Old Ford Newsletter

November 21st 2025

Attendance Wristbands

Well done everyone who has come into school EVERY DAY this week – You have earned our 3rd wristband – OBSIDIAN! We have three more wristbands to go. I wonder if anyone will get all six….?

Winter Coats
Please can we ask for your help in helping the children look after their coats? The children sometimes take them off in the playground and then forget about them. They then go missing and if they are not named, it is difficult to find them. Please can you ensure that all your children’s coats, jumpers and other items are clearly labelled with their name and class.

How can I be more punctual?

Be prepared

Go to bed at a reasonable time

Give yourself more time in the morning

Be aware of the time

Cricket Competition

Congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 cricket team for an outstanding performance at the Tower Hamlets competition today. The team powered their way through every match and secured a place in the final, narrowly missing out on the trophy by just three runs in the last over.

A fantastic achievement, you should all be incredibly proud of yourselves. Well done, team.

Tower Hamlets District Football

Congratulations to one of our Year 5 pupil who has been selected to represent Tower Hamlets District Football.

This is an outstanding achievement and a testament to her hard work and talent. She will now compete against other districts across London, as well as take part in minor county fixtures. Well done, we are incredibly proud of you and your accomplishment.

The Pop-up Bookshop is coming!

The table below tells you when your class will get their chance to go and choose books.

Week 1

Begins 24th Nov

Week 2

Begins 1st Dec

Week 3

Begins 8th Dec

Week 4

Begins 15th Dec

Monday

RE: 14:00 - 14:40

5I: 09:05 - 09:40

4E: 15:00 - 15:25

Tuesday

NC: 09:15 - 10:15


RC: 14:00 - 14:40

3E: 15:00 - 15:25

Wednesday

NE: 09:15 - 10:15


RI: 14:00 - 14:40

1I: 09:10 - 09:50


1C: 09:50 - 10:30


1E: 11:10 - 11:50

3C: 15:00 - 15:25

Thursday

5C: 9:05 - 09:40


5E: 14:50 - 15:25

2C: 09:10 - 09:50


2I: 09:50 - 10:30


2E: 11:10 - 11:50

3I: 15:00 - 15:25

Friday

NI: 09:15 - 10:15

6C: 13:30 - 14:00

4I: 14:30 - 14:55


4C: 15:00 - 15:25

Set of ugly Christmas sweater illustration
Social chat bubbles with different language words in speech bubble shape, concept illustration for international communication and translation. EPS10 vector.

Fire Safety

Members of the Fire Brigade have been in our school recently, talking to pupils in Year 2 – Year 5 about fire safety, and what to do in the event of a fire. Use the links below to download the documents.

Key Stage 1 Fire Plan

Key Stage 2 Fire Plan

Charge Safe

Free Home Fire Safety Visit

This week's Cake with Kevin Value Award Winners! EYFS and KS1

RC – Ahyan: Ahyan has been working so hard in all his lessons. You have made so much progress and become so confident. Well done!

RE – Aalifa:Aalifa has been awarded the value of excellence award. Aalifa is a joy, she always has a smile on her face! Aalifa also makes great effort with her work and does great listening!

RI – Bayan: Community – Bayan you have been so kind and helped a new student in our class. Bayan has been trying so hard to listen and follow instruction. Well done, keep up the good work.

1C – Rayan: I would like to nominate Rayan for an Excellence value award for his incredible singing in music. He models what it takes to be a superstar singer and is always helpful in reminding others of the words. His enthusiasm lifts the whole class. A big thank you to him!

1E – Fathiha: Fathiha, you’ve been a superstar in year 1. In all your lessons, you always track the speaker and try your best with your independent tasks. I also love you you answer questions on the carpet. You also really hard with your writing last week. Well done, you should feel very proud of yourself.

2C – Sayem: Excellence – Sayem, your teachers have noticed how hard you are working in your lessons. You are focusing really well and trying your best. We are so proud of how much progress you have already made in Year 2. Keep it up!

2I – Mohamed: You work well with all your peers in class and we love how you are such a great friend! You are a pleasure to have in 2i.

This week's Cake with Kevin Value Award Winners! KS2

3C – Liyana: I have been really impressed with how well you are working in class. You work well in a group and are always taking on feedback and improving your work. You really applied all of the skills we are learning in extended writing and wrote an AMAZING playscript. Keep it up!

3I – Sebastio: Excellence – Sebastiano has shown exemplary determination and resilience in his learning. He is new to starting school and to the English Language but he has made exceptional progress in such a small amount of time. We are so proud of you!

4E – Ibrahim: Excellence – For listening well in class and making the right choices. You are contributing to class discussions and have lots of good ideas to share. Well done and keep it up.

5C – Lexi-Lou: You are an awesome Maths Monitor! You are proactive, eager to help and you do a brilliant job at organising our Maths books. Thank you for showing community spirit to help keep our classroom organised and tidy. Well done Lexi-Lou!

