What a fantastic half term it has been in Walnut Class. We have been working incredibly hard across the curriculum, developing new skills and enjoying some exciting learning experiences. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to.

English – Persuasive Writing Inspired by Rang-Tan

In English, we explored the powerful short film Rang-Tan, which tells the story of an orangutan whose home is destroyed by deforestation caused by palm oil production. The children were deeply moved by the message of the film and used it as inspiration to write persuasive letters to the Prime Minister. In their writing, they used emotive language, strong arguments and persuasive techniques to encourage action to protect the rainforest and keep orangutans safe. The class showed great passion and empathy in their work.

Maths – Decimals, Fractions and Percentages

In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of decimals up to three decimal places and exploring how decimals relate to fractions and percentages. The children learned how to recognise and find equivalent fractions and decimals, including tenths, hundredths and thousandths. We also practised ordering and comparing decimals, rounding decimals to the nearest whole number and to one decimal place, and understanding percentages as fractions and decimals. Walnut Class have shown fantastic determination when tackling these challenging concepts.

DT – Culture and Seasonality: Designing and Making Salads

In Design and Technology, we have been exploring food through our unit on culture and seasonality. The children designed their own salad recipes, carefully thinking about flavour combinations and ingredients. This week, they had the opportunity to bring their designs to life by making their own chickpea salads. They practised important food preparation skills such as safely cutting vegetables and mixing their own dressings. It was wonderful to see their creativity and confidence grow in the kitchen.

It has been a busy and rewarding half term in Walnut Class, and we are very proud of all the hard work and enthusiasm the children have shown. We are excited to see what the next half term will bring.

— Walnut Class, Year 5 

Girls’ Football Tournament Report

Our Year 5 and Year 6 girls’ football team recently took part in an exciting tournament, showing great determination, teamwork and resilience throughout the day. This was a particularly special occasion as it was the first time Central has ever entered a girls’ team into this competition.

The team was made up of Year 6 pupils: Jana, Noemi, Amiyah, Angelina, Evaniya, Josephine and Diana, alongside our Year 5 players: Sophia, Georgia, Rejoice, Chelsea and Reagan. It was fantastic to see the older and younger pupils working together so well as a team.

We began the competition with a challenging match against Grove on pitch 5. Despite working hard and supporting one another, we were defeated 13–0. The girls showed great character to stay positive and keep encouraging each other.

In our second match against Bromet on pitch 4, the team continued to battle well but unfortunately lost 4–0. However, their confidence began to grow as they settled into the tournament.

The third match against Little Reddings on pitch 6 was a turning point. Jana opened the scoring to give us a 1–0 lead. After an own goal and a response from the opposition, the score moved to 2–2. Georgia then produced a brilliant moment, nutmegging the goalkeeper to score and put us 3–2 ahead in a fantastic game.

In the next match on pitch 6 against Bushey Manor, the girls continued to show determination but were unfortunately defeated 3–0.

We then faced St John’s on pitch 5. Despite their continued effort and teamwork, the girls lost 4–0.

In the final play-off for 5th/6th place, we faced Little Reddings again. Despite their efforts, we were beaten 3–0, meaning we finished the tournament in 6th place overall.

The girls should be incredibly proud of their performances. After a tough start, they showed resilience, improved with every game and demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the day. It was especially pleasing to see our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils working together so effectively and supporting one another.

To compete for the first time and show such determination and progress is a fantastic achievement. Well done to all involved – a brilliant effort from the whole team.

Year 3 & 4 Boys’ Football Tournament Report

Our Year 3 and Year 4 boys’ football team took part in a fantastic tournament, showing determination, resilience and excellent teamwork throughout the day.

The team was made up of pupils from across the year groups:

Beech: Teo, Aadam M, Faaeiz, Raees, Isaiah
Beam: Davi, Jacob, Alan, Illia
Apple: Jerry, Joel
Ash: Denis

The tournament began with an incredible end-to-end match where the score continually swung back and forth. Jerry was outstanding, scoring repeatedly to keep the team in the game, supported by a goal from Jacob. The match finished 7–7 in a thrilling opener.

In the second match against Grove, the boys again showed great attacking intent. Jerry scored all of our goals in a 4–4 draw, demonstrating excellent composure and finishing.

Next, on pitch 5 against Bushey Manor, the team showed their strength in depth. With Jerry not playing this match, Jacob stepped up brilliantly, scoring all of our early goals to put us 3–0 ahead, before Isaiah added another. The game finished 4–4 after a strong fightback from the opposition.

On pitch 4 against St John’s, the boys produced one of their most complete performances, winning 5–2. Goals came from Illia, along with a hat-trick from Jerry, supported by an own goal from the opposition.

In our final group match against Nascot Wood, the team continued to battle hard in another close game. Jerry was again on the scoresheet, but we were narrowly defeated 4–3.

Despite this, the boys progressed to the semi-finals based on their impressive goal tally across the group stage.

In the semi-final against Grove, the team delivered an outstanding performance, winning 6–1. Goals came from Jerry, Jacob and Illia, with the whole team contributing to a dominant display.

This set up a place in the final against Hertsbourne. In a closely contested match, we took the lead before Jerry equalised to make it 1–1. Unfortunately, Hertsbourne secured a late goal from a penalty to win 2–1.

Finishing as runners-up was a fantastic achievement. The boys showed resilience, attacking quality and great teamwork throughout the tournament. Jerry’s goal-scoring was exceptional, while Jacob and Illia made key contributions, and every player played an important role in the team’s success.

A brilliant effort from all involved – we are very proud of the whole team.

Looking ahead to next term, we are excited for another busy and successful period of sport at Central. Our Year 6 pupils will be taking part in cricket competitions, while both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 will be competing in athletics events. We are also looking forward to our much-anticipated KS1 and KS2 Sports Days, which are always a highlight of the school year. These events provide a fantastic opportunity for all pupils to take part, challenge themselves and demonstrate our school values through teamwork, determination and enjoyment of sport.