Heads Up
CEO’s Welcome
Tom Canning CBE
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the first edition of Heads Up for this new academic year. It’s always great to see the amazing things happening across the Trust, and I continue to be inspired by the dedication and hard work of our Boleyn Trust family.
I for one cannot wait to see what our students and staff are going to get up to this year!
Thank you, as always, for your commitment and passion. Let’s make these first weeks of term count towards another stellar year of academic achievement.
Best wishes,
Tom
Attendance
Attendance Data
Below is the attendance and persistent absence data from across the Trust for the period of Monday, 02 Sep 2025 to Friday, 12 Sep 2025.
Welcoming our Nursery
A warm welcome to all our new nursery families! We’ve had a wonderful start to the term as the children settle in, make new friends, and explore their new environment. From building towers and creating masterpieces in the art area, to discovering stories and enjoying outdoor play, the children have been busy learning through fun, hands-on activities. We’re so excited to see their confidence grow and can’t wait for all the adventures ahead this year!
Pathways 2
In Pathways 2, the children took part in a creative and reflective activity using mirrors to explore and identify the key features of their faces. They looked closely at their eyes, noses, mouths and hair- noticing the unique details that make each of them special. Using this careful observation, they then designed their own self-portraits, selecting colours, shapes and different material to represent themselves with confidence and creativity.
Reception
What a fantastic start to the year it’s been in Reception! The children have settled beautifully into their new routines and are already showing such excitement and curiosity as they explore their learning environment.
Following our book-based curriculum, we’ve enjoyed diving into stories together, sparking lots of imagination, conversation, and play. It’s been so lovely to see new friendships forming, little hands busy building, painting, and role-playing, and big smiles all around as they discover new things each day.
We’re so proud of how confident and enthusiastic the children have been, and we can’t wait to watch them grow, learn, and shine throughout the year ahead!
Science in Year 3
Year 3 kicked off the year with an eager appetite for learning. In science, they observed various rocks, investigating their origins and classifying them by formation. Through close observation, they discovered distinct textures among the three main rock types—an exciting start to their scientific journey!
Year 4 and Georges Seurat
Our Year 4 children have settled into their new class beautifully and are already showing great enthusiasm for their learning. They have been busy creating an eye-catching classroom display, inspired by the work of the famous French Impressionist artist Georges Seurat. After researching his unique style, the children recreated their own wonderful paintings, bringing colour and creativity to their new learning space.
Microsoft Volunteers
Volunteers from Microsoft made a huge difference during the school’s sports day, bringing enthusiasm, energy, and teamwork. They supported staff in running activities, cheering on pupils, and ensuring the event was fun and inclusive for everyone. Their presence helped the day run smoothly and created a positive, supportive atmosphere. Beyond the sports field, the volunteers also helped brighten the school by painting a colourful mural. They transformed a plain wall into a vibrant piece of art that reflects the school’s spirit. Their time and effort left a lasting impact on both the event and the environment.
Reception Ball
The Reception graduation was a joyful celebration, marking an important milestone for the youngest learners and their families. Parents were warmly welcomed to join the event, sharing in the pride of their children’s achievements. Smiles, applause, and even a few happy tears filled the room as parents captured precious moments. The event created lasting memories, celebrating both learning and the strong partnership between home and school.
Year 6 Graduation
The Year 6 Graduation was a lively and memorable occasion, celebrating the pupils’ achievements and marking the end of their primary school journey. Pupils gathered to watch as awards were presented for effort, progress, and special contributions, recognising each child’s unique strengths. The atmosphere was filled with pride and excitement as pupils shared memories of their time at school. After the formal presentations, the celebration continued with music and dancing, giving the children a chance to relax and enjoy themselves. The evening ended with a pizza feast, bringing everyone together for laughter, friendship, and a perfect farewell.
Displays
Teachers at Monega have been busy creating new displays for the new academic year. Teachers play a vital role in creating vibrant classroom and school displays that inspire, inform, and celebrate pupil learning. A well-designed display does far more than decorate a wall; it transforms a space into an engaging environment where children feel motivated and valued. Bright colours, interactive elements, and thoughtfully arranged materials can capture pupils’ attention and encourage curiosity. Displays often highlight key topics, showcase examples of excellent work, or present learning prompts that spark discussion.
