Embedded Files
ELLINGHAM SCHOOL NEWS
ELLINGHAM SCHOOL NEWS
A Heartfelt Thank You and Goodbye
A Heartfelt Thank You and Goodbye
On behalf of the governors, staff, and every child, we would like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Freer. Thank you for your unwavering commitment, your hard work, and the heart you poured into Ellingham every single day.
While we will miss her deeply in the corridors, we are so happy that she will now have the time to relax and enjoy precious moments with her own family.
Mrs. Freer, you leave behind a legacy of kindness and fun. We wish you nothing but the very best!
DIARY DATES
DIARY DATES
Year 5 Easter Experience, The King's Centre
Tuesday 3rd March
World Book Day
Thursday 5th March
Year 1 Visit to Hook and Chessington Library
Children's Theatre performance
Friday 6th March
Year 5 Class Assembly
Friday 20th March - Please note change of date to help Year 5 be show ready.
STEM Week
9th - 13th March
Year 4 Interventions start
Year 4 Swimming lessons start
Monday 9th March
Year 4 Cooking at Chessington School
Thursday 12th March
Year 4 South Bank Trip
Year 5 Class Assembly
FOE Spring Disco
Friday 20th March
Year 4 Local Trip
Monday 23rd March
Year 5 to watch Shrek Performance at Chessington School
Tuesday 24th March
Year 5 Trip to the Science Museum
Wednesday 25th March
Last day of term (early finish at 1.15pm)
Friday 27th March
Easter Holidays
Monday 30th March until Friday 10th April
Children return
Monday 13th April
Dear Parents and Carers,
It's been a busy week in school with a wonderful afternoon on Wednesday with two Olympians visiting the school and our parents evenings. If you missed your appointment or didn't manage to book one please contact the school office to arrange an alternative time. These are really important meetings and an opportunity to hear how your child is doing and how we can work together to help them their achieve their potential.
This week we welcomed Mrs Jenny Smith to our Early years team. She will be working part time until the Easter Break and then full time across the reception and nursery classes. Please do say hello if you see her and welcome her to Ellingham.
We love seeing so many of our students arriving at school on two wheels! Cycling is a fantastic way to stay active, help the environment, and start the day with a boost of energy.
However, we recently received some feedback from our neighbours expressing concern about bike safety on the roads surrounding the school. They were very concerned that children riding in and out of parked cars and in the middle of the road.
Please remind your children to wear helmets and be safe on the roads.
Next week is World Book day, please see the information below, I am looking forward to seeing all the costumes and seeing Ellingham's book exchange in action. What a wonderful way to encourage reading with the children and recycling books we no longer need.
Our Ofsted report will be published soon. Kingston and Richmond's Director of Education services has written a very insightful guide which explains the revised Inspection Framework for Schools. Please do read the following letter here. It will help make sense of our report when it is published.
It's been lovely to have some sunshine this week. Have a wonderful weekend with your lovely children, and see you on Monday!
With best wishes,
Margaret
Margaret Johonnett
Headteacher
Mrs Jenny Smith
Early Years Teacher
A Golden Visit: Jodie Williams & Courtney Orange!
A Golden Visit: Jodie Williams & Courtney Orange!
What an unforgettable Wednesday! Our school was buzzing with energy as we welcomed British athletes Jodie Williams and Courtney Orange through the Great Athletes program. It was a day of high-octane fitness, inspiration, and plenty of sweat!
Put Through Our Paces
Put Through Our Paces
The children (and some very brave staff!) jumped headfirst into circuit-style fitness sessions. From spotty dogs to squat jumps, we were certainly put through our paces! The atmosphere was electric, with students cheering each other on and demonstrating our school values in every single rep.
Leadership & Legacy
Leadership & Legacy
A special shout-out goes to our Year 6 House Captains, who did a stellar job helping the day run smoothly. You were fantastic ambassadors for the school!
During our whole-school assembly, Jodie shared the incredible story of her journey as an athlete. She was fascinated to hear how our school adopted the Olympic Values when we were rebuilt in 2012. Jodie was quick to compliment the children on how naturally they live these values—Respect, Excellence, and Friendship—every day.
