Headteacher's Message
Firstly, a big thank you to the KG Circle who organised such a fantastic Winter Fair on Friday. It was wonderful to see so many of you there. It was a brilliant community event and has also raised much needed funds for the school, for which we are incredibly grateful.
As you may know, these continue to be challenging times in education. Despite our excellent results, well above the national average, we are experiencing a falling roll, reflecting the wider drop in school-aged children across London and particularly here in Lewisham. As always, we will respond to these challenges with care and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that every child continues to receive the very best education at Kelvin Grove.
Over the past week we have also seen a number of sickness bugs circulating, which has had a noticeable impact on attendance. Last week’s attendance sat at 91.5%, well below both our usual average of 93.5% and our target of 95%. Please do ensure your child attends school on time each day unless they are genuinely too unwell to be here; every day in school really does make a difference.
Some year groups have already held their Stay and Share sessions, and it has been a joy to welcome parents and carers into classrooms. The children have been so excited to create crafts, sing festive songs and share the learning they are proud of this term. Events like these play an important part in strengthening the connection between home and school, a partnership that is central to your child’s educational journey with us.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our remaining winter events over the next couple of weeks. Please do read notifications carefully and check the website for key dates and times.
Winter Events
⬅️Please do check the School Calendar for a reminder of all festive event dates, including class parties, and check the Key Winter Dates letters sent previously.
Christmas Jumper Days
We have Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children this Thursday 11th December, donations are welcome but not mandatory for your child to join in with their festive jumpers. 
Attendance Reminder
A reminder if your child is absent, please let us know before 9:30am either by completing the online form or calling the school office.
Absence Form
If your child is absent for more than one day, please contact us each day, unless it is part of a long-term illness already discussed with school.
Please note that holidays during term time cannot be authorised.
If you need to request an exceptional absence, please submit the form and arrange to meet with Mr Hyde to discuss it:
Exceptional Absence Request Form
Thank you for helping us support strong attendance, it really does make a difference.
Stay and Shares
It’s been wonderful welcoming so many parents and carers into school for our Year 2, 3, 4 and 5 Stay & Share sessions. From winter crafts to shared reading, the classrooms have been full of creativity, laughter and connection. These moments truly strengthen our school community.
We’re looking forward to welcoming Reception families this Thursday (11th), Year 6 on Friday (12th) and Nursery, Year 1 and Rainbow Class next week.
School Council
Bikeability for Year 6 will be starting in the new year, including a visit from Dr Bike on Wednesday 7th January 2026 to ensure bikes are safe to ride. While Year 6 bikes will have priority to be checked first ahead of their Bikeability course, all children are welcome to bring in their bikes to be made road safe by Dr. Bike on this day.
Play
This week, School Council talked about what makes playtimes fun. Crates remain a firm favourite—perfect for imaginative play! Children love creating pipe people, building ball runs, making puddles to jump in, and designing their own dens. It’s fantastic to see so much creativity outdoors.
Writing Competition
We’re thrilled to launch our first Winter Wonderland Writing Competition! Pupils can choose one of four snowy-themed images and write a short story or poem inspired by it; magical creatures, frosty adventures, festive mysteries… let your imagination sparkle!
All entries should be brought to Miss Horgan in Copper Class by Monday 15th December, and winning stories /poems will be published in the school newsletter. Wrap up warm, pick up your pencil, and start writing—good luck, storytellers!
Getting Outdoors
This term has been full of incredible outdoor learning experiences across the school. Year 4 loved their brilliant days out at Surrey Docks Farm, discovering how a real working city farm runs and getting up close to the animals. Year 5 have also been out exploring our local area, taking a walk through Sydenham to search for signs of Blitz bombings still visible in the streets today; a powerful way to bring their history learning to life.
Alongside this, children in Year 1 have been thriving in Forest School sessions, developing teamwork, problem-solving skills and confidence while building, exploring and learning in nature. What a wonderful term of hands-on, enriching experiences!
See more from the trips in this week’s Class News ⤵️
Picasso Take Over
Our whole-school art project this term has been a huge success! Children from Nursery to Year 6 have been diving into the vibrant world of Pablo Picasso, exploring his bold portraiture style and playful collage techniques. Inspired by his work, children have been busy creating their own expressive self-portrait collages using layered shapes, contrasting colours and lots of imagination.
The results have been fantastic! A true showcase celebration of creativity, individuality and artistic confidence across the entire school.
Wicked Art Competition
Fellow Ozians!
A reminder before the end of term about Into Film’s exciting competition for all young artists; Welcome to Oz!
