Our blogs
This Week In Reception (WB 02.12.24)
Date: 5th Dec 2024 @ 11:28am
This week in Reception, we’ve had an exciting and enriching time, diving into two very different but equally fun topics: the Nativity story and 2D shapes. Our little learners have been busy exploring both subjects through hands-on activities, and we’re so proud of their progress!
In English, we’ve been focusing on the Nativity story, a wonderful and meaningful part of the Christmas season. The children have listened to the story of the birth of Jesus, with all the familiar characters such as Mary, Joseph, the angels, and the three wise men. To make the story even more engaging, the children have been using puppets to retell the tale. The puppets help bring the characters to life and allow the children to express themselves creatively.
In Maths this week, our focus has been on 2D shapes. The children have been introduced to a variety of shapes, including squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles. We’ve had lots of fun looking for these shapes in our environment. Whether it’s spotting a rectangular door, a round clock, or triangular road signs, the children have been on the lookout for shapes wherever they go! We’ve also been working on the language associated with shapes, discussing properties such as sides and corners.
In addition to learning about the Nativity story, we’ve also started rehearsing for our Nativity performance! The children are excited to sing Christmas carols and take part in a special performance for their families. Everyone has been practising their lines, songs, and actions with great enthusiasm. It’s lovely to see the teamwork and creativity unfolding as they prepare to share their version of the Nativity story with their loved ones.
There’s lots of Christmas cheer in the air as we get ready for the festive season. We can’t wait to share all the wonderful things our Reception class is learning!
Stay tuned for more updates from our classroom next week!
Nursery News: Week 5 – The Gingerbread Man
Date: 3rd Dec 2024 @ 1:42pm
This week in Nursery, we’ve been diving into the delightful tale of The Gingerbread Man. The children loved bringing the story to life through creative activities, storytelling, and even some festive fun as we began our Christmas preparations!
Storytelling and Sequencing
Using story puppets and masks at our small world table, the children practiced retelling the story of The Gingerbread Man. We focused on:
- Sequencing events: The children worked hard to put the story in order, helping them understand how the plot progresses and improving their memory and comprehension skills.
- Building sentences: We encouraged the children to build sentences connected to the story, such as “The gingerbread man ran away!” or “The fox tricked him.” This helped enhance their communication and language development.
Shape Hunts and Festive Fun
In our family groups, we went on a shape hunt around the school, spotting and identifying different shapes in our environment. This hands-on activity made learning about shapes exciting and interactive.
Other exciting activities included:
- Decorating the Christmas tree: The children were thrilled to help decorate the tree, spreading holiday cheer throughout our classroom.
- Baking and decorating gingerbread men: A highlight of the week was making and decorating our own gingerbread men. The children loved choosing their toppings and watching their creations come to life!
A Week Full of Festive Joy
This week has been full of creativity, laughter, and learning as we explored The Gingerbread Man and got into the holiday spirit. Thank you for your continued support—we’re looking forward to even more fun and learning next week!
Date: 2nd Dec 2024 @ 11:15am
Firstly, congratulations to all Year 5's for their excellent efforts during assessment week. We are so proud of them for trying their hardest during each of the assessments.
Year 5 produced some amazing big writes by writing their own legends, inspired by 'The Sea Serpent's Daughter.' There were amazing examples of 'show not tell', fronted adverbials and superb description and we were blown away by some of the writing. Over the next two weeks, we will be learning about 'A Christmas Carol' and exploring the miserly ways of Ebeneezer Scrooge. BAH HUMBUG!!
We hope that you have a lovely weekend and come back on Monday, rested and ready for a brilliant week!
w/c 25.11.24 This week in Year 2!
Date: 29th Nov 2024 @ 2:38pm
We have had a great week!
Today we finished writing our alternative endings to the book 'Toys in Space'.
In maths we have been learning about money and finding the totals of a group of coins.
Next week is very exciting - we will be going on our trip to watch 'The Snowman' at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Please remmber to send a warm coat and sutiable shoes as we will be walking there and back. We will be back at school at approximately 3.30pm.
