St. Francis Primary Academy Learning Blog

Swimming Skills, Seed Science and Super Subtraction in Year 3!

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:44:27 GMT

A hands-on week of maths, science and swimming success for our enthusiastic Year 3 class.

Year 3 have had a wonderfully busy week!

We enjoyed our final swimming lesson where the children learnt how to safely help a friend who is struggling in the water, using an inflatable ball under the chin to keep them afloat.

In maths, we’ve been mastering column subtraction with exchanging, using place value counters to help us see each step clearly.

In English, the children wrote brilliant recounts of our swimming trip, describing all the places we spotted on the journey.

We also became mini scientists in science, exploring the daffodils outside our classroom to discover how flowers make seeds and to identify the male and female parts of the plant.

A fantastic week of learning all round!

Decimals, Felix’s Journey and World Book Day Fun in Year 6!

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:35:45 GMT

TL;DR:

Continued reading Once and discussed bravery and hope.
Learned how to read, write and compare decimal numbers.
Explored links between decimals and fractions.
Made calming worry stones during PSHE.
Celebrated World Book Day with reading buddies and a book swap.

A thoughtful week of reading, maths learning and celebrating books across the school.

What a fantastic week we’ve had in Year 6!

We have continued reading Once by Morris Gleitzman, and the children have been fully invested in Felix’s journey. We’ve had discussions about bravery, hope and how the characters are changing as the story unfolds.

In maths, we started our new unit on decimals. Year 6 have been learning how to read, write and compare decimal numbers. We’ve also been practising how decimals link to fractions, which really helped support understanding.

As part of our PSHE work, the children made their own worry stones. They carefully designed and decorated them, thinking about colours and patterns that help them feel calm. We discussed how worry stones can be used to help manage emotions and offer comfort when feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

On Thursday was World Book Day! We started the day with a whole-school assembly where everyone had the chance to show off their brilliant costumes. Afterwards, we spent time reading with the Reception children, sharing stories and helping them enjoy their books.

In the afternoon, the class took part in a book swap. Everyone who brought in a book was able to choose a new one to take home and enjoy!

Villains, Numbers and Little Pig Houses – Year 1 on a Roll!

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 19:37:13 GMT

A creative half term of writing, maths and science learning for our confident Year 1 class.

TL;DR:

Wrote villain stories using adjectives, similes and punctuation.
Became confident with partitioning numbers up to 10 and beyond.
Used maths vocabulary and created their own problems.
Learned about everyday materials in science.
Built and tested strong, waterproof houses for the little pigs.

Wow! What another busy half term we have had in Year 1.

In English, the children have been really enthusiastic about their writing. They have created some fantastic villain tales based on 'The Three Little Pigs' and have been learning to use powerful adjectives for character descriptions. Some children have even started to include similes, and they are becoming more confident with punctuation such as commas and exclamation marks.

In Maths, the children have been amazing little mathematicians. They are becoming secure with partitioning numbers up to 10, with some children confidently extending their learning up to 20. They have also been using the correct mathematical vocabulary to say stem sentences and have impressed me by making up their own Maths problems based on partitioning numbers.

In Science, we have been learning all about everyday materials and linking this to our English work. The children have designed and chosen materials to make strong, waterproof houses for the little pigs. They have built their houses and are very excited to test them out!

I am very proud of all the children's efforts this half term and look forward to seeing their continued progress.

Police Visits, Basketball Skills and Storytelling Stars in Year 2!

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:21:11 GMT

An inspiring week of community learning, sport, maths and storytelling for our brilliant Year 2 class.

TL;DR:

Welcomed a police officer to learn about responsibility and community safety.
Developed teamwork and ball skills in basketball lessons.
Explored finding the difference in maths using practical resources.
Celebrated reading achievements with raffle tickets.
Met author Ian Brown during National Storytelling Week.

What a fantastic week we have had in Tanni Grey-Thompson class! The children have enjoyed a wonderful mix of inspiring visitors, enrichment opportunities, and lessons where everyone has given their absolute best.

To finish our PSHE topic on being responsible within our community, we welcomed Officer Peter Downing into Year 2. He spoke to the children about how we can support one another and how police officers help keep our community safe. After the session, Officer Downing said, “It was great to see how enthusiastic they were and how good their knowledge was.” The children listened brilliantly and asked thoughtful questions throughout.

In PE, Year 2 have been developing their basketball skills. We focused on ball control, changing direction, accurate passing, and working as a team. This took a great deal of perseverance and courage, and the children showed both of these values in abundance.

In maths, we explored finding the difference between measures. Using multilink cubes and bar models helped the children to visualise their calculations and explain their reasoning clearly. Their confidence in talking about their learning has been wonderful to see.

We were also delighted to celebrate another group of children who earned a reading raffle ticket for reading four or more times this week. They now have a chance to win a prize in next week’s final draw—well done, everyone!

To mark National Storytelling Week, KS1 enjoyed an exciting online visit from author Ian Brown. He talked about what inspired him to write—especially Paddington—and shared his books 'Albert Supersize' and 'Albert and the Flood'. The children loved hearing how his real pet tortoise inspired the character of Albert. Ian also spoke about the determination needed to write stories, which linked beautifully to our discussions about resilience. The children ended the session by asking brilliant questions and finding out about the books he plans to write next.

It has been a truly memorable week full of learning, creativity, and inspiration. Year 2 should be very proud of themselves!

Pharaohs, Fossils and Fractions – A Flying Start for Year 3!

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:51:53 GMT

A busy and exciting start to the year filled with history, science, swimming and creative learning.

TL;DR:

Learned about Ancient Egypt and life in 3000BC.
Studied rocks and fossils, including new scientific vocabulary.
Added and subtracted fractions using practical resources.
Made great progress in swimming, with children moving up groups.
Enjoyed Scratch coding and creative writing in English.

Year 3 have had a busy start to 2026!

In History we have been learning about the Ancient Egyptians. We discovered that they were from the year 3000BC.

In Science we have studied rocks and fossils. We have learnt some technical vocabulary such as permeable.

In Maths we continued to learn about fractions using concrete resources to help us. We can now add and subtract fractions.

Our swimming lessons have been so much fun. The instructors are really impressed with us and several children have already moved up a group.

In English we have been writing character descriptions about the characters in the Wizard of Oz. Next week we will move on to instruction writing.

Our favourite lesson of the week is definitely Computing where we have been using Scratch to learn about coding.

Spooky Scientists, Polygon Puzzles and Wise Builders in Year 5!

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:29:41 GMT

A lively week of maths, coding, history and hands-on RE challenges for Year 5.

TL;DR:

Described scientists from books and films ready to create spooky characters.
Practised multiplication and explored division with polygon challenges.
Learnt about Greek and Roman achievements and their legacy.
Coded Sprites and sequences using Scratch in computing.
Tested “wise vs foolish” building in a practical RE challenge.

In the mornings, Year 5 have been diving into the world of scientists from literature and movies, thinking about how to describe them. This is all in preparation for creating our own spooky scientists next week—watch out for some imaginative characters!

In maths, we’ve been working on methods of multiplication, taking short steps to consolidate our understanding. A real highlight was a lesson from Mrs Potts, who showcased her amazing teaching skills. We investigated division by seeing how many different polygons we could make from 24 matchsticks, helping us understand division and remainders in a fun and practical way.

In the afternoons with Miss Brewerton, the children have been identifying the achievements and legacy of the Greeks and Romans and exploring how these still impact our lives today.

In computing, we’ve been getting creative with Scratch—learning how to change a Sprite, sequence a script, and introduce repetition into our programs.

Year 5 also enjoyed the competitive nature of RE this week as we explored whether we were wise or foolish builders (Matthew 7:24–27). Working in teams, we built Bible stands from sticks and tape to test the strength of our foundations!

Mystery Stories, Scratch Games and Doctor Bones – Year 6 Are Back!

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:55:00 GMT

A fantastic first week filled with reading, coding and science adventures.

TL;DR:

Started reading Boy in the Tower in Guided Reading.
Discussed characters, settings and predictions.
Began programming games in Scratch using variables.
Visited Gosport Museum for a skeletons workshop.
Worked as a team to crack codes with Doctor Bones.

Year 6 have had a very exciting and busy first week back!

In our Guided Reading lessons, we have started reading Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen. The class have been really engaged with the story so far and have enjoyed discussing the characters, setting and the mysterious events taking place. We are already making predictions and asking thoughtful questions about what might happen next.

In computing, we have begun learning about programming using Scratch. The children are working hard to design their own games and are focusing on creating a scoring system. They have been learning how to use variables and commands to make their games interactive and fun, showing great perseverance and problem-solving skills.

On Wednesday, we had a fantastic school trip to Gosport Museum. During our visit, we took part in a Skeletons and Living Things workshop where we met Doctor Bones! The children had to help her crack secret codes in order to enter her lab and the enchanted forest.

Everyone worked brilliantly as a team, using their scientific knowledge and observation skills to complete the challenges.

We are very proud of how well the children behaved throughout.

Santa Sleigh Repairs, Magic Words and Christmas Mischief in Reception!

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:03:54 GMT

A festive week of creativity, imagination and Christmas problem-solving in Reception.

TL;DR:

Shared how Christmas is celebrated at home and around the world.
Wrote cards for families and adults who help in school.
Delivered treats (with naughty or nice checks!).
Rebuilt Santa’s sleigh and designed symbols and maps.
Helped the Head Elf find stolen magic Christmas words.

This week, Reception have had great fun finding out about Christmas. We shared some of the ways we celebrate at home and talked about some of the ways people celebrate around the world.

We wrote our Christmas cards for our families and made one for each of the adults who help us at school. We brainstormed our own list of grown ups who help us at school and discussed their role and how that helps our school. The children enjoyed dressing up and delivering a small thank you treat to these grown ups, cheekily asking them if they were on the naughty or nice list. Thankfully everyone got a small treat and very little coal was delivered by Santa!

After spotting that Santa had visited our classroom and watching some 'CCTV' footage of Santa crashing his sleigh, many of the children decided to help by building Santa a new sleigh ready for his long Christmas eve journey around the world. Some of the children made maps for Santa and Evelyn, Rudy and Reggie designed secret symbols to help the sleigh travel faster.

We even helped the head elf save Christmas! After receiving a video message explaining that a mischievous elf had stolen all of the magical words that help the North Pole prepare for Christmas, we set to work to find the words that had been hidden around our classroom! The children were very excited to read all of the magic words and tick them off their list.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Reception Class!

Iron Men, Square Numbers and Hockey Skills – Go Year 3!

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 15:16:01 GMT

A creative and confident week full of maths, writing, science and sport for our hardworking Year 3 class.

TL;DR

Continued reading The Iron Man with curiosity about the ending.
Learned 2, 4 and 8 times tables and explored square numbers.
Discovered what makes an animal a vertebrate.
Practised hockey skills with Mr Marshall.
Wrote suspense stories and extended learning at home.

This week in Tim Peake class we have been continuing to read The Iron Man. We are interested to know if The Iron Man saves the world.

In Maths, we have been learning the 2. 4 and 8 times tables. We then moved on to look at square numbers making these from multilink to help us ‘see’ the pattern. Some of us found the square numbers up to 20 X 20!

In science we have learnt about vertebrates and how these are animals with backbones. Next week we will learn about invertebrates.

Our hockey lessons continue and Mr Marshall is very impressed with our skills.

In English we have just finished writing a suspense story.

It has been so lovely to see many of the children continuing their learning at home, writing stories and practising the times tables.

Brooms, Pumpkins and Phonics Fun in Reception!

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:22:31 GMT

A magical mix of stories, science, phonics and playful learning for our curious Reception class.

TLDR :

Acted out Room on the Broom with enthusiasm and teamwork.
Completed a phonics scavenger hunt using Set 1 sounds.
Learnt about body parts, the brain, heart and lungs.
Strengthened fingers hammering pegs into pumpkins and planted seeds.
Loved role-playing as teachers during Adventure Time!

This week we have been reading Room on the Broom. The children enjoyed role playing the story.

We ended our week by going on a phonics scavenger hunt! The children have been making amazing progress on learning the Set 1 letter sounds and used this knowledge to identify the initial sounds of seasonal pictures around the school.

Over the past few weeks, we have been finding out about the human body. We have named the main body parts, labelled our skeleton friend and have started to find out about our brain, heart and lungs!

The class have enjoyed hammering pegs into pumpkins to help build up our finger muscle strength. After a pumpkin collapsed with all the hammering, we took it outside to scoop out the seeds and pulp. Charlotte enjoyed cleaning the seeds and replanted them in our outside area. She made a sign to show where they had been buried.

During 'Adventure Time' (play), the children have taken a particular interest in role playing teacher! We have had a calendar, number and phonics teacher!

From Romans to Dodgeball – A Busy Start for Tim Peake Class!

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:35:46 GMT

Year 3 dive into story writing, healthy eating, Roman history, and dodgeball skills in a fantastic first few weeks back.

TL;DR:

Settled brilliantly into Year 3 and working hard.
Wrote setting descriptions inspired by Blue Planet.
Learned place value and number operations up to 1000.
Explored healthy eating and food groups in Science.
Started learning about the Romans ahead of a villa trip.

Tim Peake class have been working incredibly hard during their start to Year 3.

In English we have looked at describing a setting within story writing. We have used the Blue Planet as a starting point for writing our own descriptions.

In maths we have been learning the place value of numbers up to 1000 and have used 100s, 10s and 1s counters to support our learning. We are now moving on to adding and subtracting numbers up to 1000.

In science we have been thinking about different food groups and what constitutes a healthy balanced meal.

Mr Marshall has been coaching us in PE, teaching us the skills needed to play dodgeball successfully.

In history we have started to learn about the Romans including when and why they invaded Britain. We are looking forward to our trip to the Roman Villa next Wednesday.

