This week in reception the children have showcased their reasoning skills in literacy. On Tuesday, we looked at the book Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. We discussed why the animals would have been sent back to the zoo and why they wouldn’t be appropriate pets. The children then had the opportunity to choose their own animal and a reason that it wouldn’t make a good pet. The children drafted a copy and then published their work which we have made into a class book.

Year 1 have been busy becoming little explorers! We've been learning all about directional language – using words like left, right, forwards, and backwards to help us find our way. To put our new skills into practice, we worked in pairs to guide each other from one location to another around the playground. It was so much fun giving and following instructions – like “Take two steps forward” or “Turn left at the bookshelf”! Not only did we learn how to give clear directions, but we also discovered how important it is to listen carefully.

Year 2 have been busy turning their homes into royal workshops! As part of our homework project, children were challenged to design and build their own castles using everyday materials such as cardboard boxes, foil, paper rolls, and more. The results have been absolutely fantastic — from towering turrets to working drawbridges, each creation shows incredible imagination and effort. A big well done to all our budding architects! 

This week, Year 3 enjoyed learning how to write acrostic poems, exploring creative ways to express their thoughts and feelings through poetry.  Alongside this, they focussed on building resilience by tackling challenges with a positive attitude and supporting one another through mistakes and setbacks. Well done to all the children.  

The children have been busy writing independent persuasive letters on topics of their choice, using powerful language to convince and persuade their readers. In Maths, we've been learning how to convert between 12-hour and 24-hour time, which the children picked up brilliantly. Over in DT, the class got creative designing and making their own automaton toys using cam mechanisms—with some fantastic results!

This week in Year 5, the children have continued to enjoy the exciting build up to their final D&T projects of the Year. During this week's lesson the children applied their knowledge of Greek architecture and paired this with their findings from last week's structure experiment to design their own Ancient Greek building. They will take these designs into next week's exciting final project. 

On Wednesday, the group was treated to a private cinema screening of the latest animated blockbuster Elio — a real highlight! Back at school, the creativity flowed as the children worked hard on making props for our upcoming production of Pirates of the Currybean. Enthusiasm and teamwork were in full force!

Thursday brought the chance to challenge themselves at Rock Up, where many faced their fears and conquered new heights with a fantastic array of climbing walls. In the afternoon, the fun continued with the Year 6 Taskmaster challenge. Despite many determined attempts, the infamous bottle flip proved just too tricky under pressure!

This week, thirty-one of our Year 6 pupils enjoyed an unforgettable residential trip to PGL. From the thrill of abseiling and zip-wiring to the challenge of raft building and swimming in the lake, each day was packed with adventure. The children showed resilience, teamwork and courage as they tried their hand at fire-building, rifle shooting and so much more. Most importantly, they made memories that will last a lifetime. We are incredibly proud of how they represented our school and embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and joy.

This week we finalised the transition of information between teachers in preparation for September. We also reviewed the school's outcomes which have been excellent this year. There was also a brief discussion about which staff members wanted to volunteer for 'Soak the Teacher' at LanchestFest.