Monday 2nd December is also Christmas jumper day - if you're child would like to wear their jumper they can donate a toy that they no longer use at home.
Year 1 Weekly Blog WB 25/11/2024
Date: 28th Nov 2024 @ 5:01pm
This week in year 1 we have watched in amazement as our mystery egg has cracked more and more to reveal a small yellow dinosaur. The children watched in amazement as it was lifted from its egg and eyed them all carefully before letting out a loud roar!
In English we have continued our learning about The Somethingosaur. This week we have followed his journey across plains and mountains in his quest to find his mother. Our Big Write is a retell of the story including some great time connectives to move the story along.
In Maths we have been learning about money, setting up our own Dino Store in the classroom where the children have used coins and notes to buy items related to dinosaurs.May be they could pay for some things in shops while they are out this weekend?
In topic we have been thinking about which sources of evidence about dinosaurs are reliable and which are not - if you ask your child I am sure they will be able to tell you all about it!
Next Thursday is our Winter Fayre and any donations of bottles, chocolate or toys would be very greatfully received. We hope to see you ther!
This Week In Reception (WB 25.11.24)
Date: 28th Nov 2024 @ 10:15am
This week in Reception, we’ve had a wonderful time exploring a classic story, getting creative with activities, and practicing our Nativity songs!
We started the week by diving into the well-known fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs". The children listened eagerly to the story, then got involved in retelling it themselves, using puppets and drawings to bring the characters to life. It was fantastic to see the little ones acting out the roles of the pigs and the big, bad wolf, while creating their own versions of the story through pictures.
Next, we explored some math concepts through hands-on activities. The children compared big and small objects using blocks and shells. It was great to see them physically sorting and arranging the items, learning to identify and describe their size differences. Then, we looked at tall and short by building structures with blocks. The children worked together to create tall towers and short ones, reinforcing the concept through play and construction.
To top off the week, we continued practicing our Nativity songs, getting ready for the big performance! The children are doing an amazing job remembering the words and singing with enthusiasm, making it a highlight of their learning this term.
It’s been a week full of creativity, imagination, and learning! We can’t wait to see what the next week brings as we continue our journey through stories, songs, and new skills.
Nursery News: Week 4 - The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Date: 26th Nov 2024 @ 1:53pm
This week, we’ve had a wonderful time diving into the classic tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff! The children have enjoyed exploring the story through engaging activities, storytelling, and imaginative play.
Storytelling Adventures
Using story puppets and our small world table, the children retold the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, practicing sequencing and developing their language skills. They loved taking turns as the troll and the goats, bringing the story to life with enthusiasm.
Family Group Activities
In our family groups, we focused on:
- Rolling a dice: The children practiced identifying the numbers 1, 2, and 3 on a dice, building their early maths skills through playful learning.
- Learning pronouns: To strengthen our understanding of each other, we practiced using "he" and "she" by saying kind things about our friends. For example, "He makes me laugh" or "She shares with me." This activity encouraged social bonding and positive communication.
- Retelling with movement: The children recreated the goats crossing the bridge by hopping, skipping, and crawling, combining gross motor skills with storytelling.
- Introducing 2D shapes: We explored basic 2D shapes, such as circles, squares, and triangles, laying the foundation for geometry in a fun and hands-on way.
PSHE: Celebrating Uniqueness
Building on last week’s learning, we continued to explore similarities and differences using Is There Anyone Like Me? by Fred Strydon. The children created their own unique Okapis, adding new designs and features. Sharing their creations with friends sparked conversations about individuality and celebrating what makes each of us special.
Mark Making: Painting Billy Goats
This week’s mark-making activity was inspired by the story. The children painted the three billy goats, focusing on size by creating the BIGGEST goat, the middle-sized goat, and the smallest goat. They used real-life pictures of goats, bridges, and meadows as inspiration, practicing their observation and fine motor skills while getting creative.