Mystery Books, Wild Habitats and Staying Safe Online in Year 4!

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:28:24 GMT

Year 4 dive into new adventures with reading, science, and computing as they settle into an exciting new school year.

TL;DR:

Settled confidently into Year 4 after summer.
Read A Series of Unfortunate Events and made predictions.
Explored habitats and animal adaptations in Science.
Learned key E-Safety rules for safe online use.
Excited for a fun, adventurous year of learning!

Coming back to school after the summer holidays has been really exciting! We have settled into Year 4 and started lots of interesting new topics across our subjects. Everyone has been working hard and showing that we are ready for the challenges of the year ahead.

In Destination Reader, we have been exploring A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The story is full of mystery and adventure, with the Baudelaire children facing tricky situations. We have practised making predictions about what might happen next, asking questions to help us understand the text more deeply, and discussing how the characters are feeling.

In Science, our topic is Living Things and Their Habitats. We have been learning about all the different types of habitats, the animals that we might find in those habitats and why they live there. It has made us more aware of the nature around us and how important it is to protect it.

In Computing, we have focused on E-Safety. We talked about how to keep ourselves safe when using the internet, such as protecting our personal information, using strong passwords, and speaking to a trusted adult if something doesn’t feel right.

It has been a fantastic start to Year 4. We are excited to continue our learning journey, explore new books, carry out fun investigations, and develop new skills throughout the year!

Adventurers, Rugby Players and Fossil Hunters – A Busy Week in Year 5

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:48:05 GMT

Year 5 dive into reading, explore maths to a million, build rugby skills, and launch into new science and history topics.

Started reading The Explorer and explored character relationships.
Learned place value up to 1,000,000 in Maths.
Practised rugby skills and team games with Mr Marshall.
Began new topics: Dinosaurs & Fossils (History) and Life Cycles (Science).
Tested our knowledge with fun Blooket quizzes.

The second week in and Malala class have been busy, and we’ve had a fantastic week.

We started our new Destination Reader book, ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell. The children have been intrigued by the opening chapters. We are keen to discover how Fred, Con, Lila and Max survive after their plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. As a class we have focussed on the characters personalities and relationships.

In Maths we have been looking at number and place value up to 1,000,000. We have considered how adding to different place value columns alters the overall value of the number, regrouping from one column to another.

The class really enjoyed learning Rugby skills with Mr Marshall. We practiced our throwing and catching the ball, as well as communicating with our team-mates without speaking. We saw whether we could pass the ball round the circle faster than one of the children could run around the circle. Then we played a team game where we had to try to pass the ball to each other, without it going out of play or the other team intercepting it. Finally, we finished off with a game of ‘Gladiators’ the children needed to run with the ball past their classmates right around the playground. It was great fun.

In History and Science, we started new topics: Dinosaurs and Fossils and Life Cycles respectively. The class considered what they already knew about these topics and we tested our prior knowledge by playing Blooket games. At the end of the topics we’ll monitor what we have learnt.

All in all a busy, tiring but very enjoyable week. We’re looking forward to lots more together.

Birds, Breaktime, and Big Wins in Mary Ellis Class

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 07:44:06 GMT

From Attendance Awards to Artistic Birds – it’s been a full and fun week in Year 1

☑️ TL;DR (Top 5 Highlights):

Mary Ellis Class won the Attendance Award and Cup with 99.5% attendance.
They've earned bonus breaktime twice this term already.
Strong progress shown in grammar, maths, and reading.
Took part in the Spirited Arts “All God’s Creatures” competition.
Created a 3D collage of St Francis and the birds – complete with speech bubbles!

The children were delighted to win the Attendance Award and Attendance Cup at the end of last week with 99.5% attendance!

Every day that the whole class is in school, I turn a letter over and - when we can see the completed phrase “St. Francis” - the children can enjoy some extra break time as a reward.

This week is the second time this term that the class has had some extra play! Well done, Mary Ellis!

The children have been busy showing their continued progress in grammar, maths skills and reading comprehension. What a great start to our “Chance to Shine” week!

This week, we have been involved in the Spirited Arts “All God’s Creatures” competition. Year 1’s entry involves birds, lots of birds! We have been making a 3D collage of St Francis preaching to the birds. Inspired by the illustrations in our recent English text, “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch” many of the children have wanted to add speech bubbles to their birds, which is a delightful touch.

Fractions, Festivals and a Shadowy Mystery in Year 3

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:12:23 GMT

Exploring India, light, and Lizzie Dripping with curiosity and cake

✅ TL;DR (Top 5 Highlights):

Reading Lizzie Dripping has sparked big imaginations.
Geography lessons took us on a journey through India.
Maths got delicious with fractions (and cake!).
Science explored how light and shadows work.
A great week of curiosity, teamwork, and resilience.

Year 3 have had a fantastic start to the second half of the summer term.

We’ve been super busy learning new things, asking great questions, and challenging ourselves across all our subjects. Here's a little peek at what we've been up to this week:

We've been reading Lizzie Dripping by Helen Cresswell, and it has really sparked our imaginations! We’ve loved following Lizzie’s adventures and discovering her mischievous ways.

In Geography, we’ve been learning all about India. Did you know that India is the seventh largest country in the world? We’ve explored its landmarks, languages, and the different festivals celebrated there. We are trying to remember the capital city of New Delhi.

This week in Maths, we’ve been working hard on adding and subtracting fractions. We've used fraction walls, number lines, and even slices of cake to help us understand! Everyone has shown great resilience and teamwork when solving tricky problems.

In Science, we’ve been discovering how light travels and how shadows are formed. We discussed light sources including whether or not the moon is a source of light!

Well done to everyone for your enthusiasm and curiosity – we’re so proud of all your hard work. Keep reading, keep asking questions, and most of all – keep shining, Year 3!

Have a lovely weekend!

From Talking Pigs to Tuning Forks – A Week Full of Wonder in Year 4

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:21:52 GMT

Books, vibrations and big dreams in the Ellen MacArthur classroom

�� TL;DR (Top 5 Highlights):

Dived into Charlotte’s Web and explored key themes.
Asked big questions and made exciting predictions about the story.
Investigated how sound is made using tuning forks and drums.
Explored global jobs in Geography and shared future career dreams.
Kicked off the half-term full of energy, curiosity, and teamwork!

Year 4 Blog – An Exciting Start to the Half Term!

We have had such a fantastic week in Year 4 and we’re excited to tell you all about what we’ve been up to.

Starting Our New Book: Charlotte’s Web
We’ve begun reading a new class text—Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White—and we are already hooked! We’ve met the lovable pig Wilbur and have started exploring the themes of friendship and loneliness. The children have been asking thoughtful questions about the characters and making predictions about what might happen next. We can’t wait to find out who the mysterious voice in the barn belongs to!

Science Investigation: Sound
In Science, we launched our new topic on Sound with an investigation into how vibrations create sound. The class experimented with tuning forks, rice on drums, and elastic bands! We had fun exploring how sound travels and were amazed to see science in action.

Geography and Our Future Careers
In Geography, we’ve been learning about how different jobs can be found in different regions of the world. We had a brilliant discussion about the jobs we’d like to do when we grow up—from marine biologists and artists to teachers and astronauts! It was inspiring to hear everyone’s dreams and talk about how learning can help us get there.

It's been a brilliant start to the half term and we’re looking forward to lots more learning, reading, and discovering together. Watch this space!

From Dinosaurs to Dens: A Journey Through Time and Imagination

Fri, 23 May 2025 13:38:55 GMT

Exploring fiction, fossils, and friction in an unforgettable half-term

�� TL;DR (Top 5 Highlights):

Explored classic and sci-fi worlds in English.
Created stunning descriptive writing based on famous literature.
Modelled fossilisation with toys in science.
Investigated surface friction using force meters.
Celebrated great attendance with woodland den adventures!

Year 5 have been exploring strange new worlds; from the mysterious enchanted garden of HG Wells's The Door in the Wall, to the overgrown ruins of the Cold Lairs in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, to CS Lewis's Charn, to Ray Bradbury's There Shall Come Soft Rains, to the lost world of prehistoric earth, to dens in the woods as our attendance reward.

As well as producing some powerful pieces of descriptive writing, we have modelled the process of fossilisation of a small toy and created an informational poster all about a particular species of dinosaurs.

In science we have investigated the friction of different surfaces using force meters.

From SATs to Street Art and Sprinting – What a Week in Year 6

Fri, 16 May 2025 11:37:06 GMT

Celebrations, creativity and sunshine fun after a brilliant SATs finish

This Week in Dina Asher-Smith Class:

Completed SATs with brilliant focus and resilience
Practised sprinting and technique outdoors in PE
Created stencil street art inspired by Banksy
Celebrated with a cinema trip and a game of rounders
Enjoyed sunshine and downtime after a hardworking term

Wow, what a week it’s been in Year 6!

After a lot of hard work, revision and determination, our Year 6’s have completed their SATs! We couldn’t be prouder of how everyone approached the tests — with focus, resilience and a positive attitude. Well done, Year 6 — you’ve shown just how ready you are for the next step!

But SATs weren’t the only thing happening this week…

In PE, we’ve been working on our sprinting skills. With the sun shining, we went to the field to practise our speed, stamina and technique. It was great to burn off some energy and have fun outdoors after our busy morning.

Art this term has focused on street art, inspired by Banksy. The children have spent weeks exploring the ideas behind street art and the power of visual messages and they finally put their learning into action by designing and creating their own stencil artworks.

To celebrate all the hard work this term, we ended the week with a much-deserved cinema trip on Friday morning followed by a game of rounders in the afternoon.

Why Castles, Bead Strings, and Forgiveness Filled Our Week in Year 1

Fri, 02 May 2025 08:59:48 GMT

A whirlwind of learning, movement, and imagination in the Mary Ellis classroom

This Week in Mary Ellis Class:

Explored healthy friendships and forgiveness through a Bible story
Re-enacted the story of the paralysed man
Created animal fact files and sorted out sentence puzzles
Investigated materials in Science and learned about Norman castles in History
Practised athletics in PE – speedsters everywhere!

Year 1 have been very engaged with their learning this week.

At the start of the week, we discussed healthy relationships and how to solve problems, focussing on what a good friend does.

On Tuesday, the children heard the story of the healing of the paralysed man, learning about the Sacraments of Healing and Forgiveness. They made their own character and re-enacted the story in groups, talking about how the different people in the story felt.

In English, we have been puzzling out some mixed-up sentences and questions and putting together an animal fact file.

In Maths, the children have been using what they know of their number bonds to work out addition and subtraction problems. We also explored finding the next odd and even numbers on a number line and with bead strings.

A materials hunt was the focus of our Science this week. The children were busy searching around the classroom and outside for items made of different materials.

Following on from re-enacting the exciting events of 1066, they have been learning why castles were so important to the Normans in our History lesson.

Finally, the children have been practising their athletic skills in PE. They are too fast for the camera! Well done, Mary Ellis class!

New Tables, Tall Tales, and Training for Sports Day!

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:35:13 GMT

Exploring geometry, storytelling, and athletic skills as we kick off an action-packed Summer term.

Year 2 have had a great start to the Summer term.

We have had a change around in the classroom with the tables which allows us to do more collaborative group work.

In maths we have started our geometry unit, identifying and sorting polygons. We have also learned to count vertices and sides to help us with identifying them.

In English we have started a new writing unit learning how to write our own fable. We have read several creation stories from the book Tales from the Billabong and have also listened to Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories.

In PE we are starting our athletics and have been practising our running and jumping techniques ready for sports day.

Seeds, Sunshine and a Walk to St Alban’s

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:37:03 GMT

A week of discovery, poetry, PE and reflection

This Week Tim Peake Class:

Observed how seed depth affects growth in our science experiment
Read Wordsworth’s poem and watched daffodils sway in the breeze
Practised throwing and catching in sunny PE lessons
Walked to St Alban’s church for a reflective visit with Father Tony
Learned about the Last Supper and church traditions

Year 3 have had an incredibly busy week.

We discovered that our science experiment had worked and the seeds that we had grown at different depths had grown in different ways. We learnt that we should follow the instructions on the seed packet!

In Guided Reading we read an extract from the poem by William Wordsworth ‘I wandered as lonely as a cloud’. We went outside to watch our daffodils dancing in the breeze.

On Wednesday, as the weather was so warm and sunny, we went out on the field to practise our throwing and catching skills during our PE lesson.

On Thursday we walked to St Alban’s church to hear Father Tony tell us about Jesus’s Last Supper and how people now have bread and wine at church to remember this. The children were very well behaved throughout the walk and whilst they were in the church.

Lions, Coordinates and Carnivore Teeth – What a Week in Year 4!

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 15:31:15 GMT

From science investigations to emotional stories, Year 4 have had a week packed with discovery and fun.

This week in Year 4, we have been busy learning lots of exciting things across different subjects.

From investigating animals’ teeth to exploring moving shapes on a grid, we have had a fantastic time!

In Science, we learned all about different types of animal teeth and how they relate to their diet.

We discovered that: Carnivores (meat-eaters) have sharp, pointed teeth for tearing meat, like lions and wolves. Herbivores (plant-eaters) have flat, grinding teeth to chew plants, like cows and rabbits. Omnivores (animals that eat both plants and meat) have a mix of sharp and flat teeth, like humans and bears!

We even got a chance to go to the Natural History Museum in London and looked at real-life skull models to spot the differences—some of us were surprised at how sharp some teeth were!

In Maths, we worked on coordinates and moving polygons on a grid. We practised reading coordinates using (x, y) and learned how to translate shapes by moving them left, right, up, and down.

This week, we finished reading The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo. The story had a powerful and emotional ending, and we had some amazing discussions about the themes of friendship, loyalty, and never forgetting those we love. It was a brilliant book, and we’re excited to start our next one!