Into Film want children Design a thrilling poster for the magical land of Oz, complete with a catchy slogan to invite everyone to visit.
Prizes✨
Grand Prize: LEGO® Wicked Welcome to Emerald City set + Wicked: For Good merchandise bundle
Two Runners-Up: LEGO® Wicked sets + film merchandise bundles
How to Enter: If you haven’t already, collect your entry sheets from Miss Gibbs and return your completed poster to her by Wednesday, 7th January 2026.
Amazing Alumni!
We love celebrating the successes of our former pupils, and this week we are thrilled to shine a light on Alice, one of our talented KG alumni!
Alice first discovered her love of crochet in Year 5 when Ms Khan taught her the basics. Since then, she has taken that spark of creativity and turned it into a fantastic small business. From adorable amigurumi animals to beautifully crafted keepsakes, her work has truly taken off.
Many of you will have spotted Alice at our Winter Fair last Friday, where she completely sold out! A huge hit with children and adults alike!
We’re incredibly proud of her hard work and creativity. If you’d like to see more of Alice’s wonderful makes, you can browse her Etsy store here: AliceMakesStore.
A huge thank you to Ms Khan for inspiring such a brilliant creative journey!
Communication Reminder
All emails should be sent to the school office via the main admin inbox: admin@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
This ensures your message is seen promptly and directed to the appropriate member of staff without delay. This is especially important if you are trying to reach your child’s class teacher, as it allows us to ensure a timely and appropriate response. The admin email should also be used if you would like to contact Mr Hyde, or Mr Clark.
Please note that any year group email addresses provided in curriculum letters are for home learning purposes only and are not monitored for general enquiries or absence reporting.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Dallas Road Parking
We’ve recently received several concerns about cars parking on the pavement along Dallas Road. When the pavement is blocked (even partially) families, buggies, and children are forced onto the road, which becomes especially dangerous near the tight bend.
Please help us keep everyone safe by parking responsibly and leaving pavements clear at all times. And as the weather gets colder, we kindly ask drivers to avoid engine idling by the playground, those few minutes make a real difference to air quality for our children.
Thank you for doing your part to keep our school community safe and considerate.
Lost Property
This helps us to return any lost and found items quickly to their rightful owner/s. This is especially important during these winter weeks where children have lots of extra clothing.
Please speak to the School Office or Mrs Jupp about lost property. All unnamed lost property will kept for a term, any unclaimed items will be sent to the local charity shop to benefit our wider school community.
Pre-loved school uniform is also available from The Upcycled Uniform Shop – in addition to our official school uniform provider Wearabouts in Sydenham.
Highlights from Class
Reception Class News
Reception have had a fantastic week both indoors and out, embracing the colder weather with curiosity and enthusiasm. From exploring new activities to diving into playful
Year 2 Stay & Share
Year 2’s Winter Stay & Share was a joy! Children loved creating crafts with their grown-ups and were so proud to share their learning from this
Year 4’s Farmyard Adventure!
Year 4 had a brilliant time visiting Surrey Docks Farm as part of our “Farm to Fork” topic. Surrey Docks Farm is a working city farm
Year 1: Creative Car Designers! 🚗💨
We have been very busy in our Design and Technology lessons this week! The children have been working incredibly hard to design and make their very
Year 5’s TFL Workshop
Year 5 took part in a brilliant Road Safety workshop led by TFL this week. The children learned how to stay safe as pedestrians, cyclists and
Traces of History: Year 5’s Local Walk in Sydenham
Year 5 stepped back in time this week during a fascinating local walk through Sydenham, turning their eyes to the streets for clues of World War
Year 6 Making Blood!
We’ve been getting hands-on (and a little bit messy!) in Science this week. To help us understand what flows through our veins, we created our very
Year 3 Tackle Tag Rugby
We’ve been having great fun in PE this term tackling Tag Rugby! We have been working well in pairs to practise our defence skills and focusing
Letters sent home
Rainbow Class Winter Events
Emerald Class Update
Nethercott Parent Meeting Information
Year 1 Winter Stay and Share, Monday 15th December, 8:45am – 9:15am
Festive Dinner and Jumper Day – Wednesday 17th December
Year 5 Winter Stay and Share, Thursday 4th December, 2:15pm
Year 6 Winter Parent Stay and Share Friday 12th December 2025
Year 6 Heart Dissection Workshop
After-School Piano Club – Spring 2026
Piano, Guitar and Ukulele Lessons – Spring 2026
Year 1 Phonics Parent Workshop 25/11
Governors' and Friends News
The Governors
The Governors will be holding their Full Governing Body meeting this week, on Thursday 11th December. It’s a packed agenda, but one of the most important and pressing issues we will be discussing is attendance. Our attendance levels need to improve as a school, and you will have noticed that we have started publishing attendance by year group in this newsletter.
