Dear Families,
What an exciting half term it has been here at S21!
Please read all the latest contributions from across the school by our wonderful team. From a local trip to Mudchute Farm to a residential in Herefordshire, successful career events to dance workshops with Saddler’s Wells, School 21 is really an exciting place to be.
Please also read the message about Arbor – this will be the primary way for us to contact families going forward. All details are below.
Wishing you all a safe half term break – do check out the many free opportunities in our area using the links below.
Many thanks to you for all your ongoing support and feedback
Moray Dickson – Headteacher
NEWS – S21 is now an Arbor school!
We are excited to announce that we have moved our MIS to Arbor.
Adopting Arbor will allow us to communicate with you more efficiently and bring all core school data and workflows into one system. School 21 is now using the Parent Portal and Parent App, and has set up an account for you.
Please check your email inbox / junk mail for details on how to set up your account and log in. The Parent App can be downloaded from either the Playstore on android phones or the Apple Store on iPhones.
From 3rd March 2025 we will be moving our payment system from Reach More Parents (WEDUC) to Arbor Payments as the payment provider will be ceasing business. We ask you to start running down your balances / only topping up what you will use until the 28th February 2025.
More details on balance owed will be sent out in due course. You can now make payments and top up accounts for clubs/trips and meals by logging into the Parent Portal. Your balances from our last system will be set up and will also show in the Parent Portal.
We ask that all parents / carers set up their Parent App/ Portal login by Friday 21st February 2025 to ensure we have a smooth transition to the new system.
If you have any queries please email [email protected]
HALF TERM ACTIVITIES
Careers Fair 2025: A Resounding Success!
This year’s Careers Fair was an outstanding event, With the focus being on Colleges & Universities it was filled with enthusiasm and valuable opportunities for our students. We were thrilled to welcome 20 colleges and universities from across the region, each eager to showcase their programs and share insights into potential Further Education pathways.
The event was a remarkable success, with students engaging with representatives, asking insightful questions, and exploring the various possibilities that lie ahead of them. Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to learn about a wide array of fields, from technology and healthcare to the arts and sciences. Our visitors provided valuable advice, from guidance on applying to Colleges & university, to tips on how to navigate careers in different industries. The fair was not just a chance to gather information but also an opportunity to start building networks for the future.
What truly stood out was the exceptional engagement of our students. We are incredibly proud of how actively they participated, showing real initiative in speaking with representatives, asking thoughtful questions, and considering their future paths with maturity and enthusiasm. It’s inspiring to see our students take charge of their futures and actively explore the many exciting opportunities available to them. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all the colleges & universities who attended, as well as the hard work of our dedicated staff. We are confident that the connections made and the insights gained will have a lasting impact on our students’ career journeys.
We look forward to next year’s Careers Fair and the continued success of our students as they explore their futures with confidence and curiosity.
Don’t forget to check the college open days coming up!
SPORT News @School21
Our fantastic collaboration with The Place Theatre continues to thrive! Their Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) team has continued to work with some of our Year 8-9 students. Through workshops, students have explored choreography using stimulus, technique, and are developing a piece to be performed on a London stage. We anticipate some students will join the CAT scheme, open to anyone aged 11-18. If you're interested, contact PE for more details. You can also sign up for their next open day on 1st March 2025 here. The programme offers students Expert Training – High-quality dance training with top professionals in the country.
Career Pathway – prepares dancers for top colleges and professional careers. Accessible & Supported – Offers financial aid to ensure inclusivity (means tested, ask PE team for more information, students from school 21 attending the programme are attending for FREE and also receive Kit and other expenses paid for)
A group of our talented Year 8 students had the incredible opportunity to perform two self-choreographed pieces at the Sadler’s Wells Schools Partnership Secondary Schools Sharing Event. Their dynamic performance captivated the audience, earning one of the most enthusiastic applauses of the day. Their hosting skills did not go unnoticed too.
As part of the experience, students enjoyed an exclusive backstage tour of Sadler’s Wells (including a sneak peak of the costume dept), watched the trailer for Sadler’s Wells East—featuring familiar sights from our local area—and participated in a professional-led warm-up and cool-down session.