We have had an amazing time learning this week and can’t wait to see what’s next!

Volleyball, Rockets and Salty Science in Malala Yousafzai Class

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 10:21:49 GMT

From water cycles to bridge-building and canine adventures

This Week Malala Yousafzai Class...:

Wrote adventure stories inspired by Jack London’s That Spot
Created water cycles in bags and designed World Water Day leaflets
Explored chemical reactions and separated mixtures in science
Played full-size volleyball matches in PE
Built bridges with author Chris Vine during a special workshop

In English, we've been reading 'That Spot' by Jack London, and writing our own adventure stories featuring plucky canine protagonists. After writing a first draft in books, we used white markers to produce a final version on black paper for maximum effect.

In geography, we have been learning about the important role of water on our planet. As well as making factfiles on the role of water, and leaflets about World Water Day, we made model water cycles out of a plastic bag using blue food colouring. You can put them on a window and watch the cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation take place.

In science, we have been learning about chemical and physical changes. We experimented with different substances and found that some dissolved in water but that others did not. We left saltwater solutions to evaporate over a few weeks and found that the salt is left behind, forming large crystals when allowed to evaporate slowly. We showed how new materials with different properties can be formed from a chemical reaction, such as the rapid production of carbon dioxide in the film canister rocket and the diet coke/mentos experiment. We used different methods to separate different mixtures, including filtration, sieving, magnets and tweezers.

We've been learning volleyball with Mr Marshall in PE. As well as practising agility and ball skills, we've been taking part in some very large matches of volleyball!

We were lucky to have a visit from Chris Vine, the author of the Peter's Railway series of books for World Book Day, who did a bridge-building workshop with us. We found that a suspension bridge was the most effective way to hold the greatest weight.

From Rugby on the Field to Reflections on Wonder – A Week of Growth and Sunshine

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 06:48:20 GMT

Exploring empathy, embracing challenges, and enjoying the sunshine in Dina Asher-Smith class.

We’ve had our final “Chance to Shine” assessment week before SATs, and the children have been showing off all their hard work! They’ve really embraced the challenge and we can see how much progress they’ve made.

In our Guided Reading sessions, we’ve been diving into the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The book tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy with a facial difference, and his journey to fitting in at a new school. The children have been really engaged with the story and have been reflecting on the important themes of kindness, acceptance, and empathy.

We’ve been lucky with some lovely weather these past few week’s, so our PE sessions have moved outside! The class have been enjoying learning and playing tag rugby on the field. It’s been a great opportunity for everyone to work on teamwork, communication, and physical fitness.

As part of our PSHE unit on ‘worry’, the children painted their own worry stones. The stones will also serve as a reminder that it’s okay to feel worried and that we can always find ways to work through these feelings.

A white tailed eagle beats Ms South for wingspan!

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:21:09 GMT

This week, Reception were very fortunate to have a visit from Emma from the Wildheart Sanctuary. Emma told us all about the white tailed eagle and how some of them live on our very own island!

We met Steve the white tailed eagle and a white tailed eagle chick! We compared how they were the same and how they were different.

We looked at some of the features of these amazing apex predators including their sharp talons, skull and beak as well as their famous white tails! We discovered that they have 4 very sharp curved talons - 3 at the front and one at the back. This makes them expert hunters at catching their favourite food - fish!

We also were fortunate enough to see a real white tailed eagle tail feather!

We were all amazed when Emma showed us how incredibly wide a white tailed eagles wingspan is! We compared it against our own 'wingspan' and even Ms South's was shorter than a white tailed eagle!

At the end of the very interactive, educational and fun session, Emma left each of us with a small canvas to draw and paint a white tailed eagle. These will be collected and placed on display at the Quay Arts at some point during the summer. We will let you know when we have a date so you may visit and see your child's art work on display!

From Dodgeball Teams to World Maps – Year 1’s Exciting Week of Learning

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:46:39 GMT

It has been a week of new beginnings for Year 1, with a new term and new learning journeys in each subject.

At the start of the week, the children enjoyed learning about cricket and practising their ball skills. They also engaged well with becoming a team player in a Dodgeball team! One team was the Ronaldos and the other team was called Star Wars.

We have started travelling around the world in Geography. The children tasted foods from different European countries and discovered that each country has a different flag. They enjoyed exploring the atlases and looking for interesting places in Europe. They identified the seven continents and labelled a map of the world to show their knowledge. We even found the Isle of Wight!

The children have continued to develop their reading and writing skills with our new English learning journey. They worked extremely hard to complete their ‘blue write’ at the start of the week. Since then, we have been focussing on using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops correctly and using the simple past tense in sentences.

We have been exploring addition and showing how two (or more) parts become a whole in our Maths lessons. The children were excited to learn how a number balance works and how it can help them understand the relationship between the parts and the whole in addition.

They also used the equals sign to demonstrate the connection between different pictorial representations of number.

They have been practising writing equations and making sure their numerals and symbols are the right way round. We discovered that it doesn’t matter which part is written first in addition as the equation has to balance.

Well done, Year 1!

From Colorful Storytelling to Creative Coding – A Week of Fun in Year 2!

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 08:14:52 GMT

Year 2 have had a busy week this week!

At the start of the week we finished our final write of our story Little Red Riding Hood. Instead of having Little Red Riding Hood we wrote a different version of the story with a change of character. This included Little Blue Riding Hood, Little Green Riding Hood, Little Pink Riding Hood and many more amazing ideas!

We have also been creating a mat for our Bee-Bots in computing this week. Once we made our mats, we used the Bee-Bots to discover a sequence. After that we added obstacles and then created a sequence to go around them.

We have also had online safety day on Tuesday where we learnt about scams with the question- Is it too good to be true?

We did a quiz on who our trusted adult are if we were worried and then did an activity sheet on what information we shouldn’t put online and what a scam looks like.

In English we have also been learning how to write instructions. On Thursday we made fruit kebabs to then eat and then we were able to write the instructions on how me made them! We used command words such as cut, slice, peel and wash. We used Adverbs such as carefully, slowly and quickly. We wrote in chronological order using words such as first, next, after that and lastly. We also have been learning how to add conjunctions such as and, because, or and so.

We have all enjoyed joining in with the PEACH art competition. We created artwork about different seasons and the changes that happen through this time.

We all chose a season to create. We planned what we wanted our art to look like and we wrote a list as a team of the resources we needed. We used sand, sticks, leaves, shells, paint, water paint and pencils. We had a great time making it!

Xylophones, Clay Sculptures, and a Splash of Fun in Tim Peake Class

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:52:08 GMT

Tim Peake class have had a busy week.

In music we have been learning to play xylophones under Mrs Seaward’s expert teaching. In art we have made clay sculptures following our studies of Andy Goldworthy.

In guided reading we finished reading Stone Age boy which enabled us to retrieve our historical knowledge from the Autumn term. This week we put our reading skills to good use when we were given a playscript of Hansel and Gretel to perform to our peers.

We have made great progress in our weekly swimming lessons at the Waterside Pool in Ryde. All the children can now confidently enter the water and swim with the aid of pool noodles and floats. Our favourite part is at the end when we can jump into the pool.

Dina Asher-Smith - Delving into Wuthering Heights

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:38:38 GMT

We have had a fantastic and productive week. Here’s a snapshot of what we have been up to:

This term, we have delved into the classic novel Wuthering Heights. We focused on the intriguing scene where Mrs. Linton looks into the mirror. We discussed her bizarre reaction and the emotions it evoked. The children wrote their own versions of this scene, imagining how they would feel and react in her place.

We have started reading Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen. This story follows a young boy named Ade who lives in a tower block, and it explores themes of resilience, community, and mystery. It's been an exciting beginning, and the children are already making thoughtful predictions about what might happen next.

In maths, the children have been working hard on long multiplication. They've practiced breaking down complex problems into manageable steps, and everyone is getting more confident with their calculations.

To keep their times tables sharp, the students have been using TT Rockstars. It's fantastic to see so many of them improving their speed and accuracy.

In computing, we’ve been exploring Scratch and learning how to create different variables. It’s amazing to see the creative projects they are developing.

Magic sprinkled on PE Lessons!

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 10:22:57 GMT

Reception have enjoyed a great first week back at school!

This term, we are beginning to learn how to write a sentence using our phonics!

The children have shown much enthusiasm with their writing. We are learning that a sentence is made up of words, with a capital letter at the beginning, a full stop at the end and finger spaces between each of the words.

Some of the children were especially proud to show their super writing to Miss Powell!

In PE, Reception are very fortunate to have the expertise of Mr Marshall!

The class thoroughly enjoyed using different ways to move their bodies and working on finding a space. Mr Marshall sprinkled lots of fun over the afternoon including lots of games involving a variety of movements. The children particularly enjoyed rolling their hoop while a partner attempted to run through the hoop as it rolled!

In Maths, we have been finding different ways to represent numbers and working on our speedy recognition of quantities of an object to 5!

What a busy Autumn term!

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:47:14 GMT

Mary Ellis Class News

What a week we’ve had in Year 1,

With shapes, experiments and Christmas fun!

The children explored 2D and 3D shapes,

Using them—what did they create?

In science they’ve been using their senses—what could they smell? What did they taste?

Sweet, salty, bitter, sour or bland—some might be able to guess from the look on their face!

Taking time to enjoy a story or two,

Playing outside with all of our friends, too.

Building nets and 3D shaped snowmen,

Remembering the names and faces of shapes again.

We went to church and made a Christingle there,

Joining together for a service and prayer.

We’ve enjoyed singing hymns and Christmas songs loudly,

Today’s Christmas dinner was shared with each other proudly!

A busy end to our Autumn term,

So much done and so much learned.

Year 1 are now ready for some Christmas cheer,

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Spelling rainbows and pyramids, and nativity rehearsals

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 18:45:29 GMT

This half term year 2 have been very busy! The children worked so hard during chance to shine and showed off their skills they have learnt.

In art, the children have been learning about different types of kites. They then designed and made their own diamond kite using a range of different materials such as sugar paper, tissue paper, straws and coloured paper. They have loved creating these!

The children have also been working hard on their spellings. We have been doing spelling rainbows and pyramids to help us remember them better. This has helped 18 children get 7/7 last week. Well done everyone!

We have also been working hard on our Nativity. We have been practising our lines and songs ready for our performance this week!

Excelling at spelling, with a total of 9 spelling certificates!

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:13:45 GMT

Year 3 have been incredibly busy this half term. We have been exploring numbers up to 1000 using resources to help us represent the hundreds, tens and ones.

We continue to excel at spelling, having won a total of 9 spelling certificates, for being the class with the highest percentage of correct spellings! Keep up the good work Year 3.

In geography we have been learning about rainforests and we have begun to think about the effects of deforestation. This was the main theme of the film “Ozi~ Voice of the Forest” that we saw at Cineworld. We really enjoyed the film but it made us think about all the trees that are being cut down.

In PSHE we have been learning about living things which could bite or sting us. Ww played a game called BITER or STINGER which we really enjoyed.

We have begun to lead our own class worships, planning the music, Bible reading and prayers ourselves. Our audiences are always respectful.

We were delighted that 6 of the girls from Year 3 were chosen to represent the school in an under 9s football match against Bembridge. They showed our value of Courage to persevere in the action packed match.

Looking forward to the Volcano erupting!

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:23:06 GMT

It has been a busy few weeks in Ellen MacArthur class.

It has been a busy few weeks in Ellen MacArthur class. In English reading we have started a new book called ‘Goggle Eyes’. In English writing we have been busy creating our own suspense stories based on ‘The Secret Garden’.

In Geography we have been learning about volcanoes. So far, we have learnt about where they are found, what happens when one erupts and their features. We have been able to create our own model volcanoes which at the end of the term we will make erupt!

In science we have been learning about living things and their habitats. We went on a habitat search around the school grounds to see how many habitats we could find.

Science with papier-mâché models and a space hopper, and then the snow came...!

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 09:01:05 GMT

Malala Class have been busy, especially in science, where we've been learning about the Earth and space.

Did you know that although the sun is around four hundred times bigger than the moon, it's almost exactly four hundred times further away, making them appear the same size. We made papier-mâché models of the earth and moon, and used a space hopper to represent the sun to show how this works.

We've also been busy writing suspense stories. We based our first story on an extract from 'Little Women' in which pickled limes set off Amy's teacher Mr Davis. Our stories involved characters from Hogwarts, a magical unicorn school and even the inventors of Prime!

In PE, Mr Marshall has been teaching us gymnastics, including balances, vaults and the ever-popular 'the floor is lava'! In maths, we have just finished negative numbers and are now learning about multiplication.

And then the snow came...!

Building tension to keep our readers on the edge of their seats!

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:41:43 GMT

This term is off to a fantastic start, and we’re diving into some fascinating topics!

In English, we’ve been inspired by the classic mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. The way the fog rolls in from the moors and slowly reveals the terrifying hound creates such an eerie atmosphere and we’re learning to use similar techniques in our own writing. By building tension with sensory details, pacing, and unexpected reveals, we’re practicing keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

In our reading sessions, we’ve started Skellig by David Almond—a book that’s full of mystery and intrigue. To help us understand the story deeply, we’re focusing on asking open and closed questions.

Our Geography lessons our focused on our local area, where we’re learning about what the island produces and exports. We were surprised to discover that, beyond being a tourist destination, the Isle of Wight exports a range of products, including:

· Dairy products like cheese and butter from local farms

· Horticultural goods such as tomatoes and cucumbers

Finally, in P.E we been looking at gymnastics. Over the past two weeks, we have practiced our forward and backwards roll as well as our balancing skills!

Tasting some Chinese mooncakes and discussing runaway racoons!

