Top Tip for Family Fun

Join a festive, family-friendly 5K fun run (or walk!), at the stunning Bodenham Arboretum in Kidderminster, to raise awareness and vital funds for Coventry, Warwickshire & Worcestershire Mind.
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or prefer a stroll in the park with the dog, it’s for you.
Mental Elf is more than just a run. It’s about your community. So, dust off your elf ears, gather your team, and make this the jolliest Mental Elf yet!
Prize for the best dressed elf and a best dressed dog competition.
Event Link: Mental Elf 2025 Festive Fun Run - Kidderminster Tickets, Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM | Eventbrite

Hot Chocolate and Toast for the Salvation Army

Next week we will be serving hot chocolate and toast at break for the cost of £1.00.  All the money raised from this activity will be given to The Salvation Army Worcester to support their work with the homeless and vulnerable families.

Please see below for the day each class has been allocated:
Tuesday - Skylarks
Wednesday - Merlins
Thursday - Kestrels
Friday - Wrens

Thank you for your support from Mrs Lightfoot and the CREW.

Key Stage 2 music

Please remember to bring in your musical instruments on a Monday.  Thank you.

This week the Wrens have been learning about the Hindu Festival of Diwali as part of their current topic on Festivals and Celebrations.  The children learnt the story of Rama and Sita in Drawing Club and enjoyed recreating the story.  They wrote some fantastic speech bubbles using their phonics knowledge for the main characters.   We also looked at how Hindu's prepare for and celebrate Diwali and noticed many similarities to the way we celebrate Christmas.

With the colder weather arriving we have also been thinking about how the animals look after themselves in winter by storing food and making cosy dens.  We had a go at making our own cosy dens in Forest School.

Over the last few weeks in maths we have been exploring measuring, weighing and capacity in practical ways.   This has linked really well to the Concept Cat words we have been learning - long, short, tall, small, large.  Why not see if you can use this vocabulary in your own practical maths activities at home?

In English this week, the children wrote their predictions using the clues from the previous lesson. The children have also been using drama and facial expressions to explore how the main character Hermelin the Mouse Detective feels at different parts of the story. This week we have also been learning how to use question marks correctly and have learnt some new vocabulary.

In maths, our focus has been on subtraction. The children have been using incomplete part whole models to identify the missing part using subtraction. For example if 20 is the whole and one part is 7 then 20-7=13. They have also been using this knowledge to write 8 number sentences to match the part whole models.

In history this week, we explored how people holiday. The children really enjoyed sharing their photos and talking about their favourite holiday memories. They identified that there are many different types of holiday and people enjoy different things. Next week, we will carry on our learning of holidays and begin to explore how they have changed.

In art, the children experimented with different printmaking techniques. They used natural objects to press into the plasticine before using the ink pad to print that shape multiple times in their sketch books. They also sketched some designs that they would like to make on their own printing tile.

Timetable

Monday: Wellies and appropriate clothing for outdoor learning

Tuesday & Thursday: PE kits - please can those with longer hair have their hair tied up ready

In English, the children immersed themselves in Leaf, selecting five pivotal scenes from the story to rewrite as a first-person account from the polar bear’s perspective. They worked thoughtfully to bring his emotions and experiences to life, using a mixture of fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and vivid descriptive language.

In maths, we moved on to our new topic of multiplication and division. Over the next two weeks we will be focusing closely on times tables and this week the children explored arrays, sharing and grouping to build strong foundations for their understanding.

In history, we began our topic, 'How have children’s lives changed?' The children examined primary and secondary sources and discussed how these can help us learn about the past, before using them to identify key differences between childhood in Roman, Tudor and Victorian times.

In DT, the children thoroughly enjoyed testing their prototype cars. They evaluated how well each design performed and discussed which features they would refine or redesign in preparation for building their slingshot cars next week.

In science, we started our topic on Forces and Magnets with a hands-on investigation into how objects move, experimenting with different actions to explore when more or less force is needed.

In English, we have begun drafting our flashback narratives inspired by A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis. The children have worked hard to set the ominous opening scene of being trapped on the small boat, using powerful vocabulary, especially when describing the weather, to build tension and atmosphere. Their ideas have been fantastic and it’s been brilliant to see them bringing this dramatic moment to life.

In maths, we have continued our work on fractions. This week the children practised converting mixed numbers to improper fractions (and back again!) before moving on to comparing fractions with unlike denominators. Many found this quite challenging, so we’ll keep practising these skills into next week to build confidence and fluency.

Wednesday was an especially exciting day, as we spent it being super creative. The children designed and built homes for woodland animals using natural materials. Their imagination and teamwork were outstanding. I was so impressed with their thoughtful designs. Keep an eye on the school website, where photos of their finished woodland homes will be uploaded soon.

In art, we studied Frida Kahlo’s famous painting Along the Borderline. The children took careful visual notes in preparation for recreating the piece collaboratively in the coming weeks. Their observations were insightful and showed great attention to detail.

In history, we continued exploring the census, focusing this week on what it can teach us about the lives of Victorian children. Using a range of historical sources, the children generated some excellent inquiry questions and demonstrated real curiosity about the past.

Please see below information within the community but independent of the school