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 Friday 22nd May 2026

Dear Families,

Organising the photographs of 409 children—individually, with siblings, in classes, and as a whole school—while navigating a packed schedule of concerts, German theatre, workshops and off-site trips (not to mention daily learning timetables) is no small feat. In truth, it demands planning of military precision, a calm head, and considerable flexibility.

My sincere thanks to Amy Teichman, Samer Moukarzel, and our pupil volunteers, whose organisation, energy and support ensured everything ran so smoothly this week.

Wishing you all wonderful half-terms. 

Schöne Feiertage!

Patrick 

Key messages:

*School starts back for the second half of the Summer Term on Monday, 1st June. 

*Please read below for updates on our Anti-Racism Work and key dates for Summer 2.

Stars of the Week and our new Head of School were announced in our assembly today; huge congratulations, Ms Sarah, we are all incredibly excited for you!

During assembly, we also discussed how to stay sun safe. 

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A message from Laura Green, our incoming Executive Headteacher for September: 

Dear families,  

I just wanted to write a short note to thank you all for the warm welcome I have received and to say how lovely it has been to meet some of you on the gates over the past few weeks. I feel incredibly honoured to be joining the team as we lead Judith Kerr into its next chapter. I am also absolutely thrilled to be working alongside Ms Sarah in her new role as Head of School, and I know you will join me in congratulating her on this well-deserved appointment.  

Although much of my time in school has been behind the scenes so far, I have already had the pleasure of seeing concerts in action, spending time in lessons and working closely with our leaders. Over the next seven weeks, I am very much looking forward to continuing to work alongside Mr Patrick, Ms Sarah and the wider team to learn even more about Judith Kerr and prepare for September, so that we can continue to build on all the wonderful things the school has achieved under Mr Patrick’s headship.  

Wishing you all a restful break, and I look forward to seeing many more of you soon.

☀️ GARDENING DAY - this SATURDAY, 23rd May 11am-3pm ☀️

🌱 12noon Kids Activity - We will collect some Hellebore seeds from the plants and sow them out together 🌱 

Please feel very welcome to join us and spend some enjoyable hours outside! Any 1/2 hour helps, and there is plenty to do.

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Update on our Anti-Racism work

As part of our ongoing anti-racism work, we invite you to review our Anti-Racism Policy. The document is open for consultation until Sunday 7 June. Please leave any comments/ feedback here. View the policy here - https://www.judithkerr.anthemtrust.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=402&type=pdf

After half-term, we will share a more comprehensive summary of the Anti-Racism work we have covered so far this year, alongside plans for the continuity of this work and an invitation to participate in the development of this work. 

In the meantime, we have the following sessions planned for Summer 2: 
For Parents and Carers - 
Normalising Conversation On Race Workshop (online) at 7pm on 18th June.
An online session to learn how to have compassionate and conscious conversations about race and identity at home. We will explore insights and approaches to support parents and carers to confidently  raise their children as fearless global citizens with positive attitudes about themselves and their multi-ethnic community.
For Staff - 
Somatics of Race workshop for staff members identifying as global majority Black and Brown - 9th June
Somatics of Race workshop for non-global majority Black and Brown staff members - 16th June

Music and JKPS

This week, we’ve been treated to two wonderful showcase concerts. On Wednesday afternoon, Years 3 and 4 delighted families with their recorder and ukulele performances. Then this morning, the top floor hall was filled with a vibrant carnival atmosphere as Years 5 and 6 showcased their steel pans, violins and impressive singing.

Music has always been an important part of life at JKPS, and we are incredibly grateful to Mr Aiden for leading and inspiring the children’s musical journey. It was a real pleasure to see and hear how much progress they have made, as well as the enthusiasm, dedication and joy they bring to their performances.

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What's been happening in school 

The children in Years 2 to 4 loved their German theatre and drama workshops this week. The sessions were full of fun and laughter and were a real treat for all you took part. Vielen Dank @Anna from https://www.waeschekorbtheater.com/, we hope to see you again next year!

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Eco School launched the week with informative assemblies about the IMPORTANCE of walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling to school.

In classes, we discussed the benefits to ACTIVE travel and how it helps our physical and mental health.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part, and to Celeste, Jane, Ms Natalie and the incredible team of incredible volunteers and enthusiasts supporting this very important cause for our planet. Remember, keep walking!

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On Tuesday, as part of National numeracy week, KS2 took part in a maths workshop run by Rob Eastaway all to do with maths problem solving. The children learnt how to use prime numbers to hide a character, which letters were symmetrical and how to become a mind reader by guessing a number in some ones head!

Why not look at the National Numeracy website for tips on how to improve your child's confidence with maths, or have a look back at previous newsletters to solve Ms Ellie's maths mistakes. 

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Year 1 loved their immersive visit to a Gurdwara on Tuesday, thank you to VJ for being so generous and welcoming! 

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Year 1 looked at artist Brianna McCarthy who specialized in using fabric and magazines to make impressive collages of striking portraits. Year 1 used magazines to do a multi-media portrait! 