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 07:40:05 GMT

This week Reception have had a very busy week!

This week, our focus story has been Whatever Next which is all about Baby Bear rocketing to the Moon! We have been learning about the Moon and even tasted some Chinese mooncakes after finding out about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!

On Tuesday, we found out about Bonfire Night and why it is celebrated in England on the 5th of November. The class were very glad that Kind James 1 was not blown up! We talked about ways to stay safe during Bonfire Night and shared some of our family traditions. We created firework paper sculptures by using concertinas and swirls!

We have enjoyed creating and using our new obstacle course to strengthen our gross and fine motor skills to enable us to have more control over our bodies which will help our mark making and writing.

After some of the children discussed the runaway raccoons, we found out some raccoon facts! The class were very happy to hear when they had finally all been safely returned.

This term, we are looking forward to finding out more space facts and inviting our grown ups into our 'Pop in and play!' session on the 19 ^th November!

Using rhetorical questions and tying shoelaces

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 07:30:23 GMT

We have had a very busy half term in Tanni-Grey Thompson class!

This week year 2 have been very busy learning how to write a persuasive advert. We have learnt how to use rhetorical questions and used our prior knowledge of expanded noun phrases to make our advert more interesting!

In science we have been learning about living things and their habitats. We have been been discussing where different animals and insects live and we even went outside to try and find some!

In PSHE this term we have been learning how to tie shoelaces. We have been working very hard at school and at home to learn how to do this. This week we challenged ourselves and most of us can now tie our shoelaces!

We have also been working very hard on our Harvest festival performance. We have learnt the Little Red Hen to read to our families and friends!

Early civilisation and recapping column addition and subtraction

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 07:04:41 GMT

In Ellen MacArthur class we have had a busy and exciting first couple of weeks settling into Year 4.

We started off the term by beginning our new class book, a series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket. The story follows three siblings who are very misfortunate, and we have been hooked, finding it hard to put the book down!

In maths we have been recapping column addition and subtraction from our learning in Year 3 and soon we will be moving on to place value of 4-digit numbers.

In history we have started learning about early civilisations. Just over the first couple of weeks back we have become decoders of the first early writing system (Phoenician alphabet) and traders from an early civilisation.

We have had such a good start to Year 4, and we can’t wait to see what this year brings!

Using Cuisenaire rods to create and represent stories through maths

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 06:51:27 GMT

We've had an exciting first week in Year 6, full of new learning.

We started off the week by starting our new class book, Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. The story follows a young boy named Alex, and after just a few chapters, we are already hooked! Everyone made predictions about what will happen next. Some of us think Alex might get caught up in something dangerous, while others believe he’ll become a hero. We can’t wait to find out if our predictions are correct as we keep reading!

In maths, we did something a bit different this week. We used Cuisenaire rods to create and represent stories through maths! It was a fun way to explore maths creatively. The rods helped us visualise and understand problems.

In Science, we started learning about electricity and circuits. We explored the difference between series and parallel circuits, using batteries, bulbs, and wires. We discovered that in a series circuit, the electricity flows in one path, but in a parallel circuit, it can flow through multiple paths.

We’ve had such a great start to the school year, and we can’t wait to see what this year brings.

Mary Ellis Class News

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:35:02 GMT

A busy end of term for Year 1,

Transition, work, and lots of fun!

We met our new teacher - Miss Powell-Smith took us for the day,

We had an experience in Year 2 and our new classroom - not too far away!

In Science, we interpreted data about the weather in different seasons,

We completed charts and answered questions providing reasons.

In English we’ve been debating, balancing arguments, and using conjunctions,

Choosing learned sentence types for their specific functions.

In Maths we’ve been learning about the hands on the clock,

Minutes, seconds and hours, we were a bit confused by the lot!

We can now recognise o’clock and half past,

A skill to be developed and Doodle’s assigning fast!

This week we decided where we’d rather live by comparing human and physical features,

And which location was best for us and all the world’s creatures.

Year 1 are excited for the end of term,

Still enjoying themselves with more to learn!

Our trip to Paris by Emi and Alice Year 6

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 14:23:31 GMT

After a long day travelling, we arrived at the hotel around 9pm and got all our bags off the coach. Once we were told who was in our room, we collected our keys and we were able to get some sleep!

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This week, Reception visited the Donkey Sanctuary in Wroxall!

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 07:42:23 GMT

This week, Reception visited the Donkey Sanctuary in Wroxall!

The children have been comparing some of the differences between seaside holidays from now and long ago. We looked at bathing huts, bathing costumes and traditional entertainment and food as well as traditional donkey rides on the beach. We wondered if the donkeys enjoyed working all day in the hot sun. Before our visit to the Donkey Sanctuary, we looked at some pictures of working donkeys around the world and discussed how some of these donkeys end up in sanctuaries just like the one in Wroxall.

The children enjoyed travelling by bus and were delighted to see all the donkeys! We were able to meet a few of the donkeys and our guide told us that boy donkeys are called jacks and girl donkeys are called jennies. We also found out that when donkeys 'talk' it is called braying. We used our Makaton for donkeys. Some of the donkeys wore jackets and head covers to protect them from flies.

After meeting some of the donkeys, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the meadow and a quick visit to the shop before travelling back on the bus and saying bye bye donkeys. Thank you to our parent volunteers for joining us!

Malala Yousafzai Class Blog June 17th – 21st 2024

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 07:33:34 GMT

At last summer appears to have arrived. The Year 5 class has enjoyed spending our P.E. lesson on the field – something that has evaded us week on week up until now due to the damp and wet weather.

The recent good weather has provided our group with a fascinating insight into the world of nature. We are lucky enough to have an amazing wild flower garden right outside our classroom windows. The lavender in particular seems to provide an attractive home for the local grasshoppers. The children have been excited as we seem to be visited daily by families of grasshoppers. To positively engage with these fascinating insects, we have named them and taken the anxiety and stress out of creepy crawlies, by adopting them and looking out for them. Our care and kindness appears to be encouraging repeat daily visits - reat for learning about different habitats and the wonder of creatures around us – particularly at this time of the year!

In Geography this week, we have looked at some key cities of the United Kingdom and used atlases to locate each of these. In Science, we studied the effects of gravity and undertook an experiment with different sized and weighted objects and the ‘craters’ that they created in a bed of flour.

In class, for our Guided Reading aspect of the curriculum, we have finally reached the concluding chapters of “Holes” by Louis Sachar. A story about a boy who, through a miscarriage of justice, is sent to a juvenile detention centre in the middle of the desert. Will Stanley and Zero escape the nest of poisonous lizards? Will the treasure finally be revealed?

It has been rewarding week. As we move towards the final days of the summer term, there is still much work to be done, but a last burst of effort and resilience will see us through to a hopefully sunny and warm summer break.

We hope that you enjoy your weekend and the Isle of Wight festival if you are attending, or the beach if not!

Year 4 have been very busy this week doing some fantastic work!

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:29:22 GMT

Year 4 have been very busy this week doing some fantastic work! In our writing we have been using personification to think about how different types of weather may speak to each other. We have been basing our writing on a Russian folktale and have learnt some historical context about life in Russia during the 1600’s.

In Maths, Year 4 have been interpreting data from various graphs and solving problems around data. We were also very lucky to have an art workshop with Mark from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. We created mini-habitats for some vulnerable animals. We hope these will help spread awareness around how important it is that we look after all animals on our beautiful planet.

In D.T Year 4 have been thinking about different fruits and vegetables and when they are in season. We have been looking at seasonality calendars and starting to meal plan using them. We also had a great afternoon making some strawberry jam tarts.

Year 4 have had a sneak peak at what is coming up in our residential to little Canada and have had time to ask any questions they may have.

Finally, children have completed their multiplication times table check. They have all worked so hard and should be very proud of themselves.

We were amazed to learn that the water we use today has been around for millions of years!

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:12:14 GMT

What a great start back to school after half term our Year 3 class have had!

We have been learning about Shape and Measure in Maths. We measured each other’s wrists, as Ms Caldwell has promised to make each of us a beaded bracelet, so we needed to ensure our measuring would be accurate and record the results.

We also measured each other’s heights using metres and centimetres – we think we have all grown this year!

In English we have been looking at the beginning of the story of Pinocchio, when Master Cherry was shocked at hearing a piece of wood pleading not to be chopped by an axe!

We took on the roles of the characters and, under the direction of a classmate, acted out the scene. We then continued our own humorous renditions, ensuring we had correctly punctuated the dialogue between the characters.

Our unit this half term in Geography is ‘Mountains and Rivers’ and we started by learning about the Water Cycle. We were amazed to learn that the water we use today has been around for millions of years!

To help us learn the new vocabulary and the order we re-created each part of the cycle to actions and took our learning outside!

We were evaporated into the atmosphere then turned into a cloud of condensation before being blown by the wind to the highest point before precipitation fell and we were ‘run off’ back towards the sea!

And it is only the first week of the term – we can’t wait to see where our learning takes us next!

Tanni-Grey Thompson Class News

Fri, 24 May 2024 07:04:06 GMT

In Tanni-Grey Thompson class this week we have been carrying out some science experiments for our growing plants theme.

We began with the question “What do plants need to grow well?” We thought about what we could do, how we could make it a fair test and predicted what we thought would happen. These were our results.

We learned that plants need light, warmth and water to grow well. We then gave the plants warmth, light and

water and they are now growing well. Year 2 are proving that they definitely have green fingers as they have grown runner beans, tomatoes, peas and peppers to plant

outside our classroom ready for DCAT in bloom. We are hoping for the prize for the longest runner bean!

On Monday we were visited by Mr Evans ~ a talk for writing trainer. He taught us how to improve our non-chronological reports.

In PE we began our lesson outside practising our

sprinting skills but the rain became too heavy and we moved into the hall to practise our long jump and triple jump.

Mary Ellis Class News

Tue, 21 May 2024 06:55:20 GMT

An ongoing experiment observing how plants grow,
Some investigations and seeds to sow.
Cress, broad beans, and peas germinating,
Keeping track of the observations we're making.

Similes, adjectives and conjunctions at play,
In the journey tales we wrote in May.
Powerful verbs and alliteration,
Sequencing sentences in our narrations.

Multiplication and division of fives, tens and twos,
Representations with arrays to see which answers to use.
Fractions of shapes and quantities,
Finding a quarter and a half of both of these.
Changing directions clockwise and anticlockwise,
Looking at shapes with 1/4, 1/2 or full turn to identify.

Queen Victoria, who is she?
We've been leaning about her in history.
9 children and a record reign on the throne,
An ancestor of our King and she called our island home.

"Ay, ee, igh, ow and ue" so many sounds but they're not new for you,
Practicing for our Phonics Screening in June, so many real and nonsense words too.

Learning to create pictures on the iPad with annotations,
Exploring tools, colours and using our imaginations.

So much is happening in Year 1,
We're working hard and having fun!
The weekend has just begun,
Don't forget to Doodle everyone!

Malala Yousafzai Class News April 2024

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:06:15 GMT

The start of our athletics programme

Despite the weather this week trying it’s hardest to hold back the proper onset of Spring, for the first time this year we were able to go out onto the school field to begin our athletics programme. The Year 5 class performed extremely well in the “Bleep Test”, a really challenging fitness test that requires stamina, determination and grit. Amazingly, one group of pupils managed to make it through to level 14. Outstanding!

History

Our new term has begun with a range of new topics. In History, we have begun to consider the impact of the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons on Great Britain, and the interaction between these two societies. We have a fascinating classroom display that provides some insight into what we will be studying and investigating in the coming weeks.

We’re reading ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar

In class, for our Guided Reading aspect of the curriculum, we have been begun reading “Holes” by Louis Sachar. A story about a boy who, through a miscarriage of justice, is sent to a juvenile detention centre in the middle of the relentless heat made even more dangerous by the poisonous, sometimes deadly wildlife in a Texan desert. Are the boys just digging holes as a punishment, or is there something else happening that we don’t know about yet? Has the “family curse” condemned Stanley Yelnats to more bad luck or will he find a way to turn his ongoing bad luck into something more positive?

And to sum it all up…

In Maths, the children have been working on consolidating their knowledge of the key mathematical operations – this week focusing on addition and subtraction. It has been rewarding to see a good number of children making a “personal breakthrough”, grasping the key concepts and feeling more confident and determined.

Well done everybody!

Year 5 wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Ellen MacArthur Class News May 2024

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:43:05 GMT

In English, we have been learning how to carefully select vocabulary to describe and applied this in our descriptions of a Victorian Banquet.

Harriet contributed to a description, adding a great example of personification to her work:

“On the crisp, white tablecloth stood a shining silver jug. Beside it was a vulnerable jelly wobbling in fear. The flowers smelt sweet along with sugar and hot pies with scones on the side.”

We’ve been developing our comprehension skills with Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo—learning about the context of the story.

The children have enjoyed sharing their own experiences of relatives who served in the wars.

Year 4 have been developing their understanding of decimals, place value and rounding and made connections between these skills and real life situations.

We have been looking at Indian Art and forming opinions on new styles we haven’t seen before.

We hope you all have a great weekend!

What an exciting end to this term Year 3 class have had!

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:55:21 GMT

We celebrated achieving our Attendance Award yesterday and today a huge number of the class had their 100% attendance treat learning circus skills!

Memory boxes at PSHE

We have been working together to make memory boxes which could be filled with special mementoes to help us cope with losing someone or something. This supported our PSHE learning about ‘grieving’, whether this is through the loss of someone special, a beloved pet or a friend moving to the mainland. We learnt about how to console someone who may be going through such a loss.

As always, the children showed understanding of the importance of our school values of Love, Courage and Friendship.

