Autumn 9: Friday 14 November 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for supporting our ‘Odd Socks Day’, which gave the children an opportunity to think about and celebrate each other’s uniqueness. It can be a learning curve for children, and as a school we strive to work closely with parents to help them develop their understanding of the diverse and inclusive world in which we live.
A big thank you also to everyone who joined in with the ‘Jolly Jar’ initiative in support of Anti-Bullying week and spreading kindness! Whilst we didn’t quite manage a full house, the exchange of jars brought lots of smiles to the children’s faces and created a real sense of community spirit.
Today, we’ve enjoyed a very spotty day in support of the national ‘Children in Need’ charity. It has been wonderful to see so many children and staff getting involved to raise funds and awareness for such a worthwhile cause.
Earlier this week, Rev Dave led the children in a thoughtful service of remembrance. Afterwards, pupils assembled around the war memorial to pay their respects. Classwork across the school has helped children gain an understanding of why poppies are worn and the significance of remembering those who served.
Some of our KS1 pupils took part in the Bassetlaw Gymnastics festival and Mrs Smith reports that a great time was had by all!
A reminder about our forthcoming Maths Workshop next week. An opportunity to share the strategies and methods we use in school to support mathematical learning. Mis DeCouto, our Maths lead across school, will focus on problem-solving and reasoning. We hope you find it helpful in understanding how best to support your children at home.
As the weather has certainly turned, we ask that children keep off the grass so that mud isn’t trampled into school. As always, for children in Key Stage 2, if they are playing football, they will need to bring a change of shoes.
Has your situation changed? Is your child eligible for ‘Pupil Premium’ sometimes referred to as ‘free school meals’?
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the qualifying benefits below:
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earning from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after the person stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Take a look at Notts County Council Website. To apply, you will need to register and provide:
- your National Insurance Number or National Asylum Support Service Reference Number
- your last name
- your date of birth
You can apply for free school meals online or by contacting them on 0300 500 80 80. Alternatively you can complete an application form here.
Applications for September 2026 Reception Class are now open
Do you know a family with a child who will start school in September 2026? Applications are now open! Please spread the word so that we can ensure we have a full class next year – we are offering individual visits, please encourage your friends to bring their children here.
Cookery Club for Class 3
Class 3 loved their first session of cookery club where they made fruit kebabs.
Christmas Tree Appeal
We have not yet had any luck with our Christmas Tree appeal! Are you getting a new artificial tree this year? Would you consider donating your old one to school. We are seeking at least a 6 or 7-foot tree to be used annually for the Christmas Tree Festival. If you have anything suitable, please contact the office on 01909 473 223.
Bag2School – Bags and Shoes
Donation bags have been sent home. Please fill your bag with all unwanted textiles – this can include adults’ and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please), hats, belts, handbags and soft toys, (please refer to https://bag2school.com for full details). In addition to raising much needed funds it will also raise awareness amongst the children of the benefits of recycling and reuse.
If you fill the donation bag and still have more, please can you use any other bag to donate your items, and don’t forget to ask grandparents, friends and neighbours to have a sort out as well!
Bag2School will be collecting from St Anne’s School on Tuesday 9th December. Please bring your bag (or bags!) to the school office ON THE DAY and help us have a really good collection.
Arbor App
We have been sending out quite a lot of messages for upcoming trips. Please can you ensure that you regularly check your account for outstanding balances and permissions. If permission is not received, we are unable to take your child on the trip – it takes a lot of office time chasing parents and sending reminders.
FOSAS News
We will fast be approaching December, and the Christmas Fair will be upon us! Do you have any donations for the bottle stall, raffle, tombola or toy stall. As always, ALL funds raised support the children in school.
News from the Classes
Class Reception
This week, Class Reception have been learning all about how to be a power for good as part of ‘Anti-Bullying Week’. The children enjoyed listening to the stories ‘The Rainbow Fish’ and ‘Sharing a Shell’, which helped them explore the importance of kindness, sharing, and friendship. Through discussions and activities, they talked about how they can use kind words, kind hands, and polite manners every day in class. The children thought carefully about ways they can make others feel happy and included, showing that even the smallest actions can make a big difference.
Class One
This week, Class 1 have been busy learning all about the ‘Great Fire of London’. The children have explored when and why it happened, as well as how we know so much about this important event in history. Using everything they’ve learned so far, the children created their own large drawings of London, showing the houses, and streets as they might have looked during the time of the fire, as well as adding in some modern images of landmarks in London today. This has linked well with their English lessons, where they are reading ‘The Queen’s Hat’ and following the Queen’s exciting journey around modern-day London. The children have loved spotting some of the same famous landmarks in both their history and English lessons, helping them make wonderful connections between the past and present.
