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A Day of Play led by the Institute of Imagination will take place on Monday 20th July. Let's imagine Poplar in 2040 and build together.
Please send junk, small, clean junk for us to build with. Bottle tops, cardboard tubes and egg cartons are great!
A massive thank you to everyone who supported the success of the Summer Fete. It was all hands on deck, and everyone helped to make it happen. A special thank you to the Bouncy Castle gatekeepers, the ice lolly sellers and a shout-out to Mashuda and Ms Doherty for organising everything.
A huge thank you to Friends of Marner and all the extra volunteers who worked so hard in the heat cooking and organising the food and sweets etc...etc. It was a huge task and is very much appreciated. We really couldn’t have done it without you.
It looks like we have raised a lot for school funds.
The Early Years Sports Day was enjoyed by all. The children had so much fun. So many families were involved this year and were very supportive in cheering on their children. The new 'Curling' station was very popular.
See Highlights section for more photographs.
The Teaching and Learning Celebration Event was a huge success. Parents and Governors gave wonderful feedback and were in awe of all that we provide at Marner. The event is a showcase of our work throughout the year – curriculum, enrichment, learning support provision. The hall was full of the most inspiring work – fantastic year 6 book presentations, creative costumes and artwork. There was a real energy in the room. It's a proud moment for the pupils and staff of Marner to take a moment to reflect on what they have achieved and what we offer our pupils on a daily basis.
See more photos in the Highlights section and on Dojo messaging.
The Wondermaths Grand Final took place at Regents Hall. Marner was in a group of 13 finalists. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to win, but we received a shout-out for the Surprise Challenges Round, which was taken from secondary school competition and was extremely hard. Ana, Ayman, Amima, Issa and Zayd in year 5 competed brilliantly and made the teachers very proud. They returned with medals and certificates each for reaching the final and one for the school. Dr Simon Singh, best-selling maths author and MBE, was a guest speaker at the tournament and presented some of his maths challenges from webinars he runs with Parallel Academy for children in years 6–11 and invited all to join. His webinars are really fun and support students on the path to studying maths, science, engineering or economics at top universities. Ayman took part in some of his webinars already in preparation for the Regional Heat. He took part in May before the Grand Final on the 6th July.
This Monday we are hosting our in-school final tournament for children in years 4 and 5 where they will compete for the Marner Wondermaths trophy in a fun afternoon of maths challenges with the support of our finalists as table judges. Winners will be announced at Friday's assembly.
Massive congratulations to our Year 3&4 Football team, who were crowned Marner League champions today! After four weeks of competitive matches, they won the league unbeaten! Both team A and team B, deserve massive recognition for their perseverance and dedication to representing the school so wonderfully. We are very proud of them all!
Special mentions for: Marner Team A
Year 2 – Zaid (Community Class)
Year 3 – Adnan (Strength Class)
Year 4 – Adam ( Motivation Class), Ammar (Determination Class), Bilal (Determination Class), Eliza (Growth Class), and Zaheen (Determination Class).
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) this year was nominated by Eliza (in Growth Class) for her defensive composure and discipline when playing football.(Nominated by Mark from Manorfield Primary School)
Finally, a massive thank-you to all the parents for their ongoing support throughout all the weeks we deliver the Marner league.
Thank you all so much for your support at this week's Sports Days and for helping to make them so much fun – we hope you enjoyed them as much as we did!
A huge thank you to Mr Liam, our PE Lead, for his incredible and creative organisation, to our wonderful Y6s who stepped in to lead the teams, our staff on events, and the parents who helped out with face painting – hugely appreciated. And of course, Mr Jithu for his Sports Day soundtrack.
Dear All, The Summer Fete is just around the corner. Please support us by attending on Friday 10th July from 2-4pm. Fun and activities to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you there.
Year 1 – Curiosity, Explore and Happiness classes recently visited The Whitechapel Gallery to view the work of Veronica Ryan, an award-winning British sculptor and the subject of Multiple Conversations, a major retrospective exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. Born in Montserrat in 1956 and based between the UK and New York, she won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2022.
The Whitechapel Gallery exhibition is one of her most extensive surveys to date. Here is what defines her work:
Materials: Ryan blends traditional sculptural materials like bronze, marble, and plaster with everyday found objects, textiles, and domestic crafts (such as crocheting and quilting).
Signature Themes: She is known for exploring the natural world, focusing heavily on seeds, pods, fruits, and organic forms. These items serve as metaphors for memory, psychology, recovery, and the migrant experience. The exhibition is highly regarded for its tactile, intimate approach to sculpture, drawing deeply on both her Caribbean heritage and her personal history.
The children got to explore the exhibition and were tasked with producing work in the style of Veronica Ryan, using a range of materials. The education team at the gallery were very impressed with the Marner children's questions and their choice of language, using a vast range of adjectives to explain the work and the emotions of the artist.
Speaking to pupils from Curiosity (Samuel, Jameela, Afsara and Yasser) on their experience, they said:
‘I enjoyed making my own art – well, it’s sculpture’.
‘I enjoyed drawing the artist's work in the gallery’.
‘I used bottle tops, nets, pom-poms, foam, string, rubber bands and pine cones to produce my art’.
‘I liked putting the hanger on to display my work’.
‘Something cool happened with the plaster, it made a mini island and then disappeared’.
‘I made lots more sculptures when I got home, using lots of materials including my dad's newspaper.
‘I saw Peppa Pig upcycling on TV like us’.
Here are some examples of work that they produced in the style of the artist, using plaster and recycled materials.
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HAF Programme
The HAF Programme deadline for Summer has passed. However, you could register for Winter Holiday events and check if there are still places available for summer. The Tower Hamlets Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Summer programme runs from July 22 to August 30, 2026, offering free places, physical activities, and nutritious meals for eligible children and teens aged 4 to 16. Eligibility applies to those receiving benefits-related free school meals.
Eligible families receive a HAF code to book, with SEND-specific options available.
To sign up visit:
https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/education_and_learning/childcare-and-early-years-educ/Holiday-activities-and-Food-programme.aspx
The Phoenix School has won the Pearson National Teaching Award for SEND and Inclusive Practice, and our Thrive Team has been part of this work through the pilot. As part of our work with the Phoenix pilot study, we wanted to share this lovely news with you.
This is a fantastic achievement and a lovely recognition of the inclusive practice, commitment and hard work that has gone into supporting pupils with SEND. It also reflects the strong partnership working between Marner and Phoenix, and the positive impact this has had on our pupils.
Well done Thrive Team. This is something we should all be very proud to be part of.
Marner has taken part this year in The Mayor of London’s School Filters Programme, which is a £2.7 million initiative to install High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in over 200 public primary and SEN schools. The rollout targets classrooms in areas with the highest pollution levels and deprivation to protect children from harmful particles.
The programme is delivered in partnership with environmental and engineering experts including WSP, SmartAir, and the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.
Schools are selected based on localised air quality audits and indices of multiple deprivation, with the goal of ensuring an equitable distribution of clean air technology across all London boroughs.