Trip To St. Alban Church

We had a great trip to St. Alban church on Tuesday, with our Year 4 class. Father Tony talked about Holy Week, and we saw images of the Stations of the Cross. This certainly helped us with both our R.E. learning and our Orange Write in English as we wrote a newspaper report about Good Friday – and questioned why it is called ‘Good’. We even thought what Jesus’ Mother, Mary may have put in a memory box following the loss of her son.

And finally…

We took home our ‘blooming’ (or not, as the case may be!) broad bean plants! We have really enjoyed our unit on ‘How Plants Grow’ in our Science lessons and we all had ‘green fingers’ in our learning about chlorophyll!

Our tree display has been up for over a week now and the pictures still smell of the chlorophyll ‘paint’ we used!

However, despite such an amazing week Mrs. Bushell doubts that anything would top finding some hidden Easter eggs amongst some very large rabbits this afternoon!!

Happy Easter to everyone from all in Tim Peake class and enjoy the holidays (but remember to Doodle!!).

Beatrix Potter class uses Fred's Travels to learn about animals!

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:30:41 GMT

Last week, Reception visited the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.

We were very proud of our Reception children! We spent the day finding out about some of the endangered animals.

We discovered how to make friends with a tiger (make a hissing sound), why some of the animals are endangered and how some of the animals found their home at the sanctuary.

The children enjoyed using the Makaton for the animals we saw. After the trip, we chose a photo of one of our favourite moments and wrote a short recount.

Fred the Frog has also been very busy! At the start of the term, we received a letter from Fred explaining that he was off on holiday! So far, we have received postcards from London, Buckingham Palace, Stockport, Space and even China! We are using Fred's travels to find out about different animals and their habitats around the world.

When Fred visited some swans, he explained that swans migrate. We found out that migration is when animals travel long distances. We wondered what other animals migrate and researched by looking online and reading some non-fiction books. We soon discovered that lots of animals migrate for a variety of reasons: to find fresh food; to find a different climate; or to find somewhere safe to lay their eggs. We are looking forward to hearing about more of Fred's adventures!

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Malala Yousafzai Class Blog February 19th – 23rd 2024

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:29:51 GMT

The weather this week tried its hardest to disrupt our PE lesson on Wednesday afternoon, but the use of the Hall enabled us to participate in some fun team building/strategy activities.

The weather this week tried its hardest to disrupt our PE lesson on Wednesday afternoon, but the use of the Hall enabled us to participate in some fun team building/strategy activities. Despite the harsh weather outside, the children worked up a sweat in an extremely competitive game of Dodgeball, providing an excellent opportunity to build their fitness levels and to work cooperatively with their peers.

In class, for our Guided Reading aspect of the curriculum, we have been reading, Emil and the Detectives and the story is just starting to get exciting! Emil has had his money stolen! How is he going to get it back from the man with the bowler hat?

In English this half term we are looking at story openings and endings. We have been investigating the story “That Spot” by Jack London. The class has spent some time creating additional episodes for the “Spot” series of books, and has investigated the Klondike gold rush and the Yukon area of Canada to broaden knowledge of the cold, arctic like conditions that faced those people who took part in the Canadian gold rush – the time when the “That Spot” story is set.

Year 5 wish you all a wonderful weekend.

New Year Beatrix Potter Class news

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:13:43 GMT

This week, the children discovered some sentence starters in our Curious Cabinet. We are using these to help develop writing short simple phrases using our phonics! We have even been feeding The Shush (our creature who lives under the carpet) some delicious words and phrases!

At the start of the year, The Shush loved to gobble up secret symbols (early mark making) but last term, The Shush sent us a message explaining that he now prefers to eat words. The children spend 10 minutes a day ensuring The Shush has lots of yummy words to eat! We use our phonics to 'stretch' words and write the corresponding sounds we hear.

Our Reception children are making super progress with their phonics! This term, we have started levelled phonics groups to ensure that all children are reading at the cusp of their confidence. Most children, have started to take home phonics books to practice at home with their grown ups.

On Monday, we were greeted with some very curious sights! We investigated and Mollie even designed some binoculars to help the Police! On Tuesday we discovered a small parcel in our Curious Cabinet. It was a small London bus with a book called 'Naughty Bus'. We spent the week writing about some of the adventures of Naughty Bus and discovered who had made all the mess!

2024 New Year update from Dina Asher-Smith class

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 09:04:29 GMT

It is the New Year and Year 6 are back ready for the new term!

In English we have started our unit on character. Our focus text is Wuthering Heights and so far we have met Nelly and Mrs Linton. Mrs Linton was very frightened by what she saw in the mirror and this has inspired our writing. We have re-visited how dialogue can portray character.

In Maths we are looking at decimals. This week we have been working on multiplying and dividing decimals by 10,100 and 1,000.

In History we have begun our unit on World War II. We explored what life entailed for an evacuee and the different places around the country children were sent to. We applied our writing skills to create a letter from the perspective of an evacuee child. In addition to looking at the events that lead to the start of the world war.

In Science will be looking at classifying organisms. There are lots of ways of grouping plants and animals according to the organisms’ characteristics. Animals, for example, can be split into vertebrates and invertebrates. Over the term we will continue to explore the different systems that have been developed over time.

Tanni Grey-Thompson - December 2023

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 09:29:57 GMT

Tanni Grey-Thompson class have continued to show all of our school values of Love, Courage and Friendship in Year 2.

This week we have used money to practise buying items from a ‘shop’. Maybe the children could practise counting up the loose change at home.

In English we are learning to write a story with suspense in after reading our new book ‘The lonely Beast’.

We continue to practise our nativity ready for the show in just a few days!

Seasonal pumpkins, Diwali, poetry basket & phonics with Beatrix Potter class

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:09:54 GMT

Reception have been enjoying exploring seasonal pumpkins. One morning, we discovered some pumpkins, dots and a picture of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

We read a story about how she loves dots and has created lots of famous art work using dots! We decided to create our own pumpkin dot art by sticking the dots to the pumpkins. This activity helped to strengthen our growing finger muscles.

he following day, we were greeted with a carved jack-o-lantern and a book titled 'Pumpkin Jack'. We enthusiastically read the story all about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. Over the year, we will watch Pumpkin Jack change and hopefully sprout into a new pumpkin vine!

Reception have worked so hard on their phonics! This term, we have started using our phonics workstation. Children independently use the station to access a short phonics video linked to their current next steps. Most children are currently working on their 'Fred Talk' (oral blending), some children are developing their blending skills, and a few children are already reading and spelling words. We are so proud of the class for being so enthusiastic towards their learning!

This term, we are finding out about and comparing different festivals of light. We will look at customs that are the same and different over the year. This week, we have been finding out about Diwali. The children made clay divas, rangoli patterns and read the story of Rama and Sita.

Each week, the class will be learning a different poem as part of 'Poetry Basket'. This is a short seasonal poem that children recite every day along with actions to build up their knowledge of poetry. The children particularly enjoyed performing 'Five Little Pumpkins'.

On Friday mornings, Reception parents have joined us for 'Cosy Club'. This is a time to join us in class and snuggle up with a story. Thank you to all those parents who have been able to join us!

Dina Asher-Smith Nov 2023

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 13:31:44 GMT

This term in Year 6 we are looking in fractions. We started the week by re-visiting our previous learning of common factors. Common factors can help us to simply fractions. Children were then able to order fractions on a number line.

In English we have begun our learning journey on poetry. We have looked at a range of poetry and found common features in our toolkit. Children have re-visited metaphors and similes then we applied this to our own poem.

I have been very impressed with the strong vocabulary choices the children have made and the effort they put in to paint a picture for the reader.

In Science this term we are looking at circuits. We completed our Kahoot to see what we can recall from previous learning and looked at our key vocabulary.

The children then looked at the difference between a series and parallel circuit. A series circuit allows the electricity to flow in one direction and a parallel circuit provides more than one pathway.

Malala Yousafzai Class - October 2023

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 06:30:28 GMT

This week we have been learning about the Earth and the solar system, working hard on building understanding and resilience in our times tables work through our Maths Sense programme, and in our Guided Reading work, we have reached an exciting chapter in our class book, Thief by Malorie Blackman!

This week Malala Yousafzai have been learning about the Earth and the solar system. The class has spent time researching about the Earth and the seven other planets in the solar system. The class has found out some fascinating facts about the time it takes for each planet to orbit the Sun once.

Whilst it only takes the Earth 365 days to complete one orbit, Neptune takes over 164 years to circle the Sun once. Amazing eh!

The class also learnt about the length of days on each planet. Again, the group learnt about how quickly or slowly planets rotated leading to some significant differences in the length of one day on each planet. The class found it fascinating that some planets have much longer or shorter days than we experience here in Ventnor, Planet Earth.

A day on Jupiter only lasts 10 Earth days, a day on Mercury is 1,408 hours long (that’s nearly 59 Earth days).

We thought that Christmas Day on Mercury would be brilliant because it would be nearly 60 days long, but then again the extreme heat and cold would spoil it somewhat!

The group have also been working hard on building understanding and resilience in their times tables work through our Maths Sense programme. Each day through this week, the children have been spending time practising their “square times tables”.

It has been really reassuring for many to see how well they have been doing and already being able to track their own progress. We will be moving onto the 4 and 5 times tables after the half term break.

In our Guided Reading work, we have reached an exciting chapter in our class book, Thief by Malorie Blackman. The book has led to numerous class discussions about how the author has created tension, distrust and threat through the story about a girl who falls forwards in time to meet her younger brother, who is now 47 years old!

The children have enjoyed discussing the various possible outcomes, who can be trusted, who is secretly passing on information to the “tyrant” and most importantly, how can the main character Lydia get back to her own time again! We’ll keep you posted!

Ellen MacArthur Class News

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:08:43 GMT

This week, Ellen MacArthur have been working hard to create adverts in English. Many are proudly using their pens and others are persevering to perfect their handwriting. Great work!

In Maths, we have been learning about the composition of 1000 and how to represent it in different ways.

Last week, in Ellen MacArthur, we wrote poems for our Harvest festival.

In art, we have been developing our use of charcoal for drawing and shading.

We have also been challenging ourselves on TTRockstars to develop our recall of multiplication and division facts.

Keep up the hard work!

Tanni Grey-Thompson Class News

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 10:19:24 GMT

Tanni-Grey Thompson class have shown all of our school values of Love, Courage and Friendship since they have started in Year 2.

This week we have used our practical resources to practise finding ten more and ten less than a given number. In PE we practised throwing, catching and rolling an object whilst moving around the playground.

We have been kind friends to everyone in our class whilst sharing healthy snacks and visiting the library.

In English we learnt a new skill of using commas in a list.

Mary Ellis Class News

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 07:36:15 GMT

We’ve settled in to Year 1, exploring new learning and having fun.

In Science, we’ve been learning about objects and materials in school,

Recognising the differences between them all.

In Maths, we’ve worked hard on new concepts,

Lots of vocabulary, not to forget.

In English, we’re learning new stories and steps to progress,

Using capital letters, full stops and finger spaces to impress.

Mary Ellis have enjoyed new games in PE,

Then learning the Creation story in RE.

Different mark making techniques in Art,

How to find the pulse in music and taking part.

The children have welcomed new friends to the class this term,

We’re enjoying helping them to settle in and learn.

Beatrix Potter Class News Sept 2023

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 14:52:14 GMT

Reception have had a fantastic start to the new academic year!

The children have settled in quickly and have been busy making new friends and exploring their new classroom. Thank you to all our Reception families for helping to prepare your child for the big transition to school and for also being brave on those first few mornings! We are all very proud of the way the class have settled into the routines and happily enter the school gates. They have really demonstrated our school values of friendship, love and courage.

The children have thoroughly enjoyed investigating the different areas of our classroom. We have our 'Enchanted Forest' (reading area), our 'Message Centre' (mark making/writing), 'Make Believe Mansion' (dress up and home corner), 'Imagination Station' (construction/small world), 'Creative Creek' (arts and crafts), 'Treasure Island' (sand), 'Ninja Number Nook' and our 'Goblin Factory' (playdough). They have all proved very popular and we are working on remembering to tidy up after finishing working in a given area. The class have been learning 'Choose it, Use it, Put it away!' and have all been very supportive at encouraging and helping each other to tidy up.

We have been enjoying developing our fine motor skills with ribbon dancing and a particular favourite has been 'dough disco' with our very own mini playdough pots.

During the first few weeks, we are focusing on establishing our classroom routines and our good listening behaviours for learning time. We are learning to sit on the carpet with our quiet lips, still bodies, listening ears and eyes looking. The children have worked very hard to remember what it means to be a good listener.

In Reception, we love a good story and over the past two weeks we have read lots of wonderful stories for fun and to also remind us of how to not only be a good listener but also a kind and caring friend. One of our favourites has been 'Dirty Bertie' which has helped us reflect on the importance of good hygiene and washing our hands after using the toilet and before eating. The class have particularly enjoyed joining in with the story saying "No, Bertie! That's dirty Bertie!"

Last week, we even met Fred the Frog who only speaks in sounds and over the course of the year he will help us to learn how to read using our phonics! This week we have been helping Fred by saying the sounds and orally blending them into words ('r-e-d' = red) and have started to learn our Set 1 sounds using the Read Write Inc programme.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Reception parent meeting on Wednesday 20th September at 2.30pm in the Hall. Here we will share an overview of the curriculum, how we teach reading and what you can do at home to best support your child. At the end of the presentation, you will be given the opportunity to visit your child's classroom.

This week in Tim Peake!

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:36:49 GMT

Year 3 have been deepening their understanding of fractions by using concrete resources.

We had to wait all week for a sunny day to do our shadow investigation. Luckily, Thursday we had clear skies to enjoy. Our investigation involved discovering how shadows behave. We tested this by drawing round our shadows at three different times in the day. The children marvelled at just how tall their shadows were at this time of year.

