​Congratulations to everyone who entered our Summer Art Competition. We loved your colourful and sunny artwork!

We are very proud of our children, parents and staff who continue to campaign and fight for equality and equal opportunity for all. St Mary’s continue to work closely with Citizens UK to ensure that our voice is heard and that we achieve real change. We have joined a new campaign, building on our previous success in enabling thousands of NRPF families to access Free School Meals:
Nobody should be left behind – not now, not ever! Time to end NRPF for good.
Covid-19 has shone a brighter light on the injustices that many migrants face. Many of our neighbours are unable to access government help because of where they were born, and the immigration papers they have.
This is because of a government policy called No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) that denies people living and working in the UK crucial forms of support from the government. Without assistance like Universal Credit and housing benefit, many people – including 100,000 children – are feeling stranded and left without a safety net.
Please follow this link to find out more about the campaign.
https://www.citizensuk.org/endnrpf​
As you will see, St Mary’s children are featured prominently; they are ‘agents of change’ and they know that their voices will be heard and they can make a difference!

Thanks to generous donations from parents and from the Lewisham Citizens UK Emergency Fund we have been able to create playpacks and food bags for some families at St. Mary’s which have been delivered at a social distance to people’s homes. We have delivered over 30 playpacks designed to keep little ones busy and it is great to see parents and children as we have missed all our families at St. Mary’s.​
Lockdown is particularly hard on many families and of course if you are struggling with food or any other issues we would urge you to get in touch with the school so that we can support you.
In conjunction with Helping Lewisham Hospital, who are based at The Point, we have been receiving weekly deliveries of Smoothies for the children.
We also received some cooked meals from The Point and we were able to offer these meals to families who came to collect. Around 50 portions were distributed and we hope to do something similar in the coming weeks, so watch out for further texts!

Under beautiful blue skies, we enjoyed another fabulous day at PGL. In the morning, we were excited to learn to drive quad bikes and we held our breath as we zoomed down the zip wire. After a delicious lunch, we learned new skills as we climbed to the top of Jacob’s ladder and dressed up to have a go at fencing. A busy day was rounded off with a quiz show in the evening.
We can’t believe it’s nearly time to come home already. Everyone has had an amazing time, but we are looking forwards to seeing our family and friends.

Yesterday, the skies were murky and grey but it didn’t stop the children from having a great time! They demonstrated the values of resilience and collaboration when they attempted to build a raft. They persevered with their task and managed to sail it across the lake. Later on that day, they loved the thrill of taking a huge ride on the giant swing. After a tasty meal of lasagna and chicken nuggets the children were ready for a good night's sleep after such a busy day.
This morning the children woke up to blue skies and sunshine. The children woke up bright and early ready to start another day of adventure. They enjoyed a full English breakfast as well as a range of cereals. Today they roared around on Quad Bikes and sped down a zip wire. They are looking forward to their evening of quizzes tonight.

All the children were brilliant on the long journey to Osmington Bay PGL. When we arrived, they played games and had a tour of the PGL site before settling into their rooms. Last night, they had an indoor campfire with lots of singing and a big dinner of sausages and mash or chicken and chips. At bedtime, they were up chatting until really late because they were so happy and excited to be on holiday.
The children have slept well and are excited about the day. The weather is overcast and there is a good chance of rain but it will not spoil the fun. Today there is raft building, giant swing and aeroball.