After School Clubs
Next week we begin our After school clubs which gives our children the opportunity to try their hand at something new and expand their wider curriculum. Last year we were able to provide our children with 27 different clubs including Gardening Club, Sports Club, Lego club, Chess club, multi sports, girls football, phonics club, Emotional Regulation, communication and language through music, Science, DT, Timetable club, Computing club, Grammar, Board Games club, History, Art, Textiles, Boys Football, Common wealth Choir, Debating club, Cooking to name a few.
Our children, staff and parents are very excited to begin our after school clubs !
Cricket Workshop
On Wednesday, pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 enjoyed a fantastic day of cricket workshops. Each class took part in a fun and active session, learning key cricket skills such as batting, bowling and fielding through exciting games and challenges. The children showed great enthusiasm, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the day.
The workshops were designed to be inclusive and engaging for all abilities, with pupils encouraged to try new techniques, support one another and celebrate each other’s successes. It was wonderful to see so many children stepping out of their comfort zones, building confidence and having fun while being physically active.
Learning Hub Garden Party
Before the summer holiday we held our first ever ‘Learning Hub garden party’. All of the children and their families were invited to come along and celebrate the end of the academic year with a picnic, lots of activities and music. It was great to see everyone come together and enjoy themselves. We really look forward to holding more events like this over the course of the new academic year.
Nursery Carnival
Before half term we celebrated our annual nursery carnival here at New City. This is a wonderful event on the schools calendar as the nursery open their doors to parents and carers for an action packed day of fun.
Many fun activities had been organised by the team including face painting, dancing and games. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed to the food and thank you to our dedicated Early years staff for once again pulling out all of the stops to ensure that this as always was a fantastic day of celebration.
Nursery ‘Stay and Play’
This week, our new Nursery pupils came into school for the first time for a ‘Stay and Play’ session with their parents.
The children were able to explore their new surroundings and try out new things.
They all left with smiles on their faces, all excited to return soon and start their learning journey at Ravenscroft!
SEN All About Me!
One of our Provision classes have been learning ‘All about me’ this week.
They have carried out a number of activities including: using mirrors to look at themselves to create self-portraits using fancy dress and props which they all loved to do; labelling different body parts and practising their letter recognition skills using the letter ‘M’ for ‘Me’.
The children also looked at the different senses and connected them to their own bodies.
Year 6 Art Work
Our Year 6 Children created a value scale using hatching or cross-hatching and labelled the values on the examples with the words (highlight, mid tone, core shadow and cast shadow). They used this to support drawing an apple picture.
Year 5 Team Work
Our Year 5 classes have quickly settled back into school life. They have been taking part in Team Building exercises to encourage them to not only make new friends within their new classes but to work better and harder together.
Year 6 Role Models
Year 6 have started their last year at Ravenscroft proudly wearing their new Role Model hoodies and polo shirts.
The project was rolled out last year to promote good behaviour within the school with the Year 6 pupils modelling what good behaviour looks like. If a Year 6 pupil does not meet our high standards, then they are not able to wear the new uniform and will be asked to wear the standard Blue and White colours.
We are confident that the Year 6 pupils will be as successful as last year’s!
Reception
Our Reception children have made a fantastic start to their school journey and have thoroughly enjoyed their first few weeks with us. It has been wonderful to watch them come through the doors each morning with growing confidence and excitement for the day ahead. The children have been busy getting to know their new environment and are becoming increasingly familiar with the daily routines, which are helping them feel safe, settled, and ready to learn. From morning carpet time to independent play and focused learning, they are beginning to understand the structure of the day and what to expect.
it’s been wonderful to see so many new friendships begin to form. The children have shown kindness, curiosity, and cooperation as they get to know one another, and it’s lovely to see them communicating, laughing, and working together during their play. Whether it’s building a tower
in the construction area, sharing a story in the book corner, or creating imaginative worlds outdoors, they are beginning to learn valuable social skills while having fun.