We noticed that the shadows stayed roughly the same size but moved to the right each time. We are excited to do this investigation again in the summer and see if the shadows change in a different way!

Ellen MacArthur class update

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:21:14 GMT

Ellen MacArthur class proved themselves to be potential members for MI5 to consider!

So this term, our PE focus has been ‘Dance, initially many children were hesitant, but when they learned that it was all an exploration of movement using the iconic ‘spy’ music, they embraced the lessons and Ellen MacArthur class

In our geography lessons we have been able to delve deeply into the values of ‘The Isle of Wight’, discussing not only its aesthetic value, but have been studying its economic value and learned about producers and consumers.

I think you’ll agree, the children’s maps show the vast array of delights that the island has to offer!

Our science experiments on how sound travels and how they are affected by distance, was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

I think the teachers were as interested in using the cup and string telephone system as the children – again more ‘spy’ behaviours emerged with many children coding their conversations!

Dina Asher-Smith class update

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 13:41:42 GMT

It’s been straight back to business in our first week back after half term.

Whilst the weather has been pretty grim, it hasn’t deterred or affected our attitude to learning.

In English this term we are studying the art of quest writing; imaging courageous heroes or heroines journeying across mythical lands to do battle with ferocious creatures in an attempt to collect or return something. We’re only a couple of lessons in but the children are already showing a keen grasp of how to create suspense in this style of writing.

We are nearing the end of David Almond’s fantastic text, Skellig. This has been a really enjoyable book about how the main protagonist, Michael, battles with change in his life – in more ways than one.

Monday afternoon saw us start our P.E topic this half term of basketball. I was immediately impressed with the leadership skills and ability of some of the class, and it was very evident that they play this outside of school. I am already looking forward to taking a team over to the January basketball tournament at Medina. Included below are some pictures from last term’s tag rugby sessions.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate everyone who participated in any sports fixtures last term. Once again, we have many fixtures coming up this month, starting with the rescheduled Y3/4 match against Haylands on Tuesday.

David Attenborough class update

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 12:31:11 GMT

As we come to the end of this half-term, David Attenborough class have been reflecting on their start to Year 6.

I have been really impressed with the children’s positive attitude and determination to complete different challenges.

This week we have been preparing for the Harvest festival. The children in Year 6 have been making clay vases and vegetables. At this time of year we often think about gathering in the harvest of the animals that live on the land and the plants that grow in the soil. But many of the raw materials that we use to build and furnish our homes are mined or quarried from the earth itself. Clay is one such raw material.

Over this half-term Year 6 have been given many opportunities to try something new. We went to UKSA where all the children showed the value of courage to try sailing out on the river Medina. We also learnt the important skill of CPR

Ellen MacArthur update October 2022

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:12:19 GMT

This week Ellen MacArthur celebrated the Feast of St Francis Day on October 4th. As a class we discussed Pope Francis’ letter to the world The Letter – A Message for Our Earth.

From sharing ideas through whole class discussions, the pupils all worked together to complete a collaborative wall mural celebrating and showcasing the rich wealth of life and wonder in our oceans.

Each pupil within the class had an assigned section of the mural to complete, and you can see the amazing completed mural below. The children were delighted with the final result, as indeed was their teacher Mr Woodley-Thompson. The mural now forms part of a centrepiece of discussion and admiration for our class and those who visit our classroom.

In addition to the mural, the class created a Reflection Wall. A two fold display, that used reflective mirrored card, holographic lettering and children’s responses to Pope Francis’s letter, identifying how as individuals, each member of Ellen MacArthur wants to help protect our world around us, by thinking about how we can all, as individuals, help to make the world a better place for now and in the future. This is a working wall, and is therefore a work in progress. As we discuss the environment in the coming weeks (a focus for our work in Geography), we will be adding additional thoughts and ideas to our Reflection Wall.

Next week we are looking forward to investigating natural habitats and the animals and creatures that share our school and its grounds with us.

Tim Peake update

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:33:42 GMT

Tim Peake have been showing an excellent understanding of 3 digit numbers and have been representing them in different ways.

Tim Peake have been showing an excellent understanding of 3 digit numbers and have been representing them in different ways. We have been using the facts we already know to solve 3 digit addition and subtraction calculations.

The highlight of our week is our History lessons on Friday afternoons. We have been using drama and role-play to learn what life was like before the Romans and the timeline of the Roman Invasion.

Mary Ellis news

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 12:27:40 GMT

What a fun start we’ve had to Year 1!

What a fun start we’ve had to Year 1,

Getting ready to learn and having lots of fun.

In Year 1 there’s lots to learn,

Mary Ellis are great at taking turns.

Exploring new learning through games and tasks,

Answering tricky questions Miss Brewerton asks.

Recognising numbers in different representations,

Making a dance for the story of Creation.

Learning about chronology and the history of toys,

Playing with our friends and the things we enjoy.

Joining the hunt for The Mystery Feather,

Trying our best and working together

African palaces of all shapes and sizes at Beatrix Potter!

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 10:20:35 GMT

We have an entirely new classroom now which we are incredibly lucky to have, and the children are taking a lot of pride in looking after it all

It is great to be back and have the school filled with so many smiling faces once again. The children have come in with so much to tell us all we've spent most of this week catching up on all that's happened over the holiday period. Logan very enthusiastically shared his adopted donkey Hulk with the class, although unfortunately Hulk was not able to join us in person.

As you may have seen from our Facebook Virtual tour, we have an entirely new classroom now which we are incredibly lucky to have, and the children are taking a lot of pride in looking after it all. They have been exploring the wide array of wonderful resources and letting their imaginations run wild.

We've had our new reading dog being cared for by our in-house veterinarian Lizzy; crocodile infestations in our car and vehicle factory; African palaces of all shapes and sizes to go alongside the lava flow which struck our playground necessitating a bridge to be built.

We hope you have all had a wonderful break and are just as excited to hear all the wonderful stories coming home with your child each day as we are to have them back in school.

Mary Ellis Update January 2022

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 09:51:00 GMT

In Mary Ellis, we have been starting our new topics for this term.

We have been learning about Earth Art in art – painting character rocks for story telling like the Native Americans and aborigines in Australia.

In PE, the children have been getting to grips with Hockey. We have been learning how to hold the hockey stick, dribble around cones, pass and shoot. Mr Marshall and Mr Clark will be proud of our new skills!

In English we have been learning the knowledge and skills required for a defeating the monster story – creating characters and settings and using adjectives.

In Maths, the children have been solving problems using addition, preparing to explore subtraction and the links between them.

Mary Ellis update November 2021

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 09:50:47 GMT

Mary Ellis have had a busy week of learning this week and they were keen to share what they’ve been up to...

We’ve been recapping sounds in Phonics – we’re getting better at pure sounds and Fred Talk.

We’ve been adding numbers within 20 in Maths – practising our number formation and using concrete materials to help us to problem solve.

We used chalk to create scenes to describe for our journey stories with a scary/suspense theme. We’ve been learning how to punctuate and sequence our sentences.

In RE, we were talking about Jesus’ room – deciding what he would need and creating a scene.

With Mr Marshall in PE, we were practising avoidance skills and team work – we played Tag and worked on our agility.

In Science, we identified body parts and labelled them. We’re starting to think about how we use different parts of our body.

Beatrix Potter update

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:10:40 GMT

It has already been 7 weeks since those first nervous steps were taken into school by our amazing new Beatrix Potter Class

What a half term it has been. I personally can't believe it has already been 7 weeks since those first nervous steps were taken into school by our amazing new Beatrix Potter Class. This week we have been learning our story the Little Red Hen ready to tell all by ourselves. Along with this we've been learning all about the wonderful harvest time we are currently in, seeing lots of tractors heading past and planting out some of our winter veg into the class garden.

In the build up to our first ever speech day we have been learning all about plastic pollution and how this affects us both on the Isle of Wight as well as globally. We've rescued some sea creatures from the perils of plastic waste and talked about how we can each make a change.

As ever play is our main vehicle for learning with structures of all shapes and sizes springing up all over the show and mark making galour on display on every surface imaginable. We've also taken our first steps on our path to becoming lifelong readers with our weekly reading books heading home for everyone to share.

Now it's time for two weeks of rest and fresh air before we start the run into, dare we say it...Christmas. Before then we have lots of special events happening in class and surprises to share so keep asking those never-ending questions "What was the best bit about your day?" or "What awesome thing did you learn today?".

Tim Peake class update

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 08:49:13 GMT

Our week in Tim Peak!

This week we have been finding out about what Britain was like before Roman Britain. Did you know that in the Iron Age the Celts lived in round houses. These were made from mud and straw.

In maths, we have become experts at 3-digit numbers and are able to represent them using base 10.

In English, we have been learning our warning tale ‘Keep of the Tracks’ and have started to practice using fronted adverbials. Did you know that fronted adverbials are used when describing a setting to add more detail for the reader? It paints a better picture in their head!

Ellen MacArthur update

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 08:13:21 GMT

Ellen MacArthur have had a very busy week from our Library session on Monday morning until Tag Rugby on Friday afternoon!

We researched Roald Dahl books on our focus author stand to help complete a quiz about him. We are enjoying our new reading programme called ‘Destination Reader’, this week looking at ‘clarifying’.

We are using our toolkits to help us when we do not know what a word or phrase means and our reading partners are very supportive and actively listening to us read.

In English we have been thinking about how authors use senses in their writing and in the wooded area we focussed on each of our senses before writing our short burst sentences.

Every day we work hard at becoming more fluent in maths, using different equipment to help us solve problems efficiently.

We have been exploring charcoal in our art lessons and produced some amazing work showing good concentration skills.

What a great week Ellen MacArthur! Are you ready for some more next week?

Malala Yousafzai update

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 08:00:50 GMT

We have been researching the palaeontologist Mary Anning.

This week Malala have been busy completing lots of maths challenges, working in groups we had to prove that 8 X 8 is the same as 4 X 16. We used multilink, base 10 and our white boards to do this.

In History we have been researching the palaeontologist Mary Anning. We found out that she made many incredible discoveries in her life, including a long-necked marine reptile called a plesiosaur and a flying reptile called a Dimorphodon.

In PE we have been looking at tag-rugby. This we week we focused on how to tag members of the opposite team. In addition to building on our previous lesson of learning how to throw the ball backwards and to the side.

In Guided Reading we have read more of our text Thief. We have been focusing on questioning this week and thought about the differences between open and closed questions.

We are all very much looking forward to next week when we have our trip to Little Canada!

Our trip to Little Canada

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 07:50:54 GMT

The children challenged themselves and put themselves out of their comfort zones to try new experiences

What a brilliant start to the week we had in Year 5! For those who were wondering why there were fewer children around school this week, it’s because we went to Little Canada in Wootton for an amazing 3-day residential trip.

We were lucky enough to be placed in cabins with balconies overlooking the creek, and everyone had the opportunity to take part in a range of exciting activities including abseiling, giant swing, zip-line, aeroball (a cross between basketball and trampolining), vertical challenge (climbing up a range of obstacles) and archery. I particularly enjoyed aeroball—even though I was beaten fairly and squarely by a particularly competitive member of my class (well done Leo!).

The whole trip was a fantastic way of fostering confidence, and I was really proud of the way that the children challenged themselves and put themselves out of their comfort zones to try new experiences.

Resilience was also tested—particularly when playing a form of hide-and-seek in the torrential rain! I know that this was the first time that some of the children had stayed away from home, so was really pleased that they were able to develop their independence too.

I would like to thank all the members of staff who volunteered to give up their evenings and nights with their families, and helped give the children memories that will hopefully stay with them for a long time.

A Chance to Shine for Dina Asher-Smith class

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:42:50 GMT

An incredibly busy but exciting time, and that’s before we even mention the small matter of a football game next Tuesday...

As the school year begins to draw to a close, we’ve had another exciting week in Dina Asher-Smith class. The children have relished the opportunity to showcase their abilities in our Chance to Shine week, and I have been extremely impressed by the progress that has been made despite the difficulties of a global pandemic.

On Tuesday we ventured over to the Heights for our first swimming session of the term. The swimming instructors were full of praise and kind words for how well-behaved and competent the class were and I know the children were excited to get back into the pool after what has seemed like an eternity.

Last Thursday, we rambled up the downs by Ventnor golf club as part of Active Travel week. We totalled a final distance of just over 5km and enjoyed some spectacular views. A few of the class admitted that the trek had been an inspiration for them to want to get out in their own time and experience our wonderful environment.

We are thoroughly enjoying our guided reading text of Boy in the Tower – a story about a mysterious disaster in London, resulting in tower blocks falling by the day; we’ve managed to highlight and draw some key connections to what has happened in our world in the last 18 months.

Finally, our minds are firmly set on next Friday where we are setting off to Little Canada for an exhilarating day of adventure.

As you can see, an incredibly busy but exciting time, and that’s before we even mention the small matter of a football game next Tuesday – did someone say it’s coming home?

Mr. Clark

Welcome back to the Summer term

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:31:39 GMT

Stephen Hawking Class has had a colourful ‘welcome back’ to the Summer Term as children have been greeted by these beautiful blossoms outside our classroom.

They are a gift that keeps giving; planted with care by previous Gardening clubs .

The flowers have inspired our class worship this week as a reminder that the circle of life continues. We have reflected on how the children can build resilience by taking inspiration from nature.

Story-telling has taken prominence this week as our class has been busy learning a new ‘Warning tale‘ about a camping adventure featuring a mystery hedgehog.

Children have had a lot of fun mapping it out in pictures and using drama to learn how to sequence and plot a story. They’ve all done a great job!

Chatting to Chocolate Cake with Tanni Grey-Thompson class.

