: Blog items
Date: 12th Feb 2026 @ 11:37am
This week in Collective Worship, we explored how we can take care of the world around us. We began by sharing all the things we love about our environment, from animals and trees to oceans and fresh air. The children thought carefully about the small actions we can take each day to protect our beautiful planet.
In RE, we reflected on modern-day people who changed their lives because of Jesus. We focused on Mother Teresa, learning about her kindness, dedication, and desire to help others. The children shared thoughtful ideas about how her actions inspire people today.
For Internet Safety Day, Year 3 learned all about AI. We discussed how AI can be useful, like helping us write stories or answer questions, but also how it can sometimes give incorrect information, so we need to think carefully and check facts.
The children had a brilliant time experimenting with what AI can do, creating stories and trying out fun quizzes!
In English, the class stepped into the roles of both authors and illustrators while creating their very own author books. They worked so hard writing up their Stone Age stories and illustrating them with creativity and care. The final pieces look fantastic!
In Maths, we continued learning about division, looking closely at dividing with remainders. The children also explored scaling, using multiplication and division to solve problems. They have impressed us with their perseverance and growing confidence.
During outdoor learning, Year 3 were set a challenge: find objects in the environment that matched different criteria. Children looked for things that could be a good habitat, objects that felt rough or smooth, and materials that could decompose. Their curiosity and careful observation skills shone through!
In Art, Year 3 designed and created their own cardboard sculptures. They used different joining techniques to build their creations and worked carefully to bring their designs to life. The sculptures were wonderfully imaginative and showed fantastic problem-solving skills.
Reminders:
After half term, PE days will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Please ensure the children come in their PE kit and trainers on these days.
Date: 11th Feb 2026 @ 9:50pm
We have had such a lovely final week of the half term in Year 5, spending time consolidating and reflecting on all the brilliant learning we have done so far.
In English, the children completed, edited and redrafted their own Norse myths. They were so proud to publish their finished pieces in their special Author Books. It has been wonderful to see just how much progress their writing has made already this year!
In maths, we continued to build confidence with the formal written method for multiplication and also began exploring a new method for division. The children have applied their knowledge brilliantly when solving a range of problems.
In RE, we reflected on our learning about Jesus the Teacher. The children were incredibly thoughtful and creative when describing what they believe the Kingdom of God is like.
On Tuesday, we celebrated Safer Internet Day. Year 5 explored how AI can be a fantastic tool for learning and fun, while also discussing the importance of using it safely and responsibly.
Wednesday brought our final swimming session of the term. The children enjoyed some fun in the pool with floats and balls, and it was amazing to see how much their skills and confidence have grown since we started before Christmas.
We also enjoyed our final PE session with Ellen from LFC, which has been a real highlight each week. Thank you, Ellen, for making our lessons so enjoyable!
To finish the week, we immersed ourselves in a whole day of art. The children used a variety of media to create expressive and beautifully unique self‑portraits. They should be incredibly proud of their creativity and effort.
Finally, it was wonderful to meet with so many parents and carers during this week’s meetings. Thank you for taking the time to come in and discuss the fantastic progress the children are making. As always, we are grateful for your ongoing support.
Have a fantastic half‑term break!
Reminders:
- No homework and spellings will be set for over half term to give the children a well deserved break. Please continue to encourage your children to enjoy a good book.
- PE days will be on Thursdays and Fridays after half term.
- Y5 trip to Mere Sands Wood- Tuesday 17th March (letter to follow)
Date: 11th Feb 2026 @ 7:58pm
This week in Nursery has been filled with love and kindness, and as Valentine’s Day approaches, we embraced the opportunity to explore its meaning together.
We began our week by talking about what love means to us, sharing who we love and what we love about ourselves and others. It was so heartwarming to hear the children’s thoughtful responses.
Inspired by the story ‘Love Bug’, we created our own special “Bags of Love”, each complete with a little tasty love bug treat. The classroom has truly been filled with care, friendship, and celebration of one another.
During Forest School, we worked together to create a large-scale heart using natural materials. The children showed wonderful teamwork as they searched for sticks, leaves, and other treasures to carefully build and shape our heart together.
In PE, we continued developing our gymnastics skills, revisiting familiar shapes and movements with growing confidence. The children also demonstrated responsibility and teamwork by helping to tidy away the mats at the end of the session.
Our Early Listening sessions were full of fun as we played a variety of listening games, including exploring syllables. We enjoyed it so much that we even clapped out the syllables in our favourite snack choices!
In Maths, we have been singing our new rhyme, ‘Five Little Fingers of Love’, to recap numbers one to five. We also explored shapes and their properties, from noticing how a circle has one continuous side, while a pentagon has five straight sides. The children were very proud of using this new mathematical vocabulary.
Across the classroom, we immersed ourselves in love-themed activities. We created beautiful love hearts, used heart-shaped pasta to make patterns and practise threading, and in ‘Funky Fingers’ used tongs to carefully place pom-pom decorations onto hearts, strengthening our fine motor skills. Making “love potions” from self-made foam was particularly exciting — full of wonder and curiosity from beginning to end!
Through sharing books about love, we talked about our own hearts and the feelings connected to them, helping us to understand emotions in a gentle and meaningful way.
On Tuesday, for Safer Internet Day, ‘Jessie’ helped us learn about staying safe online. We talked about the importance of telling a trusted adult if anything we see or hear gives us a “funny feeling in our tummy.” The children engaged thoughtfully in this important conversation.
It has truly been a wonderful week filled with love, care, and togetherness — a beautiful way to end our half term.
We would also like to say a heartfelt thank you to all our parents and carers for the continued support you provide at home. The time you spend reinforcing learning, sharing stories, practising rhymes, and nurturing independence makes such a meaningful difference to your child’s confidence and development. We truly appreciate your partnership — it helps your child to flourish and shine.
We wish you all a well-earned rest and look forward to seeing you in ten sleeps, ready to continue learning and 'Shine Bright' together.
