Friday 27th March 2026

ELLINGHAM SCHOOL NEWS

DIARY DATES

Easter Holidays

Monday 30th March until Friday 10th April

Children return

Monday 13th April

Bikeability

W/c 20th April

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we reach the final day of the Spring Term, I find myself looking back at just how much we have packed into these past few months. It has been an incredibly busy, vibrant, and productive term, and I am so proud of everything our children have achieved.

Today we say goodbye to Mrs. Moore in Nursery. Mrs. Moore has shown unwavering commitment to our youngest learners and to communicating with parents. We thank her for her dedication and wish her the very best for the future. It was also the last week for Mrs Pakes. She the most wonderful send off on Wednesday - more details below.

Some of our term Highlights have been the high energy of the school disco last week to the focus and determination shown by our Year 6 pupils during their mock SATs week, the children have consistently risen to the occasion and we are very proud of their stamina. Thank you to all the Year 6 team for everything they have done.

Our sporting stars have also been out in force. Whether it was the endurance of cross-country, the fast-paced fun of dodgeball, or the teamwork displayed in tag rugby, our students represented the school with pride and excellent sportsmanship.

Our pupils have been fantastic ambassadors for the school during our various trips this term. Whether exploring the wonders of the Science Museum and the British Museum or learning about different faiths at the Kingston Synagogue, their behavior and genuine interest in learning were exemplary.

I hope you all have a restful and joyful Spring break. We look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed and ready for the Summer Term!

Best wishes,

Margaret

Margaret Johonnett

Headteacher

A message from Mrs Pakes

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for making my last day so special, and indeed for all your support over the years. Your children are amazing, and teaching them has been an utter joy. I truly appreciate all the kind words, cards and gifts that came my way this week. I will miss everyone, but will be keeping an eye out for you as I pop to the local shops!

Goodbye to Mrs Pakes - À la perchôine "Until we meet again"

This week, we said a heartfelt "happy retirement" to the wonderful Mrs. Pakes, who has been a cornerstone of our school community for many years. Having taught generations of local children, her impact on our school’s history is truly immeasurable. While she has worn many hats during her tenure, she will perhaps be most fondly remembered as our Music Lead. Her legendary singing assemblies have inspired a genuine love for music in thousands of pupils, leaving us with a legacy of song that will echo through these halls for a long time to come. We wish her nothing but joy and relaxation as she begins this new chapter.

We will miss you, Mrs Pakes!

Attendance

Easter showdown!

Over Easter, there is a whole school battle so make sure you log in to take part.

Timetables Rockstars

Well done to the children for beating the teachers in the recent battle! Your hard work is clearly paying off!

Thank you

Happy Easter! A massive thank you to Friends of Ellingham for gifting an Easter egg to every child in the school today. We are so grateful for our families' ongoing support—enjoy the treats!

SWEET WELSH CAKES.pdf

SPRING PASTA PRIMAVERA.pdf

Friends of Ellingham

A big shout out to thank all the parents who helped make the Spring Disco so much fun. The children had a fabulous time.

A special thank you to Jason Abel who once again put on a fantastic disco. If you need music & lighting or a photo booth for an event please do get in touch with him at JA Sounds.

Sporting News

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the fantastic efforts of our Year 2 students, who recently showcased their energy and skill at an exhilarating dodgeball tournament. The sports hall erupted with excitement as these young athletes put their PE lessons into practice, demonstrating impressive agility as they ducked, dived, and darted away from flying foam balls with focused determination. It was a wonderful afternoon where every child embraced a "have-a-go" spirit and left with a smile.

LEARNING TOGETHER

Reception

Cherry Class have been enjoying looking for signs of Spring in the garden. We have been creating spring flowers using watercolours and collage.

Year 1

Year 1 have been consolidating their understanding of numbers to 10 by placing them on a number line. The children used positional words to describe where each number is to help them find missing numbers and estimate on blank number lines.

Year 2

Year 2 celebrated the end of their Brazil topic by having a Brazil Day! We made and tasted Brazilian Cheese bread (rated 10/10 by most!), learned all about Brazilian school from miss Reis, learnt about the Rio Carnival and made carnival masks, and ended the day learning to samba. It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun.

Year 3

In science, we tested what happens to shadows if you move the opaque object further away from the light source. We found out that If you move the light source closer to the object, the shadow gets larger and If you move the light source away from the object, the shadow gets smaller.

Year 4

To wrap up their "States of Matter" topic, Year 4 dived into one of our planet’s most incredible, life-giving resources: the water cycle. Did you know that Earth never gets any "new" water? That means we are drinking the exact same water that the dinosaurs once did! To see this process in action, the children created their own miniature water cycles. Over the last few days, they’ve been fascinated to watch evaporation, condensation, and precipitation happening "live" right inside their classrooms.

Year 5

After a stellar three-week voyage of discovery, Year 5 have officially completed their ambitious Planets and Stars project. The classroom was transformed into a miniature galaxy this week as students delivered their final group presentations, showcasing a deep understanding of everything from gas giants to distant suns. The highlight was seeing the incredible hand-painted paper-mâché models brought to life, with many groups using layers of newspaper and vibrant colors to recreate the swirling atmospheres of our solar system. We are immensely proud of the scientific curiosity and creative teamwork displayed by our young astronomers!

Year 5 also had a trip to the Science Museum this week. We looked at the Space exhibition and even saw a piece of the moon! They were very well behaved and we were very proud of them! Thank you to our parent helpers who came with us :)

Year 6

A massive well done to our fantastic Year 6 for their incredible focus during Mock SATs week! From Monday to Thursday, the top corridor has been a hub of determination and grit! We are so incredibly proud of everyone- every student has shown wonderful resilience and maturity, tackling each paper with a "can-do" attitude—even when the questions were tricky!

Don’t forget to keep revising over the holidays! 🙂

Celebration certificates

This week our value was Equality

Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing

Parenting puzzle Chessington CC April 26.pdf

Teen Life Moor Lane April 2026.pdf

Spring 2 25_26 Parent information leaflet.pptx.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