Highlights of the Week
The children’s excitement for The Three Billy Goats Gruff was contagious, and it’s been a joy to see their creativity and curiosity shine through. With storytelling, art, and active play, this week has been full of memorable moments.
Thank you for supporting your children’s learning journey. We look forward to exploring more traditional tales and nursery rhymes next week!
Date: 22nd Nov 2024 @ 4:15pm
This week in Year 5, we have been learning about the Brazilian legend of the sea serpent's daughter. Ask your child what they thought about the story and help them to come up with their own creative ideas for when they write their own legend next week.
We have been so creative this week and have designed our own signs for an ordinance survey map, created a keynote about being SMART on the internet and recreated the shadow from the sun at differnet points in the day.
Enjoy the snow this weekend and stay safe.
Date: 21st Nov 2024 @ 10:27pm
Class 7 have had a great week learning about division in maths. They started by using concrete materials to solve calculations and built up their understanding over the week to then solve word problems by the end. They carried out experiments in science to find the best and worst reflective materials. In PE they had to work as a team and communicate well with each other to achieve the task. They did brilliantly!
This Week In Reception (WB 18.11.24)
Date: 21st Nov 2024 @ 11:00am
Welcome to our latest update from Reception! It’s been a week full of creativity, exploration, and learning as we dive into exciting activities. Here's a look at what we've been up to!
This week, we had a wonderful time revisiting the classic fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children were eager to retell the story in their own words, and we used both puppets and drawings to help bring the tale to life.Using puppets of Goldilocks, Baby Bear, Mummy Bear, and Daddy Bear. In addition to the puppets, we also created beautiful drawings to illustrate the scenes from the story. From Goldilocks tasting the porridge to the bears discovering she’d been in their house, the children’s artwork was full of detail and vibrant colors. This activity really helped with developing their storytelling and fine motor skills, and it was so rewarding to see them engaged in the world of the bears.
In our Maths lessons, we’ve been learning all about comparing size and length. We used ribbons and playdough snakes to measure and compare different objects. The children had a fantastic time laying out ribbons of different lengths and ordering them from shortest to longest. They loved working in pairs to measure their playdough snakes and then deciding whose was the longest or shortest.This hands-on approach to learning really helped the children understand the concept of size and length in a fun and engaging way. We talked about the importance of using words like "longer," "shorter," and "longest" to describe measurements. Everyone got involved, and it was wonderful to see the children’s confidence grow as they compared the sizes of different objects!
As we prepare for the festive season, we’ve also started practising our Nativity songs. The children are excited to sing and perform for their families, and the songs are coming along beautifully we’ve been singing the songs every day to get ready for our Nativity performance. The children are already remembering the words and the actions that go with each song, and we can’t wait to share our hard work with everyone at the upcoming performance.The excitement in the classroom is building, and it’s lovely to see the children getting into the Christmas spirit. We know the Nativity will be a big highlight for all of us!
Thanks for reading about our week in Reception – we look forward to sharing more of our adventures soon!
w/c 18.11.24 This week in Year 2!
Date: 21st Nov 2024 @ 10:11am
What a fantastic week we have had!
Thank you to all those parents who joined us on Monday for our reading session. The childrne loved having you in class and sharing their learning with you.
We have begun learning a new text in English, 'Toys in Space', we have already had some brilliant home learning based on the book and look forward to seeing lots more.
In Maths, we have been consolidating our subtraction skills by using number lines to solve calculations.
Topic has inspired some great discussions about space, the space race and what it would be like to be an astronaut.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Year 1 Weekly Blog WB 18/11/2024
Date: 21st Nov 2024 @ 9:32am
This week started in a very exciting way in year1 ! We discovered and egg floating in some water outside the classrooms with a set of footprints leading away from it. We described what we could see and wonderered about why the egg was there. On Tuesday the egg began to hatch and we can now see a dinosaur growing inside it - we are very curious about what will happen next. Our discovery linked to our new book in English The Somethingosaur. Here is a link to a video of the book if you would like to enjoy it at home.