The Final Sprint: Fundraising
The Final Sprint: Fundraising
We are raising money to upgrade our sports equipment, and the response so far has been amazing. We have already raised over £1100!
Deadline: Sponsorship closes next Wednesday 4th March.
Prizes: There is still time for your child to earn their rewards. These will be sent to the school after the sponsorship closes.
How: Please check your sponsorship forms or the online
portal to finalise your donations.
We all left feeling inspired to "never give up and strive for excellence." Thank you to everyone for your support!
World Book Day
World Book Day
We are taking part in World Book Day on Thursday 5th March 2026. A variety of activities will take place during the day focusing on reading, enjoying and sharing books.
Dressing up
Children can come to school dressed up as a character from their favourite fiction or non-fiction text. The costume does not need to be shop bought and we welcome creative ideas! This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to share well-known characters and stories with their friends and teachers.
Book Exchange
We will also be holding ‘Ellingham’s Book Exchange’. Children are invited to bring in a book from home that they have finished reading- it must be something they don’t mind giving away! Each child that brings in a book, or books, will then be able to exchange it for another, spreading the love of reading to as many families as possible!
You can find out further information about World Book Day here.
Children's Theatre and Workshop
On Friday afternoon we will be having a children's theatre show based on a well know children's story performed by Performing Arts students from Nescot College. The class with the best attendance next week will get an opportunity to have a workshop after the performance with the student actors.
STEM Week:
STEM Week:
Cardboard Tubes Wanted!
Cardboard Tubes Wanted!
We need toilet roll, kitchen roll and wrapping paper tubes for our upcoming STEM challenge on Friday 13th March.
Please send any spares into school, there are collection boxes ready in every classroom.
Thank you for your support!
Mini Marathan Team 2026
Mini Marathan Team 2026
On Your Marks, Get Set... London!
On Your Marks, Get Set... London!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that 15 of our pupils are heading to the capital! We had a very exciting assembly today, drawing the names of the 15 lucky children who will be heading to the TCS Mini London Marathon.
These lucky runners have secured a spot to represent our school in the 2.6k event. They will be following in the footsteps of legends, running the final stretch of the official London Marathon course and crossing the world-famous finish line on The Mall. We are incredibly proud of their enthusiasm and can’t wait to see them in action.
Save the Date
Save the Date
We would love to see support from our school community to cheer them on. Please save the date and come along- it really is an incredible atmosphere:
Date: Saturday 25 April 2026
Location: St James’s Park, Central London
The Route: The 2.6k course starts at Horse Guards Parade, loops around St James’s Park, and finishes on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.
Time: While specific wave times will be confirmed closer to the day, the event typically takes place during the morning.
Information for Families
Information for Families
For the families of the 15 children running, please keep an eye on your emails. We will be sending out further information regarding travel arrangements, event packs, and bib numbers as soon as we receive them from the organisers.
Congratulations to our runners—let the training begin!
Congratulations to 3BP for 97.7% attendance this week. Well done to Cherry Class, 5CS and 6JC for achieving our over 96%.
Congratulations to 3BP for 97.7% attendance this week. Well done to Cherry Class, 5CS and 6JC for achieving our over 96%.
Attendance matters - Every school day counts!
Attendance matters - Every school day counts!
There is a wide range of international evidence that tells us that children who attend school regularly go on to achieve better outcomes, live healthier, wealthier and more enriched lives - and we want to make sure we are all doing everything that we can to make that happen for all of our children.
Congratulations to the children who joined our Attendance Officer Mrs Wyatt for hot chocolate this friday. Well done for improving your attendance. If you need any help or advice about attendance please do contact Mrs Wyatt in the school office or the Pupil Support Team.
TTRS Half Term Showdown!
TTRS Half Term Showdown!
Well done to 4G who are the champions of the half term whole school battle!
A big shout out to Alfie, Eden and Imogen for being the highest scoring players, well done!
Make sure you take part in this week’s battle to help out your class!
Brite Box have a Facebook page which you can join using the QR code in the Chef’s Booklet. It is a wonderful way for families to share their creations, access extra tips, stay updated on new recipes, and feel part of the wider BRITE Box community.
Please see this week's recipe below for Calzone. A delicious "folded pizza" filled with vegetables and mozzarella. We hope Year 4 enjoy cooking them.
