Dear families,

As you may be aware, on 26^th November 2022, two teenagers in our local community tragically lost their lives due to knife crime. Kearne Solanke and Charlie Bartolo were only 16 years old when they were stabbed and killed. This tragic loss affected both our local and school communities, and both boys have family members linked to our schools. We want to remember them both one year on and pay tribute to them by raising money for the Ben Kinsella Trust.

The Ben Kinsella Trust is a charity set up in honour of Ben who also lost his life to knife crime 15 years ago.  The Trust was set up by his family and their website describes their work as: “We educate young people on the dangers of knife crime and help them to make positive choices to stay safe. Our workshops follow the journey of both the victim and the offender through a series of unique and immersive experiences to show young people how choices and consequences are intrinsically linked.”

We will be using resources from the Trust to deliver Personal Development lessons for our students to remind them of the impact that knives can have on individuals, families, and communities. 

On Thursday 23^rd November, we will be having a ‘Wear Purple Day’ to raise money for the charity. 

We ask that students contribute £1 on the day (they of course can donate more if they are able).  Students/families that are not in a financial situation where they cannot contribute financially are still able to take part should they wish to, as this is about us standing together in Kearne and Charlie’s memory.

On the day, students can wear an item or combination of items that are purple from the following list: 

• Purple socks/tights 
• Purple shirt/polo 
• Purple hair band/bow/ribbon/accessory 
• Purple tie 

Students will still need to be in the rest of their school uniform with their purple item or items, (blazer, tie, skirt/trousers, shoes etc) and will not be permitted to have purple nails or make up/face paint. 

If your daughter is worried about anything of this nature, please encourage her to speak to her form tutor or another member of staff as well as someone at home.

Thank you in advance for your support for this cause.

Ms E Smith

DSL/Assistant Headteacher

We wanted to share some sources of support for anyone in our school community that may be dealing with grief. 

Supporting young people who are grieving | Sue Ryder

Bereavement and young people - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Child Bereavement UK

Helping someone who is experiencing grief - Mind

Dear parent/carer, 

We have been asked by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to send out this survey, to help them assess the child care needs. 

Royal Borough of Greenwich Demand for Early Years and Childcare Survey 2023 Consultation with parents and carers of children aged 0 - 14 years old, or up to 18 years old if they have a disability or additional needs. (surveymonkey.co.uk)

Click to download Young Carer Information at PolyMAT PDF 

Bannockburn Primary School joins PolyMAT

We are very excited to announce that Bannockburn Primary School officially joins PolyMAT today, November 1st 2023. Bannockburn is a large and very successful feeder primary school to our existing two secondary schools and will be a key driver of our ambitions to develop our primary offer to other schools.

Bannockburn Primary School prides itself on fostering a unique and diverse learning environment that empowers students to reach their full potential. The school spans two sites, both located within the Plumstead area, offering a purpose-built nursery unit at the Manor Way site. Bannockburn is a school with high aspirations for pupils, their families and the community of Plumstead.

The arrival of Bannockburn means that we now provide education to over 3600 young people in the Thamesmead and Plumstead locality and can extend our work to achieve our vision of Success for Everyone through a cross-phase approach to the education journey.

Bannockburn’s longstanding success and popularity are driven by their caring culture which always puts children first. This was evident from our first discussions and it was clear that PolyMAT’s values of Care and Unity are already reflected in how Bannockburn look after their children and their community.

Our expanded partnership now offers the chance to design the learning journey “through the eyes of the child” and minimise disruption caused by the transition from primary to secondary. The benefits of staff collaborating between phases are considerable and we are all excited about the opportunities of working with our expanded “family”.

Rachel Ford, Headteacher of Bannockburn Primary School, said: “We are all excited to build on our partnership with PolyMAT; sharing an aligned vision to provide our school communities with new opportunities and quality experiences".

Tim Plumb, CEO of PolyMAT, said: “Bannockburn is the perfect school to be the first part of our primary offer, and we warmly welcome their staff, children and community into our partnership – this is a special day for our schools and our Trust”.

PolyMAT Welcomes Bannockburn to the Trust with a Sweet Surprise

This morning, our CEO Tim Plumb and COO Alexa Rendell visited Bannockburn's High Street and Manor Way sites to extend a warm welcome and to deliver some delicious chocolates. This visit commemorates Bannockburn joining our trust, and we couldn't be more thrilled about this partnership and what the future holds for PolyMAT.

Discover Your Future Career Path at Skills London 2023, UK’s Largest Jobs and Careers Event

Skills London is the perfect event for 14-24-year-olds and their parents or guardians to explore career prospects and job opportunities. Come to ExCeL London on November 24th and 25th, 2023 to explore around 35,000 live jobs, courses, and apprenticeships from over 100 organisations.

Supported by the Mayor of London, this free event provides tips and advice to help you find a career path that suits you. Visit skillslondon.co.uk to find out more and reserve your spot.

Click here to find out more information about the Skills London event