Mon, 10 May 2021 15:27:01 GMT

It's been a very busy week in Year 2

This week year 2 have been busy learning all about how plants grow. They have planted pea seeds and are now observing them closely every day to see whose seedling is the tallest. So far, it’s Jenson in the lead closely followed by Arieva!

In English, the children have learnt The Papaya that Spoke story off by heart and are using it to create and write their very own versions. We have talking pears, chatting chocolate cake and a speaking broomstick! Each child has got a copy of their story map to practice at home �� .

In maths, the children have been exploring multiplication using materials – next stop, word problems!

In our RE lessons, we have been exploring forgiveness and have been thinking about if it is always easy to forgive people.

We look forward to another exciting week in year 2.

From punctuation to place value - Tim Peake style!

Sun, 09 May 2021 07:51:51 GMT

Tim Peake have had a busy few weeks in class.

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We’ve been learning our portal story with actions in English, innovating our own story and learning about inverted commas and a range of punctuation.

In Geography, we have been locating national landmarks to explore human and physical features in the UK. We can name 3 rivers, 3 mountains, 4 capital cities and sand dunes.

In Maths we have been learning about place value up to 5 digits – including tenths and hundredths and multiplication and division, using arrays.

In Science, we have been learning about animals and their habitats as well as how animals are classified in different ways.

We have been reading Charlotte’s Web as our class book, identifying new vocabulary and taking time to hear a variety of stories.

During Guided Reading we have been comparing our texts and identifying similarities and differences between them.

In our RSE, we have been identifying our future changes linked to Puberty.

Please ask the children about their learning.

Fielding, batting & bowling and a Teams meeting with Rev. Hugh!

Sun, 09 May 2021 07:36:14 GMT

Ellen MacArthur have had another busy and exciting week.

The children started the week by having a Teams call with Rev. Hugh discussing our RE unit of work on Sacraments, focusing on the Eucharist.

In Guided Reading we have continued to read Who Let the Gods out? The class have been making predictions on what they think will happen next. In addition to planning questions ready to ask the author for our online meeting next week!

In PE this half term we have been looking at cricket. The children have been practicing their fielding, batting and bowling skills. We are looking forward to using these new skills in our class match next lesson!

Finally, in Science we were investigating what materials dissolve in liquids. The children added baking powder, powdered paint, sugar, salt, sand and plaster of Paris to water. We were able to think of how we can make this investigation a fair test, this included: ensuring we use the same amount of water in each cup and stirring each cup a set number of times.

2020 Key Stage 1 Nativity

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:04:13 GMT

We hope you enjoy our Nativity, the children really enjoyed taking part in what was a different to normal performance.

We would like to send a huge thank you to our friends at Nettlecombe Farm for not only allowing us the use of their incredible farm to film our Nativity but also for the donation towards costumes and equipment. It wouldn't have been possible without their support.

Please look out on Facebook for the Nativity Play .

We would also like to thank the Isle of Wight Free School for lending us a minibus and driver, it is wonderful to see such support and friendship within our education community.

Scroll down to see the video:

Chance to Shine!

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 17:20:45 GMT

continuing to practise our glockenspiel skills...

Tanni Grey-Thompson class have excelled themselves during our “Chance to Shine” week. The children should be super proud of themselves and the resilience they have shown.

We began the week with our mental health lesson from Miss Crane exploring ways to relax.

In music the children have continued to practise their glockenspiel skills learning songs for Zootime.

Well done to Tanni Grey-Thompson as we achieved our “St Francis” letters for attendance and will shortly be deciding on our reward.

3 little pigs story boxes & mental health session

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 10:43:39 GMT

A Beatrix Potter update:

Look at our amazing story boxes of The Three Little Pigs:

And the mental health session with Miss Crane : Beatrix Potter class had their mental health session with Miss Crane. We learnt about our feelings and emotions by identifying how the bear was feeling in each picture. We learnt about how to feel calm and happy . We did some exercise too! We felt a lot happier and calmer after that. Miss Crane then read a lovely story to us.

Beatrix Potter class Spring 2020 update

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 16:51:00 GMT

Did YOU have tigers over for tea?

What a busy half term we have had!!!

Beatrix Potter Class started the new year learning about the Tiger Who Came To Tea story. We made tiger masks, retold the story and learnt about tigers during our trip to the Isle of Wight Zoo. We also learnt about the Chinese New Year and we finished the half term with a ‘Science Day’. Police Office Peter also came to talk to us about keeping safe. Look below for our super learning …

Equivalent fractions, minibeasts and Mr Clark in a good mood..

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:36:50 GMT

...answering 20 questions quicker than Usain Bolt can run 100m!!

This week, we have been learning about equivalent fractions and how to compare fractions that have different denominators. Our multiplication and divisions facts have helped hugely with this and are now so sharp, that we have some members of our class who can answer 20 questions quicker than Usain Bolt can run 100m (9.58 seconds)!!

We are really enjoying designing fictional minibeasts to write non-chronological reports about – they have provided us with the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in rich technical vocabulary.

We loved our cricket session on Thursday afternoon, which was part of the “Chance to Shine,” campaign that encourages more young people to get involved with cricket. We’ve also been doing circuit training on Tuesday mornings, which has been a really rewarding challenge. It’s been great to see the effort and achievement of everyone improve over the last three weeks.

Finally, Mr Clark has been in a good mood for the latter half of the week because Leeds United have returned to the top of the league – let’s hope that continues!

# happyteacherhappykids

David Attenborough - Update Jan 2020

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 16:12:50 GMT

Taking a closer look at insect life on earth... but from a fictional point of view...

This week in Sir David Attenborough Class, we have been inspired by the great man himself to take a closer look at insect life on earth... but from a fictional point of view.

Our class story book; ‘ Beetle Boy ‘ by M.G Leonard, has us hooked. It tells the story of a Scientist who mysteriously disappears in a vault filled with insects, at the Natural History Museum in London. His son, Darkus, vows to track his father down and, with the help of his friends, an eccentric uncle and a small rhinoceros beetle( which can somehow communicate with him) the adventure begins ! The plot has triggered lots of questions from our class which we have gathered on post-its and will try to answer, in an attempt to help solve the mystery ourselves...

Alongside the fiction we have also been formal, factual and hard-at-work, creating our own non-chronological reports about invented bugs and beasties. Starting at the drawing board, with pictures of what they look like, the class has been adding technical language to describe their appearance, habitat and behaviour. Amazing facts are completing the reports; who could have known that one fly does a front crawl kick as it moves through the air, or that another beetle can dislocate its abdomen to fit through small spaces?

We can’t wait to read all of the finished reports.

Ellen MacArthur Update January 2020

Sat, 18 Jan 2020 10:52:11 GMT

This Half Term Ellen MacArthur’s Art topic is Journeys

Over the last two weeks we have looked at Aboriginal Art. So far we’ve learnt that Aboriginal Art is centred on storytelling, using symbols and icons.

Jack said “Aborigines first settled in Australia and communicated through these symbols and icons.”

“They used sticks and the tips of their fingers to create the symbols,” added Lewis.

We had a go at creating our own symbols and icons for this in our everyday life. Here are a few examples…

We also had a go at painting different examples, focusing on the symbols for mountains, snakes, rivers, settlements or tribes, rain and men.

Miss Mew is very impressed with our efforts so far!

Shakespeare's News

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 12:08:47 GMT

This week Shakespeare have been starting some new topics.

We have story mapped ‘The Unknown Forest’ in English and looked at fractions in both Maths and Geography.

In Maths, we have been learning to count in tenths and recognising fractions as part of a whole.

In Geography, we have started looking at the UK and its counties – recognising them as parts of the UK as a whole.

Tanni Grey-Thompson - Dec 2019 update

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 13:20:04 GMT

The Great Fire of London, fractions in maths and practising for Hey Ewe!

In Tanni Grey-Thompson class we have been studying the Great Fire of London. We have made Tudor houses to show the type of houses that were burnt in 1666.

In Maths we have been looking at fractions and can now find a half and a quarter of a shape and an amount. We have been extremely busy practising for Hey Ewe which you can come and watch next Tuesday at 9.30. We look forward to seeing you there.

Year 5 & 6 Visit D-Day museum

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 17:43:09 GMT

... and we made “ration” style potato cakes and carrot cookies!

The whole of Year 5 and 6 enjoyed a thoroughly informative and thought provoking trip to the D-Day museum last week. Myself, and the other teachers were very impressed with how the children conducted themselves during the Home Front workshop and they were a credit to the academy.

Continuing with our studies into WW2, this week we have discussed the diary of Anne Frank and were completely amazed by what her and her family endured. Following on from that, and with the help of our wonderful school cook, Maria, this afternoon we made “ration” style potato cakes and carrot cookies. Not quite as delicious as they sound!

D-Day Museum visit & Our Castle by the Sea

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 16:24:49 GMT

A Sir David Attenborough class update.

‘Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye

Cheerio, here I go, on my way.’

By the time this newsletter is published, Sir David Attenborough class will have returned from their visit to the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth. I am sure that we will have brought back lots of new information to enhance our learning in history. How lucky were we to have a private sailing to the mainland.

The D-Day Museum visit seems so pertinent this week as we have spent time reflecting on Remembrance. Indeed, the whole school spent time quietly on Armistice Day reflecting in silence for two minutes at 11 o’clock on Monday morning. More poetry focusing on thanking and poppies was written, some of which were shared during Reverend Hugh’s Wednesday worship this week.

We have been enthralled by our class book – Our Castle by the Sea. It is fast moving, emotion-packed and keeps us on the edge of our seats.

England is at war. Growing up in a lighthouse, Pet's world has been one of storms, secret tunnels and stories about sea monsters. But now the clifftops are a terrifying battleground, and her family is torn apart.

It has inspired the writing of lighthouse poetry incorporating description and the use of colons and commas in lists. Only yesterday everyone in Sir David Attenborough class was busy last-minute editing before presenting their poetry in their very best handwriting. These will be on display soon.

The class text has also this week been the inspiration for beginning to think about recount writing in the form of a diary which we will be continuing in the next few weeks.

This term continues to be a busy one in Sir David Attenborough class. Keep up the good work everyone!

Update from Stephen Hawking Class

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 21:03:09 GMT

All about Speech Day.

I was immensely proud of Hawking Class during our Speech Day yesterday. They were asked to persuade people about what era in which it was better to live – World War 2 or today. First of all the students had great discussions about the positives and negatives of each of these times – they showed fantastic maturity in their debates and came up with very insightful ideas, showing an impressive understanding of their learning of history, and of their knowledge of current affairs!

The pupils then wrote their speeches, and I was delighted to see that they were employing their writing targets into this independent work.

In the afternoon, we were treated to hearing their speeches. I know that many adults would find it nerve-wracking to speak in front of 25 of their peers, so they must congratulate themselves on the courage that they displayed – they did a fantastic job!

Update from Tanni Grey-Thompson class

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 07:04:23 GMT

Some of the things we've been up to...

Tanni-Grey Thompson Class have been practising their throwing and catching skills in PE.

In Maths we have been using the Greater than and Less than symbols to make number sentences.

In Art we have been using water colours to paint the planets.

From tadpoles to our ‘Stretch and Relax’ sessions. We love it!

Sat, 25 May 2019 06:48:57 GMT

WOW! What a fantastic and busy half term we had in Wren Class!

We have been learning about minibeasts and the life cycle of a frog and a butterfly. We have been growing our own tadpoles and caterpillars! Hopefully the caterpillars will turn into butterflies soon…. And the tadpoles will turn into frogs!!!
The children have been very interested and have observed the caterpillars and tadpoles growing . Tilly wrote :

We have also learnt about symmetry and produced some fantastic symmetrical butterflies.

This half term we have also started our ‘Stretch and Relax’ sessions. We love it! It is helping us to self-regulate our emotions and learn about our body. In our PE lessons we are learning to dance. We are preparing a special dance with Mrs Cooper.

SATs Week Rocks at St Francis!

Wed, 22 May 2019 15:20:54 GMT

We are still rocking at St Francis – Booyakasha …

Hi everyone,
It has been my pleasure this week to have been part of Year 6 SATs week at St Francis. Yet again the Year 6 children have been super stars, in the way they have participated in all aspects of what can be a ‘testing’ week in more ways than one.
Their behaviour has been a credit to them and their effort and attitude deserves the highest praise. The children have worked hard all year to prepare themselves and now need time to chill-out with some hard earned R&R! (Rest and Relaxation).

On behalf of St Francis, I would like to take this opportunity to firstly thank all of the dedicated staff, who arrived early each morning, to make each ‘SATs breakfast’ such a success. In particular I would especially like to thank Miss Richardson for her conscientious work in ensuring the highest standards of Hygiene were maintained in the kitchen, Mrs Sparrow who has no equal when buttering bread at supersonic speed, Mrs Bone and Mrs Rooney who seemed to be everywhere when needed, and of course Mrs Sharp who provide a range of breakfast goodies, helping to give all the children the best start to the day.

I would also like to all of you parents, guardians and relatives because your help in preparing and supporting the children throughout the year and by ensuring that they were in school on time every day, has been vital towards the children’s success this week – thank you all!

Finally, even though SATs is over, Year 6 isn’t and there are a lot more exciting experiences to come this year. Look out for more information in the school newsletter and let’s all continue to ensure that your child continues to experience a great year.
We are still rocking at St Francis – Booyakasha …

Best wishes,

The Year 6 Team

Year 2 Chicken update

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 08:43:23 GMT

Incredible eggs!

This afternoon, Year 2 welcomed Incredible Eggs to St Francis. We're very excited to announce that we're expecting...8 little chicks! We have two varieties of egg, Bluebell and Black Rock. At the moment the eggs are sat comfortably inside the incubator, at 37.5°C. Over the next few days, the little chicks will start to hatch, cracking the eggs with their egg tooth, and then they will be moved into the brooding cage. The children are very excited and can't wait to calmly welcome the new additions to our classes.