Class Two
Class 2 have had a very busy week this week. On Monday, children investigated absorbent materials and set up their own investigation to find out which absorbent material was the best for cleaning up spills. On Tuesday, children showed respect by following the national two-minute silence for Remembrance Day and they were incredible. Some Class 2 children this week have also been to the Retford gymnastics Club to show off their skills. Most children have been busy in class making their poppy collages to display. They have ended their week with a fabulous experience at the ‘Victorian Classroom’.
Class Three
In Class 3 this week, the children needed to use their scientific knowledge to have a go at constructing the human skeleton as part of their introduction to their bones and muscles unit. There were a few funny looking skeletons to begin with but after using images of x-rays to support them, the children soon managed to put all the bones in the right place. Children then moved on to learning about the bones in our body which provide support.
In history, the children learnt about Iron Age Hillforts, they drew and labelled their hillforts before explaining how they provided defence. In music, the children were using tambourines, claves and drums to copy and then create their own tal for their raga. They needed to read and write musical notations to do this.
Class Four
In Geography, Class 4 are focusing on the human geography of South America. They have used an atlas to discover the location of the continent’s 12 different countries and corresponding capital cities. The class spent time researching and presenting information about the human geography of a particular country including population, flags, economic activity, festivals and the location of settlements.
Class Five
Class 5 have had a fantastic start to the half term, showing great enthusiasm and focus across all areas of learning. In maths, the children have been working with their new partners to explore multiplication and division, investigating multiples, common multiples, and factors while developing their reasoning and problem-solving skills.
In English, they have begun their new writing unit based on the beautiful book ‘The Lost Words’. The children are learning about the features of poetry and will soon be writing their own nature-inspired poems, focusing on expanded noun phrases, possessive apostrophes, and careful word choices to create vivid imagery.
Mrs Adams was extremely proud of how respectful and reflective the children were during our Remembrance worship this week. They showed real maturity and understanding as they took time to think about the importance of remembrance and those who have served.
Class Six
A busy week for Class 6! The children have been consolidating their learning and understanding of remembrance this week bringing it all together ready for the Remembrance service that was on Wednesday.
In English, the children have started their next unit of writing, the focus being newspaper articles. Using the knowledge from history lessons they are going to create a newspaper article around evacuation. For Maths, the next unit of fractions is challenging their understanding, bringing together other key skills such as factors and multiples to complete questions that involve simplifying and ordering fractions. In other news, the children are focussing on Health-related fitness in PE. They are learning how exercise has an impact on their body and mind, setting challenges for themselves and seeing what personal bests they can achieve in different activities.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week this week
Class Reception – No star this week due to trip
Class One – No star this week due to trip
Class Two – Alex G
Class Three – Kitty
Class Four – Charlie and Catherine
Class Five – Harrison and Natalia
Class Six – Alice
Tidy Classroom Award:
Class 4
Out of School Achievements:
Jacob (6) - Player of the Match
Jack (2) – Stage 4 Swimming
Julien (2) – Stage 4 Swimming and 25m Swim
Eliza (4) – 1st in 4 races at Dolphins Cup Club Championships, 2nd in 1 race. All PB’s and met County qualifying times, currently ranked 2nd in age group – let’s see what happens in the second half this week.
George (2) – Stage 5 Swimming and 50m badge
Adam (6) – Football Coaches Player of the Match
Annie (5) SJR Girls – Trainer of the Week – Defence
Class (2) – Certificate from the Victorian Classroom.
Well done everyone.
Church Services
StA@10 St Anne’s Together Full Immersion Baptisms, led by Revd Dave
6:00pm No Service (6pm Confirmation Service at St John’s)
Don’t forget Wednesdays at 3.20pm St Anne’s Connect – a service for all the family in the school hall. Sandwiches, crisps and a sweet treat for everyone, with juice and hot drinks. We then join for a 30-minute service of worship and fun together.
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2025-2026 Attendance |
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Class |
Attendance |
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R |
97.78% |
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1 |
96.93% |
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2 |
97.62% |
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3 |
96.55% |
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4 |
99.14% |
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5 |
96.45% |
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6 |
100% |
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ALL: 96.81% |
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Well done Class 6!
Poem in recognition of our ‘Jolly Jar Initiative’
A Little Gift of Kindness
A tiny treat, a little cheer, To spread some kindness far and near.
A gentle smile, a helping hand – Together we can make joy stand.
Be kind today and every day – Small acts of love go a long, long way.
As we move through this busy half-term, thank you for your continued support in all that we do. Working together makes such a difference to your children’s learning and wellbeing.
Mrs Middleton & the St Anne’s Team
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Diary Dates |
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ADVANCE DATES TO AVOID BOOKING ANYTHING |
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Inset Days |
Key Statutory Weeks (Assessment) |
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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) |
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Please ensure your children are in school during these times as their data will count even when absent.
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