5E – Saleena: Excellence- Aleena has shown excellent dedication by becoming the top reader on Reading Plus last term; ensuring she is reading both at school and at home. Her hard work, consistency, and love for reading make her a great example of excellence and determination.

5I – Afizah: Congratulations Afizah for consistently demonstrating all three school values. Your kindness and reliability are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for being so helpful to me and your classmates. We are very proud of you. Claudia

6E – Eesa: Eesa, for making a huge effort to answer questions in class! I love hearing your ideas and seeing you become more confident. Well done!

Community Resources for Families

  • The government has launched their Best Start in Life supporting the Plan for Change target of 75% of children being school-ready by 2028. Visit the Best Start in Life website and sign up for personalised weekly emails.
  • There are Young V&A Autumn activities for all ages, including sensory sessions!
  • Young Community Languages- for ages 6-18. These free sessions help children learn their heritage language or an additional community language.
  • Have you ever considered volunteering? The Early Help service allows parents to come together, learn new skills and prepare for work. 
  • Public Health is investing in our resident community projects, the final voting day for Devons Road and Bromley By Bow Centre is on 22nd November, find out more details here.
  • The new expanded funded early education entitlements are available now – discover more about the 2-year-old childcare extension.
  • The Disability Services Advocacy Team are holding online sessions to raise awareness of the different Disability Services benefits and grants – PIP, DLA, IIDB and AtW.

Clubs

We still have spaces in some of the clubs below. Please call into the office if you’re interested.

CLUB

DAY

Year Group

Art

Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri

All

Korean Club

Mon

All

Football

Mon

Y3, 4, 5, 6

Homework

Mon

Y2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Football

Mon

Y1, 2, 3

Ukulele

Tues

Y3, 4, 5, 6

Dodgeball

Tues

Y5, 6

Homework

Tues

Y2, 3, 4, 5

Jewellery

Tues

Y1, 2, 3, 4

Archery

Wed

Y3, 4, 5, 6

Dodgeball

Wed

Y1, 2, 3

Multisports

Thurs

Y1, 2, 3

Captivating melody of music notes and signs on abstract dark background musical banner concept.

Online safety

We are still getting reports of pupils on social media apps such as Snapchat.

As you know, an important part of our curriculum is teaching pupils about esafety. We know that a lot of our pupils spend a lot of their time online, either through online gaming or on social media apps. This can sometimes lead to contact with inappropriate people
and/or exposure to inappropriate language. We strongly recommend that you monitor your children’s usage of the internet and that you are aware of what they are doing online.

Most social media apps have an age limit of 13+. If you are allowing your children to access these apps you are putting them at risk!

Read more about e-safety for you and your child.

Academy Council

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 13th January at 9.15am.

 

See the minutes from previous meetings here
art toys Labubu key chain labubu macaron collection from Pop Mart blind box collectable cute toy ้hanging on ivory backpack bag with background of white table, Popmart popular item doll

Start and end of the day

Please remember that there are no staff on duty in the playgrounds before and after school so parents/carers should supervise their own children. Children should not be playing with balls or on the climbing frames.

To keep children safe please do not park on the double yellow or zig-zag lines when you are collecting or dropping off. Tower Hamlets parking enforcement officers are conducting regular patrols in the area.

When collecting your child at the end of the day please wait until all pupils are in their lines before speaking to the teacher and collecting your child. We need to make sure that all of our pupils go home with the right adult!

Hands holding a mobile phone

Autumn Term Calendar

Pop-up Bookshop
Mon 1st - Fri 5th Dec

Find the time each class has been allocated to visit the bookshop by clicking here.

Winter Fair after school
Thu 11th Dec
Winter Concert: KS1-Y3
Mon 15th Dec
10.00am
Winter Concert: Y4-Y6
Mon 15th Dec
2.00pm
Reception Nativity
Thu 18th Dec
9.30am
Last day of autumn term
Fri 19th Dec

Unauthorised Absences in Term Time

We follow government guidance on term time holidays and we do not authorise pupil holidays during term time. We encourage parents/carers to take their holidays during one of the scheduled holiday breaks.

You can be fined or face legal action for taking your child on holiday during term time.

Read the government guidance here
A blue pen rests next to a name tag for a child on a soft fabric.

Bow Foodbank

Did you know Bow Foodbank now operates out of Bow Community Hall?

Tuesday 10am – 12pm
Tower Hamlets residents only

Tuesday 12.30pm – 4pm
Click and Collect, order by 1pm Sunday.

Wednesday 2pm – 7pm
Open to all

Thursday 10am – 1pm
Tower Hamlets only

Friday collection 8am – 12pm
Order by 9pm Wednesday

 

Bow Foodbank is open to all, there’s no need for a referral or voucher. Visit them at:

Bow Community Hall
1, William Place,
E3 5ED