Old Ford Newsletter
October 23rd 2026
Principal’s Message
I can’t believe how quickly that half term flew by but here we are at our first half term holiday!
There are lots of free activities to do in London so make sure you get out and about!
We hope to feature some of your pictures in a future newsletter, so send us pictures of you and your family out and about having fun!
REMINDER
School is closed on Monday 2nd November for staff training. The first day back at school for pupils is TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER.
Goodbye to Luthfa and Aleha
This week we said goodbye to two long serving members of the OFPA staff.
Between them, they have clocked up over 56 years of working at Old Ford!
They have both worked with thousands of pupils and their families in their time here and made a huge difference to the education of children in the community. On behalf of everyone, thank you!
Free family cycling sessions for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Bikeworks is offering free All Ability Family Cycling sessions this half-term for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families living in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham.
These inclusive sessions give the whole family an opportunity to get active and enjoy cycling together in a supportive environment. A wide range of adapted cycles will be available, including two-wheel bikes, trikes and wheelchair-accessible cycles. Experienced instructors will help participants find a suitable cycle and provide support for all abilities.
Sessions will take place on:
- Victoria Park (E3 2LA): Tuesday 27 October 2026, 11am to 2:30pm
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (E20 3AB): Wednesday 28 October 2026, 11am to 2:30pm
Sessions are free for eligible families. For more information and to register, visit the Bikeworks SEND Family Ride Together webpage.
GL Ready Assessments
We are currently in the process of using these assessments to screen all our pupils.
The tests are enjoyable, screen based games that will help us understand how your child learns and help us diagnose any potential difficulties.
They are not a formal test or exam and will not contribute to a final grade, but they will help us assess things like memory and understanding. Most of the tests don’t involve reading but involve listening to and following instructions and recognising patterns.
How can I be more punctual?
For the next month, we will be focusing on punctuality. All the pupils know that this means being ON TIME and NOT BEING LATE.
We have discussed in assembly some ways to help with this:
Be prepared
Go to bed at a reasonable time
Give yourself more time in the morning
Be aware of the time
Allergies
The government has recently produced new guidance for schools on allergies. You can read this here.
Please see important message below:
If your child has an allergy, you should have already let us know.
If your child has an allergy and you have not told us about it yet, please do so as soon as possible
In the event that this changes during the year you must also let us know also.
We strongly encourage all parents/carers to not send their child to school with any nut products.
Attendance
We all know how important regular attendance is. If children aren’t in school, they will miss out on important learning.
I know sometimes children are genuinely to ill to come to school, but if they only have a minor cold or cough it is find to send them in. There’s some good advice here from the NHS if you’re ever not sure.
From this week, we will be sending out weekly messages via MCAS with your child’s attendance percentage for the year to date. 90% may sound like high attendance, but over the course of a whole school year, it’s equal to FOUR WEEKS of missed school!
Starting Secondary School From September 2027
If you live in Tower Hamlets, or are interested in applying for a place at a Tower Hamlets school, and your child is in Year 6 (born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016), you will need to apply for them to transfer to secondary school in September 2027.
Find the right secondary school in Tower Hamlets for your child. Explore our excellent schools and apply with confidence.
Read our ‘starting secondary school in Tower Hamlets 2027 booklet’ for everything you need to know about the admission process, including information on all of our schools, visiting dates and important deadlines.
Make sure to sign up for an information session run by our Transitions service.
The closing date for applications is midnight on 31 October 2026.
Dates for your Diary
To see the Sponge Bob Movie at Cineworld, West India Quay.
Afternoon. Parents are invited.
Autumn Events
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.
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.
- Have you ever considered volunteering? The Early Help service allows parents to come together, learn new skills and prepare for work.
- The new expanded funded early education entitlements are available now – discover more about the 2-year-old childcare extension.
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!
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!
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
