Gainsborough Newsletter

26th October 2026

Autumn 1 Week 8

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This week at Gainsborough... Autumn 1 This half term we have focused on: We are working towards our school development plan targets this half term: Improving attendance and punctuality across our school Developing a play strategy for children and families Embedding our approach to maths...

This week at Gainsborough…

Autumn 1

This half term we have focused on:

We are working towards our school development plan targets this half term:

  • Improving attendance and punctuality across our school
  • Developing a play strategy for children and families
  • Embedding our approach to maths teaching and learning
  • Developing the application of SCERTS at Gainsborough to support children with communication and language needs

Black History Month Celebrations

Each Year groups has learnt a significant black poets work this week. We recited the poems in assembly to classes and celebrated Black British culture. Please see the poets work and talk about these poets with your children by the clicking the link and exploring the CLPE site. The children really enjoyed performing these poems and we will share some of their performances on our school Instagram after half term.

Nursery and Reception John Agard, What Turkey Doing?   https://clpe.org.uk/poetry/poems/what-turkey-doing

Year 1 Valerie Bloom, Fruits https://clpe.org.uk/poetry/poets/valerie-bloom

Year 2 John Lyons, Granny’s Sugarcake https://clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poets/lyons-john

Year 3 John Agard, Windrush Child https://clpe.org.uk/poetry?search=windrush+child

Year 4 James Berry, Jamaica Song  https://clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poets/berry-james

Year 5 Joseph Coelho, Overheard in a Tower Block https://clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poems/i-am-writer

Year 6 Benjamin Zephaniah https://clpe.org.uk/poetry/poets/benjamin-zephaniah

In DT lessons we also made juices using recipes and ingredients traditionally found in the Caribbean, you can find our recipes on our school Instagram and make these drinks with your children at home:

Year 1 Tropical Fruit Punch

Year 2 Ginger Lemonade

Year 3 Sorrel

Year 4 Pineapple Mint Cooler

Year 5 Agua de Jamaica

Year 6 Ginger Beer

A huge thank you to our families to joined us for our Family Food Sharing event where we saw some children in traditional dress walk the cat walk, families sharing cultural dishes and a huge thank you to Caribbean Sessions who helped us perform and brought the spirit of carnival to our event.

We have also worked with Caribbean Sessions in our classes this week to learn some carnival dances linked to different Caribbean countries. Caribbean Sessions brought costumes, helped us select music and support us to improve our dances in our classes. We will show case our dances vis the school Instagram page next week. Thank you Caribbean Sessions for your support, enthusiasm and vibes!

Writer, Reader and Mathematician of the Week!

Each week we celebrate a child from each year group who has excelled in writing, reading or maths across the week. This may be in class work, verbal contributions, home learning, online learning or a great academic achievement. Please celebrate your child’s achievements at home as well!

Writer 
Year 1 Zaiden
Year 2 Benji
Year 3 George
Year 4 Niqo
Year 5 Rafi
Year 6 Pawal

 

Reader
Year 1 Roman
Year 2 Shannon
Year 3 Caden
Year 4 Cheyenne
Year 5 Yacine
Year 6 Dontay
Mathematician 
Year 1 Jaqueline
Year 2 Gerard
Year 3 Alya
Year 4 Asya
Year 5 Owen
Year 6 Umaiza
Golds!

Each week we celebrate an amazing achievement from each class. Children are celebrated in assembly, receive a gold certificate and their name in the newsletter. Please celebrate their learning at home too!

Nursery Geese Class

Emily was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for learning our class poem with great enthusiasm. Well done Emily!

Nursery Swans Class

Eloise was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for learning the lyrics and moves to our class dance and song so well. Well done Eloise!

Reception Skylarks

Kezai was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for always following instructions and being a great role model to his friends. Well done Kezai!

Year 1 Magpies

Demi was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for her excellent work in maths, using subtration. Well done Demi!

Year 2 Doves

Antonio was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for being a super star in all areas of learning this week. Well done Antonio!

Year 3 Wrens

Yusuf was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for avoiding distractions and completing all work to a really high standard. Well done Yusuf!

Year 4 Owls

Jenson was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for working incredibly hard in all areas of learning this week. Well done Jenson!

Year 5 Hummingbirds

Destiny-May was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for her excellent contributions in lessons and explaining her thinking. Well done Destiny-May!

Year 6 Herons

Sophia was awarded a Gainsborough Gold award this week for completing work to high standard all half term. Well done Sophia!

                                                                                             Coming up at Gainsborough…

Winter Menu at Gainsborough

After holding consultations with School Council over the Autumn 1 half term, the school kitchen team have come up with a new winter menu which will run from Autumn 2 to the end of Spring 1, through the cold winter months. This menu is seasonal and takes into account feedback from the pupils across the school as well as school council. We hope to sample some of the menu with parents at parents evening so families can see the quality of the food we provide here at Gainsborough. Please see the school website for a full menu https://www.gainsborough.hackney.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/10/Winter-Menu-2026_27.docx.pdf

Parent’s in Class at Gainsborough – Friday 6th November, 2.45-3.30pm

We will be holding a TastEd sessions for families from Years 1 -6 on Friday 6th November. This is rescheduled from our Parent’s in Class Carnival session we had to cancel due to the weather this week. We will using all of our 5 senses to explore fruit and vegetables usually found in an African or Caribbean kitchens as part of Black History Month. We are inviting families into classes to complete some of these sessions with us and we hope you can join us. These sessions are not taught lessons they are a chance to see children explore and share their learning with their families and a chance for families to experience what class feels like and spend time in your child’s classroom.

