Newsletters

24/25 - Summer 1, Week 3

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Dear parents and carers,

We hope you all enjoyed the Bank Holiday and the chance to reflect on or celebrate VE Day, which took place 80 years ago this week. At school, we marked the occasion on Thursday with traditional games, music, and—of course—ice cream!

Recent news reports suggest that 40% of the UK population don’t know what the Battle of Britain was or why we celebrate VE Day. Here’s a quick explanation:
VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marks 8th May 1945, the day when World War II ended in Europe. The Battle of Britain, which took place in 1940, was a turning point in the war-it was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces, with the RAF successfully defending the UK against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany. VE Day celebrates the bravery of those who fought and honours the millions who sacrificed for peace.

We’re also delighted that another group of pupils has had the opportunity to visit Trewern, in Hay-on-Wye on the border between England and Wales. They’ve been gorge walking, climbing, and even explored a mountain! Just as importantly, they’ve been gaining independence-shopping, cooking, cleaning, and learning to look after themselves while developing key teamwork skills.

In Collective Worship this week, we have focused on the story of Jesus healing the paralysed man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–15). After 38 years of suffering, Jesus brings him hope, wholeness, and a fresh start. It’s a reminder to us all-pupils, staff, and parents alike-that change is always possible. Even when things feel stuck or hopeless, with faith, kindness, and perseverance, healing and transformation can begin.

Finally, as we head into SATs week, we want to say a huge well done to our Year Six pupils. You have worked incredibly hard, shown real perseverance, and continued to approach your learning with maturity and determination. We know the week ahead can feel challenging, but please remember-you are so much more than a test result. Whether it’s in sport, music, languages, art, drama, friendship, or kindness, each of you brings something special to our school, and we are already incredibly proud of everything you’ve achieved. Our love and prayers go with you into this week, and we are cheering you on every step of the way. A heartfelt thank you, too, to the staff who have supported and prepared the children so well as their dedication and skill makes all the difference.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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As part of our commitment to the UN Convention of the rights of the child, the pupils in The Lighthouse have been focussing on Article 8 – protects children’s rights to preserve their identify, including their nationality, name and family relations.  The pupils have explored their family’s heritage, culture and traditions. 

 

 

Please be advised that pupils should not bring toys or balls into school with them.

Toys should be left at home as they can cause difficulies with peer relationships.

Balls (footballs / basketballs /tennis and bouncy balls) should all be left at home. Pupils are not permitted to bring them into school and take them out at playtime. 

We have had a huge number of injuries in the playground with Balls hitting both staff and children. Please ensure your child is aware that they are not permitted to bring them to school.

SATs breakfast and SATs timetable

 

Just a reminder that school will be open for Year 6 pupils from 8am next week for SATs breakfast club. Please enter through the school office at 8am.

 We are already incredibly proud of the children in Year 6.  They have all worked extremely hard and have made progress this year.  We would like to take this opportunity to wish them all the very best of luck as they take their SATs next week.

Remember to:

·         Stay calm: Take a deep breath and remember all the effort you have put in.

·         Read carefully: Pay attention to the questions and make sure you understand what is being asked.

·         Try your best: We know you are all capable of amazing things.

·         Believe in yourself: You have all the skills and knowledge you need to succeed.

We want to remind you that these tests are just one way to measure your learning and they do not define everything you are. You are all smart, kind, and creative individuals, and we appreciate all of the things you bring to our school.

We will be here to support you throughout the week. Have an amazing weekend.

With all our best wishes,

 

All of the staff at William Ford C of E Junior School

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Year Three

Yahdeen

Year Four

Suriel

Year Five

Divine

Year Six

Claude

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Maggie Sparks and the school of slime by Steve Snail 

 

I like that Maggie gets to do experiments because she was bored in class. They made a big explosion which was cool. My favourite character is Maggie because she has curly hair and is funny. 

