VPS Newsletter

Welcome to Vauxhall's Newsletter:

Autumn 1 , Week 2: Friday 11th September 2026

Remember- All newsletters can be found on our school website, which includes links to archived newsletters.

In this issue...

Headteacher's Comment
Children's Learning
Macmillan Coffee Morning
#WakeUpWednesday - Character AI
Weekly Awards
Attendance and Punctuality
Safeguarding

+ our regularly updated Diary Dates, Term Dates, and TT Rockstars MVPs.

Headteacher's Comment

Thank you!

We hope you've had a great start to the new school year!

Thank you for joining our meet the Teacher / Team sessions this week. the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Thank you for your continued support with our mobile phone policy. We're delighted to share that, thanks to your help, we've significantly reduced the number of phones coming into school. This is fantastic news and shows how well our hand-in system is working.

Our policy aligns with the Department for Education's statutory guidance, which says schools should be mobile phone-free from September 2026. If your child needs to bring a phone for their journey to or from school, they must hand it in at the office when they arrive and collect it at home time.

Thank you for helping us maintain the best possible learning environment for all our children.

EYFS - Caterpillars and Butterflies

Miss Edwin, Miss Faure and Miss Felicia have had a wonderful first week with the children! We have been busy getting to know our new routines, building relationships and exploring our learning environment. The children have enjoyed discovering the different areas of the classroom and learning where everything belongs.

We have shared the story The Colour Monster Goes to School and used it as a starting point to talk about our feelings and emotions. We discussed how we might feel during our first few days at school and encouraged the children to share their thoughts and experiences. It has been lovely to see the children beginning to settle, make new friends and grow in confidence as they explore their new surroundings.

Year 1 - Giraffes

Year 1 Choose Their Class Name!

This week, Year 1 had the exciting chance to give their class a name! The children thought of lots of different animals they would love their class to be called. After lots of brilliant ideas, it came down to a class vote…

We are very excited to announce that Year 1 are now officially The Giraffes! 🦒

Well done, Year 1, and what a fantastic choice!

The children took part in an exciting online live event with the British Library to celebrate Julia Donaldson’s new book, *The Gruffalo Granny*. They enjoyed a special performance of the Gruffalo before Julia Donaldson read her new story. The children then had the opportunity to draw the Gruffalo Granny themselves, guided by illustrator Axel Scheffler.

Year 2 - Cheetahs

In Year 2 we started our ‘Working Scientifically’ topic for science by developing our enquiry skills through a fun straw-building challenge. The children became engineers as they explored how everyday materials can be used to build strong and stable structures. Using straws and masking tape, they were challenged to build the tallest tower they could, starting with three straws and gradually increasing to four and then five. They tested different ideas, made observations, measured and recorded their results, and discussed which shapes and strategies made their towers stronger. Through this activity, the children developed key skills including observing, measuring, recording, comparing, problem-solving and drawing conclusions.

Year 3 - Lions

Year 3 began their new Science topic by asking questions, making predictions, and exploring magnets. The children investigated how magnets can attract and move objects and discovered that magnets can work without touching! To put their learning into practice, they designed their own racetracks and used magnets to move paper clips around the track. It was a fun and hands-on way to begin exploring the fascinating world of magnets

Year 4 - Eagles

A Fantastic Start in Year 4!

Eagles have made a wonderfully positive and productive start to the new school year! They have dove straight into their mathematics curriculum with fantastic energy and curiosity.

So far we have been exploring:

Mastering Place Value: Revisiting place value and thinking carefully about what each individual digit represents.

Exploring Operations: Looking closely at the true meaning of addition and subtraction, recognising when to use each operation in real-world scenarios.

Collaborative Problem Solving: Working in pairs, sharing brilliant ideas, debating different mathematical approaches, and justifying their answers.

A huge well done to all of Year 4 for such an inspiring start to the year! Keep up the incredible work.

Year 5 - Leopards

🐆 A Fantastic Start for 5 Leopards!

Leopards have made a fantastic start to the new school year! The Leopards have truly hit the ground running and we have really enjoyed getting to know one another and building a happy, positive learning community.

The children are already showing that they are ready to rise to the expectations of Upper Key Stage 2. We have begun exploring our exciting new class text about fearless wire-rope walker Philippe Petit, which has already inspired some brilliant discussion and creative ideas for our writing. We even had a go at performing circus skills, just like Philippe!