A5 DIGITAL - CALZONE.pdf
LEARNING TOGETHER
LEARNING TOGETHER
Nursery
Nursery
Nursery have had a great start back ‘leaping into spring’ and bird watching in the garden. We counted the birds, drew the birds and tried to match them to our pictures.
Year 1
Year 1
It has been lovely to see Year 1 back in the classroom and eager to learn! This week, the children learnt all about 3D shapes in Maths and explored their properties. They then grouped objects according to their properties.
Reception
Reception
Cherry Class have been making the most of the milder temperatures and enjoyed some fun in the sun!
Year 3
Year 3
This week, Year 3 began reading their new key text, ‘The Gardener’ by Sarah Steward. The main character, Lydia Grace, loves growing flowers and sent our class some bulbs to plant on her behalf. Each child prepared a named pot and has been keen to keep their bulb watered throughout the week.
Year 5
Year 5
Year 5 had a great trip to Kingston Liberal Synagogue this week. Barbara showed us lots of Jewish artefacts including the kippah (a special hat that they wear on their heads) and the yad (the pointer which they use to touch the Torah). We enjoyed our time there and we showed off lots of our knowledge.
Year 6
Year 6
Year 6 have had a "bright" start to our new Science topic! To explore how light travels, the children used drama and freeze-frames to model the path of a light ray.
Using ribbons to represent light beams, they demonstrated how light travels in a straight line, hits an object, and reflects into our eyes. It was a fantastic, hands-on way to master the mechanics of sight!
This week our value was Respect. In our assembly on Monday we talked about treating others how you would like to be treated and showing respect for our differences which make us all unique.
Celebration certificates
Celebration certificates
Friends of Ellingham
Friends of Ellingham
Tickets are now available to purchase on Arbor for the Spring Disco.
Tickets are £5 each. Please log into your Arbor parent portal and click on ‘School Shop Products’.
There are 3 discos by age group:
RECEPTION, YEAR 1 & YEAR 2 - 4.15 to 5.00pm (Parent/one adult to accompany their child)
YEAR 3 & YEAR 4 - 5.15 to 6.15pm (No parents to accompany) YEAR 5 & YEAR 6 - 6.30 to 7.30pm (No parents to accompany)
Tickets will not be issued but your child's name will be checked off a list on arrival.
Spring disco 26.pdfFriends of Ellingham - Class prizes!
Friends of Ellingham - Class prizes!
Over the next few Fridays, Friends of Ellingham are asking you to raise money for your child's class! This is a really nice way for parents to contribute towards an item is specifically for their child's class. It will be an item that is something the class wants or needs, and is age-related.
To do this, each Friday will be an own-clothes day but for only one year group (other than the last day of term)! For your child to take part in their Own Clothes Day, donate an amount in the Arbour app. Every little counts, and know that your donation will go specifically to the gift your class has chosen. This Friday it was Year 3. If you didn't donate, you can still do so!
The schedule for the rest of term is as follows:
Friday 6th March - Year 2
Friday 13th March - Year 1
Friday 20th March - Year 6
Friday 27th March - Year 4 and 5
Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing
Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing
Spring 2 25_26 Parent information leaflet.pptx.pdfThe Safeguarding Team
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
Margaret Johonnett
Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Jacqui Malherbe
Pupil Support & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Sally Sephton
SENDCO & Designated Teacher (LAC/PLAC) Safeguarding Team Member
Esme Winn
Deputy Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Team Member
Lorraine Davis
Pupil Support & Designated Safeguarding Team Member
Natalie Harris
Kirsty Ruthven
Designated Governors for Safeguarding and Child Protection
Spring Sounds 26
Spring Sounds 26
Join Spring Sounds – a free day of music fun on Sunday, March 22, 2026 (10am–5:30pm) at Kingston University’s Town House! Try instruments, join workshops like gamelan or video game composing, enjoy talks and performances – all ages welcome, no experience needed. It's relaxed, drop-in style with family zones. Register free for entry and updates (workshops limited). Supported by Arts Council England and Kingston Music Service. Children must be accompanied.
More details and booking: springsounds.co.uk
Selection of SS26 flyers_posters.pdfPage updated
Report abuse