Youngsters from New End Primary School celebrate success in the Camden Schools Cross Country with Camden’s mayor Cllr Sabrina Francis

• WHILE it is sadly true that Camden state primary schools are struggling in the “perfect storm” of Brexit, Covid-19 and sky-high property prices, they still provide an outstanding education for thousands of lucky children.

Our twins are in Year 3 at New End Primary School, Hampstead, whose drop in pupil numbers was featured your paper, (New End: Primary school faces pupil shortage challenge, October 14).

So far this term alone our kids have celebrated winning silver in the Camden Schools Cross Country with Camden’s mayor Cllr Sabrina Francis, been mudlarking on the Thames with archaeologists, are performing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, have learned about anatomy from scientists at the Crick Institute, and had sessions with professional storyteller London Dreamtime.

They have weekly lessons with a dedicated coding teacher, weekly specialist music teaching including a free after-school choir club, weekly specialist chess teaching, and regular outdoor learning in the school’s garden (see Instagram to get a flavour @newendprimaryschool and @newendsecretgarden).

New End Primary School pupils are lucky to benefit from learning together with children from 50 countries who live across Camden borough.

All this on top of the usual national curriculum! ­Camden primary schools are amazing – we just need to give them a chance.

PROFESSOR KATHERINE WOOLF
Canfield Gardens, NW6