Gazette 30/01/2026

Year to date 93.9%

We expect pupils to be in school everyday.

We will not authorise term time absence except in exceptional circumstances and where appropriate, Essex County Council will issue fines.

Classes:

RBC: 98.8%	3VB: 93.1%
RS: 94%	4A: 94.1%
1D: 94.5%	4L: 97.2%
1P: 94.8%	5R: 96%
2A: 88.5%	5/6P: 89.3%
2N: 90.4%	6CH: 98.6%
3MH: 96.4%

This week, the class with the highest attendance was RBC with 98.8%.  Well done!  The attendance reward will be coming your way.

 

Grass Area Outside the Year 3 Classrooms

During wet weather, this area can become very muddy, and children have been slipping and getting covered in mud before and after school.  It also makes the path crowded, which can be tricky for parents with prams or younger siblings to navigate.

For everyone’s safety and comfort, we kindly ask parents to avoid using the grass during wet weather.

Looking ahead, we hope to explore long-term solutions to make this space safer, cleaner, and more convenient for all.

In the meantime, from Monday 2 February, we ask that parents drop off all children in Years 3-6 at the KS2 ICT suite gate, nearby the Creswick Avenue pedestrian gate.  Staff will be on hand to signpost entry routes from the playground so children can access their classrooms.  All gates will be open as normal.

News from EYFS

This week in Reception we have been looking at the traditional tale Jack and the Beanstalk.

The children have been very creative painting Jack, the giant and the beanstalk.  They have also used their cutting skills to make scenes from the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  The children have drawn key parts of the story and written some fabulous sentences using their phonic knowledge.  It has been wonderful to see their progression as they use new tricky words and include some descriptive vocabulary in their writing.

In Maths this week, we have used lots of different resources such as tens frames, dice, Uno cards, songs and even the children themselves to learn all about the numbers 6, 7 and 8.  The children have practised counting one more and one less, matched numerals to picture cards and acted out ‘8 in the Bed’ to show their understanding of one less.  They have shown great enthusiasm and confidence when working with numbers.

News from the Resource Base

This week in RBR, we have been completing our end-of-unit assessments.  The children have worked really hard throughout this unit and everyone has made progress.  We have now begun our new learning on fractions and, over the coming lessons, we will be focusing on equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions.

In English, we have been practising how to use hyphens accurately and how punctuation can be used to join independent clauses.  The children continue to enjoy our guided reading texts – particularly How Do You Deaf? – and I have been really impressed by the thoughtful reflections they have been sharing.

This week has been eventful in our RBN English lessons.  We came into school to find our room had been disrespected by The Creakers.  Children were brilliant detectives in figuring out who had been and are now becoming fabulous reporters for a newspaper article to appear in next week’s Gazette.  Keep your eyes peeled for more information, we may need your help!

In Maths, the children have been learning multiplication and division skills with quick tricks to help them calculate word problems.  This included how to spot multiples of 9, how the 3,6,9 times tables link and how to partition numbers to make calculation easier.

In RBH this week, in Maths, we have learnt about repeating patterns and concluded our unit on shapes.  We have also started our unit on money, initially focussing on recognising pence, where the children got to create their own role play shops and use the correct coin to purchase an item.  We then went on to add pence.  Next week, I look forward to more teaching and learning about money.

In English, we continued to learn our class write of an information text and had a go at writing it.  We have also started to plan our own information text about an animal of our choice.  The children used the headings from our class information text to help them to organise their ideas.  They have chosen a range of animals, including cats, elephants, snakes and gerbils.  I look forward to finding out more about these animals, in their writing!

Influential Figure – Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury was an influential musician who is remembered for his creativity, confidence, and unforgettable performances as the lead singer of the band Queen.  Born in Zanzibar and raised partly in India, he later made the UK his home, where he shared his incredible musical talent with the world.  Freddie Mercury’s story helps children understand how people who come from different backgrounds bring new ideas, skills, and creativity that enrich our culture.  His music continues to bring people together and shows how being yourself and working hard can lead to something truly special.

Music Moment

Our music moment this week was We Are The Champions – Queen.

Fortnightly Focus: Excellence

Our focus for the next fortnight will be excellence: • Work neatly • Dress smartly • Take pride.

Each day we will have a specific focus where we will encourage our children to be independent, resilient learners who expect the best from themselves and others.  Please support at home, where you can!

14-Day Excellence Reminder Burst

Day 1: Excellence starts with you – today, give your very best in everything you do.

Day 2: Neat work helps everyone – take time to write clearly and present your work well.

Day 3: Smart dress shows pride – wear uniform correctly and look ready to learn.

Day 4: Take pride in your space – classroom, corridors and playgrounds matter.

Day 5: Check your work – have you used your best handwriting and presentation?

Day 6: Excellence is consistency – do the right thing even when no one is watching.

Day 7: Small details count – rulers, margins, tidy books and folders.

Day 8: Dress smartly, feel smart – being prepared helps you feel confident.

Day 9: Take pride in behaviour – show respect to everyone around you.

Day 10: Reflect and improve – what could you make even better next time?

Day 11: Excellence is effort – try hard even when learning feels challenging.

Day 12: Be proud of your progress – notice how far you’ve come.

Day 13: Support others – excellence grows when we help one another succeed.

Day 14: Celebrate excellence – working neatly, dressing smartly and taking pride every day.