Warm wishes,
Mrs Grayson and the Nursery team
Please see our updated virtual classroom attached to this blog if you would like to explore any of the themes we will be exploring after the half term.
Date: 11th Feb 2026 @ 11:47am
What a fantastic end to our half term in Year 1 – full of reflection, creativity, and brilliant learning!
In Maths, we continued focusing on subtraction within 20, but this week we challenged ourselves even further by exploring related facts and fact families. We discovered how addition and subtraction number sentences are connected and how knowing one fact can help us work out another. The children worked so hard to spot these links and explain their thinking. We have absolutely loved playing maths games this half term – especially Snakes and Ladders! It has been such a fun way to put our number knowledge to the test and practise counting forwards and backwards with confidence.
In RE, we brought together our learning about key Christian beliefs, including Creation, The Fall, the Trinity, and Salvation. We reflected on why Christians believe Jesus is special and discussed how he performed miracles because he was sent by God – God in human form. It has been wonderful to see the children beginning to understand and talk about these important ideas with growing confidence.
In History, we brought our Titanic learning to a close by discussing ways the disaster could have been prevented. The children used their knowledge to explore different factors, such as investing more money in lifeboats, having speed limits, and improving lifeboat training drills. This led to some fantastic discussions and showed how confidently the children can now think about cause, effect, and change.
We also had so much fun with junk modelling this week! Using cardboard boxes, tubes, and recycled materials, the children used their creativity and imagination to design and build their very own Titanic models. The teamwork and enthusiasm on display were wonderful to see.
Important reminders:
Reading books have been collected this week ready for regrouping next half term, so children will not have school reading books over the holidays.
QR codes have been sent out to help further embed the sounds the children have been taught this half term. Please try to watch these over the holiday – one a day is recommended to keep the learning fresh.
To continue developing a love for reading, please spend time reading with your child using books of their choice. Sharing stories together is one of the best ways to build confidence, fluency, and enjoyment in reading.
I am so incredibly proud of all your hard work this half term, Year 1. You have all made wonderful progress – enjoy a very well-deserved break!
Date: 10th Feb 2026 @ 6:48pm
Well, we can hardly believe it is half term already! What a fabulous few weeks we have enjoyed, learning all about space. The children have shown such curiosity, enthusiasm and imagination — we have had a wonderful time exploring our theme and we can’t wait to see what next half term brings.
In RE, we completed our theme “Stories Jesus Heard” by listening to the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. We learned that Daniel showed great courage and faith, and that trusting in God helped to keep him safe. Next half term, we look forward to exploring the stories Jesus told.
This week we were also lucky enough to have Forest School. We paired up with our Nursery friends and searched for natural materials to create heart shapes ahead of Valentine’s Day on Saturday. The teamwork, cooperation and creativity the children showed was absolutely wonderful to see.
In Phonics, the children have continued to work incredibly hard. Their letter formation is improving beautifully, and their confidence with sounds is growing each day. It’s lovely to see them applying their phonics knowledge so independently.
In Maths, we began combining two groups to find how many there are altogether. The children have been exploring this in lots of different contexts using a variety of real objects and manipulatives. We have been encouraging them to:
- Look closely at interesting images and spot the groups they can see
- Talk about what they notice with a partner
- Use subitising where possible (though many still sensibly count in ones at this stage)
We are helping the children develop perceptual and conceptual subitising, recognising smaller groups within larger numbers. This important skill supports mental images for addition and subtraction and helps children move away from always needing to count on or back. We have also been encouraging them to group objects into small sets, say the total first, and then explain the parts they saw that helped them know the number.
Alongside this, the children have been building on their earlier explorations of length, now beginning to make comparisons using everyday language and hands-on investigation.
We ended our week by listening to the beautiful story “Guess How Much I Love You” and talking about all of the special people we love. It was a truly heart-warming way to finish our half term together.
We hope you all have the most fabulous half term break, filled with rest, fun and family time. We can’t wait to welcome the children back afterwards for another exciting term of learning.
A huge thank you to all our parents and carers for the support you give at home — it really does make a difference.
Have a wonderful break!
We hope you have a lovely half term!
Mrs Molloy and Mrs Bevin
Date: 8th Feb 2026 @ 2:48pm
What a wonderful final week of the Spring 1 term!
In RE, we reflected on our learning about Jesus as the Son of God and how His authority was shown. We used our TSP 4C model to comprehend, connect, be creative and think critically about this important topic.
In English, after exploring the story Escape from Pompeii, we planned and wrote our own versions of the tale. On Monday, we revisited the original story and organised it into five key parts: the opening, build-up, problem, resolution and ending. We did a fantastic job retrieving key vocabulary and historical language from the text to enrich our own writing. We then planned our stories in the first person, writing from the perspective of Tranio, the main character. Finally, we showcased our work in our Author books, combining our understanding of volcanic eruptions with imaginative artwork before carefully copying our creative and historically inspired stories.
In Maths, we have been learning about perimeter and created our very own Peri the Snail to help us with measurements. Using a highlighter attached to our snail, we traced around the edges of shapes on a grid to measure their perimeter. We then progressed to measuring the sides of rectangles with a ruler and recognised that opposite sides are equal in length.
In Geography, we located Hawaii on a world map to understand its position in relation to where we live. We also identified similarities and differences between Formby and volcanic areas in Hawaii. We also had the privilege of speaking to Joel, a volcanologist, and picked his brains to answer our burning questions about volcanoes. We loved hearing about his experiences of volcanic eruptions.
We learned nouns for family members in Spanish, as well as nouns for parts of the face, and wrote simple sentences to describe an alien’s face.
To celebrate Chinese New Year, we also learned how to write using traditional Chinese handwriting.
Attached to this blog is the Virtual Classroom, which includes links to helpful websites to support home learning. You can also access the Year 4 Virtual Classroom via Google Classroom.
