging exploration of VE Day, where students delved into the historical context surrounding this significant event. We began by learning about the importance of VE Day, understanding its relevance in World War II and its impact on the nation. Students participated in a variety of activities including discussions and presentations about the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and peace. In a show of solidarity and patriotism, the school proudly wore red, white, and blue, embracing the symbolism of our national colours and fostering a sense of community. We also observed a two-minute silence, which allowed students to reflect thoughtfully and pay their respects to all those who contributed to the war effort.

Overall, this enriching experience not only enhanced our historical knowledge but also strengthened our values of remembrance and gratitude.

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https://theboleyntrust.org/