Friday 30^th January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, I talked about the importance of reading, and this message feels especially timely as there is significant media publicity around 2026 being the National Year of Reading.  The theme, “Go All In”, aims to make reading for pleasure visible, valued, and part of everyday life.  It encourages us to embrace a wide range of reading materials, including stories, non-fiction, comics, magazines, and other texts that spark interest and curiosity.

For our younger children, the campaign also highlights the importance of reading, talking, and sharing stories together at home.  We appreciate that family life is busy and that we live in a digital age; however, books provide an essential gateway to developing vocabulary, and we cannot stress enough how important this is for children’s creative writing.  Talking about stories and seeing adults read are powerful influences.  Please work in partnership with us by supporting your child to find daily reading time, even if only for a short period.  Please jot this down in their reading diaries.

This week, I had the opportunity to observe practice in school alongside a registered Ofsted inspector.  Being in classrooms offers a valuable perspective—seeing children in action, understanding which strategies are effective, and feeling the buzz of learning first-hand.  There is much new language within the updated Ofsted framework, there is still the 'good' and now a new phrase of “needs attention” that provides schools with the opportunity to refine practice and improve outcomes in certain aspects of the curriculum.

At St Anne’s, we are currently giving attention to handwriting, including correct letter formation and holding a pencil correctly.  Further up the school, children are being encouraged to refine their writing through the use of scaffolds, drafting and editing, with a clear focus on structure.  Developing stamina for writing and writing at length requires resilience, and sometimes children simply need encouragement to keep going - we are proud of the perseverance we are seeing across school.

Finally, a polite word regarding parents’ WhatsApp / Messenger pages.  The St Anne’s team is deeply dedicated to the children in our school.  Should you have a query or concern relating to your child, please use the appropriate school communication channels so that we can establish the facts and support you effectively moving forwards.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

NSPCC Number Day

NSPCC Number Day is on Friday 6^th February this year. We have the following planned.  Dress in green for NSPCC, Green raffle (please donate green (colour) items by MONDAY).  Thank you for your support.

Matchbox challenge – last week your child will have brought home a template for a small box.  They need to fit in as many items as possible, all items have to be different from each other.  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
Quiz Time	Balloon Party	Connect	Just Dance	Floor is Lava
Just Dance	Painting	Colouring and Drawing	Parachute Games	Den Making

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.

Arbor

All bookings for Wraparound Care—both Breakfast and After-School Club—must be made in advance on Arbor. It is crucial that you adhere to this policy. Only in emergencies should bookings be made via the Office. If you encounter such a situation, please ring the office directly rather than emailing, as emails may not be picked up in time.

Additionally, all trips and events are also listed on Arbor.  Please ensure that you are consenting to these trips promptly.  Failure to do so puts your child, at risk of missing out on valuable experiences.  It takes considerable time and effort to contact parents who have omitted from completing the trip consent to confirm attendance, which can lead to unnecessary delays.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

News from the Classes

Reception

Reception had a wonderful time during their third Forest School session, which had a magical theme. The children worked together to create a fairy village and were amazed to see magical green and blue flames in the campfire.  In Literacy, the class has begun learning to retell the traditional tale ‘The Gingerbread Man’ using their Talk for Writing approach. The children are building their confidence with storytelling and enjoying joining in with actions and repeated phrases.  In Maths, Class Reception have been focusing on the numbers 6, 7, and 8. They have been exploring the composition of these numbers and using practical resources to help deepen their understanding.

Class One

This week, Class 1 have been finding out about what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did when they went to the moon. They were surprised to find out that they had collected moon rocks, spoke to President Richard Nixon on the phone, and left a plaque on the moon.  The children acted out the moon landing, working out the ways that they could move on the moon, using the description from Neil Armstrong 'it is like walking on a bouncy castle'.  They acted out unfurling a flag and placing it on the moon.  They enjoyed being astronauts, and can't wait to find out more about the astronauts that went to space. 