We wish you all a restful and enjoyable half term.
Reminders:
- PE will be on Tuesday and Friday.
- Clarinet lessons will begin in the new term - letter to follow.
Date: 7th Feb 2026 @ 6:49pm
.jpeg)
In Maths, we have finished our multiplication and division topic. This week we focussed on multiplying and dividing by 5 and 10, we looked for patterns to help us and different methods that the children can use if they are unsure on a particular multiplication or division. After half term our new topic will be length and height.
In English, we have continued using the book Grandad's Camper. This week we wrote a recount of a trip that we had taken to a destination in the UK, we then wrote a set of instructions for how to fix up the camper van and make it look brand new. We focussed on using commands that someone else could follow and understand and discussed vocabulary that we would need to include.
In RE, we have written our own thank you letters. We looked at a final miracle which was the healing of the 10 lepers, we discussed the story and then talked about everything that we are thankful for. The children then wrote their own thank you letters to thank people within their lives.
In Outdoor Learning and Science this week, we looked at our investigation from last week to see the results. Last week we had used different materials within our outdoor learning area to see which materials would encourage the most creatures to live under them. We looked at each material and counted how many bugs we could see. The children then made their own nests using natural resources.
It was lovely to see everyone at parents evening to celebrate how much the children have improved since September. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach all of year 2, thank you for all of your support and for the lovely gifts and cards, we are truly thankful.
We hope you all have a lovely half term and are excited to see Miss Jones return.
Thank you Miss Bayley, Mrs Taylor and the year 2 team
Date: 5th Feb 2026 @ 9:00pm
What a busy and exciting week it has been in Year 5!
In English, we have been diving deeper into the world of Norse mythology. Inspired by Arthur and the Golden Rope, the children planned and wrote their very own Norse myths. Their stories were wonderfully imaginative and showed off everything they have learned this term—from powerful descriptions to adventurous plot twists. We can’t wait to publish them in our Author Books next week!
In Maths, Year 5 have been mastering two‑digit by three‑digit multiplication. Through games, challenges and reasoning activities, the children have built both fluency and confidence. Their determination and teamwork have been fantastic to see.
In RE, we explored British Values and discussed how the teachings of Jesus link to each one. The class shared thoughtful ideas and demonstrated excellent critical thinking throughout our discussions.
Thursday was an extra-special day as Mr Lightfoot led a whole‑day STEAM event. The children loved getting hands‑on with a variety of creative and technical challenges, including:
- Coding activities
- Designing wearable technology
- Engineering spaghetti-and-marshmallow structures
Their enthusiasm, problem‑solving and teamwork shone through in every activity.
This week also marks a big change, as Mr Lightfoot leaves Trinity St Peter’s for an exciting new teaching opportunity. Year 5—and the whole school—wish him every success in the future!
Well done for a brilliant week, Year 5!
Reminders for next week:
- Parent- teacher meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
- Last swimming session is on Wednesday.
- PE days for Spring 2 with be Thursdays and Fridays
Date: 5th Feb 2026 @ 4:41pm
As the photos show, Year 6 arrived at Week 5 of term with plenty of energy still to burn! Here is a snapshot of what we have been up to.
The PE lesson in the photos was led by LFC who have been working with the class this term and led a wide range of games that have developed team work and strategic thinking. Fair to say that a good time was had by all in every one of these lessons!
In Maths, the class moved on from algebra and have been tackling ratio and proportion as the next area to master. The week has flown by as the class have moved from novice to expert status and the learning has impressed the adults around. At the same time, the class have enjoyed adding 4 'challenge' questions to their regular four a day - it is proving a great way to keep recapping our key knowledge ready for next term.
In English, the pupils have developed proofreading skills as they have been fixing 'broken' sentences for their SPAG activity each day and are becoming very skilled in spotting the mistakes others make! We have also continued to develop reading and comprehension skills as we have tackled a range of texts and worked hard to get to grips with them.
Our science lesson this week remains a work in progress as we search for the 'mouldiest children' in Year 6! After learning about mould as a variety of fungi, the challenge was set to create the conditions that would grow the best mould on a slice of bread. By adjusting the conditions the bread is stored in, the children are all hoping to win the mould challenge and extract the promised bar of chocolate from Mr Hirst... (Results will follow in a week of two)
In RE, the class have continued to explore the meaning of the Eucharist and spent some time this week reflecting on all the information that our visitors shared with is last week.
Overall, a fantastic and varied week in Year 6. Everyone - you have earned a couple of days off!
Reminders
Spellings have been set on Google Classroom as usual and will be tested next Friday (February 13th).
Maths and English homework has been set on the SATs Companion platform or sent home in books depending on which groups pupils are in. Whichever way it has been set, it is due to be completed on or before next Wednesday (11th February).
Date: 5th Feb 2026 @ 11:24am
In RE this week, Year 3 listened to the story of Sajjan, who owned an inn. At first, Sajjan did not live a kind life. He pretended to be helpful, but he was actually dishonest and unkind to others. When Sajjan met Guru Nanak, he began to think carefully about his actions and how they affected people.We talked about how Sajjan’s life changed after this meeting. He realised that it is important to be honest, caring and fair, and he chose to change his ways. The children discussed how people can learn from their mistakes and how everyone has the chance to become a better person.
In English, we have been writing our own Stone Age adventure stories. We began by learning about life in the Stone Age and exploring what an adventure story needs. The children planned their stories carefully, thinking about their characters, settings and problems. They worked hard to include descriptive language, powerful verbs and exciting story openings.
In Maths, we have been focusing on division, including division with exchanging and remainders. The children used practical resources, drawings and written methods to help them understand the process. They showed great perseverance when tackling trickier questions and enjoyed solving word problems linked to real‑life situations.
We thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous Stone Age workshop, which really brought our history learning to life. The children had the opportunity to dress up as Stone Age people and explore a range of artefacts. They asked thoughtful questions and were fascinated to learn how people lived, hunted and survived thousands of years ago.
