Gazette 01/05/2026

Year to date 94.5%

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:

This week, the class with the highest attendance was 2A with 99.6%.  Well done!  The attendance reward will be coming your way.

News from EYFS

We’ve continued our exciting “Under the Sea” theme with a range of engaging and imaginative activities!

The children really enjoyed the story “Underwater Cleaning Spree”, where we explored the importance of keeping our oceans and seas clean.  They demonstrated great awareness of litter and took part in thoughtful discussions about which items can be recycled.

We also had lots of fun with the story “Billy’s Bucket”, using our imaginations to discover all sorts of amazing underwater creatures.  It was wonderful to hear the children using such rich and descriptive vocabulary during this activity.

In Maths, we’ve been exploring how numbers change.  We practised adding one more to a number, thinking carefully about how many we started with and how many we had after adding more objects.  We then moved on to subtraction – working out how many we had to begin with, how many were taken away, and how many remained.  The children particularly enjoyed acting this out on our pretend bus!

Creatively, we’ve been very busy painting, making paper chain tentacles, and creating fantastic octopus artwork, with support from our wonderful Sweyne Park School work experience students.

News from the Resource Base

RBH: In English we have started our new topic on Biographies.  The children have looked at the features of a Biography and identified them, using a coloured key.  We have also ordered a Biography which had been chopped up.  We were lucky enough, on Thursday, to have real life ducks visit the class so we have made notes in preparation for our class Biography on one of the ducks.  Will it be Donald or Daisy?

In Maths, we have continued our topic on measurement.  We have worked on word problems, about mass, using the four operations.  The children have also worked on capacity this week, starting with comparing the capacity of containers, using < > and =.  They have also looked at reading scales with millilitres (ml) and litres (l).

RBR: This week we have completed our fractions unit.  The children have worked incredibly hard throughout and should feel very proud of the progress they have made.  We are now looking forward to moving on to our next topic: decimals.

In English, we have been focusing on key grammar skills, including the present and past perfect tense and understanding determiners.  The children will be applying these skills in their upcoming narrative writing.

On Thursday, we were lucky enough to welcome Annie’s ducks into school.  The children had the opportunity to feed, stroke, and hold Donald and Daisy, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  We will be using this as inspiration for upcoming writing, where the children can choose to create a descriptive piece, a persuasive text, or a diary entry.

It has been a fantastic week, with lots of enthusiasm and memorable learning experiences.

Influential Figure – Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison is an inspiring scientist and astronaut who became the first African American woman to travel into space.  She worked hard in school, especially in science and medicine, before joining NASA and achieving her dream.  Mae Jemison’s story shows children that curiosity, determination, and a love of learning can open up exciting opportunities.  She also helps us understand how people from different backgrounds bring valuable skills and ideas that help us explore and better understand our world and beyond.

Music Moment

Our music moment this week was The Script – Hall of Fame.

Fortnightly Focus – Ambition

As we continue to develop our focus on ambition across the school, we are thinking carefully about how this shapes every aspect of your child’s experience.  We want all pupils to feel confident that they can achieve highly, and this is reflected in the expectations we set for behaviour, effort, and attitudes to learning in every lesson.  Strong attendance and punctuality remain a key priority, as being in school every day and ready to learn is essential for success.

We are also committed to broadening pupils’ horizons by providing experiences that inspire them and raise their aspirations beyond their immediate surroundings.  Across the school, leaders and staff work together to promote a culture of high expectations, ensuring that ambition is at the heart of everything we do.  Importantly, this applies to all pupils, including those who may need additional support, so that every child is encouraged and enabled to fulfil their potential.