We have also created our Class Charter, thinking carefully about how we can work together to make Year 5 a positive and successful place to learn. As we looked ahead to the year, the children wrote letters to their future selves, sharing their hopes, goals and aspirations to read again at the end of Year 5.

We are so proud of the start our Leopards have made and are excited to see all that they will achieve this year! 🐆✨

Year 6 - Ravens

Year 6 have made a fantastic start to the new school year and have settled into their new routines incredibly well. In Maths, the children have been developing their understanding of converting between different units of measurement and applying these skills confidently to a range of problems. In English, they have been working hard to improve their sentences by choosing exciting adjectives and powerful verbs, as well as using personification to bring their descriptions to life. We have already seen such a positive improvement since last year, both in the quality of their work and their attitude towards learning. It is clear that many of the children have been working hard over the summer, and we are very excited to see the progress they continue to make throughout Year 6!

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Macmillan Coffee Morning – Friday 25th September

Join us on Friday 25th September for our Macmillan Coffee Morning!

Come along and enjoy a delicious variety of cakes while helping us raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. There will also be a fun “Guess the Weight of the Cake” competition – can you get your guess just right?

We would love to see as many of you as possible to help us raise money for a fantastic cause!

#WakeUpWednesday

The 'WakeUpWednesday' guides empower and equip parents, carers and educators with the confidence and practical skills to be able to have informed and age-appropriate conversations with children about online safety, mental health and well-being, and climate change.

Each week we will post a relevant guide to support our school community's knowledge and understanding of how to keep safe online and new things to be aware of.

This week's online safety focus is 'Character AI'. Please click on the PDF to enlarge it.

Archived #WakeUpWednesday guides

character-ai.pdf

Weekly Awards

Rights Respecting Award

Let’s give a big cheer for this week’s Rights Respecting Award winners!

Our Rights Respecting Award winners have shown fantastic positive attitudes and a real commitment to making a difference. You’ve demonstrated what it means to be a Rights Respecting member of our school community. Keep leading by example and inspiring those around you!

Right Respecting Award Recipients 11.9.26

Going for Gold Champion

Next week, we’ll be celebrating our first ‘Going for Gold’ champions of the academic year! Keep up the fantastic effort, determination and hard work – you could be our next Gold superstar!

Going for Gold Champions 11.9.26

Times Table Rock Stars Update!

Next week, we’ll be celebrating our first Times Table Rock Stars MVPs of the academic year! Keep practising, keep challenging yourself and get ready to see who will be crowned our first MVPs!

TIMESTABLES ROCKSTARS

Attendance & Punctuality

Whole School Target 95% 🎯

Thank you!

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child attend school every day, on time and ready to learn.

Safeguarding

🛡️ Safeguarding 🛡️

We follow the latest statutory safeguarding guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026, to ensure:

All staff receive regular safeguarding training and understand their responsibilities
Children are kept safe every day through vigilant supervision and supportive relationships
We work closely with parents, carers and external agencies to protect children
Our safeguarding policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated

Mobile phones: We operate as a mobile phone-free environment during the school day to keep children safe and focused on learning.

Online safety: We have robust filtering and monitoring systems in place, which are reviewed at least once every academic year by our Senior Leadership Team and DSL.

If you have any concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead or any member of the senior leadership team (listed below) via the school office: office@vauxhallprimary.org.uk

It's always better to share a concern, even if you're unsure. Early conversations can make all the difference in keeping children safe.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):

Miss Bennett

Deputy DSLs:

Mrs Henry,
Mrs Coombs

Key information and resources:

📋 Our Child Protection Policy: Click here

💻 Online safety curriculum: View our SMART online safety overview

If you need support or have concerns outside school hours:

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
Childline: 0800 1111

Dates for the Diary

🎨Sip and Paint Parent Session -Tuesday 15th September 2026

📖Stay and Learn -Monday 5th October 2026

💬Parent/Carers' Evening -Thursday 15th October 2026

Oval Learning supports as many people as they can within their school communities including children, young people, parents and carers. Click here to find out more and for low cost no cost family activities this weekend

Article 31 (leisure, play and culture) Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

2026 / 27 -Term Dates

Contact Us

Vauxhall Primary School, Vauxhall Street , London, SE11 5LG

Call us: 020 7735 4535

Email us: office@vauxhallprimary.org.uk

Website: https://www.vauxhallprimary.org.uk/

Instagram: @vauxhallprimary

Any queries should be directed to the School Administrator

Any queries related to SEND please contact Mrs Coombs, school SENCO.

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