The Ambler Chronicle

Edition 16. published 28 March 2026

Follow: amblern4

Visit: www.ambler.islington.sch.uk

Donate: Ambler Community Fund

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER

Dear Ambler families,

It’s been a short but very busy half term and everyone is ready for a rest!

One of the highlights was World Book Day - I loved seeing the children dressed in their costumes, and staff too! It was a day full of enjoying moments to read for pleasure, both independently and with others.

This year we hosted Iftar - the breaking of fast during Ramadan. It was a wonderful occasion, bringing together families from different religious and cultural backgrounds to share food, conversation and a sense of community. With everything else happening in the world, moments like these remind us how fortunate we are at Ambler to be part of such a diverse and inclusive community. Thank you to all the parents/carers who made it happen.

Thank you to parents/carers who came to parent consultation meetings - I hope you feel proud of the progress your child/ren has made over the last two terms. We prepared a survey for KS1 and KS2 parents asking what learning at home looks like and how the school can help. If you didn’t complete it on the night, please do take a minute to fill it out here.

KS2 Ambler’s Got Talent 2026 was hosted by Mr O’Driscoll and Miss Goh - they were a double act themselves with their comedy routine! The standard of talent was high, making it a very tough competition, and the children all used their DREAMS qualities. Congratulations to the finalists, and the overall winners - Dancing Queens.

There is lots to look forward to as we enter Summer 1 including trips, residentials and fundraisers for Yr 6. Thank you to Friends of Ambler who are subsidising the cost of many of the experiences above.

I wish all our Ambler community a great break and look forward to seeing you on Monday 13th April 2026.

Have a happy, healthy break from all the Ambler staff.

Best wishes,

Sandy McNicholl

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Mon 13 Apr - First day of Summer term
Mon 13 Apr - Yr3 swimming starts at Highbury Pool (daily for 2 weeks)
Tue 14 Apr - Yr5 Science Museum trip 🏛️
Fri 17 Apr - Yr5/6 3x3 basketball at Sobell Centre (selected chn)
Thu 23 Apr - ☕ SEN Coffee morning with Bridge Outreach for EYFS and KS1 parents, 9:00-10:00am
Tue 28 Apr - Yr2 Ragged Museum
Tue 28 Apr - 5G trip to Parliament
Tue 28 Apr - Yr 3/4 Cricket skills festival - selected children only
Wed 29 Apr - Fri 1 May - Year 4 Cardfields residential
Fri 8 May - SEND multi sports festival - selected children only
Mon 11 May - Year 6 SATS week
Tues 12 May - 1B William Morris Gallery
Wed 13 May - 1G William Morris Gallery
Fri 15 May - Year 6 - 5K run Clissold Park
Fri 15 May - Year 3/4 Tennis Skills Festival - selected children only
Sat 16 May - Car Boot + Jumble Sale, 1-4pm (raising funds for Y6 leavers' events) 🛍️
Tue 19 May -☕SEN Coffee morning - Masking and how to support your child, 9:00-10:00am
Fri 22 May -☕Family Wellbeing Coffee Morning Q&A Session, 9:00-10:00am
Sat 20 Jun - FoA Summer Fair 🎪
Fri 22 May - Last day of Spring 1
Mon 1 Jun - First day of Spring 2
Fri 17 Jul - End of academic year, 2pm finish for School and Children's Centre, no clubs or extended day.

WORLD BOOK DAY

We had a wonderful time during World Book Day celebrating the books that we love. Teachers shared a book that was special to them with their class, we had incredible costume parades (more like fashion shows!) in the playground and read with other year groups. We ended the day with a Book Giveaway! It was a brilliant day! Thank you so much to everyone who donated books!

🖊️ WRITING COMP WINNER 🏆

A massive congratulations to Ernest in 2B for winning a national short story competition! For the RNIB's World Book Day Competition, Ernest wrote a short story inspired by the Claude series by Alex T Smith. He was the youngest entrant to the competition and his win was announced at the British Library by the author Sibéal Pounder. His story was even shared with Alex T Smith himself, who said how much he enjoyed it!

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Thank you to Friends of Ambler for organising a fantastic Book Giveaway as part of World Book Day. Thanks also to everybody who donated so many amazing books. Not only were children able to take one each, we have plenty left for another giveaway in the summer term.

