Headteacher News for March 2026
Dear Parents and Carers
Celebrating 25 Years at Tetherdown
What a week! A huge thank you to our wonderful children, families, and staff for making our 25th celebrations so memorable. From the surprise assembly (yes, Ms McMeakin and I were genuinely surprised!) to the joyful chaos of our colour festival—loosely inspired by Holi but mostly involving lots of laughter and enthusiastic colour-throwing—it’s been a week to remember.
It’s hard to believe I arrived at Tetherdown back in January 2001, slightly disillusioned with teaching and fully intending to stay just six months before finding a “proper” job. I even told the headteacher that in my interview! Fortunately, Tetherdown had other plans. Within weeks, I realised this was somewhere special—supportive families, inspiring colleagues, and children who made every day interesting… including the one who confidently called me “Ms Riffraff” on my very first day (I like to think I’ve lived up to the title ever since!).
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to grow alongside the school—from teacher to Assistant Head, and eventually Headteacher. There have been many highlights along the way, from strong academic successes to welcoming visitors from across the world keen to learn from our approach. But what has always mattered most is the community.
Even now, I regularly bump into former pupils and families and hear incredible stories—careers in sport, film, and beyond, and even pupils now with families of their own. We’ve also been lucky to have parents share their talents over the years—whether reading stories, talking about careers, or giving us a glimpse into the world of film and media.
Of course, the last few years have brought challenges, and schools everywhere are feeling the pressure. I’ll be sharing more soon about how you can support us.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our amazing staff. Their care, dedication, and willingness to go above and beyond every single day is what makes Tetherdown so special. This term has been short but intense, and I’m especially grateful for their continued commitment—and for Ms Gillingham’s return.
Here’s to the next chapter!
Lost Property 👕
Our lost property is now permanently outside—please have a quick look when you’re in school, as there are lots of items waiting to be claimed!
Our fantastic Year 3 pupils are helping to manage it during the day, so children—do check if you’ve lost anything (you might be in luck!).
Absences and Holidays 📅
You may have seen that attendance is now being monitored more closely at a national level. This means you may receive notifications about lateness or term-time holidays.
As a reminder, taking more than 10 sessions (5 days) of holiday during term time may result in a fine, and requests are shared with the local authority. You can find more information in our Attendance Policy on our school website Policy page.
If your child is unwell, we kindly ask that the decision to keep them at home is made by you as a parent. Guidance on when to keep your child off school is available on the school website Health & Welfare page.
When letting us know about an unplanned absence, please include your child’s full name, year group, class, and the reason for absence in your message—this really helps us support you more effectively. More information can be found on our school website Reporting Absence and Pick-Up page.
Safety Reminder 🚸
Please do not pass items through the school fences. While it may seem helpful, it can encourage children—especially younger ones—to interact with strangers through the fence. We are noticing that some children are beginning to call out to people outside, which can pose a safety risk.
Thank you for helping us reinforce the importance of keeping all children safe by not handing items through the fence.
Supporting Our Community 💛
At times, the wider world can feel worrying. Recent events—both internationally and closer to home, including the incident involving the ambulance service in Golders Green—may be unsettling for both children and adults.
We have also been made aware of some offensive stickers in the local Muswell Hill area. If you or your children come across anything of this nature, please be reassured that the local council removes such material within 24 hours when reported. Please do report to Haringey Council the graffiti and flyposting you may see.
As a school, we remain apolitical and do not promote any viewpoints. Our priority is to ensure that Tetherdown continues to be a safe, inclusive, and respectful space for everyone.
In times like these, we return to our core values of kindness, respect, and empathy. We encourage our children to be thoughtful, to listen to one another, and to understand that people may feel differently about events happening in the world around them.
If your child has questions or worries, please do talk with them and let us know if we can support in any way.
Holiday Wishes 🌸
Wishing all our families a wonderful and restful Easter break. Happy Easter to those celebrating, and Eid Mubarak to our families marking this special time.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday, 13th April!
Annie Ashraf
Headteacher