Ash reads The Somethingosaur by Tony Mitton illustrated by Russell Ayto
In Maths we have been doing lots of subtracting using ten frames to help us next week we will be looking at money so maybe you could help your child get a great start with the learningf and show them some money at home?
In Topic we have continued our learning about dinosaurs by looking at what are reliable sources of information and in Science we are looking at the different weather in each of the seasons.
Thank you to all the parents who came to our year group assembly it was lovely to see you there!
Date: 20th Nov 2024 @ 2:51pm
We are having a fabulous week in Year 6. Children have started writing diaries from the perspective of a child in Britain at the start of the Second World War. Children carried out some drama to explore the feelings and emotions of people at this time.
In maths we have been continuing our learning about fractions, this week focussing on Fractions, Decimals and Percenatages. Children have been converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, as well as ordering Fractions decimals and percentages. The children have worked so hard at remembering the different techniques and how to apply these.
In Topic we have been researching the different decades of the Twentieth Century and finding out about different inventions. The children have been fascinated to hear all about a casette player, that we only had four channels to watch on television in the 1980s and that the internet wasn't invented until the 1990s. Could you tell your child about how things have changed over your lifetime until now?
Nursery News: Week 3 - Exploring Old McDonald
Date: 20th Nov 2024 @ 12:58pm
This week in Nursery, we’ve had a fantastic time exploring the classic nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm. The children have been learning about the animals that might live on a farm and the unique noises they make. It’s been a noisy but fun-filled week of “oinks,” “moos,” and “baas”!
Family Group Fun
In our family groups, we practiced retelling Old MacDonald using both actions and words, helping the children build confidence in storytelling and language skills. We also:
- Explored patterns: The children learned what makes a pattern and practiced identifying them.
- Identified colours: Each child worked on naming at least three colours, improving their vocabulary and observational skills.
- Used positional language: The children took it in turns to place farm animals in different locations, practicing words like “under,” “over,” “next to,” “in front of,” and “behind,” turning language learning into active play.
PSHE: Similarities and Differences
In PSHE, we read the book ‘Is There Anyone Like Me?’ by Fred Strydon, which sparked conversations about similarities and differences. Inspired by the book, the children created their own unique Okapis and shared them with friends, noticing how their designs were the same or different. This activity supported their social skills and encouraged an appreciation for individuality.
Creative Mark Making
For our mark-making activity, the children painted farm animals, using real-life photos for inspiration. They worked hard to match the colours of the animals, producing some truly wonderful artwork while practicing their fine motor skills.
Outdoor Adventures: Snowy Fun
One of the highlights of the week was exploring the snow! The children were delighted to experience the magic of winter, playing outdoors, observing the snowflakes, and noticing how the snow changed throughout the day.
Looking Ahead
It’s been a jam-packed week full of fun and learning, and we’re excited to continue our Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Tales theme with our learning around ‘Three Billy Goat Gruffs’ next week. Thank you for your continued support—we can’t wait to share more adventures with you next week!
Date: 18th Nov 2024 @ 10:44am
It has been a fascinating week in Year 5 as we have continued our learning on 'The Rainbow Crow' as part of our Myths, Legends and Fables learning. The children have written some of their own amazing fables with some interesting characters, creative settings and thoughtful morals. Next week, we will be learning all about 'The Sea Serpent's Daughter' and Year 5 will begin to keep their creative minds flowing by writing their own legends.
Remember that Wednesday 20th November is school photo day and that on Mondays, children must come into school in their school uniforms with their PE kit in a bag.
Make sure that you are active on TTR so that your class can with the competition between Classes 11 and 12 and that you also check the Home Learning page on your class webpage.
Year 1 Weekly Blog WB 11/11/2024
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 4:35pm
This week in Year 1 we have been continuing our learning about the seasons. We have continued to use the book Tree by Britta Teckentrup. Here is a link to a video of the book if you would like to enjoy it at home.
