Furze Platt Juniors 2025-26 Newsletter
Newsletter 8: 1st May 2026
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May Update
May Update
Finally, we are enjoying some lovely sunny weather and warmer temperatures as we head into May. It has been wonderful to see the children making the most of the outdoor environment—sunshine really does seem to lift everyone’s spirits!
Over the last few weeks, we have kick-started our Trunks for Thames Hospice fundraising, and thanks to your generosity, we have already raised almost £900 towards our £1300 target. Thank you, parents! The children and staff had great fun dressing up as elephants and getting creative around the track—do take a look later in the newsletter for more highlights.
You may also have noticed some additional staff “dressing up” on Fridays. Our Head Students came up with the brilliant idea of introducing a themed staff dress code! Last week we started with black and white (or even full penguin!) to mark National Penguin Day. This week has been green for May Day—who knows what will come next! We hope it has brought a smile to both children and parents at the gate- the goats have been enjoying dressing up too 😉
As always, there has been some fantastic learning taking place in classrooms—do explore the year group pages to find out more. We are also keen to give parents more opportunities to see learning across the school, so on Wednesday 10th June we will be holding our first ever “Open Evening.” This will be a chance to view work from across all year groups—not only your child’s current class, but also others, helping to build a clear picture of expectations and progression as children move through the school. Further details will follow soon.
Wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend!
Anna Clark
Head of School
Headteacher for the day- Mr C C-Barr!
Headteacher for the day- Mr C C-Barr!
Today you may have noticed a new headteacher on the gate! Cillian in Y5 won the prize from the FPSA to become a headteacher for the day. He took his job very seriously, from meeting and greeting on the gate first thing in the morning, to ordering equipment, signing forms and running assembly. Here's his view on today:
"I loved being the Head of school for a day. I took part in on special activities and I chose an assistant to help with some of the things. I ]also got to:
-Have my own office for the day
-Wear what I wanted
-Choose and ordered some sports equipment and playtime equipment
-Assess classes.
And lots more!
Today has made me want to be a Headteacher in the future!
School Uniform Survey- update
School Uniform Survey- update
Dear Families,
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts in our recent uniform survey. We truly appreciate you taking the time to contribute.
Now that the consultation has closed, our next step is to review the feedback alongside our Governors. We want to ensure we make the best choice for our students and families, so we will be taking the time to evaluate all perspectives thoroughly before any decisions are made.
Mike Wallace
Diary Dates for the summer term:
Diary Dates for the summer term:
Mon 4th May: Bank Holiday Monday- school closed
Thurs 7th May: Happy School Bags collection
Thurs 7th May: FPSA Junior Discos Y3/4 4-5; Y5/6 5.15-6.30pm
Mon 11th May- Thurs 14th May: Y6 SATS week
Fri 15th May: FPSA Quiz Night- fancy dress style!
Tues 19th May: Zoolab visit for Y5
Weds 20th May: Swift Class Assembly 9.10am
Thurs 21st May: Kingfisher Class Assembly 9.10am
Thurs 21st May: Y6 Silverstone trip
Fri 22nd May: Skylark Class Assembly 9.10am
Mon 25th-29th May: Half term
Mon 1st June: Term 6 begins
Weds 3rd June: Class Photos & Y6 photo
Weds 3rd June: Y6 Swimming begins
Weds 10th June: FPJS Open Evening - all parents invited to drop in - more info to follow soon.
Fri 12th June: Y4 Trip to Hampton Court
Mon 15th June: Y3 Roman Day
Fri 19th June: Sports day (9am-12pm)
Mon 22nd-24th June: Y4 Bikeability Level 1 sessions.
Fri 26th June: Reserve sports day
Sat 27th June: FPSA Summer Fair
Weds 1st & Thurs 2nd July: Y6 FPSS taster days
Fri 3rd July: Y5 PE workshop @ FPPS (TBC)
Fri 10th July: Reports out (emailed)
Fri 10th July: Y4 Longridge trip
W/b 13th July: Y6 Play performances - dates TBC- check school diary
Sat 18th - Sun 19th July: FPSA Summer Camp
Weds 22nd July: Y6 Leavers assembly 9am
Weds 22nd July: Term ends at 1.30pm
Quick Links
Quick Links
FPJS School News
FPJS School News
Well done to...