 

Orlaith 6I 

 

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SATS WEEK [In-person]
All Day
from 12 May until 15 May
12
May
Year 6 Cinema trip
9:30am – 12:30pm
16
May
Roman skeleton secrets web link with London Museum
1:30pm – 2:30pm
16
May
Parent Meeting - Our approach to Sex and relationships education. [In-person]
9:30am – 10:30am
19
May
Colchester Castle Year 4 Trip
All Day
21
May
Junior Citizen Y6 [In-person]
12:30pm – 4:30pm
21
May
Break up for half term @ 3.15pm
All Day
23
May
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09 May 2025
VE Day veteran visit
VE day veteran visit in Year 5
Read more
09 May 2025
Duke of Edinburgh Award - Trewern 2025
Duke of Edinburgh Award - Trwern 2025
Read more
09 May 2025
Gardening Club
Sofia in 4N tells us what the gardening club has been up to.
Read more
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Year Three

What a fantastic and busy week we've had! The children have worked incredibly hard and still found time to enjoy our VE Day celebrations with great enthusiasm (and a lot of flag-waving). 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week in maths, we dived into our new statistics unit, and the children discovered the wonderful world of pictograms—which is basically turning numbers into pictures, a dream come true for our visual learners! They interpreted data like pros and even created their own pictograms (some involving cake and dinosaurs...we didn’t ask too many questions). In English, we explored different sentence types and introduced the dramatic and mysterious world of “show, don’t tell”—soon you won’t know if your child is sad or just “dragging their feet like a forgotten sock”. In geography, a dramatic twist! The children received a fictional emergency letter from their island committee warning of a volcanic eruption. Never ones to panic, they coolly wrote back with evacuation advice (some of which included taking pets, snacks, and the Wi-Fi router). In science, the children investigated magnets, discovering which ends attract and 

What we will learn about next week 

Next week is shaping up to be just as exciting! In maths, we’ll be swapping pictures for bars as we tackle bar graphs—cue the ruler-wielding precision. In English, the children will be planning and writing a character description of Roz, and we’re expecting some impressive adjectives and maybe a few oil-slick metaphors. In science, we’ll be getting pushy (and pull-y) as we delve deeper into forces. And in French, the children will learn the names of classroom objects, so prepare to be handed a pencil while your child announces “un crayon!” with great pride and possibly a beret. 

 

Year Four 

We have had another bust week in Year 4 with the children especially enjoying their VE Day celebrations on Thursday. 

What we have learnt about this week 

English this week has seen the children continuing to read The Explorer. The children have looked at how the author creates tension in their writing and have also looked at how speech can give us information about a character’s personality. 

In maths this week the children have started a new unit on time, specifically thinking about the length of years, months and weeks and have been thinking about how many minutes there are in an hour and how many seconds in a minute. 

History has seen the children thinking about the Romans’ motivations for invading and conquering Britain. They then have written speeches as the advisors of Emperor Claudius to persuade him why he should start an invasion. 

What we will learn about next week 

English next week will see the children writing their own chapter for the book Explorer, thinking about creating tension and using speech to create character development. 

Maths will see the children continuing their unit on time. They will be specifically thinking about converting between times and looking at the 24-hour clock. 

They will also be continuing their enquiries into Roman Britain. This week they will look at how the Romans invaded and what happened when they did. They will also think about how the Iron Age Britons resisted Roman rule. This will all help prepare the children for their trip to Colchester Castle the following week. 

 

Year Five

It may have been a shorter week this week, but Year 5 have been working as hard as ever. 

What we have learnt about this week 

In English, we have been writing dialogues between two characters from ‘The Lion King’. This has enabled us to convey the emotions and relationships between the characters by the way they speak and what they say. 

In Maths we have been learning about angles by estimating angles and classifying the different types of angles. Try asking your children about the different types of angles they can remember! 

Our music has continued by looking at musical theatre which links in very well with our English unit about ‘The Lion King’. 

We had a very special History session this week when Margaret, who is 95, came in on Thursday to talk to us about her memories of VE Day and of being evacuated.  

What we will learn about next week 

In English and Music we will be looking at songs and lyrics from ‘The Lion King’ and writing some of our own! 

Our Geography topic about rivers will continue with some research on rivers around the world and which ones are the longest. 

Our science will involve continuing to look at life cycles and we will be exploring the life cycle of amphibians. 

In Maths, we will be beginning to measure and draw angles. 

