Term 1 2627 Herbert Morrison Newsletter Issue 75 Thursday 1 October 2026
Dear Parents and Carers,
Another busy week at Herbert Morrison!
Our roof works are going to plan, with the scaffolding expected to come down by December — meaning we should be able to start the new year with a new roof! Thank you for continuing to bear with us while the work takes place.
Our children have certainly been out and about this week, with Years 2, 5 and 6 enjoying learning across London. Year 6 received not one, but TWO compliments from members of the public about their excellent behaviour while out on their trip. Of course, we then challenged Year 5 to see if they could do the same when they headed out... and they did! Two more compliments from a member of the public and TfL staff for their fantastic behaviour. Challenge accepted and completed! We always remind children that when they leave the school gates they are representing Herbert Morrison — and they have certainly made us very proud this week.
Black History Month begins today, and we are looking forward to celebrating together at our Black History Month Open Morning next Wednesday, 7th October, from 9.00–10.00am. Come into school, join your child in their classroom and get involved in their learning — everyone is welcome! There are also lots of fantastic events taking place across Lambeth throughout the month. Take a look at what is happening across Lambeth for Black History Month and let us know what you get involved in!
Our Parent Carer Conferences are also coming up in a couple of weeks. Please complete the survey LINKED HERE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE and request your preferred appointment slot. We will do our very best to accommodate requests, with appointments allocated on a first come, first served basis.
We are also looking at extending our after-school club offer. As children already learn Spanish as part of our curriculum, we are exploring the possibility of an after-school language club. Interested? Please register your interest here so we can see whether there is enough demand to get the club up and running.
Finally, a parent who has started attending Lambeth's Being a Parent – ADHD course has highly recommended it. We have shared the course previously, but good recommendations are always worth sharing again! If you think it could be useful for your family, find out more about the Being a Parent – ADHD course here and make contact to get yourself on the waiting list.
Lots happening, lots to look forward to and lots to be proud of!
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Kind regards,
Mrs Peake
Proud Headteacher
Thank you for your support.
✨ Nursery children finished their Keith Haring collaborative art work. They initially looked at his art work and then made poses inspired by Sesame Street’s Keith Haring cartoon. They used this to make poses on large paper. Then they chose the colour to paint it. They put thick black paint along the edge of their body. Eventually they made collages in the style of our focused artist! What fun!
There’s nothing better than that moment when it suddenly clicks! 🙌
Our children have been busy thinking, problem-solving, coding and debugging in Computing — with plenty of those brilliant 💡 “I’ve got it!” moments along the way.
Great thinking, great perseverance and lots of bright ideas at HM! 🌟💻
🛡️ Keeping our school a safe and happy place! 🛡️
Year 2 have been learning about how we can help keep our school safe for everyone. We explored what bullying is, what we can do if we experience or see bullying, and who we can talk to for help. We also discussed how we can all play a part in making sure everyone feels safe, included and supported. 💛🫱🏼🫲🏾
🎨⏱️ Pens ready, timers on! Reception have been stretching their focus with drawing challenges, tricky puzzles, detailed portraits and step-by-step instructions. So much concentration, creativity and perseverance! 🧩✨
Year 5 took their learning on tour today with a brilliant trip to the Imperial War Museum! ☀️🚌🇬🇧
With the sun shining and curiosity levels high, the children explored the museum, spotted links to their topic everywhere and had plenty of those brilliant “Ohhh… now I get it!” moments. There was lots of thoughtful discussion, lots of questions, and possibly just a tiny bit of excitement about being out of the classroom for the day! 😄
The exhibits really helped bring their learning to life and gave Year 5 the chance to see, think, question and discover for themselves. They represented Herbert Morrison brilliantly and made the most of every minute.
History, sunshine and a school trip — not a bad combination!
🔢✨ This week in Maths! ✨🔢
Year 1 have been learning all about greater than, less than and equal to when comparing numbers.
Today, we took our learning one step further and introduced the correct mathematical symbols >, < and =. The children enjoyed comparing numbers and deciding which symbol was needed! 🧮
What a fantastic week of mathematical learning! 🌟
These children have been recognised for their incredible effort and excellence! They will receive a golden certificate, a big round of applause during the celebration assembly, and a coveted spot in the prestigious
IMAGINE - BELIEVE - ACHIEVE Gold Book.
We are so proud of you!