In Science, we learned about sun protection and the damage the sun can cause. We discussed how the sun’s rays can affect our skin and eyes and learned simple ways to stay safe, such as wearing hats, sunglasses and sun cream. The children shared their own experiences and showed a good understanding of how to protect themselves.
During PE, we focused on teamwork, communication and map skills. The children worked in groups on a mapping activity where one person had to explain where to place certain items using a key and clear directions. This helped develop listening skills and cooperation. We also enjoyed our LFC PE sessions, where the children worked on their fitness, coordination and confidence while taking part in fun, active games.
In Outdoor Learning, the children used their imagination to design their own insects. They carefully thought about what their insects would need to survive and then created habitats using natural materials. This activity encouraged creativity, teamwork and respect for the natural environment.
Reminders
- PE days continue to be Wednesday and Thursday until half term.
Date: 4th Feb 2026 @ 7:02pm
This week in Nursery, we continued our much-loved ‘Gruffalo’ theme, and our learning has been full of excitement, curiosity, and joy.
In Early Listening, we explored how sentences are made up of different words and practised distinguishing between sounds, especially those made by one of our cheeky class bears! This brought lots of laughter while supporting careful listening skills.
In Maths, our focus has been the number five. We explored different ways to represent it, looked for five in our environment, and made groups of five. We were also introduced to a five-sided shape, noticing that it looked a little like a house. We explored its properties and learnt its name — pentagon — a new and tricky word that the children were very proud to learn.
The children eagerly got involved in baking, creating banana bread Gruffalo feet complete with his famous ‘turned-out toes’! They thoroughly enjoyed exploring the different ingredients and noticing how they changed — from mashing bananas, to adding liquid, and then seeing how the mixture transformed again when the flour was added. Careful counting was needed as we added his raisin toes, and the children took great pride in making sure each Gruffalo foot was just right.
In PE, our focus was on jumping, learning that it is easier to jump with two feet together and soft, bent knees. We loved the challenge of jumping high, far, fast, and quietly, delighting in showing our friends what we could do. We then recalled our gymnastics positions and combined these with jumping, practising straight jumps and star jumps with growing confidence.
On Wednesday, we attended St Peter’s Church and enjoyed our first ‘WOW’ Service of 2026. Lead by Lilly, who told us about how the Bible is full of many stories. We listened to her share the story of ‘Moses’. Learning how his mother lovingly placed him in a special basket that could float on the water to keep him safe, and how he grew up to become a very important person. We ended the service by singing joyously one of our favourite songs together. It is always wonderful to see so many of our families join us for this special time.
Our ‘Funky Fingers’ tray became a sensory delight, as we used our pinchy fingers and a range of utensils to make “Gruffalo crumble”. We explored how it felt, described the ingredients, and decided which part of the Gruffalo they might belong to — sparking lots of imaginative thinking and discussion.
Outside, we continued our jumping and number learning through hopscotch, showing excellent turn-taking and fairness in our play. This week also marked ‘National Storytelling Week’, and we fully immersed ourselves in using our puppet theatre to act out ‘The Gruffalo’ and other favourite stories, as well as creating our own imaginative tales. The audiences were just as delighted, clapping enthusiastically after each performance.
It has truly been a fun-filled week, rich in curiosity, creativity, and wonder, hoping you enjoy a restful weekend filled with smiles, stories, and moments to ‘Shine Bright’, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back next week.
Perhaps you could also keep an eye out for any number 5s or pentagons you spot while you’re out and about!
Warm wishes,
Mrs Grayson and the Nursery team
Date: 4th Feb 2026 @ 1:26pm
![IMG_3130[1].JPG](/uploads/273/images/IMG_3130[1].JPG)
![IMG_3096[1].JPG](/uploads/273/images/IMG_3096[1].JPG)
In Maths, we have continued with our multiplication and division topic. This week we recapped on odd and even numbers. The children completed an odd number maze and were challenged to create their own. They enjoyed using their knowledge of odd and even numbers to create a difficult maze for their friends. We worked on multiplying and dividing numbers by 10. Next week we will work on multiplying and dividing number by 5.
In English, we have continued to work on the story Grandad's Camper. One of our tasks this week was to write to a family member explaining why they love coming to their house and the fun things that they can do there. We drew our own maps starting from Formby to their favourite place in the UK and then wrote a set of instructions to explain how to get there.
In RE, we looked at the miracle of the man lowered from the roof and Jesus healed him. We talked about how the man would have felt and how the friends had helped him. We then thought about all of the miracles that we have looked at so far and answered questions about them.
It was internet safety day on Tuesday so in computing we talked about internet safety with a focus on exploring the safe and responsible use of AI. The children drew their own monsters and then Miss Bayley turned some of them into 3d characters using AI. We realised that it took a long time for AI to create what we had asked for and it didn't always produce exactly what we thought that it would.
In Science and Outdoor Learning, we went outside and put different materials in parts of our year 2 playground to try and entice creatures to them. We then played games linked to habitats and came back to check the types of creatures that were hiding under the materials. We discussed the types of materials that the creatures preferred and the areas that more creatures were found in.
Well done for a lovely week of learning, have a lovely weekend.
Date: 4th Feb 2026 @ 9:44am
What another brilliant week we have had in Reception!
On Wednesday we enjoyed our very first ‘WOW’ service of the new Year, at St Peter’s Church with Lily, who shared the story of Moses with us. The children loved learning about how Moses was kept safe as a baby and how he grew up to help others. A big thank you to Lily and Anne for making our visit so special.
We have also continued our exciting Space theme. This week we learnt all about Neil Armstrong – did you know he was the first person to walk on the moon in 1969? The children were fascinated by his bravery and the incredible journey of Apollo 11. What a fantastic theme this is turning into – the children are absolutely loving it.
