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Spring 2026 News
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I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. In anticipation of seeing the children back in school I thought it would be good to get pictures uploaded from December and share some housekeeping for the upcoming term.
Some fantastic feedback received following the children's annual Christmas visit to the church. The teachers were equally impressed with some amazing performances. Every child across Key Stage 2 contributed to a showcase of talent.
Our trip to Skitby was very successful and we thank the PTFFE for organising this with the staff at Skitby and the help of Mrs Britton.
Photos of this, the church trip, some winter science and other things can be seen below. I apologise for some of the terrible Santa pics - my camerawork was not on point for the first few children who stood directly in front of the bright light!
As we come back fresh after the break, children in Class 3 will be pushing on with their learning, identifying gaps in knowledge and attempting to fill these both in school and at home. Please look out for the Autumn maths revision guide and remember to get completed maths homework dropped in class. Please continue to read with your child at home. We check-in weekly and have identified a number of students who aren't reading at home as much as we would like. In Year 5/6, allowing your child to read with a greater degree of independence and getting them to write in their reading diary (5 times weekly) is good practise.
With the beginning of a new term upon us, we will be cracking down on uniform standards. With a long break, we anticipate outgrown and broken shoes will now have been replaced. Please remember to name all items and re-check after washing. To ensure compliance, please refer to the uniform policy on the school's website: https://www.fir-ends.cumbria.sch.uk/school-information/school-uniform
Please see upcoming dates for diaries, starting with Bikeability this Thursday and Friday for Year 5 children. I expect a message to go out advising on this soon (if it hasn't already).
Thank you for your continued support.
Mr G :)
A very rare, mid-term update from Class 2...
Robinwood
What a brilliant few days we had up in the rainy Alston moors! The children were amazing and tried and conquered lots of new things - they should be so proud of themselves. Hopefully, they all got slept out over the weekend ready for the start of the Christmas happenings. Thank you so much for all of your support in getting them there with full and organised cases. Unfortunately, their cases won't have been as organised coming home so if you are missing anything or have a few too many socks or tops etc, please send them into school and we'll try and find a home for them. Equally, if you're missing anything, let me know.
There's a few photos from the trip so you can see what they got up to!
Homework
The children should have came home with their red book last night. Spelling and handwriting checks have resumed after a break for residential. Due to various things, we don't quite match up with the timetabled White Rose homework yet, so that hasn't gone home this week. Hopefully, we should get back on track next week. Please just stick to a week at a time as this ensures the children are only doing homework on things they have already learnt.
Miss Fisher :)
Spring Term - Dates for the Diary
January
Wednesday 7th January - Children return to school
Thursday & Friday 8th & 9th January - Bikeability in school for Year 5 children.
Wednesday 21st January - Teddy bear's picnic. (Bring a bear)
February
Tuesday 10th February - Class 2 Woodmatters Trip
Thursday 12th February - High school musical @ WHS (Year 5 children only)
Our Classroom Staff
Class 2 is taught by Miss Fisher Monday - Friday.
Class 3 is taught by Mr Greenslade Monday - Friday.
Other adults regularly involved with our classes include:
Mrs Thompson - pupil support and interventions
Miss Potts - pupil support and interventions
Mrs Powley- interventions
Mr Draper - singing & recorders
Madame Leighton - French
Mr van Iterson (Paul) and Mr Barnes - Monday PE
Uniform
Uniform
Black trousers or skirt (not leggings or PE shorts unless it's a PE day, please)
Green polo shirt
Green jumper
Black shoes suitable for daily running activities
School book bag NOT rucksacks, please
click for Uniform specification
We do ask that long hair is tied up and no jewellery apart from stud earrings to be worn. Earrings must be removed for PE and swimming sessions.
PE
PE
Class 2 and 3 PE will be on MONDAY and THURSDAY this term.
Outdoor Ed - dates TBC
Outdoor Ed - dates TBC
Homework
Homework
Weekly homework will be set and it is important that children complete the majority of it independently; although some adult support to organise the time to complete it and to ensure the task is understood is sensible:
Class 3 - Once we are actively teaching each maths unit in class, they will go live for completion at home. This will be highlighted inside the front cover of the maths book. They should be completed and handed in by the date set.
For those handed in after completion of the first unit, I have added a corresponding End of unit test report inside each front cover. This should show progress from before the unit was taught to after all the lessons in class were complete.
Actions to take depending on 'Post test scores' should be something like that outlined below:
Score of 0-5 Review all taught concepts ensuring your child understands the most basic of concepts (outlined in the homework but additional lessons can be used here https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/key-stages/ks2/subjects )
6-12 Review the more challenging elements, referring to the more challenging aspects in the homework - again, the lessons above could plug gaps
13 - 17 As above, with less review. Begin to push on to deeper understanding by accessing the website below
18-20 Push on learning using the following website https://nrich.maths.org/number-and-place-value-0
Maths Part A : Weekly exercises in the White Rose Maths practice Journal (see here)
Maths Part B: Children should practice times tables at least three times a week (see 'supporting mathematics at home')
Spellings and spelling sentences will be set on a Tuesday and are due on the following Monday. The children will be tested on these spelling words on a Monday.
Regular reading is also required (a minimum of 4 entries in their reading record per week). Your child is able to complete the reading record independently.
Children should practice recorder pieces for at least 15 minutes a week (3 x 5 minutes)
Failure to complete the homework will result in children being asked to do it during break times.
Times tables
Times tables
Please keep practising those times tables in front of the mirror at home. It has been noticeable who has been practising and it's been great to see some surprise children leading the way when reciting times tables aloud to the class, under time pressure.
NEW: KS2 MATHS HOMEWORK - WHITE ROSE WORKBOOKS - INFORMATION PAGE
Supporting mathematics at home:
The best way to support maths is by helping children to secure basic number facts - bonds to ten, fifty and a hundred; times tables and division facts; ten more, ten less. All of these facts are used in calculations and the more fluent we are the easier maths becomes!
The White Rose maths scheme includes some useful tools for parents.
1-Minute Maths - does what the title suggests , and covers all the mathematical facts that children should know to become fluent mathematicians Browse to https://whiteroseeducation.com/digital-tools and use our unique 3-word code: bib-teg-beg
Online lessons - these replicate what is covered in the classroom using the same presentation slides; allowing you to repeat anything your child found difficult - or missed due to absence. We use the V3 scheme. CLICK HERE
TIMES TABLE ROCKSTARS MODES
GARAGE - build up your child's heatmap of known facts - and earn coins. Automatically chooses the ones they need to practice.
STUDIO - get a 'Rock Status' based on the average of the last 10 studio sessions - and contribute to our school's chart position
GIG - 100 questions in 5-minutes to check what you really know!
JAMMING - choose the ones you want to practice
SOUNDCHECK - simulates the Year 4 tables check
Note: we appreciate that it may be tempting to play the games yourself as they're quite a lot of fun - but this plays mischief with the algorithms that award certificates and select the right things for your child to learn. Please don't. :-)
Class 2
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