Friday 3rd July 2026

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This week's letter from Mrs Mayers...

Dear Parents and Carers

As we approach the end of the school year, I want to share some important staffing updates and wave some well-deserved hellos and goodbyes across our school community.

First, we bid a very fond farewell to Ms Webster, our Year 6 teacher, who is leaving us after ten wonderful years at our school. She has been a pillar of our community, and we thank her immensely for her dedication and wish her the absolute best for her future endeavours.

We also share our warmest congratulations with Ms Thorn, who will be leaving us temporarily to have a baby at the end of September. During Ms Thorn’s absence, Miss Ogston, will be stepping up as our Deputy Head and SENCo. Miss Ogston has successfully carried out this role twice before during my own maternity leave, so we know the school’s leadership and SEND provision remain in incredibly experienced and capable hands.

We are absolutely delighted to welcome back Miss Richards, who returns from her maternity leave next week. She will be easing back into school life before returning on a part-time basis in September. We will also be welcoming back Ms Holmes as our Nursery Midday Meal Supervisor in September.

With Ms Webster leaving and Miss Ogston stepping into a leadership role, we have been busy recruiting to ensure our classes are fully supported. We are thrilled to welcome two fantastic new teachers to our teaching team this September: Ms Gifford and Ms Seward. In addition, we have recruited an extra teaching assistant to further support our children's learning, so a huge welcome to Ms Lowe, who has been volunteering at our school for some time but will be joining the SWOY team officially in September.

Next week, the children will have their 'Meet the Teacher' session to spend some time with their new teachers and get a feel for their next milestone. Please find the full list of teachers and class allocations for the upcoming academic year below.

Warm regards

Hayley Mayers (Headteacher)

Teachers for September 2026

Nursery: Ms Gifford

Reception: Miss Dempsey

Year 1: Miss Richards (Mondays) & Ms Rolt (Tuesday - Friday)

Year 2: Mrs Meara

Year 3: Mrs Hazelton

Year 4: Ms Seward

Year 5: Mr Mayers

Year 6: Mr Taylor

Moments from our week

01 Jul 2026

Yr5 at the Alex Yee Triathlon

Year 5 Shine at the Alex Yee Triathlon!

19 Jun 2026

SWOY Day Picnic

Sunshine and Smiles: Celebrating Our Feast Day with the SWOY Day Picnic!

Friday Club with Mrs Mayers

This week's Friday Club was... Olivia, Steffan, Chimamanda, Andrei and Khalif

Well done to all of you! You have been recognised for being ACE and for consistently going 'over and above'

Our Makaton Sign of the Week is...

Our Rights Respecting School Article of the Week is...

Article 29 - AIms of Education

We have been thinking about sporting values and how education helps us to be the best we can be. Sport teaches us courage, perseverance and independence.

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This term has been a busy and exciting one for all our LAMDA pupils, and we would like to congratulate every student on their hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm in Speech and Drama classes.

Throughout the term, pupils have shown great dedication as they prepared for and completed their LAMDA examinations. Learning and performing poetry and prose pieces requires confidence, perseverance, and creativity, and we are incredibly proud of the progress that all of our pupils have made. Taking a LAMDA exam is a wonderful achievement, and every pupil should be proud of the effort they have put into their preparation and performance. Results will be given out in September in our first lesson back.

We would also like to take this opportunity once again say a huge congratulations to those pupils who represented the school at The Bromley Festival of Music and Speech. SWOY pupils performed incredibly well and should be feel very proud of themselves.

A further highlight was our recent LAMDA Showcase where students had the opportunity to perform for family and friends. The showcase was a fantastic celebration of the talent, confidence, and creativity developed through LAMDA lessons. From expressive performances to polished speaking skills, every student contributed to a memorable and enjoyable event.

Well done to all of our LAMDA students for a year! We are extremely proud of everything you have accomplished and look forward to seeing your continued success and development in September. Keep up the fantastic work!

