Dear parents,

This is the last edition of the Patten Pages this year and the 200^th edition! I do hope you enjoy reading it each fortnight as it really does reflect the life of the school. A special thank you to Rita, who collates all the articles and puts it together. Personally, I think it is the best newsletter out there, but I might be a bit biased J

I would like to take this opportunity to say a sincere thank you to the WP staff team for all their hard work this term. The entire team, regardless of their job title, play such an important part in making our school the unique and special place it is. Absences have been very challenging again this term, but from the outside you would never know and that is down to the strength of our team and their determination to make sure that the quality of education is uncompromising. We are incredibly fortunate to have staff who are committed to ensuring our children are happy, enjoy coming to school, enjoy learning, have fun and feel valued.

The teachers go above and beyond when it comes to planning lessons, ensuring that learning is accessible and exciting, as well as being supported by trips and additional activities. I know how hard they work and how they care about the wellbeing of the whole child. Our support staff are also fabulous. TAs support children’s learning in class and also work very hard at playtime and lunchtime. The office team have the answer to everything and are always so kind and patient with everyone! The site and cleaning teams ensure our school is always clean and sparkly and the kitchen team prepare over 1000 meals weekly, from scratch. Wow! A number of teams, but all hugely committed to WP and working to the same goal. Thank you.

What a team we have indeed and as I have said before that team includes our families. It was wonderful to welcome so many of you last week to the performances (over 750 people in total!) and your support of events like this, your support when we need adults to accompany us on trips or suggesting projects we might be interested in, offering words of encouragement or feedback mean we are working together towards the common aim of making our school the best it can be. Thank you to all our WP families. You are amazing and also play a huge part in making our school unique.

I have been privileged to give out numerous Headteacher Awards this term, as children are working so hard, both academically and in terms of their relationships, positive attitudes and kindness towards others. Walking round school and speaking with our lovely children is a joy. The work on display is fabulous and the children’s books are super. The children are very excited to talk about their work and articulate when discussing their learning. The Interim Assistant Director from Hackney visited last week, and he was very impressed with the quality of teaching, the children’s engagement and the standard of work that he saw. I was very proud!
Wishing a happy Hanukkah to all our families who celebrate, and I would like to wish all our families a restful and relaxing holiday and whatever you are doing, enjoy!
We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Tuesday 3^rd January 2023, with everyone starting at 9am.

Best wishes

Karen