Ranelagh was filled with pride, joy, and remembrance as we marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a special celebration that brought our school community together.

The day began with a community breakfast, where children, staff, and guests enjoyed a traditional English breakfast together. This was followed by wartime songs and a variety of engaging, themed activities in the classrooms that helped our pupils understand the significance of this historic day.

We were honoured to welcome Councillor Charlene McLean and James Asser, Member of Parliament for West Ham and Beckton, who joined us in recognising the importance of remembering those who lived through and contributed to the events of World War II.

Throughout the day, the children took part in meaningful activities such as writing letters to veterans, designing posters, writing poems, and exploring key moments in history. Many children proudly wore traditional clothing representing their heritage and made beautiful flags, combining the Union Jack with flags from countries linked to their family backgrounds.

It was a wonderful celebration of remembrance, unity, and learning, and we are so proud of how thoughtfully and creatively the children took part.

Thank you to our community for your continued support in making events like these so special.

Classes G1 and G3 have been thoroughly enjoying their trips to Forest School, where they have been using natural resources to create beautiful forest art through painting and collage. As they explore the woodland, the children have been spotting the early signs of spring, from budding flowers to birdsong, and observing the wildlife around them. It has been a fantastic opportunity for them to connect with nature, unleash their creativity and learn about the changing seasons firsthand.

Last Friday, we had an amazing time celebrating World Book Day in a fun and active way! Along with enjoying our love for books, the whole school took part in a Danceathon in the playground, showing off our moves as part of the Just Dance movement. Every child joined in, dancing with their friends and teachers, showing off their moves, and enjoying the joy of movement. It was a wonderful way to bring the school community together and keep active while celebrating our love for books. A big thank you to everyone for making it such a special day!

Children at Ranelagh show Strictly Stars Dianne and Kai their Moves ( and maths and science learning at the same time )

TTLT is a Well Beacon Trust and our schools are always eager to showcase the magnificent things we do to make sure our children are happy and healthy. Each school’s curriculum ensures that physical and mental healthiness is essential. Each school showcases this in a different way : this is what makes our Trust so unique. 

You can imagine our absolute thrill when our schools were asked to be part of ‘Let’s Dance’ - a national campaign founded by Angela Rippon CBE to inspire everyone in Britain to embrace dance as a way to improve their health, connect with others and have fun. 

Ranelagh’s curriculum uses dance in all subjects. They use it as a tool to assess children’s knowledge and understanding . This allows inclusion for all. The children who find speaking and writing difficult can show their knowledge through dance interpretation . Children who find learning easy are challenged by applying and synthesising  their understanding through art forms. That’s the education bit , but ultimately  ‘Learning is Fun’ as many of the pupils at Ranelagh state.

Ranelagh was privileged to have the brilliant stars of Strictly Come Dancing visit the school and see this in all its glory. Dianne Buswell and Kai Widdrington watched with joy, then joined in as children in KS1 showed them the Number Bond Dance ( creating number shapes with their partners to make 10 ) and they watched in amazement as Year 5 showed their science knowledge of the planets and their understanding about the concepts of day and night through dance.This was all filmed for the BBC’s  One Show and aired on Friday 21st February 2025. 

The children and parents were so excited to see their children on the TV . Ranelagh and all the schools in the Trust  are delighted to be part of this wonderful campaign. Dancing can be used in all aspects of the school day and the Trust schools are testimony to this. Dancing makes children happier, healthier and makes learning fun. 

Once again, Ranelagh reigns supreme when it comes to inclusive practice. In February, the school was assessed for retaining its Flagship Status for Inclusion. The assessor was extremely impressed with everything the school does to ensure all pupils are included. 

This award is important as it belongs to not just the school but to the community as a whole. Throughout the day, pupils, staff, parents and governors alike spoke with passion about what inclusion means to them. 

“We have been blessed to find this school for our daughter”, was just one view of a parent whose child attends the school and how the parent could see how valued her child was in the classroom and in the school.

The pupils talked earnestly about the different programmes offered by the school, the support given to all children and how important the role they play in helping to achieve this.

Staff feel passionate about the inclusive ethos within the school and the assessor noted how all staff work incredibly hard to make sure that all pupils’ needs are met, and pupils make significant progress in their learning.

As a school community, we should be very proud of this accolade, which highlights how each and every one of us are important and included within Ranelagh Primary School. 

Click below to read the IQM 2024/2025 Report in full. Click here