If you are interested in developing your child’s confidence and communication skills through LAMDA classes with us, please email info@storyboxdrama.co.uk for a sign up form.

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swoyschoolse23 View Post

As we count down SWOYFEST, we'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to our amazing local donors for their generous donations and support. Your kindness is helping make our fair extra special, and we couldn't do it without you! Keep an eye on our page over the next few days as we reveal more amazing prizes and give a shout-out to the generous local businesses helping make our School Fair possible! #SWOY #Stwilliamofyork #Catholicprimaryschool #Selondon #Lewisham #Foresthill #SE23 #education #SWOYFEST #Schoolfair

1 day ago

School Information / Reminders

Key Information for Next Week

Yr5 Cycle Training

If you have signed your child up, please bring their bike and helmet in on Monday 6th July for the week to enable them to complete their cycle training levels 1 and 2.

Gentle Reminders

Please make sure you have completed the form for your child to attend Sports Day.

Sports Day will be held on Wednesday 15th July at Catford Cyphers Cricket Club. It will run from 11am until 12.30pm. You may take your children home after the sporting activities have concluded.

If you have not yet completed the form, please click on the links below. Please make sure you complete the correct form for your child's year group so that the information goes to your child's class teacher.

Reception Sports Day Form

Yr1 Sports Day Form

Yr2 Sports Day Form

Yr3 Sports Day Form

Yr4 Sports Day Form

Yr5 Sports Day Form

Yr6 Sports Day Form

Parents and Carers are Invited to Join Us

On: Wednesday 8th July

At: 2pm

In: School Hall

For: Rocksteady Concert

News and Updates

Our Yr6 Leavers' Play is fast approaching.

The children will be performing on Tuesday 14th July at 2pm and again at 6pm.

Please do join us if you can!

Congratulations

If your child has achieved something and you would like us to share it in the newsletter, please email a brief summary to the school office.

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Welcome to LAMDA lessons at St. William of York Primary School run by Storybox Drama

Our aim is to empower as many children as possible by giving them the confidence to become strong communicators, performers and storytellers. This leaflet will introduce you to what is involved in LAMDA lessons. Our primary aim is to encourage and develop confidence and communication skills in our pupils and we do this by introducing them to a range of poetry across the year.

At the heart of LAMDA examinations is the recognition that the qualifications are for everyone. Across the globe, the examinations unite learners of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and cultures in enthusiasm for the English language and a desire to develop skills for life.

Lessons cost £13 per pupil per session and parents are invoiced termly. To terminate lessons, a full half term’s notice is required in writing. If you would like to sign your child up for our lessons, please complete the BOOKING FORM HERE.

For any questions, please contact info@storyboxdrama.co.uk. Please do have a look at our lovely new website www.storyboxdrama.co.uk

Topmark Wraparound Care, which will be launching at St William of York Catholic Primary School from September 2026.

Our vision for the club is simple - children thrive when they are engaged in activities they genuinely enjoy.

With this in mind, we will be offering an exciting and varied programme each day. Children can look forward to taking part in a wide range of sports, including Football, Basketball, Hockey and Tennis, alongside exciting activities such as Archery and Fencing. Arts & Crafts will continue to play a key role in our sessions, while children who enjoy performing will have opportunities to take part in Dance, Music and Karaoke. Every session will be designed to provide a balance of fun, creativity, physical activity and relaxation.

Club Information

Breakfast Club

7:30am – 9:00am
£6.00 per day

After School Club

3:15pm – 6:00pm
£14.00 per day
£65.00 per week

Registration & Booking

To help us prepare for our September launch, we encourage all families to pre-register through our online booking system, iPAL (via Parent Zone on our website).

Creating your account now means you'll be ready when bookings officially open in August 2026. Once you've registered, we'll contact you as soon as bookings go live so you can secure your child's place.

We are genuinely excited to begin this new chapter with St William of York and look forward to welcoming your children to Topmark Wraparound Care. We can't wait to create a fun, engaging and nurturing environment where every child can start and finish their school day with a smile.

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