Over the past few weeks, the children have taken part in a rich variety of activities designed to support learning across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. From exploring numbers and phonics to developing fine motor skills through mark-making and craft, they’ve been engaging in meaningful play. They’ve also had opportunities to express themselves through music, movement, and role play, while developing their understanding of the world around them through sensory exploration and nature based learning. It has been a busy, joyful start, and we are so proud of how well the children have settled in. We look forward to watching them continue to grow, learn, and thrive throughout the year.
Year 1 Writing
Year 1 have been reading The Gingerbread Man as their familiar story this term. The children created puppets to help retell the story and have been practising their writing skills to list the characters from the story. It has been great to see them use their phonics skills to help them write by segmenting words and using their sound mats to help them spell.
Year 4
English
To start the term, Year 4 have been exploring and enjoying our new text, “Voices in the Park” by Anthony Browne. We have been writing a setting description based on the settings from the book and went for a learning walk around our school’s local park to develop and generate ambitious vocabulary. The children produced some fantastic pieces of work using a range of figurative language features.
Maths
The Year 4s have been learning to count in thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, developing a strong understanding of place value. They have been exploring different ways to represent numbers, such as using number lines to see patterns, number discs to build and move values and partitioning to break numbers down into smaller, manageable parts. These methods have helped them gain confidence in recognising and working with larger numbers.
Curriculum
This week in DT we have been researching existing products on the market and analysing what makes them good products. We have been looking at bags and the children have been annotating specific features that make a useful school bag. For example, a comfortable, thick strap is important to prevent aches and pains for the use; the kids have identified that a strong cotton handle is vital to be able to carry heavy items in the bag.
Year 5 Science
This term, Year 5 have been exploring the fascinating topic of Properties and Changes of Materials in Science. They’ve been learning about solids, liquids, and gases, and how materials can change their state of matter. As part of their investigation, the children carried out an exciting experiment to see what happens when certain materials are mixed. Using vinegar and baking soda, they observed a chemical reaction that produced a gas, inflating a balloon attached to a water bottle! They then discussed what caused the change, whether it was reversible, and what this tells us about the materials involved. It was a fun and hands-on way to deepen their understanding of irreversible changes and chemical reactions!
Year 3 Art
In year three, the children created self-portraits. They used Picasso’s abstract art style within their portraits using different mediums very effectively to create a similar style to Picasso.
International Day of Democracy
Shaftesbury Pupils vote for their JLT
The library was converted into a Polling Station for International Day of Democracy. The children in Key Stage 2 had the opportunity to vote for their Junior Leadership Team by taking part in a real-life vote.
Nursery
The children are settling into their new Nursery life, enjoying a wide range of activities and learning to share, take turns, and follow rules and routines. They are beginning to build positive relationships with their new friends and are exploring their environment with curiosity and creativity. From play dough, cutting, construction, water and sand play to imaginative role-play in the home corner, the children are developing new skills and embracing exciting learning opportunities.
Year 1 Science lesson
This half term, Year 1 are learning about the topic ‘Humans’. As a part of their learning, the children completed an activity where they labelled the different parts of the body on an outline of a human- size body.
Science
During Science in year 4, we were exploring the digestive system. The experiment helped children to understand the function of the digestive system. Children then created a procedural text and scientific diagrams to show the steps. The clear plastic bag represents the stomach which is a large muscular sac that contains hydrochloric acid, it is able to churn the food, mixing it with the acid so that it can be broken down into even smaller molecules. The food is then poured into the tights, this represents the small intestine inside the body. This is where the nutrients from the food we have eaten is absorbed.
New Learning Zone Outdoor Area
Our new outside area in the Learning Zone has been a big hit with the children! They have loved exploring this exciting new space, which provides even more opportunities for play, discovery and hands-on learning. It’s been wonderful to see the children’s enthusiasm as they use the area to develop their skills, curiosity and creativity in new and engaging ways.
Nursery Starters
We are delighted to welcome our new Nursery children to Clara Grant! They have settled in wonderfully, exploring both our indoor and outdoor areas with curiosity and confidence. The children have been busy taking part in a variety of activities, sparking their creativity and imagination, while also beginning to form new friendships. We are so excited to see how they grow, learn and flourish throughout the year ahead.