📚 BOOK FAIR 📚

We had a brilliant time running our Scholastic Book Fair before half term. The Year 6 children loved being booksellers! It was wonderful to see so many families browsing and buying books. We also made £500 to spend on books for our classrooms.

Do you love reading? Do you love buying books for yourself, your friends, your family? We have a fantastic collaboration with Book Bar on Blackstock Road. Buy a book and start collecting loyalty stamps. For every completed book of stamps, Book Bar will donate a book to Ambler. Did you know Book Bar also hold author events? These are fantastic opportunities to meet some of your favourite authors and hear about their latest books. All event information can be found on the Book Bar website and we will send out updates when we receive them.

FREE HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Hackney Council HAF programme

HOLIDAY BIKEABILITY

Islington Council offers free Bikeability cycle training for children and young people aged 5 years and up in the school holidays at Highbury Fields and Tollington Park. Click here to find out more.

There are three courses available to suit your child’s age and ability.

Beginners– learning to ride (age 5+, two day course)
Level 1 Bikeability – training for more confident riders (age 5+, for those who have a little more experience with the bicycle)
Level 2 Bikeability – an introduction to road cycling for those who can ride (age 9+)

POETRY WEEK

We had a wonderful Poetry Week this half term and were lucky enough to have poet, Joshua Seigal come and work with us. We had fantastic workshops and an assembly which ignited our passion for poetry. Together, we planned and wrote some fantastic poetry.

To read more of Joshua's poetry, visit his website: www.joshuaseigal.co.uk

🐝SPRING SPELLING BEE 🔤

We had a cracking Spelling Bee this term, where the competition was fierce! It was wonderful to see how many fantastic spellers we have at Ambler. For the first time ever, we had siblings as our Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 winners. Well done to Ziggy and Ellie!

ORACY COMPETITION

A massive congratulations to all the children who took part in the Oracy homework competition, learning and reciting a poem off by heart! The fantastic entrants then performed their poems in front of KS2 and KS1 and really impressed their peers and teachers! A special well done to our winners, Anita in 1B and Elodie in 5G!

ORACY SCHOOL TRIP

Debaters and school councillors enjoyed a school trip to London City Hall! We were excited to see a real-life protest outside City Hall as we entered, and then learnt about the history of London and its government. We got to enter an assembly meeting (the Chair greeted Ambler by name and all the Councillors waved at us!), before taking a trip on the London Cable Car. Ms Harry was impressed by how many of the London landmarks the children were able to identify!

TRANSPORT MUSEUM

This term, Year 1 have been learning about the history of transportation, exploring how cars, trains and boats have changed over time. As part of this topic, we visited the London Transport Museum, which was a truly exciting and enjoyable experience for everyone. The children had the opportunity to see real-life examples of historic buses, trains and other forms of transport from London's past, bringing their learning to life in a meaningful way. It was wonderful to see how engaged and enthusiastic they were throughout the trip and we were very proud of their curiosity and behaviour!

R.E. TRIPS

As part of RE, Year 1 visited St Thomas the Apostle Church, while Year 4 visited Neasden Temple. In school, we also held assemblies to mark Holi, the Hindu festival of colours; Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan; and, ahead of the holidays next week, Easter. These experiences help children learn about different beliefs and the importance of respecting each other’s traditions.

What a night at the Battle of the Decades Fundraising Disco at Ambler!

The vibes were incredible, the dancefloor was packed, and the outfits did not disappoint across the decades 80s, 90s and 00s!

Most importantly, thanks to this amazing community, we raised over £2,000.

A huge thank you to our brilliant DJs -James, Ju, and Rosie. They kept the energy high all night long. Although, a very special shoutout has to go to Rosie, as this was sadly her final DJ set at Ambler. Thank you for your years of dedication, passion, and unforgettable sets , you’ve made a lasting impact 🙏

If you couldn’t make it but would still like to contribute, you can donate by clicking this link.

Keep your eyes peeled… this definitely won’t be the last one... and let the record show the 90s won the Battle of the Decades!

🍓A BLOOMING SUCCESS 🍅

On Saturday, 21st March, Grow Ambler (part of FoA) brought our school garden to life with a fantastic community gardening day. Families came together with incredible energy and enthusiasm to prepare the space for the new growing season.

Thanks to everyone’s hard work, Ambler children will soon be able to care for these plants, cook with them, and taste the fruits of their labour - an experience that brings learning to life in the most delicious way!

We’re excited for more workshops ahead and hope to see even more families getting involved as we continue to grow together.