We cannot stress enough how vital it is that children are in school, on time, every day. Lost learning has been consistently shown to correlate with poorer outcomes for children. We want every child to be in school, thriving and happy, and if you are struggling with attendance, please do speak to your class teacher in the first instance, there are ways we can help.
Finally, a huge thank you to the KG Circle for organising such a brilliant Winter Fair on Friday. It was a fantastic community event and very much appreciated by the whole school.
A reminder that Parent Governor elections will be held after Christmas, and we look forward to welcoming new members to the team. If you are interested and would like to find out more about becoming part of the Governing Body, please do get in touch at governors@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
The KG Circle
Well done to Sam in Ochre who was closest to guessing the number of baubles. He guessed 50 and the answer was 52. If you weren’t there for the raffle, the raffle winners are here. Please come to the office to collect your prize.
We have some stock left over – so if you are in need of a sweet treat (all vegan) or some festive gifts. Please come and see us in the Main Playground after school on Thursday 11th December. All our items are under a fiver and profits go directly to the KG Circle.
Your festive card orders will be distributed out to your children this week. If you are yet to receive them please contact us via email.
We are currently tidying up our the Winter Fair but will be in touch before the end of term with our exciting plans for Spring. It sounds like these might include Movie Time, Bake Sales and a couple of other surprises.
In the meantime, you can fundraise for the KG Circle via easyfundraising. There are over 8,000 retailers on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds. All you need to do is: 1. Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/kelvingrovecharitabletrust/ and join for free. 2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping. 3. After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to Kelvin Grove Charitable Trust at no extra cost to you whatsoever! There are no catches or hidden charges and Kelvin Grove Charitable Trust will be really grateful for your donations.
Thanks for all your support to date,
Sam, Emily, Kerrin, Mariam, Sara, Anita, Rebecca and Einat
Join our Facebook Page or contact us pta@kelvingrove.lewisham.sch.uk
Community News
Kids Support Tree
If you are in need of any upcycled uniform, please fill out the form below using the link here. We will get back to you regarding your request as soon as possible.
We are currently accepting donations of the following items:
Red School Jumpers/Cardigans (branded or non-branded)
Grey Trousers
PE Kits (Plain White T-shirts, Black or Grey Jogging Bottoms)
We are desperately in need of clothes hangers!
Please leave any donations with the School Office. Thank You!
#KST #GIVEBACK
Christmas In Sydenham!
With a whole host of events planned, there’s something ghoulishly great for everyone:
🎃 Parade of ghosts and ghouls 4.00pm – 5.00pm in the hight street 🧛
🎃 Fancy Dress Competition 5.00pm at the Sydenham Centre, 44a Sydenham Road, SE26 5QX
🎃 Tour the House of Horrors, 4.00pm – 7.00pm at the Poodle Club, £2 per person with proceeds going to Lewisham’s Food Bank
🎃 Dramatic Reading of Funny Bones, 6.00pm in St. Barts Graveyard 🪦 with Hot Chocolate served ☕
🎃 Haunted House Party, 7.00pm till Late at the Poodle Club, £10 Finger buffet, with a prize for the Best Fancy Dress! 🧛
Please click the flyer to enlarge for more details.
Havelock Walk Open Studios
💷 Cost: Free Entry
📍 Location: Havelock Walk Studios, 14 London Rd, London SE23 3JA
We can’t wait to welcome you all to our studio in December.
Art, craft, music, food and festive fun! 🌟
See a list of Artists and Makers over on our website: www.havelockwalkstudios.com/ or Instagram: @HavelockWalk
Crystal Palace Market
Seasonal fruit and veg. Organic farm butchers. Fresh fish. Locally baked bread. Small batch cakes and biscuits. Cheeses. Farm made pies. Charcuterie. Olives. Pasta. SAUCES. VEGAN CHEESES. Biltong. KIMCHI. Raw honey. BONE BROTH. Olive Oils. Natural wines. Craft beer.
AWARD WINNING STREET FOOD
Open every Sunday from 10.00am – 3.00pm.
Stay up to date through our online channels
Where: Crystal Palace Park
Thicket Rd, London SE19 2GA
Family Craft Saturdays at Horniman
Get stuck into some crafts and have fun with Horniman’s wonderful volunteers at these free, drop-in sessions.