FREE ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET DANCE OPPORTUNITIES THIS HALF TERM
If your child is aged 9-12 and a keen dancer, you can find more information about these FREE HALF TERM SESSIONS by the world famous ENB by clicking this link
Learning across School 21
Reception
Reception class had a great time visiting Mudchute farm! We loved getting on the DLR and enjoyed feeding pigs, cows, llamas and goats! We have been getting ready for our sharing event this week. We have been writing captions for our woodland drawings using finger spaces and red word 'the'. Have a restful half term!
Year 2
Year 2 students explored the artistic style of Frida Kahlo. To gain a deeper understanding of her symphony of symbols and colors, we decided to delve into her imagery and thoughts.
Year 4
This week, Year 4 celebrated their PBL topic by having a Roman Day. In the morning, we joined a live lesson from the London Mithraeum and learnt all about what London was like during the Roman period. We looked at a range of artefacts and predicted what these might have been used for. We also had scent boxes to help us imagine what it would have smelt like, some of the smells were lovely and some not so much. During the afternoon, we looked at fossilised poo and used this to predict what types of foods the Romans would have eaten. After we made our predictions, we participated in a food tasting session and we were all very brave trying foods we weren’t sure if we would like.
Also in Year 4, the children enjoyed celebrating TTRS day. The children went on a visit to the forest school area and worked in groups to solve a number of tricky riddles. During the day, we also were lucky enough to join Year 1. The children helped the Year 1 students with their learning about repeated patterns and even began to teach them about doubling.
Year 6
Children in Year 6 had a fantastic Times Table Rockstar Day. One of the highlights of the day was the children working collaboratively to create the tallest towers using marshmallows and spaghetti. This task helped the children consolidate their knowledge of 3D shapes as well as a chance for them to demonstrate the value of community. A fantastic day had by all!
Year 7
Jamie's Farm Residential for Year 7 students!
The last two half terms have seen three separate week long residential visits to Jamie's Farm in Hereford for intrepid Year 7 students! During their stays the students were able to experience life on a real working farm and took part in everyday activites such as: early morning feeding rounds (calves, pigs, chickens, sheep, horses); gardening; cooking; wood chopping/carving; poo picking; egg collection; arts and crafts; music sessions; daily hikes (including one in the Black Mountains in Wales) and a huge collaborative task which saw students working alongside staff from Jamie's Farm, Bertha Earth and School 21. Every day was action packed and left the students ready for a shower, a hearty meal and a good night's sleep!
The residential trips were made possible by collaboration with the team at The Bertha Earth Programme and we also received some assistance with travel costs from The Jack Petchy Foundation. A huge thank you to all the staff who gave up their valuable time to accompany the students and to parents and carers for their support.
Year 9
A group of Year 9 students participated in an exciting Hot Chilli Sauce competition, organised in collaboration with the Food Technology team and the school’s Head Chef.
After much anticipation, this amazing student emerged as the winner with his standout recipe. Next half term, the school kitchen will prepare the winning hot chilli sauce, which will be served to the school community during lunchtime!
Year 10 and 11
Chris Wilkie, the Co-founder and Chair of the charity Plan Zheroes, recently visited the Year 10 Hospitality and Catering students to deliver an engaging and informative talk on reducing food waste and living more sustainably. Chris inspired the students to become Zero Food Waste heroes by sharing practical strategies they can use to minimise food waste in their daily lives. He also highlighted how they can support Plan Zheroes' ongoing campaign to tackle food waste in the community. During his visit, Chris introduced the first-ever Plan Zheroes cookbook, published by the charity, and took the opportunity to thank Mrs. Gumbeer for her valuable contributions to the book.
Year 10 & 11 Students Attend Local Apprenticeship Fair
We are delighted to share that during National Apprenticeship Week we were able to give a group of 30 Year 10 and Year 11 students the exciting opportunity to attend Newham's apprenticeship fair. This event was a valuable experience for our students as they explored a variety of career options and learned about the different pathways available to them beyond school. The fair was a platform for our students to engage with local employers, training providers, and apprenticeship schemes. It was a chance for them to gain real-world insights into various industries, ask questions, and begin to think about their futures in a hands-on way. We were incredibly proud of how our students represented the school at the event. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and curiosity were evident throughout the day, and they made the most of every interaction with the employers and educators. It was truly wonderful to see so many of them show a genuine interest in their futures and take such a proactive approach to career planning.
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the students who attended the fair. Their positive attitude and mature approach to the day reflect the high standards we aim to uphold at our school.
