Southwark schools bulletin
Welcome to the Southwark schools bulletin archive page.
December 2025
Hello everyone,
As we head towards the Christmas break and end of term, I was really pleased that so many of you could come along to our Headteachers’ Breakfast Forum in November – many thanks to Alfred Salter Primary School for hosting. John Kennedy, Ofsted’s Assistant Regional Director for London, gave an update on the significant changes to its inspection framework and feedback on the pilot inspections. Councillor Ali, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees, shared emerging findings from her exclusions listening project.
We also discussed our continuing work to establish a Southwark Learning Partnership. The partnership aims to encourage the sharing of expertise between Southwark’s schools for the benefit of all children and young people, enable more responsive solutions to addressing common challenges, and give schools a stronger collective voice and influence over decision-making. We are funding key roles for the first two years to help get the partnership underway. We are recruiting for a Partnership Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the partnership. We are also inviting expressions of interest for the secondment of a headteacher for one, or possibly two, days a week to be our Partnership Advisor to liaise with, meet, and encourage Southwark school leaders to engage with the new partnership, and to ensure the views and ideas of schools are reflected in its work as the partnership develops. Please let us know if you’re interested.
The Southwark Learning Partnership has been designed to ensure there are different ways that you and your school can benefit including through access to thematic hubs, joining a time-limited, problem-solving task force or attending a cluster network. The Partnership Board will decide on the focus for these different activities and will be made up of approximately eight headteachers, three Southwark Council representatives, the Partnership Manager and Advisor, and an independent chair. Please look out for more information as our partnership gets established. You can also read the presentations from the Forum on our Schools’ website.
In last Wednesday’s Budget, SEND funding will be managed, with the risk associated with overspends transferring from councils to the Department for Education (DfE) from 2028/29. More detailed information about what this means in practice will be outlined in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement and the Schools White Paper next year. As you are probably well aware other announcements include increases to the schools core budget, £2.4 billion annually for the Schools Rebuilding Programme between 2026/27 and 2029/30, plus £5 million for secondary school library books (around £1,400 per school).
Earlier in the month plans to modernise the national curriculum were also confirmed. These reforms, responding to the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review, aim to strengthen core foundations in reading, writing, maths and science, while making sure children and young people have the ‘knowledge and skills required for life and work’. We await the detail of what this means for schools.
As we mentioned in our last bulletin, we are in the process of making some changes to our senior leadership roles within Children’s Services. Our new education leadership structure will strengthen the delivery of our strategic priorities – education inclusion, early years, partnership working, standards, sustainability and support –important to all schools regardless of type. Anna Chiva and I are looking forward to starting our new roles from 1 January as Deputy Director for Learning and Inclusion and Assistant Director for Schools Partnerships, Sustainability and Standards respectively. We will continue to update you as roles are appointed.
Each year we report to the council’s Cabinet, the board of senior councillors, led by Southwark Council’s Leader, Councillor Sarah King, that forms our main decision-making body about our children and young people’s achievements in our School Standards report. Despite the many challenges that schools face against a backdrop of falling rolls, whilst supporting increasing numbers of pupils with complex special needs, our standards are once again something to be truly proud of. Key headlines include:
- 99% of our schools are providing a good or better quality of education, with 100% of nursery, special and primary schools achieving this benchmark
- continued improvement in Key Stage 2 outcomes, with headline measures well above national averages
- strong performance at GCSE and A level, with Southwark pupils outperforming national results across all key measures
- exceptional achievements for children in care and pupils with SEND, whose outcomes remain significantly above national benchmarks.
Thank you once again for everything you do to support our children and young people to achieve the great standards that they do. If you have any questions, please get in contact.
Nikki Tilson
Principal Advisor, Learning and Achievement
Key updates
Primary school admission arrangements consultation
Southwark Council has launched a consultation on the admission arrangements for community primary schools and coordinated admission schemes for the academic year 2027/28, including:
- Proposed reductions to the Published Admission Numbers (PAN) at Keyworth Primary School from 60 to 30 places and at Phoenix Primary School from 90 to 60 places for the September 2027 intake onwards.
