https://www.alexandraprimaryschool.co.uk Friday 7th November 2025 Issue No. 21

Message from the Headteacher

Welcome to another edition of our school newsletter and from another exciting and inspiring fortnight! Just before half term, we marked the end of Black History Month with a wonderful celebration assembly filled with drumming, singing and dancing. It was fantastic to see pupils sharing their learning with such confidence and pride and to celebrate culture, history and achievement across our school community.

Our Year 6 pupils also returned from an unforgettable week in Pendarren, Wales. From mountain walks and canoeing to caving and climbing, the children embraced every challenge with courage and enthusiasm. We are incredibly proud of their behaviour, teamwork and resilience throughout the trip.

As we look ahead, we will be marking Remembrance Day with a special assembly and a time of reflection. Next week is also Anti-Bullying Week, where our focus will be on kindness, respect and standing up for one another. To launch the week, we invite all pupils to take part in Odd Socks Day on Monday 10th November, celebrating individuality and reminding us that everyone is unique. We will also be supporting Children in Need on Friday 14th November, wearing our PJs and fundraising at school — further details to follow.

Thank you for your continued support. It’s wonderful to see our pupils embracing learning, celebrating diversity and showing such enthusiasm in everything they do, every day.

What's been happening this week?

Black History Month Finale

We rounded off Black History Month with a joyful morning of celebration! The day began with a vibrant Carnival Parade, where children from EYFS to Year 5 proudly showcased their colourful outfits and creative work.

This was followed by a special assembly led by Nee and Ken, celebrating Black culture, history, and achievements.

To finish, each year group took part in a Black History Month sharing session, where teachers and pupils presented their wonderful learning, from inspiring figures to creative art and writing , highlighting how we’ve celebrated Black history throughout October.

It was a fantastic morning full of pride, music, learning and togetherness!

Year 6 at Pendarren

Our Year 6 pupils had an amazing week at Pendarren House Outdoor Education Centre in Wales!

The children took part in a range of exciting outdoor activities, including canoeing, rock climbing and a coastal walk. They also developed teamwork and independence through challenges like river studies and orienteering.

Evenings were spent enjoying games, sharing stories and reflecting on the day’s adventures. The children showed great courage, resilience and kindness throughout the trip. We are so proud of them all.

A huge thank you to the staff who supported the trip and helped make it such a memorable experience!

Year 6 Forest School

Our Year 6 children recently enjoyed an exciting session at Forest School, where they had the chance to learn new skills and connect with nature. From making fires and toasting marshmallows, to creating natural art and exploring the woodland environment, the children embraced hands-on learning in a fun and engaging way.

The sessions encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity, while giving children the opportunity to develop confidence and a love for the outdoors.

It’s always wonderful to see our older children working together and making the most of the natural world around them.

A Lovely Start for Our Newest Children: Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Starting school is a big milestone and at Alexandra Primary School, we understand how important it is to make that first experience a happy one. To welcome our new Reception children and their families, we recently hosted a much-loved Teddy Bears’ Picnic.

The picnic featured beautifully decorated tables where children could sit with their new friends and their chosen teddies, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Parents and carers joined in the fun with their little ones, helping to create a relaxed and friendly environment where new friendships could start to bloom.

This delightful event is just one of the ways we ensure the transition into school life is smooth and enjoyable for both children and their families.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event special.

Year 5 Trip to the Famous Royal Albert Hall

Year 5 had an exciting opportunity to visit the world-famous Royal Albert Hall to attend the Voices of the Future event. The children were captivated by a range of incredible musical performances and thoroughly enjoyed getting involved in the experience.

It was a truly memorable day filled with music and inspiration. It was also a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to see the power of music come to life in such a historic and inspiring venue!

Diwali Assembly

We recently celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with a joyful assembly led by our Inclusion Ambassadors. The children shared the story of Rama and Sita and spoke about how Diwali is celebrated around the world with lights, decorations and time spent with family and friends.

It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn more about this important festival and to reflect on the themes of light, hope and goodness.

Well done to the Inclusion Ambassadors for this assembly.

Reading Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our Reading Raffle winners for this half term! Pupils in Years 4, 5, and 6 have been showing fantastic effort with their reading and reading journals.

This term’s runners-up are Elif, Hanuf, and Philip, and our first prize winner is Rice – well done to all!

Children earn two raffle tickets each time they receive a Reading Journal Award, and we draw the winners at the end of every half term.

