I had the pleasure of meeting with our School Council yesterday. A wonderful group of children who have been elected by the pupils in each year group to represent them and give children a voice in sharing the future of the school.

The topics we talked about were school dinners, not just the quality of the food, but about logistics and timings. We spoke about children’s toilets, about the possibility of refurbishment and the ideas they had for making sure students used them respectfully. We spoke about the playgrounds and equipment, about the curriculum and the opportunities it afforded them. We also had a discussion about clubs and the range of extended provision available.

They also mentioned the hall floors in Paxton and the dinner hall and how they limited the activities we could do. I explained that we were currently working with Lewisham Council as to how we can ensure the floors are replaced so they are fit for the purpose of sport, gymnastics and drama.

There was a real drive from the children about wanting to be a part of shaping the school’s future and a real understanding of finances leading to choices. I look forward to meeting the School Council again in January.

The next two weeks will be incredibly busy for us all. We will still celebrate Christmas but our shows will be videoed and available on the website.

Please be aware that the number of COVID cases is steadily rising again. If a member of your household shows any symptoms (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) – please ensure that you get a PCR test, lateral flow tests are less accurate. If you are alerted to the fact that any member of your household has the new variant ‘Omicron’, then the whole family should isolate and children should not attend school. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation with this.