A huge thank you to Naomi from Blackstock Triangle Gardeners, who led an engaging workshop, teaching the children about the new plants and guiding them through the planting process.

🌼 Here’s to a thriving garden and a flourishing community! 🌼

In addition to the events mentioned above, FoA organised discos for all school children, a book giveaway for World Book Day, and Uniform Giveaway on the last day of term. Thank you to all the Friends of Ambler volunteers who supported this half term's events.

Thanks again to everyone who took part in the Silent Auction, which raised over £10k in autumn. Winners have been claiming prizes offered by Ambler staff, including sign language lessons with Miss Shariff, Korean food with Miss Yoon, a 'pamper party' with the early years team, headteacher for the day, and office helper (below).

On Saturday 16th May, 1-4pm, Ambler will be holding a Car Boot Sale to raise money for our Year 6 Leavers’ Fund.

If you've not booked a stall yet, there are still spaces available, starting from just £6. There is nothing else to pay. You keep all the money you take on your stall!

Book now at: Ambler Car Boot + Jumble Sale stall booking

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING UPDATE

Supporting the wellbeing of our children, families and staff continues to be a key priority, and we are pleased to share some recent updates and upcoming opportunities.

Family Wellbeing Coffee Morning – Q&A Session:

We would like to invite school and children centre families to our upcoming Q&A – Family Wellbeing Coffee Morning, on Friday 22nd May from 9–10am in the Community Room. This session will be led by myself (Sophie Smith-Tong, Reception Teacher and Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead) and will be an opportunity for parents and carers to ask questions about anything related to wellbeing, either at school or at home. The session will provide a relaxed and supportive space to share experiences, seek advice, and discuss ways to support positive wellbeing. Please do come along, everyone is welcome.

Child Wellbeing Survey

This half term, children completed our Annual Ambler Child Wellbeing Survey. I am now in the process of analysing the information shared and writing up the report, which will be shared with senior leaders and staff. The feedback from children is incredibly valuable and will help us reflect on current practice, celebrate strengths, and make any necessary changes to further support child wellbeing.

Staff Wellbeing

We have also recently completed our third mindfulness course for members of staff who opted to take part. The course supports educators in reflecting on working patterns and habits, and explores ways we can approach a healthy work–life balance. This ongoing work forms part of our commitment to supporting staff wellbeing.

Researcher Wellbeing Visit

We were also pleased to welcome Hannah Brownhill, who works in advocating for and delivering evidence-based approaches to wellbeing using Positive Psychology. During her visit, she observed wellbeing in action, from Mindful Mo sessions to Calm Corners in the Baby Room through to Reception.

Mindful Mo sessions in Reception

Some key highlights from her feedback included:

A strong sense of belonging and emotional literacy
A curiosity-led approach to behaviour and relationships
Everyday tools supporting children to recognise and regulate their emotions
Celebration focused on shared pride and intrinsic motivation rather than rewards
Consistent strengths-based language used in interactions with children
Wellbeing woven into the culture and daily rhythm of school life

She described the setting as an example of what is possible when wellbeing is the foundation for learning and shared that she left feeling hopeful and inspired by the approach.

We will continue to build on this work and value the involvement of our whole school community in supporting wellbeing. Thank you for your ongoing support.

💬🌿 Sophie Smith-Tong

The law requires parents/carers to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school.

Please notify the school if your child cannot attend for any reason (each day they are absence)
Explain the reasons for your child’s absence. Please be specific.
Ensure your child is not absent where this can be avoided (e.g. minor illnesses).

There are 175 non-school days for holidays, family time etc. We do not expect parents/carers to take children out of school for a holiday or other term-time leave. Absence may be granted by the headteacher in exceptional circumstances.

If you feel it is absolutely unavoidable to request term-time leave:

You must apply for leave in advance (request forms are available from the school office)
Submit your application at least 4 weeks in advance of the proposed leave dates
Apply before booking your travel .

If you withdraw your child during term time and the absence has not been agreed by the Headteacher, it is unauthorised leave, which may lead to a fine of up to £160 and/or court proceedings.

We understand that every family’s circumstances are different and subject to change. Please email the school office to arrange a meeting with Mrs McNicholl if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.