Well done to...
Aidan in Y5 for gaining a gold medal at the UK Schools Music Festival for gaining over 92 in his piano performance. Well done Aidan!
Well done to Sophia in Y6 who has been working incredibly hard this year at Indigo Gymnastics Club. Back in March 2026 she entered the National Qualifiers, where she placed 3rd and successfully qualified for the National Finals.
Following the qualifiers, Sophia returned to the gym even more determined, working hard to improve her routines and scores. Her dedication truly paid off at the National Finals Sunday 24th April 2026, where she achieved an outstanding 2nd place nationally on floor for her age and level. Her routine wowed with its power, resilience and determination.
Sophia also achieved 3rd place nationally on vault, which secured her 3rd place All-Around National title for her age group.
This is a fantastic achievement and we are all incredibly proud of Sophia!
Stomp for Trunks across the Thames
Stomp for Trunks across the Thames
On Friday 17th April, our school underwent a rather large, grey, and wonderful transformation! The children dressed down "elephant style" to help launch our exciting new charity initiative, Trunks across the Thames.
To celebrate the launch, every child across the whole federation took part in a special, timed "stomp" around the school track. Our ambitious collective goal was to walk the total length of the River Thames. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that, with everyone pulling together, we successfully reached our aim!
The challenge wasn't just about walking; it was about teamwork and creativity. The children were tasked with using various pieces of PE equipment to find inventive ways to navigate the track, working closely together in their designated "herds." It was wonderful to see so much collaboration and imaginative problem-solving in action.
A massive congratulations to the winning herds in each class:
50 Housepoints were awarded to the group in each class that looked the most "elephant-like" as they made their way around the track.
50 Housepoints were also awarded to the group in each class that managed to complete the most laps within the allotted time.
Great fun was had by all, but more importantly, we raised vital funds for a truly worthy cause. Our goal is to raise £1,300 for the charity by the end of this academic year, and we are excited to share that our current pot stands at £900!
A huge thank you to everyone who has so generously donated so far. Your support makes a world of difference. If you haven't had a chance yet and wish to add a donation to our herd's efforts, please follow the link below. Thank you once again for your continued support and for making our elephant stomp such an unforgettable day!
Please make your donations here: Junior School Trunks across the Thames- we are aiming to raise £1300!
Y5 Mayan Workshops
Y5 Mayan Workshops
Year 5 had a fantastic time stepping back in time this week during our immersive Ancient Maya drama workshop. It was a brilliant way to bring our history topic to life, with each class taking part in a dynamic 90-minute session led by an expert facilitator.
Through a variety of drama activities, the children explored a "real-time" Maya timeline, learning about the different levels of society and the world these people lived in. They were fascinated by the origin stories of the Maya Gods and the various cultural customs and rites of passage that defined their civilization. The session also tied in perfectly with our classroom learning on the Maya counting system, as the children investigated how these sophisticated numbers were used for everything from calendars to stock counts.
The workshop was a wonderful way to engage the children’s imagination and deepen their understanding of the period. It was a memorable day that has certainly sparked a lot of conversation and extra enthusiasm for our ongoing Maya project.
The Year 5 Team
Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars
Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars
Tuesday Assemblies
Tuesday Assemblies
Over the past few weeks, our Tuesday assemblies have been full of exciting learning and meaningful discussions.
We began by exploring St David’s Day and St Patrick’s Day, where children learned about the importance of these saints in Christianity. We also linked this learning to our geographical knowledge of the UK, helping pupils understand where these celebrations originate and why they are significant.
We then moved on to learning about important religious festivals, including Holi and Vaisakhi. These assemblies gave children the opportunity to explore different cultures, traditions, and the values of celebration, community, and renewal.
Mrs Endacott delivered an important and insightful assembly on Dyslexia, helping children understand what it is and how we can support and include everyone in our school community.