 

Year Six

What we have learnt about this week 

Year 6 had a phenomenal time celebrating VE Day this Thursday, enjoying the chance to reflect on history and come together as a year group. Alongside this special event, the children have worked tirelessly throughout the penultimate week before SATs. 

Their resilience, focus, and determination to achieve their very best have been truly inspiring.  

Every single pupil has shown commitment and perseverance, and all the Year 6 teachers are incredibly proud of the effort and attitude shown across the board. 

Well done, Year 6 — you’ve got this! 

What we will learn about next week 

As you already know, next week marks an important milestone for our Year 6 pupils as they undertake their SATs tests. We’re incredibly proud of how hard the children have worked in preparation, and we’re confident they’re ready to show just how much they’ve learned. 

To support the children each morning, we’ll be running a Year 6 Breakfast Club from 8:00am every day during SATs week. This is a great opportunity for pupils to settle in, enjoy a light breakfast with friends, and start each day in a calm, positive environment. 

Here’s a quick overview of the week’s schedule: 

Monday: SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) Test followed by the Spelling Test 

Tuesday: Reading Paper 

Wednesday: Maths Arithmetic Paper 1 and Maths Reasoning Paper 2 

Thursday: Maths Reasoning Paper 3 

After completing their final test on Thursday, the children will enjoy a well-deserved celebration party in the afternoon — a letter has already been sent home with further details.

Children will leave school at 3.15pm as normal. 

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Each week, staff select three children from each class who have shown effort and commitment to upholding an aspect of our school vision, shown at the bottom of the page. Congratulations to this week’s ‘stars of the week’ for their tremendous endeavours!

 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Three

3A

Name: Maryam

For: making great improvements in English this week.

 

Name: Fatima

For: always being ready to learn

 

Name: Darcie

For: always showing kindness to others

3F

Name: Raymondo

For: working diligently and trying his best in all areas of the curriculum

Name: Harleigh

For: always helping around the classroom and being generous with her time.

Name: Jermaine

For: being a calm peaceful member of the class

3M

Name: Kristian

For: trying hard in all lessons and making good progress

Name:  Olivia

For: always offering to help others.

Name: Hafsa

For: a calm, mature and settled attitude to learnin
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Four

4IW

Name: Umar

For: working hard in all lessons and improving his reading

 

Name: Freddie

For: being generous towards others and always trying his best. 

 

Name: Kingston

For: having a calmer approach to his learning.

4L

Name: Kaiden

For: working diligently to improve his writing.

Name: Abdulrahmen

For: always having impeccable manners.

Name: Helena

For: always being cheerful and friendly to others.

4N

Name: Dwayne

For: a diligent and hardworking approach to all lessons

Name: Shelby

For: being kind and helpful in the classroom.

Name: Gloria

For: a peaceful and hardworking approach to all lessons.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Five

5H

Name: Carsten

For: working hard on the quality of his sentences in writing lessons.

 

Name: Divine

For: making sure someone else did not go off leaving their money behind.

 

Name: Ezinne

For: working well independently in class this week.

5P

Name: Isabella

For: Always working diligently in all aspects of her work.  A great attitude to learning. 

Name: Maysan-James

For: Acting generously and showing genuine care for others.

Name: Mia

For: A creative spirit and calm approach to her friends and work

5W

Name: Ayaan

For: showing great effort and enthusiasm during VE day. 

Name: Viola

For: acting generously everyday. 

Name: Nathan

For: making great contributions during RE and living at peace.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Six

6B

Name: Milana

For: Rising to the challenge of SATs revision.

 

Name: Daniella

For: Sharing her excellent ideas with the class.

 

Name: Charlie

For: Making sensible choices in class leading to great effort.

6I

Name: Orlaith

For: Always trying her best and putting 100% into ger work.

Name: Ewura

For: Working well with others and always working to the best of her ability.

Name: Zain

For: The progress he has made in maths, keep it up.

6L

Name: Lillie

For: Showing real progress in Maths Revision lessons

Name: Emmanuella

For: For trying her utmost in Reading Comprehension lessons

Name: Mya

For: Always being polite and helpful to adults and pupils
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