To finish off our art focus, the children explored collaging using magazines, inspired by the work of artist Megan Coyle. They carefully studied landscape photographs from around our school and created their own beautiful images using torn pieces of magazines. We were so impressed by their attention to detail and creativity – what a talented bunch we have!
In phonics, the children have continued to WOW us with their growing knowledge. Thank you so much for the support you are giving at home – it truly makes such a difference.
In maths, the children have been exploring the composition of numbers to 8. They have been learning how their perceptual subitising skills and counting help them see and represent numbers in different ways. We have been giving the children plenty of opportunities to partition numbers using a wide range of objects, encouraging them to find all the ways a number can be made. They’ve also learned that a pair means two, and have begun noticing when there’s an odd one left over with no partner. We have also introduced the concept of doubling, helping children understand that this means twice as many. They’ve had lots of fun exploring doubles in pictures, patterns, and practical activities.
What a busy and wonderful week it has been. We are so proud of how hard the children are working and how excited they are to learn.
Have a lovely weekend!
A Little Reminder
Please make sure your child has a warm coat that they can fasten themselves, hat, scarf, and gloves during this cold snap. Thank you for helping keep everyone warm and cosy!
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Molloy and Mrs Bevin
Date: 2nd Feb 2026 @ 8:24pm
Another wonderful week of learning in the Year 4 classroom!
In RE, we explored how authority is symbolised across different religions. We focused particularly on the Torah and discovered how it contains many laws that guide Jews in living a life that pleases God. Using a diamond‑9, we organised key statements from the Torah, ranking them from the most important to those we felt held less significance.
In English, it was time to put our letter‑writing skills to the test. The children wrote letters describing the events that unfolded in Pompeii after tremors were first felt beneath the ground. It has been heart‑warming to see how passionate they are about our class book Escape from Pompeii, and the historical language they have woven into their writing. Building on our speech‑writing checklists, we also challenged ourselves to include direct speech accurately. Our letters concluded with a critical question: Should the children return to Pompeii? The debates that followed were fantastic, and the children produced powerful justifications to support their viewpoints.
To celebrate National Storytelling Week, we used story sacks to re‑enact some of our favourite stories from our younger years. The children brought the tales to life with props, simple costume pieces and wonderfully animated narration. The enthusiasm and creativity on display were wonderful to see.
In Maths, we mastered the Bus Stop method for division, giving us a quick and efficient strategy for working with larger numbers. We placed the number to be divided under the ‘bus stop’ bracket and used our multiplication facts to work out how many times one number goes into another. This method will be especially useful when dividing 3‑digit numbers and tackling word problems. With four written methods now under our belt—column addition, column subtraction, column multiplication and the bus stop method—we were challenged to choose the most efficient method for a range of arithmetic questions.
Our Geography learning continued with a focus on volcanoes. We explored the three different types and learnt how to identify them by their physical features. Using Google Earth, we located volcanoes around the world and classified each one according to its type.
In Science, we investigated conductors and insulators. We played the metal‑hoop game, using a steady hand to avoid touching the wire and setting off the buzzer. This led us to question why the buzzer sounds and what this tells us about how electricity travels through different materials.
Date: 29th Jan 2026 @ 9:04pm
What a fantastic week of learning we’ve had in Year 5!
This week in English, we have been developing our use of adverbials to link paragraphs smoothly. We began by watching an exciting clip from an Avengers film to help us explore how events connect, and then applied these skills to illustrations from our class story Arthur and the Golden Rope.
We explored the meaning of some tricky new vocabulary and thought carefully about how each word could help us describe our hero, Arthur. To finish, the children challenged themselves to use this powerful vocabulary to write an informative fact file all about Arthur — and they rose to the challenge brilliantly!
In Maths, we have been learning the formal written method for multiplication. The children practised multiplying 4-digit numbers by 1-digit and 2-digit numbers by 2-digit. We have been incredibly impressed by the resilience and determination shown. Everyone kept going, even when it got tricky — well done, Year 5!
In our RE lessons, we continued exploring the idea of Jesus as a teacher. The children shared thoughtful ideas about how our school SHINE values are influenced by Jesus’ teachings. Their reflections showed a growing understanding of how these values guide us in everyday life.
In Science, we studied the life cycles of insects and amphibians. Each child chose a species to research and then described its lifecycle in detail. It was wonderful to see such curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific learning!
PE was full of energy and teamwork as we took part in activities with the Kin-Ball. The children put their communication and collaboration skills into practice and had tremendous fun in the process!
Outdoor learning was a highlight of the week. The children enjoyed making bird feeders, hoping to attract a variety of species into our gardens. We were also delighted to spot that the bulbs we planted back in October have started to sprout! We’re looking forward to watching them grow and change over the coming weeks.
Well done for a fantastic week, Year 5 — we can’t wait to see what next week brings!
Reminders for next week:
- Homework is set on Mirodo. This is due to be completed by Wednesday.
- Spellings are set each Friday, to be tested the following Friday.
Date: 29th Jan 2026 @ 4:46pm
What a busy week in the Year 6 classroom! Starting the week with Mr McCabe, he soon rushed off to more important things, leaving Mrs Martin, Mr Hirst and the team with plenty to do.
In Maths, the children have been stretching their brains into the world of algebra. We have found x more than once and have started using equations to explore mathematical problems. After a tough start, the children have shown some real TSP resilience and begun to master one of the more challenging areas of Year 6 maths. Even with Mr King and Mr Hirst explaining how much fun algebra is however, one or two members of the class are not quite ready to use that word yet!
In English, we have continued working to fix the terms and rules of grammar into long term memory - this week making revision booklets all about word classes. (So if you have need of an explanation of the difference between a preposition and a pronoun, just ask anyone around Year 6). At the same time in English, we have continued to work hard at developing our speed when reading and our ability to quickly extract key information from a new text.
