Friday 23^rd January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had another busy week in school, if a rather wet one, with January now well underway.

It has been a joy to see our Reception children enjoying their Forest School experience so enthusiastically, and likewise our Class 6 pupils engaging so positively with the externally delivered DaART programme.  Both experiences offer valuable opportunities for learning, reflection and personal development.

During collective worship this week, I spoke to the children about what we can learn from a flock of geese.  When geese fly, they do so in a V-formation.  As each goose flaps its wings, it creates lift for the birds that follow, making it easier for the flock to fly.  By working together in this way, the whole flock can travel much further than if each bird flew alone.  This provides a powerful reminder of the importance of community and belonging.  When we work together towards a shared goal, we can achieve far more than we can individually.  In school, when we are all committed to supporting one another and creating a positive, nurturing environment, the school runs smoothly and everyone benefits.

One of our key goals as a school is to ensure that every child develops a love of books and reading, and that this love stays with them for life.  Throughout the school week, children are exposed to a wide range of books and texts designed to engage, challenge and inspire them.  However, alongside this, it is vital that children develop the ability to read independently and confidently.

Research consistently shows that children who read daily at home develop a wider vocabulary, improved comprehension and greater reading fluency.  Even just 10–15 minutes of daily reading can have a significant impact on a child’s language development, academic progress and confidence across the curriculum.  We recognise that family life is increasingly busy, and for some, opportunities to share stories at home may be diminishing.  We ask for your support in helping us turn this around by prioritising regular reading at home and sharing books together whenever possible.  This partnership between home and school is crucial to your child’s success.

This week also gives us the opportunity to say goodbye to Miss Sawyer, who has been with us during her final teaching placement in Class 1.  She has immersed herself fully in school life and has made a positive contribution to our community.  We wish her every success as she secures her first teaching post.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.  By working together as a school community, we can ensure the very best outcomes for all of our children.

NSPCC Number Day

NSPCC Number day is on Friday 6^th February this year. We have the following planned (please see the letter emailed today):

1. Dress in green for NSPCC
2. Green raffle.  We will be asking for green donations, and then we will create a large raffle prize and sell raffle tickets before and after school on the playground. Please bring in a green item by Monday 2^nd February.
3. Matchbox challenge - children will be provided with a small box template, they need to make it and then fit as many items in the box as possible. The box with the most items in will win a small prize. We are asking for a donation of £1 per box to raise money for NSPCC.

Afterschool Club Activities

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Reading	Reading	Reading	Reading	Reading
Paper Plate Creations	Fun Fitness	Connect	Sports Afternoon	Just Dance
What am I game	Parachute Games	Quiz Tasks	Colouring and Drawing	Musical Games

Please remember pre-booking is essential to enable the school to plan for adult/child ratios.  If you phone on the day, we may be unable to offer you a place as ratios need to be arranged in advance.

News from the Classes

Reception

This week, Class Reception have been listening to ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’, focusing on the beginning, middle, and end of the story.  They have also been learning about the signs of winter and discussing which clothes are suitable for colder weather.  In maths, the children have been learning about weight and exploring what a balance scale shows us, comparing different objects and talking about heavier and lighter.  The children enjoyed their second ‘Forest School’ session, which had a woodland theme.  They were especially excited to try popcorn cooked on the campfire.

Class One

This week, Class 1 have started an exciting new writing unit in English, where they are learning how to write a clear set of instructions.  To introduce the unit, the children designed and created their own flying rockets, which they thoroughly enjoyed.  They followed a clear sequence of instructions to make them, helping them understand how instructions work.   They made links to their history learning by acting out the launch of the rockets, and pretending they were Neil Armstrong or Buzz, during the first moon landing, bringing their learning to life through role play and imagination.  They are very excited by their Space topic, and are engaged in all the learning around space.

Class Two

In Class 2, we have been continuing our focus on shape, looking at 3D shapes and their properties.  Children have been able to identify faces, edges and vertices.  In our English, we are immersing ourself into our new topic of poetry, we are looking at the poem ‘The Sound Collector’ by Roger McGough, identifying rhyming words, sound words and verbs from the poem.  In our computing topic, we continue to work with the Beebots to program them, looking into different routes to get from one point to another.  Class 2 have been working hard in all elements of school life this week, especially their handwriting, we’ve covered three new elements this week, the letter k, sequencing sentences and writing high frequency words.  Another amazing week.

Class Three

In English this week, Class 3 have been writing their setting description for their Roman myth - they first used an image to gather ideas before writing.  The children needed to think carefully about their choice of vocabulary to ensure it was precise and painted an accurate image in the reader’s mind.  ‘AI’ was used to create images based on the children’s setting descriptions allowing them to see how accurate their description had been and what they could improve upon further to ensure their setting description was accurate and impactful.  In maths Class 3 have been learning methods of multiplication and division focusing on partitioning and using dienes.  In history, Class 3 compared Rome and London looking at the human and physical geography features before looking at the expansion in Rome.  In science, Class 3 learnt about the properties of rocks by using a scientific enquiry to test the buoyancy, hardness and permeability of different rocks before recommending which rock would be best for different purposes.

Class Four

This week, the children in Class 4 have thoroughly enjoyed their science lessons as they explored simple electrical circuits.  They took part in hands-on activities, investigating how to make a working circuit and discovering what does and does not work.  The children then recorded their findings using electrical symbols, developing both their scientific understanding and recording skills.  It was wonderful to feel the real “buzz” in the classroom as they put their theory into practice and began to troubleshoot their own circuits with enthusiasm and curiosity.

