Friday 16th January 2026

ELLINGHAM SCHOOL NEWS

DIARY DATES

Year 4 - Trip to the Hindu Temple

22nd January

Year 4 - Geography field trip

Tuesday 27th January

Year 3 Class Assembly

Friday 30th January

Year 5 Mayan Day

Tuesday 3rd February

Year 3 Trip to the British Museum

Thursday 5th February

Year 2 Class Assembly

Friday 6th February

Year 6 SATs Briefing

Wednesday 11th February at 6pm

Year 4 Design and Technology Day

Year 6 Junior Citizenship Trip

Thursday 12th February

Last day of half term

FOE Love Ellingham Sale

Friday 13th February

February half term

Monday 16th to Friday 20th February

Children return

Monday 23rd February

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a week we have had! Our Ofsted inspection meant a busy week ahead, but it also meant the chance to showcase the phenomenal school that is Ellingham. I cannot express enough how proud I am of the children here - of the friendly, respectful welcome they gave to the inspectors, of their engagement in lessons, and of their outstanding behaviour. They were an absolute delight to be around and I know the inspection team had a wonderful time talking to them.

I am also incredibly proud and in awe of the staff team here. The expertise of staff at every level, the bond of support showed to one another, and the shared determination to express at every stage how much is done here at Ellingham to ensure every child succeeds was absolutely evident. I have always felt it an honour being headteacher here, and never more so than this week.

So now, it's off for a rest. I wish you all a peaceful and wonderful weekend.

Best wishes,

Margaret

Margaret Johonnett

Headteacher

Nursery places available

We have places available in our nursery for 2,3 and 4 year olds for morning sessions everyday from 8.35 to 11.35. Please contact the school office to arrange a tour or make an application.

Attendance

Congratulations to 6H, 4RS & 4G who all achieved our attendance target!

You are all winners this week.

Hot Chocolate Friday

We had our second Hot Chocolate Friday! It was lovely to sit with the children and have a catch up. Lucky me to spend time with them!

LEARNING TOGETHER

Reception

This week in Cherry Class we have been matching numerals to quantities using natural objects.

Year 1

In Science this week, Year 1 were asked to investigate whether all the objects in the playground were made from the same material. We decided that the only way we could find out was to go outside to see. The children wrote their own material labels to stick on items that they found and noticed that lots of objects were made from wood, brick and metal, but only the windows were made from glass. We discussed why it wouldn’t be a good idea for play equipment to be made from glass.

Year 3

This week, the children in Year 3 have explored mummification in more detail as part of our topic on the Ancient Egyptians. We went through the gruesome process step-by-step and acted out each stage on our ‘class mummy’, starting by removing the organs and putting them in canopic Then, we sequence the steps in our history books. Soon, we will get to see some mummies at The British Museum!

Year 4

Solid, Liquid, or Something Else? Year 4 Investigates! Year 4 took on a messy, marvelous challenge this week as they explored the properties of matter! The classrooms were buzzing with excitement as students used a variety of resources to test, pour, and probe the differences between solids and liquids. What impressed us most wasn't just the experiments, but the incredible scientific talk echoing around the rooms. The children used sophisticated language to justify their thinking and explain exactly how different substances behave. It was a masterclass in scientific inquiry!

Year 6

On Monday, Year 6 visited the Natural History Museum to find out more about their Science topic - Evolution and Inheritance. They learnt what evolution is, how and why it happens and had the opportunity to get hands-on with specimens to work out for themselves why these changes occur. All the children were fantastic Ellingham representatives and we are extremely proud of them!

Our next event:

FOE Love Ellingham Sale

Friday 13th February

Look out for more information later this term.

Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, has released a new guide titled What I wish my parents or carers knew: A guide for parents on managing children's digital lives This guide explores why children often struggle to talk about their online lives, and offers practical ways to help including an activity pack.

"Parenting today can feel overwhelming — especially when childhood looks so different from what we grew up with. There’s no manual, and it can be hard to keep up with the fast-changing digital world your child moves through every day. This guide aims to make those conversations easier and help you support your child with confidence" - Dame Rachel de Souza

Parents in conflict January 2026.pdf

Parenting puzzle OMFH 15 Jan 26.docx - Google Docs.pdf

ASD support group Feb 26.doc

4234 SEND registration poster (FINAL).pdf

Teen Life Moor Lane programme Feb 26 - Google Docs.pdf

The Safeguarding Team

This is the full safeguarding team in school. They are all trained to Level 3 and everyone in the school received the annual update of Safeguarding Level 2 training at INSET. If you are worried about a child, please let one of the team know.

Contact details: 020 8397 3864 or email: office@elp.rbksch.org to request a safeguarding call back. For pupil support, contact 020 8397 3864 or email: pupilsupport@elp.rbksch.org