A definite highlight to our week in Year 6 was the visit of Rev Lilly and Rev Julie on Monday. We have been looking at the meaning and symbolism of the eucharist in RE but having the experts in made learning easy! They talked through the elements of a communion service with the class, showed (and shared!) some of the special clothes worn in churches, and even let everyone try the wafers used in the service. It was a wonderful afternoon and many thanks go to our visitors.
In Geography, our studies of Africa continued by moving south through the continent to the Central African Republic. The class are preparing information posters about the country whilst thinking about hard questions like, "how can a country with so many natural resources end up so poor?"
A super week all round and we wish everyone and peaceful and enjoyable weekend.
Reminders
Spellings have been set on Google Classroom as usual and will be tested next Friday (February 6th).
Maths and English homework has been set on the SATs Companion platform or sent home in books depending on which groups pupils are in. Whichever way it has been set, it is due to be completed on or before next Wednesday (4th February).
Date: 29th Jan 2026 @ 1:08pm
What a fantastic week we’ve had in Year 1! The children have continued to amaze us with their enthusiasm, determination and wonderfully positive attitudes towards their learning. It has been lovely to see them supporting each other, challenging themselves and celebrating their successes as a class.
In Maths this week, we focused on addition and subtraction, with lots of work on number bonds to 20. W
e revisited our number bonds to 10 and made connections to help us build our understanding of larger numbers. The children used a range of practical resources, including counters and tens frames, to show their thinking clearly. They also tackled some tricky problem‑solving questions, showing brilliant reasoning and perseverance. Their confidence with number bonds is really growing!
In English, we spent time writing in role. The children took on the role of the mouse from The Lion Inside, imagining what he might say or think when he decides to be brave and become a tougher mouse. We also learned about words ending in -ed, discussing how these verbs often describe actions that have already happened. The children enjoyed spotting -ed words in sentences and using them in their own writing — they produced some fantastic character pieces.
History was a particularly thoughtful part of our week. We explored how the tragedy of the Titanic has been represented over time. The children looked at pictures from around the time the disaster happened and compared how similar or different these were to other representations they had seen. We discussed why the event might have been shown in certain ways and how we think it should have been represented. Their ideas were incredibly insightful — real historical thinking at its best.
In Science, we sorted a variety of everyday materials such as rubber, rock, plastic, fabric, metal and glass. The children talked about the properties of each material using words like fragile, soft, hard, stretchy and tough. They enjoyed grouping and discussing the materials, and they showed a great understanding of how different materials behave and what they might be used for.
Well done, Year 1, for another brilliant weekof learning and exploring. You have all worked so hard and shown such maturity and curiosity. Have a lovely weekend — you’ve earned it!
Date: 29th Jan 2026 @ 11:43am
In English, we have been exploring speech and character emotions through our class story The Stone Age Boy. The children thought carefully about how characters might be feeling at different points in the story and practised using speech to show this. They also worked hard to sequence the important events, showing a great understanding of the story.
In Maths, we have been focusing on division, learning how to divide a two-digit number by a one-digit number. The children used practical resources and careful reasoning to help them explain their answers.
In RE, the children explored the stories of Jesus’ disciples, thinking carefully about what their lives were like before they met Jesus and how their lives changed afterwards. Each child focused on a chosen disciple and learned about their background, such as their jobs, families, and everyday lives. We looked closely at stories including Peter, discussing how he was an ordinary fisherman before meeting Jesus and how Jesus’ call led him to become a leader who shared God’s message with others. The children reflected on the challenges the disciples faced, the choices they had to make, and how following Jesus required trust, courage, and faith.
In Science, the children investigated light and shadows through a hands-on experiment. They explored how the size of a shadow can change when the distance between the light source, object, and surface is altered. Before starting, the children made predictions and shared their ideas about what they thought might happen.
During outdoor learning, the children took part in a fun camouflage challenge. They had to hide a pipe cleaner ‘worm’ so that it blended into the environment, while the other team tried to spot it. This encouraged teamwork, problem-solving and careful observation.
In History, we examined artefacts from the Iron Age and discussed what these objects might tell us about life at that time. The children made thoughtful predictions and shared their ideas confidently.
In Art, we explored positive and negative space and used this knowledge to sketch a sculpture. They carefully observed the outline rather than the finer detail. The children showed great focus, observation and creativity in their work.
Reminders:
- The Parent–Teacher meeting booking system is now live and will close on Tuesday 3rd February at 6pm.
- PE days continue to be Wednesday and Thursday until half term.
- Outdoor Learning continues to be on a Tueaday.
Date: 29th Jan 2026 @ 7:00am
This week in Nursery, we discovered a very exciting story sack filled with wonder and delight… ‘The Gruffalo!’ From the moment it appeared, we knew it was something special and couldn’t wait to explore and play.
Together, the children helped to set up a ‘Gruffalo-themed’ Small World Play, thoughtfully using their knowledge and ideas to make it look just like the deep, dark woods. We loved watching their thinking hats in action as they discussed what the woods should look like and why. Using brown play-dough, we created our own Gruffalo characters and made preferred character headbands, practising our cutting skills along the way.
Our Funky Fingers area transformed into a muddy swamp, where children used the story characters to retell the tale, recalling what the Gruffalo looked like and who he met on his journey. We have enjoyed sharing the story in many different ways — from reading the book, acting out the characters, to rapping and tapping the story out in rhythm. The children’s confidence and imagination truly shone.
In Early Listening, our focus was on distinguishing between sounds. We played a variety of listening games, including Which is the Missing Sound? and Jumping Words, helping to develop careful listening and attention skills.
In Maths, we were introduced to ‘Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons’, which inspired us to explore the number four. We investigated different ways to make four, counted objects, and even went on a number four hunt. As Pete’s buttons kept dropping off, we had to work out how many were left — a fun and practical way to explore early subtraction. Alongside this, we explored shapes with four sides, talking about their properties and noticing how many sides and corners they have, helping us to deepen our understanding of number and shape through hands-on learning.
