Whole School Newsletter 6 November 2026

Year 6 enjoyed an EP first, with a trip to The Royal Albert Hall for the final of Future Makers, a competition to showcase talented young musicians across the UK, each writing and performing their own compositions. It was an inspiring and uplifting occasion with performances across all genres - from jazz, rock, classical and grime. Judged by industry professionals and with an enthusiastic audience of school children. It will definitely become an EP annual calendar fixture!

Year 4 learned about our law courts and the roles of judges, barristers and juries. Many thanks to parent and High Court Judge Dan (Nora and Miriam), for leading the class in a trial case about a missing cat! They are continuing the trial next week.

Year 5 brought their Geography learning on the Amazon to life with a visit to the tropical glasshouses at Kew Gardens, measuring temperature and humidity inside and out - a welcome warm retreat on a chilly day! Meanwhile, Year 2 explored the Secret Garden on Hampstead Heath, putting their map-reading skills into practice and developing their understanding of our local area.

Year 3 stepped back in time today with a visit to The British Museum, where they explored the Ancient Egyptian galleries, discovering fascinating artefacts and deepening their understanding of life in Ancient Egypt.

For our families celebrating this weekend, we wish you a bright and happy Diwali!

Best wishes,

Sally and Natalie

Info and News

Parent and Carer Meetings next week

We look forward to next week’s meetings with parents and carers. The focus of these meetings will be on your child’s progress and on how we can work together to help them reach their potential. These meetings run strictly to time, so please take note of the booking time and arrive a few minutes early. If you haven’t already made a booking, please do so through Arbor or contact the office for help.

PTA News

A huge thank you to everyone involved in planning, helping with, and joining in at the Disco before half term. Greatly enjoyed by everyone, it also raised a huge £2,570 in profit. Fantastic! The next big fundraising event is the Winter Fair on 4th December - please get involved.

A reminder too that on Thursday 19 November 6:30pm we have the EPSA (Eleanor Palmer School Association) AGM - see attached flyer

Artwork competition

We’re running a competition to choose the Winter Fair artwork. The winning design will be featured on banners, posters, and flyers printed by our sponsor Martyn Gerrard.

Theme: Winter / Christmas / School Fair
Format: A4 paper
Deadline: entries by next Thursday 12th November

Tips:

Bright and bold works best
Avoid too much white background
Neat and well presented
Word details optional

The winning design will be chosen by the Heads - we can’t wait to see your creative designs!

Visitors from RISE

We welcome educational visitors into our Reception and Nursery classes next Tuesday as we share the way EP children are taught maths in a structured, challenging and playful way. EP has been selected by London RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) to share best practice, and work in partnership with other practitioners to give insight and evidence of how we improve outcomes for all children.

Winter Concert - Tuesday 8th December

Please save the date for our much loved Winter Concert which will be held on Tuesday 8th December! This year we will be holding the concert here at Eleanor Palmer whilst Acland Burghley undergoes renovations on their hall. We will hold two identical performances, one at 9:30am for parents of children in EYFS and KS1 and another at 2pm for KS2 parents. We ask that parents, wherever possible, stick to these arrangements to help us manage numbers.

Class Trips

As we move into the second half of this term, most classes have enjoyed at least one trip or workshop activity, with many more planned for the year ahead! We have a one-off cost for all day trips across the whole year and ask for a voluntary contribution, which we hope most families will be able to make. Your contributions help us keep the core school budget for essentials.

The payment option is unfortunately tucked away within Arbor, please navigate to Activities >Trips and then Class Trips & Visits 2026-27 to make payment. Thank you

Remembering Janet Collins - Monday 14th December

In July we shared the very sad news of the death of wonderful Janet Collins, who worked at EP for 27 years. On the evening of Monday 14th December 5-7pm we will host a celebratory gathering in the hall and welcome anyone who knew and loved Janet to join us to share memories and stories. Janet loved music and we hope everyone will also join together in some favourite EP songs.

Any families who knew Janet, or for those of you in contact with ex-EP parents and pupils who might like to join, please share this RSVP link so that we can have a sense of numbers.

In order to host this special event there will be no Club EP on that day.

Plans are also underway for a more permanent tribute to Janet with the restoration of the mosaic bench just outside EP in the Home Zone.

Next Week

Monday

8-8:45am Year 5 and 6 Multi-Sports Club
Y6 have a 12 Choirs of Christmas rehearsal at EP
Primary Maths Challenge for children in Upper Juniors who have opted to participate
3:30-4:30pm Junior Development Football

Tuesday

Football Squad Match - kick off 4.30pm pick up from Talacre at 6pm. Supporters welcomed!
Y4 cricket session at EP
Visiting teachers join Nursery and Reception as part of London RISE

Wednesday

8-8:45am Dawn Chorus Choir

3:30pm Y1 & 2 Multi-sports Club
Parent and Carer Progress Meetings - 4-7:30pm

Thursday

3:30pm Year 3 & 4 Multi-sports Club
Year 2 visit the October Gallery
Parent and Carer Progress Meeting - 4-6:30pm

Friday

3:30-4:30pm Year 2-6 Gym Club

Autumn Diary Dates

Parent and Carer Progress Meetings- Wednesday 11th November 4 - 7:30pm and Thursday 12th November, 4-6:30pm
EPSA AGM - all are welcome! Thursday 19 November - 6:30pm
Winter Fair - Friday 4th December - 3-6pm. No Club EP on this day
Winter Concert Tuesday 8th December 9:30 for Nursery-Year 2 families and 2pm for Junior families
Celebration of the life of Janet Collins Monday 14th December 5-7pm. No Club EP on this day
Christmas Lunch for children -Tuesday 15th December
EP Variety Show - Thursday 17th December
Christmas Holidays - Monday 21st December - Friday 1st January inclusive (Monday 4th Jan is an INSET day - Children back Tuesday 5th January).