- Southwark Council’s proposed admission arrangements for community primary schools in the borough in 2027/28 (no changes from the previous year, except dates).
- Southwark Council’s proposed coordinated schemes for admission of children to Reception, Junior, Year 7 and Year 10 (no changes from the previous year, except dates).
- Southwark Council’s ‘relevant area’ (no changes).
Please visit the consultation to view all the documents and submit your feedback. Alternatively, you can submit your comments by email to schools.admissions@southwark.gov.uk with the title ‘Response to admissions consultation 2027/28’. The consultation will be open until 4 January (inclusive).
>> Final chance to test the new SEND Banding System
This is your final chance to test the new banding system, to help us assess how well it works and whether we need to make changes. We are sending out the new banding system, without funding attached, so that we can assess how robustly the new system works. Please respond by the end of December.
>> Countdown to Youth Parliament deadline – 14 December
Please let students interested in running for the Southwark Youth Parliament elections know the application deadline. If you wish to know more about the process, or want to check if there are any candidates already from your school, please contact youth.parliament@southwark.gov.uk.
The election will take place on the 9 to the 13 March. We want all secondary schools to take part and support their young people by voting for their local candidate/s – guidance for schools will be distributed before the end of term. In order to direct this to the right person please can your lead contact complete our short form.
>> Southwark Schools Forum
The Southwark Schools Forum is a statutory body that advises the council on issues related to school budgets, like formula funding, contracts and provision for the education of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The Schools Forum meets face-to-face four to five times a year, with the next meetings scheduled for 11 December and then again on 15 January 2026. All meetings commence at 2pm and run for no more than 2 hours. Anyone is welcome to attend – if you would like to do so, please contact the Forum’s Clerk, hayley.furniss@southwark.gov.uk. There are currently three vacancies on the Forum: representatives from an academy secondary school, an early years provider (from private or voluntary institution) and from the Archdiocese of Southwark Schools’ Commission. If you are interested in becoming a representative, nomination requests will be shared before the end of term.
>> Join Southwark’s Supervised Toothbrushing programme
Early Years and reception settings are invited join the Supervised Toothbrushing programme, providing free toothbrushes, toothpaste, and training to support daily brushing for children aged 3 to 5. Delivered with King’s College Hospital Community Dental Service. For more information, please contact darlington.faijue@southwark.gov.uk.
>> Digital health and wellbeing questionnaires: Supporting early intervention, reception and Year 9
The Evelina School Nursing team have commenced delivery of this year’s questionnaires with a focus on Year 9 and reception classes. Letters are being sent out to different primary schools on a weekly basis asking parents of reception age children to complete the digital questionnaire.
To book a date for Year 9 students contact gstt.schoolnurseadmin@nhs.net.
>> Confidential health text messaging advice line
The Evelina School Nursing team provide confidential health text messaging advice services for parents (ParentLine) and young people (11-19) (ChatHealth) to help improve everyday healthcare for young people.
>> Dangers of ketamine, synthetic opioids and contaminated THC vapes
Young people are being warned that they risk irreparable bladder damage, poisoning and even death. Find out the facts and how to get support from the drug information website Frank. In Southwark young people can get drug and alcohol support from Change Grow Live (CGL).
>> Free school meal expansion and end of transitional protection
From September 2026 households that get Universal Credit, above the £7,400 income cap, will qualify for benefits-related free school meals. Currently, households who get benefits-related free school meals are protected if their household circumstances change and they are no longer eligible. This protection will end from September 2026. More guidance will be sent to schools soon.
>> School Food Procurement Framework: Catering contracts that expire summer 2026
If your school catering contract is due to expire in summer 2026 and you would like support in tendering for a new contract using the School Food Procurement Framework, please contact kirsty.salmon@southwark.gov.uk as soon as possible.
>> Primary breakfast club visits
The School Food team are visiting a sample of primary school breakfast clubs to understand the different provisions that exist across settings. If you have a great breakfast club that you want to share with us, or need support with yours, contact farihah.choudhury@southwark.gov.uk.
>> Free food waste recycling collections
We offer a free weekly food waste collection service for schools. To sign up for food waste collection visit our website or email foodwaste@southwark.gov.uk.