We were also delighted to welcome visitors from Maidenhead Library on 21st April, who spoke to the children about the importance of reading and encouraged everyone to become library members and participate in this year's Summer Reading Challenge. This was a fantastic opportunity to inspire a love of books and lifelong learning.
On April 28th, we learnt about National Superhero Day, we focused on the idea of “everyday superheroes.” Mrs Batchelor led the children to reflect on the real-life heroes who support us in our daily lives, such as healthcare workers, teachers, family members, and emergency services.
These assemblies continue to support our pupils in developing understanding, respect, and curiosity about the world around them.
TT Rock stars- Top Ten Leaderboard & Top Ten progress for accuracy
TT Rock stars- Top Ten Leaderboard & Top Ten progress for accuracy
Well done to all our children who are using TT rock stars regularly to practise times tables!
Keep up the daily practise everyone- it is scientifically proven that practising a little and often will ensure you master those times tables as soon as possible until they are automatically recalled from memory.
Here are our Top 10 children for speed in each year group and the best progress for accuracy- updated 30th April!
Bedrock Learning
Bedrock Learning
Well done to all our children who are regularly completing their homework tasks to improve their vocabulary! Here are our top 10 children who have spent the most time on their bedrock learning since the previous newsletter.
Sports Update
Sports Update
Mini London Marathon
Mini London Marathon
Furze Platt Takes on the Mini London Marathon!
Furze Platt Takes on the Mini London Marathon!
This month, Furze Platt Juniors joined schools across the country by taking part in the Mini London Marathon. The challenge set for each student was to complete a distance of 2 miles, which equals 10 full laps of our school track.
We integrated this challenge into our PE lessons, and the energy has been incredible! To keep the momentum going, we had music playing across the field, creating a fun, festival-like atmosphere for the runners.
We are delighted to share that every single child successfully completed their 10 laps, with many students even pushing themselves to go above and beyond the 2-mile mark. It has been a joy to see such perseverance and school spirit on the track.
Huge congratulations to everyone for completing your 2-mile run—you are all marathon finishers!
Miss Gill
St Pirans Football Festival Year 6
St Pirans Football Festival Year 6
On Wednesday, 29th April, our Year 6 girls’ football team travelled to St Piran’s to take part in an exciting afternoon of football. It was a brilliant opportunity for the team to test their skills in a festival format, playing a series of competitive matches against several other local schools.
The girls played with fantastic spirit and determination throughout the day. They demonstrated excellent teamwork, sharp footballing skills, and—most importantly—had a wonderful time representing Furze Platt Juniors.
Year 4 Tri-Golf Competition
Year 4 Tri-Golf Competition
Year 4 Golfing Success!
Year 4 Golfing Success!
On Tuesday, 28th April, twenty of our Year 4 students travelled to Winter Hill Golf Club to represent Furze Platt Juniors in an exciting Tri-Golf competition. Competing in two teams, the students rotated through six different skill stations, aiming to rack up as many points as possible at every turn.
Both teams demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship and skill, representing the school with pride. When the final scores were tallied, the results were outstanding: Team 2 secured a brilliant 4th place finish, while Team 1 claimed 1st place overall! Thanks to their victory, Team 1 will now progress to the Berkshire School Games this July. Huge congratulations to all our golfers for such a successful day on the green!
Miss Gill
St Pirans Cross Country Competition
St Pirans Cross Country Competition
On a fantastic day of racing, 24 of our talented athletes from Year 3 and Year 4 headed to St Piran’s to compete in the annual Cross Country competition. Our runners took on a challenging course consisting of two large laps around the school grounds, covering a total distance of 1,500 metres.
The determination on display was second to none, and the results were truly historic for Furze Platt Juniors:
Year 3 Stars: A special mention goes to Cici, who put on a breathtaking performance to take 1st place in the Year 3 girls' race—even outrunning the pacemaker! Thanks to the team's combined efforts, the Year 3 girls took home the 1st place shield, while the Year 3 boys secured a brilliant 2nd place overall.
Year 4 Success: The Year 4 boys were equally dominant, with Jake finishing in 2nd and Arthur in 3rd. Their high finishes helped the Year 4 boys claim 1st place overall and take home the shield! Not to be outdone, the Year 4 girls ran a superb race to finish 3rd against very tough competition.