When: Saturdays
Time: 2.00pm- 4.00pm (last entry 3:30pm)
Tickets: Free
Please note there will be no Family Craft Saturdays on 29th November.
Perfect for children aged 3 and above. (Children must be accompanied by an adult).
Handprint Penguins 6th December
Celebrate winter wildlife by turning handprints into little penguins. A fun, creative way for children to learn about animals that thrive in icy, snowy, places.
Paper chain characters 13th December
Build your own snowman or reindeer with some winter magic and turn paper chains into winter characters for you to decorate your home.
Please note there will be no Family Craft Saturdays on 20th and 27th December 2025, and 3rd January 2026.
Location: Education Centre – near the entrance
Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ
Knit and Natter
Every Saturday at Sydenham Library, the Knit & Natter circle comes together to knit (or crochet, sew, stitch, embroider…) and also, and much more importantly, to natter.
Led by Wendy, this is a friendly group of like-minded crafty souls, and a fixture in the library’s week. Bring your own projects along and get some advance, admire other people’s handiwork, and swap tips and stories.
Knit & Natter is free and there is no need to book. However spaces at the library are extremely limited at the moment, so it may be worth calling ahead on 020 8778 1753.
Knit & Natter run a second weekly session at Ignition Brewery from 2.00pm-4.00pm on a Thursday, which currently has more spaces available.
Open every Saturday from 11.00am – 1.00pm or alternatively on Thursdays from 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Knit & Natter runs every Saturday except when the library is closed – please do check around holiday times, etc.
Where:Sydenham Library
210 Sydenham Rd, London SE26 5SE
Horniman Market
Alongside food stalls, you’ll find body care, clothing, jewellery, design and craft; most are locally produced, ethical and many use environmentally friendly materials, natural and organic ingredients.
Join us on 30th November for a seasonal special edition of the Horniman Market! Stock up on Christmas presents and treat yourself to some seasonal foods.
The last market of 2025 will take place on 21st December. We will return in 2026 on 11th January.
Open every Sunday from 10.00am – 3.00pm.
Discover a hidden treasure at Second-hand Sundays. From vinyl to clothes, toys to homewares, there’s something for everyone.
Second-hand Sundays take place alongside our Sunday Market.
Where: Horniman Gardens
Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ
Family Design Challenge - Young V&A
Family Design Challenge is an opportunity for the whole family with children 3-14 years old to get hands-on and creative with a variety of materials. Run every second Saturday in Open Studio in the Design Gallery, please see below for dates and themes. Sessions are timed drop-in and last approximately 30mins, please note last entry is around 3.30pm.
Location: Open Studio, Design Gallery
Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road
Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA
Price: Free
See more information online here
Family Events at Tate
Tate Modern
Uniqlo Tate Playmake Studio, The Joy of Not Knowing
Let your imagination run wild with a variety of hands-on activities for the whole family, all using recycled materials sourced right from within our galleries. You’ll be encouraged to imagine and explore magical futures by creating props and costumes made from sensory, re-purposed materials. There’s something for everyone!
Perfect for artists of all ages, including our tiniest creators aged 5 and under.
On Wednesdays, we offer special activities just for them featuring themed storybooks, sensory exploration and more. Using everyday materials and objects we’ll explore new ways of seeing the world and create fresh, joyful perspectives.
Please note that you may be asked to queue at busy times.
See the webpage for more details.
Days and Time: Every weekend and Fridays
All the family: Saturday – Sunday at 10.30am – 6.00pm (Last entry 45 minutes before event finishes.)
Price: Free
Tate Britain
Play Studio
Try on a cape, climb through a tunnel and play peekaboo using artist-designed play items, in this mid-week Play Studio Pop-up for under 5s.
This pop-up was designed in collaboration with India Harvey.
23rd May 2025 at 10.30am–5.00pm
Dress-up, move and play with different ways of expressing yourself through performance, music and making in our creative learning space for children, young people and families.
Inspired by the ways artists portray themselves and others, Play Studio: POSE by Harold Offeh invites you to react to artwork at Tate Britain in your own way, while discovering something new about yourself in the process.
Make something together inspired by the stories you’ve encountered in the galleries, or relax with under 5s next to the sand trays, collections of objects and books.
Visit the Play Studio page for full details
Days and Time: Open every weekend and Fridays during term-time from 10.00am – 5.00pm.
Location: Learning Gallery. Entry via Manton or Millbank Entrance
Price: Free