CUP WINNERS AWARDS DAY AT THE EMIRATES

The Ambler Year 5 & 6 Girls Football Team were V.I.P guests at the Emirates for the WSL fixture between Arsenal W.F.C and West Ham Utd F.C Women. As a special reward for winning the Islington Premier League Stars tournament, the girls were invited to greet the teams on their arrival to the stadium, before being presented with their medals and trophy shield pitch-side. They were then treated to watch the match, which Arsenal W.F.C went on to win 5-0. A truly special day that I'm sure they'll never forget. The team will now represent Arsenal at the national tournament in June. Well done girls on such a huge achievement!

YEAR 4-6 SWIMMING GALA FINALS EVENT

Our 5 qualifying children attended the annual Islington Swimming Gala Finals event at Ironmonger Row Baths. All the children swam brilliantly in a hugely competitive field, with Indigo picking up Silver in the Year 6 Freestyle and Oskar in Year 5 achieving Bronze in the Breaststroke event. A huge well done to everyone involved!

♻️ECO TEAM ♻️

The Eco Team has been working incredibly hard and has taken part in some exciting opportunities recently. They organised a question and answer session with the council. Each year group prepared a question to ask the panel members from Islington Council and NWLA.

The panellists were very impressed with our questions and particularly liked “Why does the planet have to be happy?”, “Is there a no waste day?” and “Where does waste go when you throw it in the bin?”

The Eco Team members and their classes received special recognition certificates from the councillor. They were also part of some filming for the council’s new campaign, Making It Happen.

Here at Ambler, we have also been fortunate to take part in recycling themed workshops. These have been inspiring and have encouraged many of our children to develop positive recycling habits across the school.

A big shout out to Molly in Reception Blue, who created and made a whole new recycling system for her classroom.

Search for Islington Council on Instagram and you will find us there!

We hope you all have a wonderful spring break!

DIGITAL @MBLER

Spring term is always an important term for online safety at Ambler. We marked Safer Internet Day in February and did a parents' coffee morning on AI/smartphones and online safety in general (scroll back on Google Classroom if you would like to see the resources). The key themes that we kept coming back to were:

📱Supervising any tech use

⚠️Setting firm boundaries

💭Engaging with this topic - don't bury your head in the sand!

The best websites for useful information on parent controls, game/app/film ratings and advice on conversations about AI were:

CHOIR SCHOOL TRIP

The Year 5 & 6 Choir visited Kings Place to take part in Music Education Islington's annual singing event for schools across the borough. We were in the audience watching an incredible live band fronted by a really talented and enthusiastic singer leading us through a wide variety of songs. The children were all captivated by the music and loved singing along with each other and other schools in the audience.

✨ SPARKLE GROUP ✨

This term, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting 'Sparkle Group' with Ayten, our CAMHS School Wellbeing Practitioner. Each week, the children engaged in creative activities and group work designed to boost their confidence and strengthen their friendships. From role-playing social scenarios to sharing reflections, the children have shown incredible openness. I am so proud of their progress and the wonderful sense of fun they brought to every session!"

KEW GARDENS TRIP

Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic, sunny trip to Kew Gardens to deepen the children's understanding of our Rainforest topic. The children experienced humidity firsthand in the greenhouses and then showed lots of self-belief by conquering the treetop walk. We were so proud to see the connections they were able to make between what they were seeing and the learning we had done in class, such as identifying palm trees, orchids and ferns in the greenhouses and being able to talk about the plants that you would find in the different layers of the rainforest.

🪩RECEPTION 📖

Spring 2 has been an exciting time in Reception. Our reading journey is really kicking into gear as we have started to read longer words, using strategies such as ‘chunking’ the word into smaller parts and identifying suffixes at the end of words. During Book Week, it was amazing to see all of the children's costumes and read some of their favourite stories. We were lucky enough to welcome the Year 6 students into our classrooms to read some stories to us. Some of our most helpful children even had a go reading to the younger children in Nursey and Toddlers. Amazing!

Our disco was a smash hit! Who knew we had such talented dancers in Reception. We have been exploring the books ‘Eco Girl’ and ‘Oi Frog’, learning about nature and sustainability. The main character of Eco Girl, Eve, sent us a letter and a beautiful present – some bluebells! The children enjoyed investigating and taking care of the plants. They helped find a suitable place that received enough sunlight, watered them, labelled the different parts of the plants and drew some scientific diagrams. Our trips to Gillespie Park were another highlight. In small groups, went on a nature walk and tried to spot as many plants and animals as we could see, including squirrels, dragonflies and even some spooky spiders! Well done superstars!

