On Monday our school halls were filled with energy and enthusiasm for our Parliament Assemblies. These assemblies take place once every term and include all pupils from Years 1 to 6, who work in mixed-age groups to answer questions and share their views on school life. It’s a great opportunity for pupils to collaborate, reflect, and help shape the the things that matter to them.

�� Charities with Heart

Pupils voted on which charities they’d like the school to support next academic year. Thanks go to our Deputy Star Leaders who researched many charities and came up with a short list for pupils to select from.  The pupils' choices reflect a deep sense of empathy and global awareness:

• Local Charity: Ealing Food Bank – supporting families in our own community.
• National Charity: Cancer Research UK – showing care for those affected by illness.
• International Charity: British Red Cross – helping people in crisis around the world.

We’re proud of our pupils for choosing causes that truly make a difference.

�� Inner Curriculum: Learning Beyond the Classroom

Pupils also reflected on their Inner Curriculum Lessons, which focus on emotional well-being, empathy, and personal growth. 

 Pupils identified that the inner curriculum lessons help with the following:

• Feeling valued and belonging – 66.1%
• Empathy and understanding others – 61.2%
• Mental health and well-being – 54.5%
• Talking about feelings – 47.1%
• Problem-solving – 20.7%

These lessons are clearly making a meaningful impact on our pupils’ emotional and social development.

��️ School Dinners: Honest feedback, bright Ideas

When it comes to Family Style Dining, the majority of pupils (73.6%) said it’s “much better,” enjoying the shared experience. However, 18.2% would prefer to queue at the counter.

Opinions on school dinners were more mixed:

• Yes, I like them: 32.2%
• No, I don’t: 67.8%

But what stood out most were the thoughtful suggestions for improvement. Pupils asked for:

• More variety
• Cleaner plates and cutlery (this is linked to them coming out of the dishwashers wet!)
• Bigger portions and more dessert options
• Warmer food and better seasoning

We are aware that it's early days with the new menu, and pupils have not yet tried all of the new meals with the improved recipes - so we will keep talking to them about this to ensure improvements continue. Their feedback is already being reviewed by our dining supervisors and the ISS kitchen team.