Positive Start in Reception
Both Reception classes have settled into school life very well. The children have been learning about classroom expectations and exploring how to keep themselves and others safe. Through circle times, stories and role-play, they are beginning to understand the importance of kindness, respect and responsibility.
They are developing positive relationships with their teachers and peers, learning to share, take turns and cooperate with one another. The children have also enjoyed exploring their new environment, showing curiosity and enthusiasm in both indoor and outdoor areas.
Overall, they are growing in confidence and independence, laying a strong foundation for their learning journey at Clara Grant Primary School.
Year 2 Maths
This week, our Year 2 children have been exploring place value in their maths lessons. They’ve been busy using practical resources on their tables—such as number cards, base ten blocks and place value charts—to help them order and compare numbers with confidence. It’s been fantastic to see their enthusiasm and growing understanding as they work together to build strong foundations in number sense!
Celebrating Hard Work and Achievement!
This week, we are proud to recognise a group of children who have shown exceptional dedication, perseverance, and effort in their learning. Each of these pupils has earned a certificate for their hard work—whether through consistent effort, improvement in a subject, or going above and beyond in their attitude to learning. Well done to all our certificate recipients—you are fantastic role models, and we are incredibly proud of you!
Gamelan Year 1
Recently, Year 1 have been participating in an exciting project called ‘Gamelan’. Gamelan is a traditional ensemble of music which originates from Indonesia. It is a fantastic cross curricular project where the children will spend a series of days creating stories, identifying and learning how to play traditional Gamelan instruments and creating puppets for their shows. They will also put all of the skills into a finished production which will be performed next week.
Resource Provision
It has been a fantastic start to learning for the pupils within the Resource Provision at Tollgate School. The children have settled in and began to engage with new transitions and routines of the school day. There have been lots of successes to celebrate, for our new learners who have transitioned in so well. The staff and children are beginning to encompass the theme of ‘belonging’ and developing relationships with peers within the classroom.
Nursery Carnival
School Fete
Before the summer break our Nursery celebrated its end of year carnival, it was a huge success. The day was filled with laughter, fun, and excitement as our children enjoyed a wide range of activities. Our excellent magician amazed everyone with his tricks and interactive magic show. We also welcomed an amazing storyteller, who brought stories to life with engaging narration and fun props, capturing every child’s imagination. The carnival was packed with exciting activities, from colourful face painting to exciting archery games, ensuring every child had something to enjoy. It was lovely to see their smiles and hear their laughter throughout the day. Thank you to all the staff, performers, and families who made this day so special.
Last week, we celebrated our school summer fete it was an incredible success. The day was filled with fun games and laughter, creating wonderful memories for our children and families. The children enjoyed a wide range of activities, including PE games, bouncing away on the bouncy castle and getting creative at the arts and crafts stalls. There was face painting that transformed them into their favourite characters, as well as classic fete games such as Catch a Duck and Hook a Lolly. Our delicious crepes stall was a huge success with both children and parents. The highlight for many was the hilarious Wet the Teacher, which brought lots of giggles as children lined up to soak their teachers. A huge thank you to all staff, families, volunteers, and children who took part and helped make this event such a success. Your support and enthusiasm truly brought the day to life.
National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH)
LDE TSH runs NPQs for hundreds of participants each year.
This week we held an NPQH session for Headteachers at Cleves Primary school.
The course is facilitated by Craig Lilleyman and Anthony Henry the Headteacher of an outstanding secondary school - Redden Court School in Havering.
Early Career Teacher Conferences at Excel
This week we are also holding conferences for Year 2 ECTs at Excel London. We will host 100 ECTs each day for 4 days. The LDE team decamp to Excel for the week. It is wonderful working with all of the new teachers from around London on their personal and professional development. The LDE Team are all trained Visiting Fellows of Ambition Institute and lead the training.
Originally the London District East Teaching School Hub was designated to work with the 252 schools in: Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Newham - and we work with 95% of schools from our original areas.
But, we also now welcome schools to our programmes from over 300 schools, including schools in:
• Tower Hamlets
• Hackney
• Waltham Forest
• Redbridge
• Thurrock
• Essex - mainly Harlow
• Greenwich
• Islington