During PE, we revisited our gymnastics knowledge, recalling shapes we have learnt so far and combining them with different movements. Playing games such as ‘Mouse Tag’ and ‘Watch Out, Gruffalo’! brought lots of excitement and creative thinking as we shared ideas about how the different characters from the story might move, exploring their facial expressions too and using our faces and bodies together to bring the characters to life.
This week, we were also delighted to welcome some of our grown-ups into Nursery for our ‘Stay and Play’ sessions. The children thoroughly enjoyed showing mums and dads their favourite areas and activities. Thank you so much for making the time to come and be part of our special place — it truly means so much.
While discussing ‘The Gruffalo’, we learnt about Julia Donaldson, the author of this much-loved story and many others we enjoy. We talked about how her stories take us on journeys of wonder and imagination, helping to instill a lifelong love of reading, language, and storytelling through engaging, rhythmic, and sometimes “a bit scary” tales that are wonderful to share aloud.
We also explored the storyline more deeply, noticing how the mouse was clever and brave as he met different woodland creatures on his journey through the woods. This opened up meaningful conversations about times when we have been brave too, just like our SHINE friend Leo the lion.
We ended our week reflecting on kindness, with the children sharing thoughtful ideas about who we can show kindness to — family, friends, teachers, pets, all of God’s creatures, our equipment and property, and even ourselves.
Although we experienced some rainy days this week, we were not dismayed and now often call them ‘growing days’, knowing how important water is for the world around us. We were rewarded with glorious weather to finish the week, enjoying lots of outdoor fun and games together.
What a truly magical and meaningful week it has been!
As the weekend arrives, don't forget when out and about, to keep your eyes wide open— because you never know when you might need to watch out for that Gruffalo!
Warm wishes,
Mrs Grayson and the Nursery team
Date: 28th Jan 2026 @ 11:06am
Here is a snapshot of some of this week’s learning in Year 4…
In RE, we identified clues in artwork which suggest that Jesus has authority over others shown in the illustrations. We noticed that Jesus is often painted standing above or in front of others, dressed in white, and shown with a graceful and powerful pose.
In English, we wrote sentences including speech to show what the characters in our class novel Escape from Pompeii might be saying. We focused on using capital letters and correct punctuation and explored a range of alternatives to the word ‘said’. We also planned a diary entry to sequence the events of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Next week, we will include speech in our diary writing and continue to use fronted adverbials to sequence events.
In Maths, we learnt how to use the column multiplication method to multiply 2- and 3-digit numbers by a 1-digit number. We focused on setting out digits correctly and using our times table knowledge to support our calculations. Next week, we will learn the bus stop method for division.
Bench Dodgeball has been a class favourite this week. We love the new rule which allows us to catch the ball while standing on the bench to earn our place back on the team.
In Science, we investigated different circuits to identify whether they were complete or incomplete.
Continuing our focus on volcanoes, we explored how to use a range of tones to add texture and shadow to our drawings in Art and identified and labelled the different features of a volcano in Geography.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend!
Reminders:
- The Parent–Teacher meeting booking system is now live and will close on Tuesday 3rd February at 6pm.
Date: 27th Jan 2026 @ 5:40pm
Another Busy Week in Reception!
Thank you, Reception, for another fantastic week full of fun and learning. You continue to amaze us with your determination in Phonics, and the support you provide at home really does make such a difference — thank you, parents!
In RE this week, we continued to explore stories that Jesus would have heard and listened to. We focused on the story of Noah’s Ark, learning about its key messages. After listening carefully to the story, the children enjoyed creating their own rainbows to remind us of God’s promise.
We are very excited to begin our new topic all about Space! The children will be enjoying the story Beegu by Alexis Deacon. To introduce the theme, we discovered a mystery box filled with different resources to explore. The children asked lots of thoughtful questions and shared what they would like to learn about over the coming weeks.
In Maths, the children have been exploring different representations of the numbers 6, 7 and 8. They have been building on their learning by finding the numerals and matching them to quantities, as well as creating their own representations. You can support this at home by encouraging your child to explain their representations and match numerals to the correct amounts. The children were also introduced to the concept of ‘1 more’ with numbers up to 8. They are beginning to understand that as we count forwards, each number is one more than the last. We have been using stories, rhymes and ten frames to support this learning, helping children see how numbers increase and recognising the stable order of numbers.
In PE, we continued to practise basic shapes and began learning different types of rolls, including barrel and straight rolls, as well as rocking forwards and backwards into a standing position.
In Art this week, the children enjoyed creating child‑led collages using mixed media. They also used loose parts to create pieces of transient art, encouraging creativity, exploration and independent thinking.
Well done, Reception — we are so proud of all your hard work and enthusiasm for learning!
A Little Reminder
Please make sure your child has a warm coat that they can fasten themselves, hat, scarf, and gloves. Thank you for helping keep everyone warm and cosy!
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Molloy and Mrs Bevin
Date: 27th Jan 2026 @ 8:18am
In Maths, we have continued our multiplication and division topic. This week we have used arrays to represent multiplication calculations and repeated addition to support this. The children used cubes and whiteboards to show their arrays. We talked about some numbers appearing in more than one times table and also some numbers, for example 7 only appearing in the 1 and 7 times table. We also looked at dividing as grouping and sharing making sure that children understand that if we swap the numbers around they don't represent the same calculation.
In English, we edited our Dragon Machine stories checking for any errors and additional vocabulary that we could include. We have started the story Grandad's Camper and we looked at photos from the class and discussed key questions that we would ask to find out more information. Next week we will be continuing to read the story and completing activities focussing on extending our sentences.
In RE, we looked at the miracle of Jesus healing the blind man. We then wrote our own newspaper articles imagining that we were reporting on the event just after it had happened.
In Art, we used our textured paintings to create our own collages of the African savanna. The children thought about the colours that they could use to create their collage and we put them all together to evaluate our work.