Read Aloud: Tree by Britta Teckentrup
The children created some amazing freeze frames of each of the seaons at the start of the week and have gone on to produce a piece of writing about the setting written as though they were the owl who watches the seasons come and go.
In Maths we have been working on learning our number bonds to 10. This week we have been looking at addition pairs and next week we will be moving on to subtraction.We have used numicon and ten frames to support our learning.
In topic we started our learning about dinosaurs creating a timeline of events from 65 million years ago to the present day and in Science we have continued our learning about seasonal change.
All of Year 1 will be presenting an assembly to parents on Tuesday 19th November at 9 10am and we would love to see you there!
w/c 11.11.24 This week in Year 5!
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 4:33pm
We have had a great week celebrating anti-bullying week, the children loved wearing their odd socks and talking about how to kind, helpful friends.
We have been learning more about the space race this week and have enjoyed readign about Neil Armstrong and watching videos of astronauts in space.
The children cannot wait to see you in school on Monday morning for our Year 2 open morning (9.15-9.45).
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 3:01pm
This week preschool children have been busy making junk model houses and been very creative in what they have made. We have drawn houses and also built houses using a range of construction blocks whilst talking together about where we live.
We would like to say a very big THANK YOU to all of pre-school parents who came along to our play and stay sessions this week and joined in the activities with their children. It was great success and we hope that everyone enjoyed taking part.
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 2:31pm
What another fabulous week in Year 6. Children have been working really hard in maths to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. We have been so impressed with everyones effort.
In English, we have continued our learning about Anne Frank. The children have been planning and writing their own newspaper reports, ensuring to include all the features that we have been learning about.
Make sure to ask your child all about it.
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 1:00pm
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This Week in Reception (WB 11.11.24)
Date: 14th Nov 2024 @ 9:19am
This week has been packed with fun, learning, and exciting activities. From Nibbles the Book Monster causing chaos to exploring patterns in maths, celebrating Diwali, and reflecting on Remembrance Day, it’s been a week of adventure, creativity, and discovery. Let’s dive into what we’ve been up to!
Our week began with the cheeky and mischievous Nibbles the Book Monster! Nibbles is a little monster who loves to nibble on books and cause all kinds of trouble. The children were thrilled by his playful antics, and we had a lot of fun trying to solve the mystery of where he might be hiding.
What did we do with Nibbles?
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Describing Nibbles: To help Goldilocks find Nibbles, we spent time describing what he might look like. The children used their imagination to come up with words like "scary," "circle," "big," and "sharp teeth." This activity helped them practice using descriptive language and broaden their vocabulary.
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Creating Traps to Catch Nibbles: Since Nibbles loves to nibble on books and escape from people, we needed to make some clever traps to catch him! The children worked together to design and build their own "Nibbles traps" using blocks, paper, and other materials. The traps had to be safe and smart enough to catch a sneaky little book monster. It was an excellent opportunity to practice problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity.
After our Nibbles adventure, we turned our attention to patterns in maths. Patterns are everywhere, and this week the children had a wonderful time discovering and creating their own.
What kind of patterns did we explore?
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Colour Patterns: Using coloured blocks, beads, and even coloured markers, the children created repeating patterns, such as red-blue-red-blue. They worked hard to extend patterns and even create their own from scratch!
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Shape Patterns: We also explored patterns with shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. The children enjoyed identifying, copying, and extending these patterns. It helped them develop their understanding of sequences and order.
This week, we also celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which marks the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. The children loved learning about the traditions and symbols associated with Diwali.
What did we do for Diwali?
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Creating Rangoli Patterns: We talked about the beautiful and intricate rangoli designs made during Diwali to bring good luck and welcome guests. The children made their own rangoli patterns using coloured paper, paint, and markers. They were so creative and excited to make their designs!
On Remembrance Day, we took a moment to reflect and honour those who have made sacrifices for our country. While the concept of Remembrance Day can be complex for young children, we focused on the ideas of peace, kindness, and remembering those who have worked hard to protect us.
