Dear families,

Re: End of Term Letter – December 2024

It has been a great start to the academic year at Leytonstone School. Our year 7 pupils in particular have made a fantastic start and are settling well into life in secondary school. Pupils have been working hard and making good progress in all areas of school life. We are particularly proud of the high levels of engagement in extra-curricular, enrichment activities this term, with many pupils attending afterschool clubs, work experience placements, careers fairs, representing the school in sports fixtures, and attending a wide range of trips across London and the wider area. Please look out for our termly newsletter which will be shared with families next week to give you a glimpse at some of the amazing work and opportunities our pupils have been engaging in. I must say a big well-done to Ms Middleton and all of year 7 for their charity drive, raising well over £2k for toys and games for Whipps Cross Hospital and Great Ormond Street’s children’s wards, and a final reminder of tonight’s much-awaited ‘Panto In A Hurry’ for those lucky ticket holders!
Our school attendance is above the national average in all year groups, with end-of-term assessments showing that pupils are making good progress towards their aspirational targets. Year 10 students have made an impressive start to their GCSE courses and year 9 will be engaging in the important process of choosing their options in the new year. Year 11 have achieved some strong results in their recent mock exams and we look forward to an impressive set of results and destinations in the summer. Pupils in all year groups will receive an individual progress report at the end of next week. All year groups will have a parents’ evening in the coming months where you will have an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please contact your child’s Head of Year.

Christmas School Dinner
A reminder that pupils will be able to have a Christmas dinner (including a vegan option) at school on Wednesday 18th December at lunch-time. To support the catering team in this effort, the usual lunch menu will be suspended, with the break-time menu and take-out options also being reduced.

End of Term Arrangements
The last day of term for pupils will be Thursday 19th December. Though the length of the school day will be slightly reduced, we will continue our learning until the very end, so
please ensure your child attends school fully equipped for learning in periods 1-3. Pupils will be dismissed from 12pm, after an early lunch.
To celebrate the end of term, festive season and to support our charitable efforts, on the 19th, pupils will be able to wear a Christmas jumper, or a red or green coloured jumper/top for a donation of £1, collected by form tutors on the day. Funds raised will be shared between Save the Children and the Year 11 Prom Committee.

Term Dates
The spring term will begin on Tuesday 7th January with pupils expected at the usual time of 8:40am. A reminder that all other term dates for this academic year can be found on the school website; please ensure any holidays are planned outside of term-time to support your child’s learning.

Term dates are yet to be finalised for the academic year 2025/26, but to support summer holiday planning, I can confirm that Tuesday 2nd September will be for year 7 only, with the first pupil-day for years 8-11 being Wednesday 3rd September.
It leaves me only to wish families celebrating a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all!

Your sincerely,
Mr J Onyelekere
Headteacher

A printable PDF version of the above can be viewed below.

Christmas Raffle 2024