In Science, we went outside and worked on understanding the concept of hibernation. The children were asked to hide their 2 conkers. They then completed a game called the owl and mouse. One person wore a blindfold and pretended to be the owl, the other person was the mouse and had to try and pick up a conker without the owl hearing them. At the end of the lesson the children were asked to find the 2 conkers that they had hidden or find any that they could see. Some children couldn't remember where they had put them or other children had taken them because they couldn't find their own. We linked this back to squirrels when they come out of hibernation and cannot always remember where they had hidden their food.
Well done for a lovely week of learning, have a lovely weekend!
Date: 23rd Jan 2026 @ 3:31pm
In English, we have been developing our understanding of speech sandwiches. The children practised writing speech–action–action–speech, making sure to include a range of interesting verbs and adverbs to bring their writing to life. We have also been exploring prefixes, learning how they change the meaning of words, and had great fun reinforcing this by playing charades.
In Maths, we have been building our confidence in multiplying by two‑digit numbers, working both with and without remainders. The children showed great resilience and problem‑solving skills as they tackled calculations.
During RE, we read the story of ‘The Young Rich Man’ and explored its meaning together. The children talked thoughtfully about what Jesus wanted the young man to change, focusing on how he was asked to give up his possessions and follow Jesus. We discussed whether the young man was able to do this and shared ideas about why it may have been difficult for him, such as being attached to his wealth or feeling worried about giving everything away. As part of the 'Week of Prayer for Christian Unity', Year 3 worked together to create a handprint heart, celebrating unity, togetherness and respect for one another.
We combined History and Art this week by creating our own Iron Age hill forts. The children used junk modelling techniques, carefully joining materials together and then labelling the different parts of their hill forts. This was a fantastic hands on way to explore Iron Age life and design.
In Science, we investigated materials that cast a shadow, observing how different objects block light and discussing why this happens.
Our PE lessons were full of energy as we played crab football, focusing on our teamwork and cooperation skills. The class also thoroughly enjoyed a special PE session led by LFC, which was a real highlight of the week.
We also enjoyed our first drumming session, where the children showed excellent listening skills and enthusiasm as they explored rhythm and beat together.
Finally, in Outdoor Learning, we went on a magic gold leaf hunt, exploring our environment and having fun with our friends.
Reminders
- Outdoor learning continues to be on a Tuesday.
- PE days are Wednesday and Thursday.
Date: 23rd Jan 2026 @ 10:19am
In Maths, we have introduced the topic of multiplication and division. Our focus this week has been understanding the multiplication symbol and what it means. We have worked hard on knowing how many groups we are representing and discussing that multiplying is commutative but that the question represents a different amount of groups if we swap the numbers over. Next week we will continue to use arrays and looking at strategies to support answering multiplication questions.
In English, we have finished our story of The Dragon Machine. Our final writing task was to use the story as a model to create a similar story with a different creature in a different setting. It has been a pleasure to read their stories and see some of the language from the story transferred into their own writing.
In RE, we have discussed miracles and looked at the Bible story of the Feeding of the 5000. We discussed the word miracle and what it means, we talked about some of the other miracles that Jesus performed. The children then retold the story of the Feeding of the 5000 using a storyboard to help them.
In Science and Outdoor Learning, we went outside to find worms! The children had an identification sheet with different worms on and we all tried to encourage the worms to the surface in different areas of the field by running and walking on the spot. Once we had found a worm we then used the identification chart to identify it from its features and discussed their microhabitat.
In Art, this week we used our skills from last week to create different textures on pieces of paper. Next week the children will be using the different colours and textures to create their own collage of the African savannah which links to their learning in Geography about Kenya.
Well done for another lovely week, have a lovely weekend.
Reminders:
- Parent-Teacher Meetings go live on 27th January at 6pm
Date: 22nd Jan 2026 @ 9:12pm
Year 5 have enjoyed yet another busy and exciting week full of learning, creativity and teamwork.
In English, we followed Arthur’s perilous journey across the sea. The children created detailed story maps, which helped them build their ideas and develop rich language. Using expanded noun phrases, adverbials of time and place, and relative clauses, the children worked hard to write vivid and descriptive accounts of Arthur’s journey. It was wonderful to see their imaginations come to life on the page.
In Maths, we moved on to the topic of measure. We began by exploring perimeter before progressing to area, tackling a range of engaging problems and puzzles along the way. Alongside this, the children have continued to practise their times tables, developing greater fluency and confidence.
Our RE learning focused on the parable of the mustard seed. The children reflected thoughtfully on what God’s kingdom means in everyday life and produced a beautiful display, writing about how we can work towards it through kindness, forgiveness, caring for our world and serving God.
As part of collective worship, we took part in the Week of Unity, learning about the importance of belonging and working together as one community, while celebrating that we are all unique. We took this learning outside, creating stunning ‘unity mandalas’ using natural materials. The children worked collaboratively, discussing teamwork and ensuring that everyone felt included.
In Science, we explored the life cycle of a plant, with a focus on germination. The children were fascinated to discover that some of our conkers had already begun to sprout, and they enjoyed observing the shoot bursting out of the shell first-hand.
During PE, with Ellen from the LFC Foundation, the theme was communication. The children took part in a range of activities that required different types of communication, highlighting how important listening, teamwork and clear messages are in sport and everyday life.
Finally, on Wednesday, we were visited by PCSO Alex, who spoke to the children about online safety. We learnt about keeping personal information private and creating secure passwords. The children were highly engaged and asked lots of thoughtful questions.
Another fantastic week in Year 5 – we are very proud of the children’s enthusiasm, teamwork and hard work!
Reminders for next week:
- Swimming continues up to half term, on Wednesday afternoons.
- PE with LFC Foundation on Thursdays.
- Homework is set via Mirodo on Fridays. This due back the following Wednesday.
- New spellings are put on Google Classroom each Friday.