Class Two

Class 2 have been working hard all week, in Art with Miss McDonald, they have been working on creating pieces of art inspired by the French painter Monet, and his exploration of impressionism.  In English, the children have been exploring rhyming words, onomatopoeia and identifying them in poems and books as well as coming up with their own.  In Maths, they have started their new topic of money, looking at coins, their values, how much different coins add up to make.  In handwriting, children have been looking at letters b and d as well as writing high frequency words, their focus has been on sitting letters on the line and ensuring the letters b and d are the right way round. In Phonics, they have been reviewing sounds - they have looked at ‘dge’ and soft ‘g’ sound, identifying words with them in and completing some dictation sentences.  In topic, they have looked at the use of animals in the mine, how they were helpful as well as continuing to look at the roles of children in the mine.  The children have been following algorithms that they made last week with the Beebots, testing them and identifying issues and correcting them.

Class Three

In this week, the children were tasked with writing a character description for their Roman myth. The children had to think carefully about their choice of vocabulary and the thoughts and feelings of the character. In French, Class 3 have been learning how to name different musical instruments ensuring they are using the correct determiner: le, la or les.  In science, Class 3 have learnt about the fossilisation process and worked hard to sequence and explain what happened at each step. In music, Class 3 are enjoying learning how to play the recorder. They have learnt how to play a G, A and B and will be putting this in to practice in the next two weeks playing more familiar tunes. In history, Class 3 focused on the invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar and the reasons why the Romans wanted to conquer Britain.

Class Four

Class 4 were delighted to welcome a special visitor into their classroom this week, whom helped them learn more about Hinduism. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to her many stories and exploring a range of fascinating artefacts, which really brought the learning to life. They learned about Hindu Gods, festivals, core values, and the importance of mindfulness. They were especially interested to discover that Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, dating back over 6,000 years.  The children should be extremely proud of their excellent behaviour and respectful attitudes throughout the morning.

        

Class Five

The children have dealt admirably with the unsettled week this week, and impressed both the teacher at the start of the week and Mrs Adams.  Within their writing, they have planned, written and edited a non-chronological report about the River Nile.   They have continued to enjoy the class book; ‘Secrets of a Sun King’ and they have completed their end of unit assessment in multiplication and division and begun their next maths learning journey by multiplying unit fractions by an integer.  They have continued to explore ‘Crumbles’ within our computing unit and have really enjoyed writing a program that includes count-controlled loops.

Class Six

This week in Class 6, the children have had an exciting Mayan workshop on Thursday, where they dived into the fascinating world of ancient civilisations!  Everyone enjoyed learning about their culture and traditions.  In English, the children were publishing creature descriptions, showcasing their creativity, and soon they’ll be moving on to crafting non-chronological reports.  In maths, the children have been tackling algebra and practising arithmetic skills, making sure they’re all set for the next challenges.  Plus, they are continuing the DAaRT programme, which is helping them develop their emotional skills and PSHE.

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 – Ollie & Teddy

Class One – Phoebe & James B

Class Two – Lily M & Imade

Class Three – Pippa & Willow

Class Four – George & Phoebe

Class Five – Sam A

Class Six – Liam

Lunchtime Stars: Matei and Toby (R)

Tidy Classroom Award: Class 4

Out of School Achievements:

Level 5 Swimming Award - Julien (2)

White Belt Red Stripe Dojo – Wilf (1)

Football Trophy SJR U10 – Annie (5)

Dolphins Club Championships U8 1^st in everything – Dana (4)

Stage 4 Stage 5, 25m Swimming Award – Elsie (1)

Gymnast of the month – Leo (3)

Brownie Bronze Award – Iris (3)

Most Improved Auto Rider and East Midlands Competition 9^th – Jasper (3)

Church Services

StA@10am, St Anne’s Together led by Rev Dave, Reading: The Journey of God’s People Mark 4:26-32 – Growing with God.

6.30pm - StA@6pm, led by Rev Edith

2025-2026 Attendance

Class	Attendance
R	86.29%
1	90.69%
2	96.43%
3	99.31%
4	90.85%
5	97.48%
6	96.3%
ALL: 94.73%

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 8:50 am.  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 - Jensen and Nicole (6)

Dear God

Help us to work as a good team and to forgive other people.  Help us to be thankful for each other.

Amen

Dear God

Let us all accept help and passion from others, and to know that team work is often the solution to many problems.

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
February	3	Y4 VOCES8 Choral Workshop – Worksop College (later finish) - Arbor Strategic Governor Meeting
	4	Y2 National Coal Mining Museum – Arbor
	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) – this will go live on Arbor at 5pm on Monday 2 February - Arbor
	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 - Arbor 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