Christmas has well and truly arrived in Wrens this week with the children busy making hot chocolate treats in the role play, practising their wrapping skills in the elf wrapping station and enjoying some Christmas stories.

We put our phonics skills to good use this week to write our Christmas letters to Father Christmas.  Next week we will be walking to the post office to post them and keeping our fingers crossed that he receives them in time for Christmas.  This week we finished our phonics programme for the autumn term. We have been really impressed with the progress the children have made in both their reading and writing.  Next week we will be carrying out phonics assessments so there will be no new homework sheet this week. Please instead take the time to look through the sounds your child has already learnt particularly the consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th, ng and nk) and the tricky words.

In maths this week we have been exploring the composition of 5 by finding how many different ways we could give a snowman 5 buttons using 2 coloured counters. The children also love playing "bunny ears" where they explore the different ways of making 5 on their fingers. Maybe you could try this at home.

Finally we have been very busy with the final rehearsals for our nativity play - we can't wait to welcome you all to "Baarmy Bethlehem" next Thursday afternoon!

This week in English, the children have been learning what makes a good writer and then having a go themselves. They have been writing sentences that include exciting vocabulary and have also been learning about the prefix un- and how this changes the meaning of a word, so they have been including some of these in their writing too. In addition, they have been practising writing questions and exclamations. Using all of these skills, the children then wrote a character description for the main character of our book, Hermelin the Detective Mouse.

In maths, we started by solving missing number problems and the children identified that they had to use the inverse operation to do this. We then began counting beyond 20 all the way up to 100, looking closely at what these numbers look like and how they follow a pattern. The children did really well and showed their understanding by filling in missing numbers on 100 squares. We have also been counting in 10s and identifying how many 10s are in each number. For example, in the number 70 there are seven 10s. To finish the week, we grouped numbers into 10s and 1s. For example, showing that the number 45 has four 10s and five 1s.

In history this week, we have been exploring holidays from the past. The children looked at old postcards and photographs and compared holidays from then to holidays today. This helped them to answer their own questions about holidays in the past, such as how people travelled, what they did when they arrived at their holiday destinations and how often families went on holiday.

In art, the children created additive printing plates. They did this by cutting out different shapes from printing foam and sticking them onto another plate before practising printing with them. They also explored how an additive printing plate is different from the incised plates they created last week.

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 this week, the children developed their outsider narratives by returning to their detailed planning and using it to guide their writing. They explored the polar bear’s emotional journey, describing how he felt when he first realised he was lost, how different animals supported him along the way and the relief and joy he experienced when he finally found his way home. The children carefully applied their writer’s knowledge of expanded noun phrases, fronted adverbials and ambitious vocabulary to create expressive and detailed descriptions.

In maths, we continued building fluency with the 2, 4 and 8 times tables. The children investigated the connections between these number facts, noticing how doubling and halving could help them work out answers efficiently. They used these patterns to solve a variety of calculations and reasoning questions, growing in confidence as they recognised how interconnected the tables are.

Our science lessons continued to build on the theme of magnets and forces, moving into a hands-on investigation focused on whether magnetic forces can act at a distance. After revisiting what they already knew about magnetic materials, the children made predictions about which objects—paper clips, coins, screws and other small items—would be attracted to a magnet without directly touching it. They tested their ideas carefully, observing how the strength of the magnetic pull changed as distance increased.

In history, we moved from studying the Tudor period to exploring life in Victorian Britain. The children learned about the types of jobs Victorian children were expected to do, the very young age many began working and the harsh, often dangerous conditions they faced. Using a range of primary sources—including photographs, diary extracts and reports—they researched real stories of Victorian children, helping them build a clearer picture of daily life during this period and reflect on how different childhood is today.

In English, the children have continued reading A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis. This week, we have been immersing ourselves more deeply into the text in preparation for writing our own newspaper reports. The children are now gathering ideas and understanding the sequence of events surrounding the rescue and retrieval of the missing people on the boat. Their discussions have been thoughtful and mature and they are well on their way to producing some powerful writing.

In maths, we have continued our work on fractions. The children have been adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators and have now progressed to tackling mixed numbers too. They have shown fantastic resilience with these trickier concepts. Next week, we will be moving on to formal multiplication and division, building on the fluency they have developed this term.

In art, we continued our exploration of Frida Kahlo’s Along the Border. The children are working collaboratively in pairs on their final pieces and the outcomes so far are very impressive. Their attention to detail and use of symbolism reflect a strong understanding of Kahlo’s artistic style.

On Thursday, our PSHE lesson focused on bullying. Through looking at different scenarios, the children learned how to distinguish between bullying and unkind behaviour. This has given them greater clarity about how to identify, prevent and respond to issues that may arise in the playground.

Finally, on Friday, the children investigated why some women chose to boycott the 1911 census. They explored key ideas from the suffragette movement and presented their new learning with enthusiasm and insight. It has been inspiring to see them engage with such an important part of history.

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