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A Moment of Silence: At 11 a.m., we observed a short moment of silence to honour the soldiers who fought in wars. The children were respectful and learned that this is a special time to remember those who helped make the world a safer place.
Next week, we’ll continue our journey of exploration, with more exciting activities and learning opportunities ahead! We can’t wait to share more of our adventures with you.
Thank you for reading about our week of fun and learning!
Nursery News: Incy Wincy Spider
Date: 12th Nov 2024 @ 1:15pm
We’re back with another exciting week in Nursery, and our learning focus is on Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Tales! This week, we jumped right into the world of Incy Wincy Spider and had a fantastic time exploring hands-on activities, songs, and stories that brought this classic rhyme to life.
Exploring Incy Wincy Spider
To support our fine motor skills, we made handprint spiders, crafted webs, and used tweezers to find hidden spiders in our web-themed tuff trays. The children showed great focus and creativity as they worked on these projects, strengthening their fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination.
Family Group Time: Learning About Books
In our family groups, we started looking at the features of simple children’s books, exploring elements like:
Front cover: Noticing the title and illustrations that introduce the story
Back cover: Finding the blurb and talking about what it tells us
Characters and settings: Identifying who is in the story and where it takes place
Beginning and end: Learning that every story has an order This exploration helps build our early literacy skills and fosters a love for books and reading!
Singing with Our Voices and a Parachute!
The children practiced singing Incy Wincy Spider with different voice levels. With a parachute, we made small waves for quiet voices and big waves when we sang loudly! This activity was not only a fun way to practice using our voices differently but also helped the children understand rhythm and volume control.
Maths Learning: Numbers and Shapes
In maths, we worked on our number recognition and counting by placing a specific number of spiders on matching webs. The children also practiced positional language by placing the spider "on top of" and "under" different objects, which is part of our WELLCOME language learning program.
In the maths area, we explored shapes and patterns with a “match the object to the outline” tuff tray activity. This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to practice their shape recognition and spatial awareness while having fun!
A Moment for Remembrance Day
On Monday, we observed a two-minute silence for Remembrance Day. We had a gentle discussion about why it’s important to remember people who may no longer be with us in person but remain with us in our hearts. The children showed great respect and understanding during this time.
Play and Stay Nursery Rhyme Parties
This week, we were delighted to welcome parents into our Nursery for our Play and Stay Nursery Rhyme Parties! Parents and children explored different areas together, doing all kinds of fun activities, from crafts to games. We ended the day with a lively song and dance session, and our parents did an amazing job singing and dancing along with us!
Thank you for all your support, and we look forward to sharing more nursery rhyme adventures and learning with you this term!
w/c 04.11.24 This week in Year 2!
Date: 8th Nov 2024 @ 8:13am
We have had a great start to the term!
This week we began our new topic: Space Race. The children have enjoyed researching, designing and making moon buggies as requested by NASA for their next mission into space.
In PE the children have started their dance topic and have enjoyed exploring different movements. Our PE days remain the same this term: Wednesday and Thursday.
Please can you ensure that your child wears their PE kit to school on Thursdays and bring their uniform in their bags, they will change into their uniform after their PE lesson.
Please be aware that our KS1 star of the week assemblies will now take place at the end ofthe day on Mondays - teachers will inform you if your child is receiving a star of the week certificate.
Have a lovely weekend!
Date: 7th Nov 2024 @ 4:31pm
This week we had our WOW starter for the Stone Age topic. We had an amazing afternoon being tool makers, cave painters, story tellers and researchers.
Date: 7th Nov 2024 @ 2:09pm
: Welcome to our Autumn Term 2.
We continue our theme of ALL ABOUT ME and following the children’s interests this term.
This week we have been talking about family and friends with children and have done some artwork, drawing people and faces. We also offered small role play activities based on people and families.
Other activities we had in class to support the children’s interests include dressing up in the home area, pots and pans with playdough and some different activities to encourage fine motor skills as we have observed the children spending lots of time transporting objects from one place to another and also posting object too.