YN - Aiyla and Azra
YR - Maya and Musa
Y1 - Yari and Olivia
Y2 - Samson and Pekawa
Y3 - Amelia C and Debora
Y4 - Ayyob and Juno
Y5 - Violeta and Mayliah
Y6 - Kevarli and Rital
Fluency is reading smoothly, accurately and with expression — making your reading sound like talking, rather than simply saying the words.
You can practise fluency at home in just a few minutes! Pick one sentence and have some fun:
Read it again – can you make it smoother the second time?
Try a funny voice – robot, giant, tiny mouse… you choose! 🤖🐭
Change your expression – can you make it sound excited, worried, cross or surprised?
Can you give the same sentence a different meaning just by changing which word you emphasise?
Same words. Different voice. Better reading! 📖✨
This widget is on the homepage of the website - please click and use to report a child's absence. Thank you.
Attendance so far this year is 96.8% - this is above our 95% target and a really strong start to the year!
A Reminder About Appointments and Holidays
We kindly ask that, wherever possible, parents arrange medical or personal appointments for their children outside of school hours. There are only 190 school days in the year, but a generous 175 non-school days available for holidays, family time, and events. By keeping appointments to these non-school days, we can work together to make sure every child enjoys the very best attendance and learning opportunities. Thank you for your support!
📢 Illness Reminder 📢
If your child is unwell at school, we will call you to collect them. Please ensure we have your up-to-date contact details.
Please remember to inform the school of your child's absence each day; even if the school knows they are home due to vomiting - this is to update school if new symptoms develop. The best way to do this is via Studybugs.
Currently, 70% of parents are using Studybugs—if you’re among the 30% who haven’t signed up yet, please do so as soon as possible!
Please download the STUDY BUGS app and support us in raising our attendance %.
Overall we are at 96.8% for this academic year.
Please download the STUDY BUGS app and support us in raising our attendance %.
Please help your child achieve by ensuring they are in school when they are well enough to be here.
Medical Appointment Documentation
Please ensure all appointments are made outside of school hours.
To help us accurately record absences, please email a copy of any medical appointment texts or appointment cards to the school office for confirmation when your child(ren) is absent for health-related reasons. This ensures their attendance records are kept up-to-date.
When making appointments please ask your doctors for a medical slip or appointment text to give to school.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Miss Nathalie can be contacted on 0207 720 3439 or via email on admin@herbertmorrison.lambeth.sch.uk
Miss Nathalie works with us 3 mornings a week.
Please note that all letters are available on the school website under NEWS - LATEST LETTER
TERM ONE DATES
01/10 Black History Month (BHM) starts
01/10 Sustainability Club starts Invite only - Letter Sent
7/10 BHM Open Morning (9-10am) Letter sent
14/10 Phonics Parent Meeting for Reception and Year 1 - Letter Sent
14/10 Year 4 CLASS TRIP to The Portrait Gollery Letter sent
15/10 Parents evening, school closes at 2pm Letter sent
16/10 INSET - School Closed to Children
19/10 Internet Safety Week
23/10 3.30 last day of Term 1
02/11 First day of Term 2
.
2 Weeks at a Glance
Check if clubs are on, trips are coming up, events are happening - get excited about the many events for the next 2 weeks.
TERM 1 UPDATES
THERE ARE CHANGES TO PE FOR TERM 1
Year 4 and 6 will go to Ben Holioakes to play cricket at the Oval Cricket Ground every Monday. They will also cover their computing curriculum using the Apple Mac suite at the centre.
Year 5 will also have PE on a Thursday.
Please ensure your child comes into school wearing the full PE kit on their PE day.
Year 5 will need their swimming kit; including a swim hat and goggles EVERY TUESDAY.
Water bottles must not be kept in the book bag to prevent book damage.
Thank you.
To drop off or collect your child please call the JAGs bell by the front door inside the school gate or call 07570 377 689
Discover a fun-filled daily schedule at Junior Adventures Group Breakfast & After School Clubs!
How Parents Book
Bookings follow a regular weekly pattern (e.g., every Monday), secured for the full school year.
This system is similar to the existing instalment plan model that many families are familiar with.
We are making this change to:
Support demand management where waiting lists are common
Ensure fair access for families looking to secure consistent care
Enable earlier, more accurate staffing and programming plans
Rise then Shine
Rise then Shine Breakfast Club IS ON HOLD AT THE MOMENT DUE TO LOW DEMAND. IT RUNS from 7.30am - DO LET JAGS KNOW IF YOU NEED IT AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE ENOUGH DEMAND WE CAN RE-OPEN IT.
