Dear Parents and Carers,
It’s hard to believe we’ve only been in school for four days this week — it feels as though we’ve packed a month’s worth of activity, learning and celebration into it.
We began on Tuesday with a whole-school assembly on the importance of keeping safe. The children explored the many ways we do this at Warden Hill: from following our Warden Hill Way, to recognising the different coloured lanyards worn by adults in school. We also talked about how safety sometimes means leaving the building, such as during a fire drill evacuation, and sometimes means staying inside or coming into the building — our invacuation procedure.
We explained that both drills require the same two things: silence and listening carefully to adults. Later in the week, we practised our invacuation drill. The children were exceptional — walking into school and to their classrooms silently, staying calm, and following instructions beautifully. As I told them, practising these routines gives us confidence, and confidence helps us stay safe.
Another highlight this week was today for our very first Stay and Play session for our new Reception children and their parents. Miss Barrett and I spent time outside with the families, getting to know the children and giving them a gentle, positive introduction to school life. The feedback we’ve received about this new initiative has been incredibly positive and warmly received. We are already looking forward to welcoming them back for our next event.
Professional learning is something we value deeply at our school, and this week was a busy one for staff development. I delivered training to our TA team on scaffolding and fading, and our staff meeting and twilight session for teachers focused on the inspection toolkit, particularly the teaching and curriculum strands. Key takeaways for staff included:
- ensuring scaffolds support learning without creating dependency
- strengthening curriculum sequencing and clarity of intent
- sharpening our understanding of what high-quality teaching looks like in practice
Alongside this, recruitment is underway for two teaching positions. We spent time this week shortlisting for one of the roles. I take enormous pride in our school, and reading applications from talented professionals who want to join our community is always a moment of real gratitude — it reminds me how special Warden Hill is.
We also have a wonderful pupil success to celebrate. Olivia in Year 4 has had her artwork, Brushing Teeth, selected for the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2026. Her piece will appear both online and in the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. What an extraordinary achievement — we are all incredibly proud of her.
Pupils’ Success
Today, the whole school has also been marking Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. His lifelong work — championing biodiversity, protecting fragile ecosystems, and inspiring generations to care for our planet — aligns so closely with our own values.
At Warden Hill, we work hard to look after our school environment and the animals and habitats within it. This commitment has once again been recognised through another successful Eco Schools application, something our children should feel very proud of.
Finally, next week is SATs week for our Year 6 pupils. They, and their teachers, have worked incredibly hard throughout the year — learning new content across the curriculum and building on knowledge from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. They are well prepared, calm, and ready. I know they will give their very best.
That just leaves me to say – have a wonderful weekend.
Warmest regards
Georgina Flooks
Headteacher