🍅 NURSERY 🪡

As another busy half term comes to an end, we have been reflecting on the breadth of learning experiences the children have enjoyed. A particular highlight was our trip to Little Angels Studios to watch A Squash and a Squeeze. The children were captivated by the familiar story, delighting in its rhyming and rhythm language, and enthusiastically joining in with the repeated phrases. It was great to see their confidence and engagement grow as they were immersed with the performance.

This week has been just as exciting, with the children working alongside our resident artist, Maud Milton, to create clay tiles for a mosaic project inspired by endangered local wildlife. They explored texture by manipulating clay to resemble the prickles of a hedgehog and the smooth, undulating skin of a seahorse. Working collaboratively in small groups, the children cut, shaped, and decorated their tiles. Alongside this, many children enjoyed celebrating Eid by designing and making beautiful cards, as well as creating intricate henna patterns on their hands. It has been a fantastic half term, and we look forward to welcoming the children back after the break for more exciting learning opportunities.

Nursery have thoroughly enjoyed learning step‑by‑step sewing techniques. Using threads, needles and binka fabric, the children have been developing their fine motor skills with great concentration and pride. If you would like to see their wonderful work, please feel free to pop into the classroom and take a look at our display.

In our TastEd sessions, the children explored a variety of tomatoes brought in from the local market. They used all five senses to investigate the different shapes, colours and textures. A small group even had the chance to explore the fruit while blindfolded, adding an extra layer of curiosity and excitement. We finished by making a fresh tomato salad, which many children enjoyed at lunchtime.

If you’re finding mealtimes at home a little tricky, you’re very welcome to come and chat with us. We’d be happy to share how we run our TastEd sessions so you can try some of the ideas at home too.

🖼️TODDLER ROOM 🍪

In Toddlers, the children enjoyed a creative activity where they painted their family portraits using family photos from home. This helped them make personal connections while exploring their sense of identity and belonging.

Using a variety of skin tone paints the children were encouraged to carefully observe facial features, colours, and details that make their families unique. This activity supported their developing fine motor skills, creativity, and confidence in self-expression.

It also opened up lovely conversations about families, similarities and differences, and what makes each family special. The children were very proud of their artwork, and it was wonderful to see their personalities shine through in their portraits!

Aditi Anand (the illustrator of One Diwali Day) came in to explore Rangoli patterns with the children. They used coloured rice to create a big Rangoli pattern together. The children then created their own vibrant Diwali patterns, using rice. The children really enjoyed creating patterns, developing their focus and fine motor skills along the way.

Our core book this month has been 'We're Going to Find the Monster'. The children had a fantastic time getting creative in the kitchen as they baked their very own “monster cookies”! Using a variety of colourful food dyes, they mixed, shaped, and decorated their cookies to bring their imaginative monster designs to life. The activity was a wonderful opportunity for the children to explore colour mixing, practise their fine motor skills, and express their creativity. Of course, the best part was tasting their delicious, vibrant creations at the end!

🧸BABY ROOM 🎨

This term, the children have been enjoying a range of exciting, hands-on activities that support their learning and development.

The children loved listening to the story Lenny Has Lunch! and exploring real foods such as leeks, potatoes, onions, carrots, and pasta. They practised saying new words like “eat” and “food,” and had lots of fun handling the ingredients. We encouraged independence by letting the children self-serve at lunchtime using child-sized cutlery, and supported communication using Makaton and Chatterbox. It was wonderful to see everyone talking about healthy foods!

The children enjoyed a teddy bears’ picnic in the Forest with their favourite soft toys. They explored a variety of foods, tastes, textures, and smells, trying chewy bread, soft banana, juicy orange, crunchy carrot, sour lemon, and sweet honey. Adults described the tastes and textures, helping children to expand their vocabulary and develop sensory awareness.

This term, the babies were inspired by the colourful textile designs of Althea McNish, a Trinidad and Tobago artist known for using tropical plants, flowers, and bright colours in her work. We explored our own version through a “Painting in the Rain” activity, discovering colour, water, and patterns in a fun, hands-on way. The babies finished by splashing and playing in puddles, enjoying movement and water play while wearing their wellies. They loved exploring textures, colours, and the effects of water, creating their very own mini works of art while developing coordination, sensory awareness, and creativity.

It has been a wonderful term full of exploration, sensory experiences, and opportunities for independence and communication

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