The Lister Weekly Update #6

We are excited to share that our Year 8 students had the unique opportunity to meet with Lord Hayward, a distinguished member of the House of Lords, during his visit to Lister school last week! Schools throughout Britain are expected to teach students about British Values, part of which is the importance of democracy in our country. We are lucky to live in a culture based on freedom and equality, where people are aware of their rights and responsibilities. Alongside this is the rule of law and our guest speaker was also able to communicate the importance of rules to create a safe, secure and happy environment for living and working.

The presentation was both informative and inspiring, providing students with valuable insights into the workings of the UK parliament and the important role of young people in democracy.

We are so proud of our students for actively participating in the Q&A . It was wonderful to see them asking such thoughtful questions and expressing their ideas demonstrating their curiosity and enthusiasm.

This visit has sparked a greater interest in politics and government among our students, encouraging them to think about their own futures and the impact they can have on society.

Black History Month at Lister is being explored in a shared national assembly that our students are watching during period one, today. We wanted to highlight that when we celebrate Black History Month that we are celebrating British history and that we are all connected in a community that lives and grows together. During the month we are shining a light on some of our black heroes - for example, our library will have a specific display of black authors and writers. Of course, we want to make sure that this celebration is not for one month a year and so whilst we will be looking closely at black history and heroes in our curriculum this month, throughout the year we have numerous opportunities to celebrate the multitude of cultures that make up our school community.

As you know, our motto at Lister is 'Always Aiming for Excellence,' and our journey to excellence is complex. One of the main factors in achieving this excellence is making sure that all of our stakeholders share this same aim. If we have unity between staff, students and parents - along with community that surrounds us - then we have much better chance of doing great things. Teamwork truly does make the dream work. For example, we have recently had a consultation with parents on our PSHRE curriculum. It was a widely attended event that gave parents a sense - beyond the curriculum map - of what is to follow in the year ahead in the study of Personal, Social, Health and Relationship Education at Lister.

Another important part of achieving the excellence we aim for and making the team work together is our student voice. We have written to you explaining the frequent opportunity that our student leadership team have to work directly with our headteacher, Ms Clay. Meetings run every week, chaired by Ms Clay with minutes taken and shared with the staff. It really gives the students a direct access to communicate their vision for our school on our journey. We, at the Lister News desk, wanted to share some of the feedback from our student leaders, so that you could hear it directly from them:

• "In these meetings we are valued as individuals and as representatives of the students of Lister."
• "In the meetings, we feel that what we say is valued and acted on."
• "We feel that Lister is drastically improving and it is great to be part of that improvement."

Well done to our amazing students for receiving their Jack Petchey Award last week in what was a wonderful celebration of achievement at the O2 Arena!

Following on from a very busy week at Lister, we had the pleasure of opening our doors to year 6 parents and their children on Monday. Lister was abuzz with fun activities, informative presentations and happy families hopefully deciding that this is the best school for year 6 students to come to and continue on to an education where they can aim for excellence. This was our time to shine and the Lister Community School staff and students did an excellent job of presenting the best parts of our school to the Newham community members.

Are you looking for someone to talk to about how you're feeling? Want to read up on or speak about a particular mental health issue such as depression or anxiety? Struggling to understand bills and worried about falling into debt? The Children's Society are a charity that provide support and advice for parents and children who are facing various difficulties in life.

Workshops from The Children's Society will provide information and advice which will hopefully have what you need. If not, you will be able to ask questions and get pointers as to where you can get more support.

See this flyer for details of some fantastic workshops that the Children's Society are running in Plaistow. Use the QR code to book!

The Thought for the Week next week is focused on safety and being responsible. Please discuss the thought with your child who will be looking at the thought in assembly and discussing the idea with peers and the year team.