It’s been wonderful having 30 sixth formers from Saracens High School coming to read with 1:1 with our pupils on Wednesday afternoons.

The sixth form volunteers were trained by Mrs Tudorache and have shown much patience and maturity in helping our pupils progress with reading. It has also been wonderful to see how well our pupils have responded, as they look forward to reading with the ‘big kids’ in the hall each week.

Initiatives like these are one of the many benefits of belonging to the Saracens family and we look forward to exploring more ways to work together in the future.

We love welcoming parents into our school! This week we invited parents to a reading workshop led by Ms Zekiri.

Ms Zekiri introduced parents to ‘Reading Eggs,’ an award-winning online literacy platform for children aged 2–13 that blends game-based learning with proven instructional design. It teaches reading skills in a highly structured, step-by-step sequence, incorporating phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. After taking a placement test, each child works at their own level through interactive lessons, quizzes and decodable books. Progress is tracked via a parent/teacher dashboard, and children earn rewards along the way to keep them motivated. It’s a wonderful tool for helping children develop a lifelong love of reading.

During our session, the adults and the children had the opportunity to log on and use the platform. We will continue to champion reading in school and we’re thrilled that families are joining us by also championing reading at home.

Our Year 5 girls and boys football teams attended Bishop Douglass High School to participate in a day of football tournaments.

Despite there being over 20 schools, our boys made it all the way to the semi-finals!

A big well done to everyone for their dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Meet Simba, our beloved school dog!

Simba is a much-loved member of our school community, offering both comfort and connection to children and adults alike. One of his most important roles is supporting our weekly Reading to Simba sessions, where children from across the school spend time reading aloud to him. These sessions help build confidence, fluency, and a love of reading in a calm, non-judgmental space—Simba is always an encouraging listener!

Beyond reading, Simba also visits classrooms to support learning, especially in topics like animal care, dog-related stories, and understanding emotions. His gentle presence helps regulate emotions and reduce anxiety, making him a steady, reassuring friend.

Whether he’s helping in a lesson or simply relaxing in the main office, Simba is always just a stroke away.