PTA Halloween Event – Friday 6th November, 3.30-5.30pm

The PTA are holding a Halloween Party! This is fundraising event for Gainsborough to buy resources for the playground. Children are invited to dress up, take part in cooking, have their faces painted and play a range of games for small prizes. The event will be run by staff and families and we are looking for volunteers to help us. We will operate a ticket system with tickets being bought at the office and children then exchanging tickets for the events or food and drinks. There will also be a quiet room for under 5’s with activities created for younger children.

New Adult Learning at the Children’s Centre

We have been asked to gauge interest, by Adult Learning at Hackney Education, to see if there is appetite for the following courses in our community. These courses are a mix of apprenticeships, college attended courses and courses run through the adult learning at the Children’s Centre. If you would like to get more information please email or ask Charlotte Harris, our Children’s Centre Manager and Family Liaison Officer. Charlotte will gather interest lists and work alongside families and the Adult Learning Service to create courses that work for our community.
Level 1 Bricklaying
Level 1 Plastering
Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Insulation & Building Treatments
Level 2 BTEC Certificate in Creative Media Skills
Level 1 Hospitality & Catering
Level 1 Introduction to Health & Social Care & Young People’s Settings
Level 2 BTEC certificate in Creative Media Skills

In the news this week…

gainsborough_hackney

Come and join us for our annual FRoG’s Halloween Party! We will operate a ticket system on the door with each ticket gaining access to games, food, drinks, activities and prizes. This is a fundraising event and we hope to raise money for playground resources. There is a dedicated under 5’s space and prizes for best dressed! We are also looking for family members to support us run the games and events. Please speak to Charlotte or Charlee if you are able to help support the event on the evening. We looo-ooo-oook forward to seeing you-oooo! 👻 #keepconnected #keepgiving

View

Oct 27

6 0
Open
Come and join us for our annual FRoG’s Halloween Party! We will operate a ticket system on the door with each ticket gaining access to games, food, drinks, activities and prizes. This is a fundraising event and we hope to raise money for playground resources. There is a dedicated under 5’s space and prizes for best dressed! We are also looking for family members to support us run the games and events. Please speak to Charlotte or Charlee if you are able to help support the event on the evening. We looo-ooo-oook forward to seeing you-oooo! 👻 #keepconnected #keepgiving

Come and join us for our annual FRoG’s Halloween Party! We will operate a ticket system on the door with each ticket gaining access to games, food, drinks, activities and prizes. This is a fundraising event and we hope to raise money for playground resources. There is a dedicated under 5’s space and prizes for best dressed! We are also looking for family members to support us run the games and events. Please speak to Charlotte or Charlee if you are able to help support the event on the evening. We looo-ooo-oook forward to seeing you-oooo! 👻 #keepconnected #keepgiving ...

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gainsborough_hackney

Come and join us in class for our Autumn term TastEd sessions. @tasted_feed are supporting us to try new fruit and vegetables using all of our senses. It provides a safe and exciting way to explore fruit and vegetables in classes reducing food anxiety and increasing children’s confidence. We hope you can join us and share the experience with us! #keephealthy # keephealthy

View

Oct 27

3 0
Open
Come and join us in class for our Autumn term TastEd sessions. @tasted_feed are supporting us to try new fruit and vegetables using all of our senses. It provides a safe and exciting way to explore fruit and vegetables in classes reducing food anxiety and increasing children’s confidence. We hope you can join us and share the experience with us! #keephealthy # keephealthy

Come and join us in class for our Autumn term TastEd sessions. @tasted_feed are supporting us to try new fruit and vegetables using all of our senses. It provides a safe and exciting way to explore fruit and vegetables in classes reducing food anxiety and increasing children’s confidence. We hope you can join us and share the experience with us! #keephealthy # keephealthy ...

3 0

gainsborough_hackney

Thank you to all the families who came to our Children’s Centre Black History Month lunch. It is lovely to see real learning, respect for black culture and a real sense of celebration. 🖤 #keepconnected

View

Oct 21

33 0
Open
Thank you to all the families who came to our Children’s Centre Black History Month lunch. It is lovely to see real learning, respect for black culture and a real sense of celebration. 🖤 #keepconnected

Thank you to all the families who came to our Children’s Centre Black History Month lunch. It is lovely to see real learning, respect for black culture and a real sense of celebration. 🖤 #keepconnected ...

33 0

gainsborough_hackney

Come and celebrate Black History Month with us. At 2.45pm watch Years 1-6 perform in their very Carnival and poetry recital. aAt 3.30pm join us in traditional dress for a school fashion show, carnival demo, and bring a dish to share in our food sharing event. All families welcome! #keepkind #keepgiving #keepconnected

View

Oct 11

8 0
Open
Come and celebrate Black History Month with us. At 2.45pm watch Years 1-6 perform in their very Carnival and poetry recital. aAt 3.30pm join us in traditional dress for a school fashion show, carnival demo, and bring a dish to share in our food sharing event. All families welcome! #keepkind #keepgiving #keepconnected

Come and celebrate Black History Month with us. At 2.45pm watch Years 1-6 perform in their very Carnival and poetry recital. aAt 3.30pm join us in traditional dress for a school fashion show, carnival demo, and bring a dish to share in our food sharing event. All families welcome! #keepkind #keepgiving #keepconnected ...

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gainsborough_hackney

Join us for our first Family Coach session. All families are welcome and together we can share, listen, suggest and support one and other. #keepkind

View

Oct 4

4 0
Open
Join us for our first Family Coach session. All families are welcome and together we can share, listen, suggest and support one and other. #keepkind

Join us for our first Family Coach session. All families are welcome and together we can share, listen, suggest and support one and other. #keepkind ...

4 0
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