Keep up the great reading, everyone!

Reading Ambassadors

Mrs Herda and the Reading Ambassadors met recently to prepare for an exciting update to our school library!

We will soon be introducing our brand-new library software, which means children will soon be able to borrow and enjoy books at home.

Stay tuned for more details as we launch this wonderful new chapter in our reading journey!

RISE House Out and About

Last week, we combined outdoor play with a fun science experiment by visiting a local park to create giant bubbles! Using a special mixture of soap, water, and glycerine, the children explored how different materials can change the strength and stretchiness of bubbles, linking perfectly to our science topic on the properties of materials.

It was a wonderful opportunity to spark the children’s curiosity, enjoy hands-on learning, and experience real-world science in the fresh air.

Year 3’s Stone Age Adventure at Gunnersbury Park Museum

On Wednesday 5th November 2025, Year 3 went on an exciting trip to Gunnersbury Park and Museum to learn all about life in the Stone Age.

We took part in a super fun interactive workshop where we found out how Stone Age people hunted, farmed, built shelters, and found their food. We also learned how they used nature to survive and how life slowly changed from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.

One of the most amazing parts of the day was getting to hold real artefacts, including a piece of a mammoth’s tooth! We then became Stone Age people ourselves by building shelters and hunting ‘wild boars’ around the park.

Everyone had such a brilliant time and learned so much about how people lived thousands of years ago. It was the perfect way to celebrate everything we’ve been learning about the Stone Age!

We Love Music!

At Alexandra Primary, we believe music is for everyone! All our children take part in music lessons, where they explore rhythm, melody, and performance. Our aim is for every child to learn to play instruments and use their voices to express themselves with confidence and creativity.

Our Year 6 pupils have shown fantastic enthusiasm for learning the violin. This week, they have been developing their skills by playing different notes and practising how to produce a clear, beautiful sound. It has been wonderful to see their focus, teamwork, and growing confidence as young musicians.

Well done, Year 6!

Monitoring Cycle: Maths

At Alexandra, we are embedding the Maths Mastery approach to our learning. The underpinning principles of this are:

Everyone can learn and enjoy maths.
Developing learning behaviours which help our students to reason and make connections.
Teachers develop their specialist knowledge of teaching maths.
Our curriculum is coherent and supports progression over time.

Across the school we are engaged in programmes developed by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Maths (NCEMTM):

Mastering Number in Reception and KS1 which focuses on additive facts.
Mastering Number in Year 3, Year 4 & Year 5 which focuses on multiplicative facts.

On our recent review of our teaching, we found that we are doing well in the following ways:

Concrete and different pictures are used to underpin our maths learning.
Children are exposed to different representations of maths.
Support is given to those children who need it in that moment.
Oracy is focused on – being able to explain the maths using the correct maths vocabulary.

Most importantly, a lot of children are engaged and enthusiastic about maths. Our aim is that everyone should feel that way.

Support at home for maths is really important. To help your child, you could:

Encourage maths talk.
Play board games.
Support them to access TT Rockstars and NumBots at home.

You can find out more about the Mastery Approach to maths by visiting the NCETM website:

The Essence of Mathematics Teaching for Mastery | NCETM

Governor Day at Alexandra Primary School

This week, we were delighted to host a Governors’ Day, welcoming our school governors into school. As part of the day, the governors took part in learning walks, met with our School Council and Eco Warriors, joined children in the playground and even enjoyed lunch with them in the lunch hall.

The governors also had the opportunity to see the latest developments to our old caretaker’s house, which now has the first inner wall of the new staircase extension in place.

Our governors regularly meet with staff, attend meetings and join training sessions, but it’s always wonderful for them to spend time with our children and see our school in action on a typical day.

The governors told us they had a fantastic time and we are so grateful for their continued support!

Asthma Friendly Schools

During our INSET Day on Monday 3rd November, staff took part in Asthma Friendly Schools training. With around three children in every Haringey classroom living with asthma, this was an important and valuable session.

Becoming an Asthma Friendly School helps us to ensure that children with asthma are well supported, can confidently manage their condition and are less likely to miss school due to asthma-related illness.

Thank you to all our staff for taking part in the training and for continuing to help keep our pupils safe and healthy.

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.

The NHS provides clear guidance on when children are well enough to attend school. Most mild illnesses, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, do not require time off school, unless a child has a temperature.

If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone school on the first day. Let them know that your child won't be in and give them the reason.

For more information follow this link: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/