>> Southwark's schools recycling programme
We offer educational visits to our Recycling Discovery Centre and tours of our Materials Recovery Facility for Southwark schools, where students can observe recycling processes firsthand. This visit is ideal for KS2 students as the minimum age for the tours is eight. Veolia Southwark is also available to come into schools to deliver assemblies and workshops on recycling and waste reduction. To book tours or an assembly, email southwarkenquiries@veolia.co.uk.
>> Rent DIY tools and party items for your school: Get 20% off
Did you know you can access useful tools and equipment from one of our three Library of Things sites? It includes party equipment like projectors and speakers, as well as DIY and cleaning equipment. As part of the Tools for Good campaign schools can now get 20% off, and you can start earning free rental credit by signing up other staff members.
>> New free teaching resources website: Teach Shakespeare
Make Shakespeare's plays come alive in your classroom with the new teaching resources site, Teach Shakespeare. Over free 200 brand new, easily searchable resources, written by expert educators at Shakespeare's Globe.
>> Free EcoCode workshop for Years 4 to 6
Inspire your pupils with a free hands-on workshop from the charity Digit<all>. EcoCode enables young people to explore the exciting world of sustainable physical computing using Micro:bits. Workshops are delivered by experienced computer science teachers in your school. Register your interest today.
>> Share with parents and carers: Have your say on Southwark’s Neighbourhoods
Southwark Council is asking residents to share what matters most in their area through the Neighbourhood Survey. Your views will help shape future funding and improvements. Families, staff and pupils living in Southwark can all take part.
>> Stand With Her: helping make Southwark safer for women and girls
Southwark Council has launched Stand With Her, a campaign encouraging boys and men to speak up for respect and help create a safer borough for women and girls. Families can watch short podcast conversations with local role models about how we can raise boys and young men to value respect and equality.
>> Fostering Futures: Shape young lives beyond the classroom
Teachers and school staff already mentor, guide, and inspire young people every day. Get in touch to find out how you can use those same skills to transform lives through fostering. We work with you and your availability, offering placements ranging from a few hours to several years.
You can also refer a friend to become a foster carer and earn rewards – £25 for a home visit, £2,000 if successful. Call 02075250700 or email fostering@southwark.gov.uk.
Governors
>> Southwark Governors' Association (SGA) – management committee members needed
We need more governors to join the SGA management committee to keep our schools thriving. The SGA is a great forum for governors from maintained and academy schools in Southwark, meeting once a term to discuss important issues. We have seven vacancies and would love for you to join us. We're excited to relaunch the SGA this autumn and your participation is key to our success. Please self-nominate if you’re interested.
What's on
>> Free Anna Freud webinars for Southwark Schools
- 9 December, online, 4.30pm – Are Students Missing School, or Missing Support?
- 20 January, online, 4.30pm – Is Belonging the Missing Piece in Educational Wellbeing?
To register for a free place, please complete the eligibility form for a booking link and voucher code. Places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
>> Winter Food and Fun Programme, free for benefits-related FSM students – 22 December to 2 January
Children aged 4 to 16 years receiving benefits-related free school meals can attend the council’s Food and Fun programme for free. The winter programme provides nutritious and tasty food and fun physical activity sessions (not including bank holidays).
>> Governors’ Forum dates 2025/26
Please hold the dates for this year’s Governors’ Forum in your diaries. Please register your interest.
>> Gamifying Democracy: The Politics Project
The Politics Project offers training for teachers, featuring interactive games and activities to engage young people in conversations about politics and democracy.
>> Please share with your families: Southwark English Language Fair – 28 January
10.30am to 1.30pm, Thomas Calton Centre, Peckham. The English Language Fair helps migrant Londoners access adult education and employability support. To help support the event you can download flyers in nine different languages.
>> New date: SGA networking evening and Annual General Meeting – 12 February
6.00pm, Tooley Street. The SGA Annual General Meeting, originally scheduled for November, will now take place during our Networking Evening.
Our AGM agenda includes the election of new members, appointment of the Chair, review of the constitution and a governance case study. After the AGM, stay for an in-person networking session – a great chance to share insights, build connections, and explore governance in action. More details to follow nearer the date.