At the moment the eggs are sat comfortably inside the incubator, at 37.5°C. Over the next few days, the little chicks will start to hatch, cracking the eggs with their egg tooth, and then they will be moved into the brooding cage. The children are very excited and can't wait to calmly welcome the new additions to our classes.

Update from Heron Class

koo@island-webdesign.co.uk (Koo Janzen) — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 11:59:46 GMT

NFER tests & 'Times-Tables Rockstars'

I am continuing to be immensely proud of the brilliant students in Heron Class. This week, they have been extremely busy with their NFER tests for Grammar and Punctuation, Reading and Maths. They have risen to the challenge admirably and have shown great resilience and maturity in doing so. I am also very pleased with the progress that they have made since our last set of tests in October - truly a testament to the hard work and perseverance that they demonstrate each week.

It has been an enormous pleasure seeing their enthusiasm for 'Times-Tables Rockstars', an initiative that we have begun to trial in some classes to raise attainment in the children's recall of times-tables. This is an online scheme that motivates children to practise their times-tables and division and is already enabling them to become more rapid in these skills. As you can see from the photos, they are loving it so far!

Jack and the Beanstalk

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 06:35:48 GMT

We have been learning about Jack and the Beanstalk

Kite update

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 10:17:43 GMT

Who had to be rounded-up by the rescue boats?

This year so far has been an exciting adventure in Kites Class. We have been fortunate to eventually welcome a new member, Madison, I say eventually because she was supposed to arrive at the beginning of September but she didn’t arrive until the end of the month! We had almost given up but it was worth the wait.

In the mornings, as we are a mixed class of Year 5 and Year 6 children, we go our separate ways for our English and Mathematics lessons.
Some of our Year 5 pupils are enjoying some exciting work with Mr Clark; the others with some of our Year 6 pupils are enjoying their work with Mrs Ridett. The rest of our Year 6 pupils are joined by the majority of other Year 6 pupils from Kestrels and Buzzards and we are working hard to meet the challenging targets for this year – so bring it on!

As this year has progressed we in Kites have taken part in many extracurricular activities. Some of us have learnt to ride a bike (some of us knew how to already but we can do it better now!). Our Year 6 children had an exciting day at UKSA learning to sail. It will be a long time before many of us will forget the sight of Mrs Rann and Mrs Sparrow (wearing their sporty wet-suits) sailing-off majestically into the Solent, before being rounded-up by the rescue boats! We have also engaged in Academy events such as the Harvest Festival for parents and we are looking for-
ward to celebrating the forthcoming festive season this year. All in all it has been a great start to the year.

Kestrel news

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 09:39:35 GMT

From "Wed Wabbit" to prime numbers...

This week we finished the truly excellent and spectacular “Beetle Boy,” by M.G Leonard and we have started our next class text, the fabulously titled “Wed Wabbit.” We have studied how authors bring characters to life through dialogue and description, and we are now able to do the same in our own writing. In Maths, we have been looking at factors, multiples and prime numbers.

We’ve played games, completed investigations and had a lot of fun doing them. Our P.E lessons have been really enjoyable – we’ve been incorporating ball mastery skills with gymnastics to create some really cool routines. Below are some of the top books around at the moment that we are hoping we might unwrap on Christmas day…

Buzzard update

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 09:27:04 GMT

Darkus has a plan to rescue the beetles and his dad.... will he do it?

Buzzards have been really busy this week as always.
In guided reading they have been looking at how authors use figurative language to create atmosphere in texts such as the Iron Man and Kensuke's Kingdom. They are also learning to precis text.

In spelling we have been focusing on learning the statutory word lists for Key Stage 2 in lots of different ways.
In our writing lessons we have finished redrafting our poetry about stepping into a magical world through a portal and thinking about how we can use expanded noun phrases, commas in lists, alliteration, simile and the colon. Our display looks amazing!
We are now looking closely at the underlying structure for a portal story and beginning to plan our own, thinking about the audience we are writing for (we have decided this will be anyone from children to adults at home) and being imaginative with our own ideas. We have also
examined how other authors - other than ourselves- write a fantastic portal story, e.g. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and a few others!

Our writer’s toolkit is growing weekly and we look forward to seeing fronted adverbials, a range of sentence structures, great description and
dialogue to move the action on in our stories and make it the most irresistible narrative writing ever!
In maths we have really begun to master addition and subtraction and the use of column methods of subtraction. Multiplication and division next.... Keep up the great work Buzzards... and we aim to finish reading Beetle Boy soon! Gripping stuff! Darkus has a plan to rescue the beetles and his dad.... what will happen....will he do it? We will find out soon!

Heron class update

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 08:50:35 GMT

Get your imaginary animal information leaflet here!

Heron Class have been amazing in their learning this week. I have noticed a wonderful sense of pride in their work and a positive attitude from all children. In English, the children have enjoyed writing and editing their first drafts for information leaflets about imaginary animals, whilst in maths they have been honing their number skills when adding numbers.

One of the many highlights this week was our PE lesson, when our half-termly focus is gymnastics. We have looked at a range of jumps, and have particularly concentrated on landing, ensuring that we come to controlled finishes.

Egret update Feb 2019

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 08:39:17 GMT

Mmmm...! Warm bread rolls!

In Egret class this week the children have been up to their wrists in dough, learning how to make bread. As part of their Design Technology and Science studies they have discovered how to combine ingredients which will react with each other (such as yeast and warm water), why flour is sifted to add air and how that can make a smoother dough. The children were able to identify how the bread recipe needed solids, liquid and gases to combine effectively.

The children had great fun learning how to knead the dough using the heel of their hands and their knuckles and were amazed when it doubled
in size in a warm cupboard before cooking. Once baked, the children could see how the bread had gone through an irreversible change… there was no way back to raw dough !

Warm bread rolls, straight from the oven, were irresistible and everyone soon tucked in to their creations. Well done Egret bakers !

Goldfinch class news

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 08:20:18 GMT

BeeBots & WANTED posters

Goldfinch Class have been programming BeeBots in ICT and making WANTED posters for the Evil Peas from our Supertato story in English.
They have explored lots of descriptive language and shown empathetic inferences towards the vegetables who were captured and trapped.

Chaffinch update

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 07:12:08 GMT

Who's been mean to the vegetables?

It has been a very exciting week in Chaffinch class. On Wednesday The Evil Pea from Supertato had been very mean to the vegetables! Look out for the interesting stories we will write about their adventures. In Maths we have been learning about 3D shapes. We have been making them using polydron and from nets.

Update from Kingfisher

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 07:05:31 GMT

Hard work & lots of fun!

We’ve had such a busy week. We performed in front of two audiences on Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon. We’ve also been busy making calendars and Christmas cards.

We had a lovely afternoon with Wren class, as we invited parents to come and join us in a Christmas Decoration afternoon. We made Father Christmas lists, Angels, Beaded Wreaths, Wooden Baubles, Christmas Trees with stickers, Stencilling pictures and lots more!

The children continue to work hard but have lots of fun! We will end our term off with a class party, full of party games!

Cormorant class update

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 06:49:26 GMT

Science & maths in Cormorant class

Cormorant have been investigating how different items react when frozen and created a science experiment placing different liquids (such as water, oil, toothpaste, chocolate sauce, shampoo, orange juice, salt water, tomato sauce) into a mould and placed it into the freezer. The results were that most of the liquids froze apart from the oil, toothpaste and chocolate sauce, but we think the sauce may have if it was left in the freezer for longer. We used a lot of what we knew already to predict what may happen; we knew salt was used in icy weather, we knew you have oil in a car and that the car wouldn't work if the oil froze in cold weather, and we knew orange juice and water froze as we eat ice pops! We were surprised that the shampoo froze and the toothpaste didn't!

Next we would like to investigate what happens to things when they are heated - the opposite to what we have learnt!

With our Math's Heads on we have started to learn about division. We started by using what we already know - the number line! Some of us were using our times table knowledge to help and luckily we had an expert in the class to show us on the board!

Wren Autumn Term

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 20:43:57 GMT

Autumn term report

WOW! What a fantastic term this has been. We have been very busy getting ready for Christmas. The children have written invitations for their relatives to come to school to make Christmas decorations with them. They went to the letter box to post their letters.

We also received a parcel from Santa! Inside there was Elf one of Santa’s little helpers. He is magic! We have been writing messages and letters to him and he writes back to us, he even made us some chocolate biscuits!

We also had the school nurse in to talk to us about hygiene and how to clean our hands properly

St. Francis Primary Academy Learning Blog

Swimming Skills, Seed Science and Super Subtraction in Year 3!

A hands-on week of maths, science and swimming success for our enthusiastic Year 3 class.

Decimals, Felix’s Journey and World Book Day Fun in Year 6!

TL;DR:

A thoughtful week of reading, maths learning and celebrating books across the school.

Villains, Numbers and Little Pig Houses – Year 1 on a Roll!

A creative half term of writing, maths and science learning for our confident Year 1 class.

TL;DR:

Police Visits, Basketball Skills and Storytelling Stars in Year 2!

An inspiring week of community learning, sport, maths and storytelling for our brilliant Year 2 class.

TL;DR:

Pharaohs, Fossils and Fractions – A Flying Start for Year 3!

A busy and exciting start to the year filled with history, science, swimming and creative learning.

TL;DR:

Spooky Scientists, Polygon Puzzles and Wise Builders in Year 5!

A lively week of maths, coding, history and hands-on RE challenges for Year 5.

TL;DR:

Mystery Stories, Scratch Games and Doctor Bones – Year 6 Are Back!

A fantastic first week filled with reading, coding and science adventures.

TL;DR:

Santa Sleigh Repairs, Magic Words and Christmas Mischief in Reception!

A festive week of creativity, imagination and Christmas problem-solving in Reception.

TL;DR:

Iron Men, Square Numbers and Hockey Skills – Go Year 3!

A creative and confident week full of maths, writing, science and sport for our hardworking Year 3 class.

Brooms, Pumpkins and Phonics Fun in Reception!

A magical mix of stories, science, phonics and playful learning for our curious Reception class.

TLDR :

From Romans to Dodgeball – A Busy Start for Tim Peake Class!

Year 3 dive into story writing, healthy eating, Roman history, and dodgeball skills in a fantastic first few weeks back.

Mystery Books, Wild Habitats and Staying Safe Online in Year 4!

Year 4 dive into new adventures with reading, science, and computing as they settle into an exciting new school year.

Adventurers, Rugby Players and Fossil Hunters – A Busy Week in Year 5

Year 5 dive into reading, explore maths to a million, build rugby skills, and launch into new science and history topics.

Birds, Breaktime, and Big Wins in Mary Ellis Class

From Attendance Awards to Artistic Birds – it’s been a full and fun week in Year 1

Fractions, Festivals and a Shadowy Mystery in Year 3

Exploring India, light, and Lizzie Dripping with curiosity and cake

From Talking Pigs to Tuning Forks – A Week Full of Wonder in Year 4

Books, vibrations and big dreams in the Ellen MacArthur classroom

From Dinosaurs to Dens: A Journey Through Time and Imagination

Exploring fiction, fossils, and friction in an unforgettable half-term

From SATs to Street Art and Sprinting – What a Week in Year 6

Celebrations, creativity and sunshine fun after a brilliant SATs finish

Why Castles, Bead Strings, and Forgiveness Filled Our Week in Year 1

A whirlwind of learning, movement, and imagination in the Mary Ellis classroom

This Week in Mary Ellis Class:

New Tables, Tall Tales, and Training for Sports Day!

Exploring geometry, storytelling, and athletic skills as we kick off an action-packed Summer term.

Seeds, Sunshine and a Walk to St Alban’s

A week of discovery, poetry, PE and reflection

Lions, Coordinates and Carnivore Teeth – What a Week in Year 4!

From science investigations to emotional stories, Year 4 have had a week packed with discovery and fun. ﻿

Volleyball, Rockets and Salty Science in Malala Yousafzai Class

From water cycles to bridge-building and canine adventures

From Rugby on the Field to Reflections on Wonder – A Week of Growth and Sunshine

Exploring empathy, embracing challenges, and enjoying the sunshine in Dina Asher-Smith class.

A white tailed eagle beats Ms South for wingspan!

This week, Reception were very fortunate to have a visit from Emma from the Wildheart Sanctuary. Emma told us all about the white tailed eagle and how some of them live on our very own island!

From Dodgeball Teams to World Maps – Year 1’s Exciting Week of Learning

It has been a week of new beginnings for Year 1, with a new term and new learning journeys in each subject.

From Colorful Storytelling to Creative Coding – A Week of Fun in Year 2!

Year 2 have had a busy week this week!

Xylophones, Clay Sculptures, and a Splash of Fun in Tim Peake Class

Tim Peake class have had a busy week.

Dina Asher-Smith - Delving into Wuthering Heights

We have had a fantastic and productive week. Here’s a snapshot of what we have been up to:

Magic sprinkled on PE Lessons!

Reception have enjoyed a great first week back at school!

What a busy Autumn term!

Mary Ellis Class News

Spelling rainbows and pyramids, and nativity rehearsals

This half term year 2 have been very busy! The children worked so hard during chance to shine and showed off their skills they have learnt.

Excelling at spelling, with a total of 9 spelling certificates!

Year 3 have been incredibly busy this half term. We have been exploring numbers up to 1000 using resources to help us represent the hundreds, tens and ones.

Looking forward to the Volcano erupting!

It has been a busy few weeks in Ellen MacArthur class.

Science with papier-mâché models and a space hopper, and then the snow came...!

Malala Class have been busy, especially in science, where we've been learning about the Earth and space.

From science investigations to emotional stories, Year 4 have had a week packed with discovery and fun.