The FREE school Breakfast Club is still available for all pupils ( Reception Class to Year 6) from 8.30am.
After School Clubs
JAG’s After School Clubs, called Stay And Play, offer fun, happy and safe places for children to play freely across age groups and take part in structured activities such as arts and crafts and active play. Providing an energising end to the school day, children can join group activities, enjoy a healthy snack, or chill out with toys and games that are all set up and ready for them to enjoy.
Find out more by clicking here - Click here to register and book
Try your new Stay And Play Club for free at Herbert Morrison Primary School!
Book your child's space now and claim a free session using code: TRYHERBERT
If you do have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to call the friendly JAG team on 0333 577 1533 or drop them an email at hello@junioradventuresgroup.co.uk.
The questions of the week are-
💭 Can you disagree with someone and still show respect? How?
We discuss the values and question of the week in assembly. Discuss these with your child at home.
The value of the week is: RESPECT
This half term, our wellbeing focus is friendships and belonging — helping children to feel included, valued and confident in their relationships.
Friendships can be wonderful, but they can also be tricky! Falling out, feeling left out or not being chosen can all feel very big to children. This guide includes simple ideas for helping children manage friendship ups and downs, understand the difference between a friendship problem and bullying, and build the confidence to talk things through.
There are also some great practical activities to try at home, book suggestions and trusted websites for further support.
A really useful reminder for us all: children do not need lots of friends — one kind, dependable friendship can be incredibly important. 💕
SPECIAL DIETRY REQUIREMENTS
If your child has an allergy please scan this code and ensure that you complete the new caters online information. We have passed over the information we have and it is all going digital now. Please feel free to speak to a member of staff if you need any support with this.
All allergy referals must be accompanied by medical evidence.
Thank you.
The lunch menus are on a 3 week rota -Yum! All meat dishes are offered as halal and non-halal options.
Please note that on the rare occasion there may be a slight change on offer - this is usually due to delivery delays.
LEARNING AT HOME - TEACH YOUR CHILD ABOUT MONEY - HANDLE IT, COUNT IT, WORK OUT THE CHANGE. MONOPOLY AND PLAYING SHOPS IS GREAT FUN!
More information and a weekly update of these low cost suggestions can be found on the Oval Learning Cluster Website - Families Page. Our School works in Partnership with the Oval Learning Cluster.
For information on how to sign up to Terms 5 and 6 Clubs at HM see the clubs letter on the website.
Please note that club payments are non-refundable. If your child is not behaving in the club they may lose their place. Thank you for your support.
Extra-curricular activities are a vital part of school life, supporting pupils’ confidence, wellbeing and personal development. We value the importance of a broad and balanced education that helps pupils thrive beyond the classroom.
Through our extra-curricular offer, pupils are able to:
Explore interests and talents beyond the curriculum
Build key life skills such as teamwork, leadership and resilience
Strengthen wellbeing through sport, creativity and positive experiences
Develop character and confidence to support future success
We are proud to offer a wide range of opportunities that enrich learning and support the whole child.
Mondays - Sustainability Club 8 weeks- invite only - collect from BHLC at 5.30 and NOT from school
Follow this link to find out what is happening in Lambeth for Black History Month https://love.lambeth.gov.uk/black-history-month-lambeth-celebrates-culture-and-community/?utm_source=e-shot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News+from+the+council+(Love+Lambeth)+newsletter+-+25+Sept
Access Sport is excited to be hosting a free October Holiday Programme for children and young people with SEND living in Southwark and the surrounding areas.
This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to try a range of local activities in a welcoming and inclusive environment. All sessions are adapted to meet individual needs and designed to be fun, accessible, and engaging.
Southwark Inclusive October Holiday Programme
When: Tuesday 27 October 2pm - 4pm and Thursday 29 October, 10am - 12pm
Where: Canada Water Leisure Centre, SE16 2AJ
Who: Children and young people with SEND aged 5–18
Cost: Free
Find out more and sign up:
Please note: Parents and carers must remain at sessions at all times, as we are unable to provide 1:1 support. Siblings are also welcome to attend; however, please complete a separate registration form for each child.
Please support the PTA to support the school with this easy and helpful fundraising tip - https://www.herbertmorrisonprimaryschool.co.uk/PTA-Fundraising/