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Coming soon... ONE ANTHEM, MANY STORIES...Fundraising Day
FRIDAY, 3 JULY

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/anthem-aspire

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SEND Updates

Accessibility Pathway

We are delighted that plans are now well advanced for the installation of a new pathway in our Green Space, ensuring the area becomes accessible to all pupils. We expect the work to take place over the summer break.

Thank you to everyone who has championed this important improvement and helped drive the project forward. We are especially grateful to Donncha for his invaluable expertise and support in bringing the vision for greater inclusivity closer to reality.

 Sensory Room

Following successful fundraising in collaboration with the Friends of JKPS, and its installation earlier this year, our Sensory Room has moved from a soft launch to increasing use by a wide range of pupils. It is now becoming an important part of our inclusive provision. Sensory rooms are increasingly recognised in primary schools as a valuable way to support children’s self-regulation, helping them to manage sensory input, reduce anxiety and return to learning more settled and ready.

We now have a structured timetable in place to ensure equitable access for classes and targeted groups, alongside more flexible, ad hoc use to support individual children when they need a calm space to regulate their emotions and re-engage with learning.

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Attendance

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School attendance is mandatory for all students of compulsory school age. Whilst we understand that it isn't always possible to reach 100% attendance, we are fully committed to ensuring the highest levels of attendance to ensure we enable every student to meet their potential.  

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Friends' Corner

Congratulations to Ms Sarah on her new role, we look forward to working with her as she takes on leadership of the school.

We are also pleased to share that the Early Years playground project is really starting to take shape. Works have now been booked in to begin during the last week of the summer term and will continue through the first two weeks of the summer holidays. This exciting development will create improved spaces for our incoming Reception and Nursery classes, alongside a substantial upgrade to the current outdoor learning and reading huts.

Now that this phase is underway, we can begin focusing on the next stage of our wider outdoor improvements, including the MUGA and all-weather enhancements to the remaining outdoor spaces.

To support this, a topographical survey has been commissioned for this half term. This will allow the current feasibility plans to be developed in greater detail, thanks to the generous professional input of Donncha and other parents,  and enable further discussion and fine-tuning of the proposal together with the SLT, Anthem, the Dulwich Estates, and Southwark Council as we work to progress the project through the next stages and, ideally, towards a swift delivery.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to improve our outdoor spaces for all children.

Launch of Oktoberfest: we are back on 19th September with wurst, bier, music and good times! We are pleased to offer a community sponsorship option for local businesses who want to support the event. Please keep your eye on Whatsapp Groups for more information.

Get Ready for Sports Day! We are excited that Sports Day will be held on 11 June 2026, from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm. We are looking for approximately 20 parent volunteers to help the day run smoothly. Ideally, having 2- 3 volunteers per year group would be a fantastic support for the students.

Please book the day off if you are keen sports day person and  keep an eye on your inbox/WhastApp , as we will be sending out new signup links early next week. Many employers offer volunteering days for such things.

Thank you in advance for your help in making this a memorable day for the children.

Estate Agent Boards: Thank you to everyone who signed up for an Estate Agent Board, this is one of the easiest ways we have to raise £1k as many hands make light work. Thank you to all.

Forward Look:

🐛 23rd May - Gardening Day (11am-3pm)

⚕️ 4th June ( 6:30-8:30pm) - First Aid Training for Adults

🪇 13th June - JKPS Summer Festival

⛺ 20th/21st June - Years 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6 camping

🌳 28th June - Gardening Day (11am-3pm)

⛺ 3rd/4th/5th July - Year 4 camping

⛺ 4th/5th July - Reception camping

🪏 12th July - Gardening Day (11am-3pm) Transition and New Families Special

🍻 19th September - Oktoberfest

🏮 13th November - St Martin Lantern Walk

🎄 5th December - St Nikolaus Tag Fair

Key Dates

Year Group/ performance

Date

Year 3/4 Instruments/ Choir Performance for Parents/Carers

2:30pm Wednesday, 20th May

Year 5/6 Instruments/ Choir Performance for Parents/Carers

9:00am Friday, 22nd May

Nursery

9:15am Friday12th June

Reception

9:15am Tuesday 16th June

Year 1 & Year 2 Singing Performance to parents/carers

9:15am Friday 19th June

Year 4 Production

9:15am Friday 26th June

Year 5 Production

9:15am Friday 3rd July

Rocksteady Concerts

Wednesday 8th July/ Thursday 9th July

Year 3 Production

9:15am Friday 10th July

Year 6 Graduation

4:00pm Thursday 16th July

Key dates coming up:

Half-Term                                                          Monday 25th May - Friday 29th May

Y4 Multiplication Tables Checks                                                    1st June - 12th June  

Y1 Phonics Screening Check                                                                       w/c 8th June

JKPS Sports Day                                                                                  Thursday 11th June

JKPS Summer Festival                                                                      Saturday 13th June

Refugee Week                                                                                             w/c 15th June

Year 6 Residential                                                                                      w/c 29th June 

Year 5 Bikeability                                                           w/c 29th June and w/c 6th June

Summer Fun Day!                                                                              Thursday 16th July

Year 6 Graduation                                                                              Thursday 16th July

End of Summer Term at 2pm                                                            Friday 17th July

 

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