Class Five

This week in Class 5, we have been learning about short division with remainders, learning about the features of a report in English, as well as identifying these within a piece of text – using the present tense, technical vocabulary and general nouns.  In science, we have extended our learning to look at air resistance as a frictional force in the air.  We are looking forward to investigating how air resistance affects how an aeroplane travels.  In RE, we have learnt about Ghandi and his part within the Civil Rights movement in India.

Class Six

This week in Class 6, children have engaged in a variety of creative tasks.  In writing, they focused on developing detailed creature descriptions, enhancing their descriptive language skills.  In maths, children tackled reasoning problems using ratios, showing their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.  During PE, the children worked on developing their leadership skills through team-based activities, promoting collaboration and communication.  In French, the children expanded their vocabulary by exploring various terms for clothing, enhancing their language learning.   Finally, in history, the class delved into the fascinating world of the ancient Maya, particularly their innovative farming techniques, providing insights into their culture and contributions to agriculture.

Congratulations to our Stars of the Week this week

We are proud of the many achievements of our pupils, both in and out of school. Children are regularly recognised for their effort, positive behaviour and learning achievements.  Please continue to celebrate your child’s successes at home, as this greatly supports their confidence and motivation.

Class Reception – Amelia and Esther

Class One – Millie and Winnie

Class Two – George S and Noah

Class Three – Leo and Dominic

Class Four – Alice and Daisy

Class Five – Natalia

Class Six – Lailah

Tidy Classroom Award: Class 4

Out of School Achievements:

Athletics Competition

Class 5 - Heidi, Emily, Natalia, Flynn, Casper, Sam A.

Class 6 - Harriet B, Ava, Harriet R, Ollie, Jacob, James.

Gymnastics

Core Skills L3 - Lily (3), Catherine (3)

Stage 2 Core Skills - Colin (3), Joshua (3)

Core Skills L1 - Florence B (1)

Junior Darts Certificate - Joseph (4)

15 m Swim - Alice (4)

100 m Swim - Daniel (3)

Stage 9 Swimming - Teddy (3)

Man of the Match for SJR - Jack F (2)

Church Services

StA@10am, St Anne’s Together, including Holy Communion with Rev Dave

Readings: Isaiah 9.1-4 or Corinthians 1.10-18, Matthew 4.12-23

6.30pm - StA@6pm, led by Matt

2025-2026 Attendance

Class	Attendance
R	93.98%
1	98.28%
2	96.07%
3	94.81%
4	89.03%
5	93.55%
6	95.33%
ALL: 95.31%

Regular attendance and good punctuality are vital for children to achieve their best. The doors open for KS2 children slightly earlier to enable families with younger children to walk around to KS1. The official start of the day is 8.50am. If your child arrives after this time, please bring them through the main entrance so that all other external doors are closed promptly and we can secure the site.

Prayers from Harriet B and Veda (6)

Dear God,

Please help as we bow our heads, we ask that you help us to treat others with dignity and respect, helping us to remember that everyone is equal and valuable.  Please may you give us patience and help us to understand to see the good in each other and to be fair and kind.

Amen

 

Dear God,

Help us to look past our differences and see the good in everyone.

Amen

With my very best wishes for the weekend,

Mrs Middleton & the St Anne’s Team

Diary Dates

Key Dates to Remember in the School Year
Inset Days			Key Statutory Weeks (Assessment)
Friday 13 February Monday 27 July			Year 6 SATS Week – Monday 11 May to Thursday 14 May 2026 Year 1 Phonics Screening – Monday 8 June 2026 (2 weeks) Year 4 Multiplication Check – Monday 1 June 2026 (2 weeks)
Please ensure your children are in school during these times as their data will count even when absent.
Looking Ahead
January	26	Class Reception – Forest School Y4 Hindu Workshop Y5 Islamic Workshop
	29	Y6 Mayan Workshop in school
February	3	Y4 VOCES8 Choral Workshop – Worksop College (later finish) Strategic Governor Meeting
	4	Y2 National Coal Mining Museum
	6	Number Day
	9-13	Children’s Mental Health Week
	9	Forest School Young Voices Choir (t-shirts that have been ordered are in school)
	10	Safer Internet Day Parents Evening (3:20 – 6:30 pm)
	11	Ash Wednesday Service 9:00 am – Key Stage One                                          2:45 pm – Key Stage Two Parents Evening (3:20 – 5:30 pm)
	13	INSET DAY – No children in school
	16-20	HALF TERM HOLIDAY
	23	Admissions Governors Meeting
March	27	Swimming Gala (invited children only)
	3	Y3 Swimming starts every Tuesday from today Y1 Phonics Screening Workshop – 2:45 pm in the hall
	4	World Book Day Y3/4 Rugby Festival (invited children only)
	5	Y3 Bestwood Romans Trip Y2 Class Assembly – 2:45 pm
	6	Non-Uniform Day – pay £1 on Arbor (available nearer the time) Y3 Bikeability (more info to follow nearer the time)
	9-13	Science Week
	9	Bassetlaw Flag Raising Ceremony
	11	Mother’s Day Secret Sale 3:20 pm
	12	Y5 Assembly 2:45 pm Y1 & 2 Library Visit
	16	Y6 Parents SATS Meeting 3:30 pm
	19	Y3 Assembly 3:45 pm
	30-12	Easter Holidays
	25	Full Governing Body Meeting
	26	DAaRT Graduation 2:30 pm