We are incredibly proud of every single student who took part. You all "smashed it" and represented the school with amazing spirit. Well done, runners!
Miss Gill
Year Group Updates
Year Group Updates
Year 3 News
Year 3 News
The Year 3 children have had a wonderful return to school after a well deserved Easter break and have been hard at work already.
In English the children have been planning and writing their own adventure stories. They have really enjoyed using their imaginations to create the 5 parts of a story. We are really looking forward to completing these and sharing these with the rest of the class.
In maths, we have been focusing on measurement and this has included mass, capacity and volume. The children really enjoyed using the weighing scales and jugs to weigh and measure.
In science our topic this term is 'Rocks'. The children have learned the 3 different rock types which led to an investigation where they needed to test a variety of rocks to discover if they were igneous, sedimaentary or metamorphic. We had great fun using water, vinegar and sandpaper!
As part of our RE topic, the children have discussed Hindusim and the beliefs of Hindu people. They enjoyed listening to the how this is celebrated around the world and where in the world Hinduism is practiced.
In PSHE the children have been looking at safety and how to keep ourselves safe in many different situations. We looked at how to keep safe from hazards, how to treat a sting or bite and who to contact in an emergency.
We have also created Modroc mummies this term using our art patterns to create these - they look wonderful!
Mrs Barry- Y3 Team Leader
Year 3- What are we learning?
Year 3- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:
What are the 5 main parts of a story?
Can you name the 3 different rock types?
How many grams are in a kilogram? How many are in 3 kilograms?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...
George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl
Demon Dentist - David Walliams
Animals of South America - KeriAnne-N-Jelinek
Year 4 News
Year 4 News
Year 4 have had an excellent start to the summer term! The children have been incredibly dedicated to learning their times tables in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check in June.
In English, the children have written fantastic persuasive letters to the Indonesian president. They explored a range of persuasive features, such as emotive language, rhetorical questions and technical vocabulary.
In Maths, the children have been introduced to decimals and their fraction equivalents. They have developed their understanding of dividing by 10 and 100 when working with decimals.
In reading and comprehension, the children have enjoyed exploring cities from the book A History of the World in 25 Cities. They have learned all about the first-ever city, Jericho, and particularly enjoyed learning about Roman latrines — I will let them tell you more about that!
In addition, the children have started to design their Andy Warhol-inspired portraits. They have enjoyed sketching self-portraits, learning about proportion and adding depth through shading.
Mrs Batchelor
Year 4 Team Leader
Year 4- What are we learning?
Year 4- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:
Does the Amazon Rainforest have high biodiversity or low biodiversity?
How many of King Henry VIII’s wives did he divorce?
How would you describe Andy Warhol’s artwork?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4:
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4:
A History of the World in 25 Cities
By Andrew Donkin & Tracey Turner
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
By Nizrana Farook
The Highland Falcon Thief
By M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman
Year 5 News
Year 5 News
It has been a busy and inspiring time in Year 5, and the children have been working hard and showing great determination across all their subjects. In maths, we have been focusing on the properties of shape, specifically learning how to measure angles and calculate the area and perimeter of different rectilinear shapes. Their attention to detail has also shone through in English, where the children have written some truly powerful poems. They have been skilfully experimenting with literary devices such as alliteration, similes, metaphors, and personification to make their writing more impactful.
Our history and art topics have taken us back to the fascinating Maya civilisation. The children have been highly engaged, learning about the Maya writing and number systems, while in art, they have been studying their architecture and the symbolic meaning behind their colours. We have been practising two-point perspective to add a 3D effect to our drawings and worked on creating our own colours through mixing to match a traditional Maya colour palette of earthy and vibrant tones.
In other areas of the curriculum, the children have been thoroughly enjoying getting creative in music by using GarageBand to compose their own hip hop tracks. In French, we have been learning the vocabulary for the weather—very useful for this time of year! Finally, it has been wonderful to start our swimming sessions at St Piran’s. The children are now settled into their groups and are looking forward to confidently developing their skills in the pool over the next few weeks.
Well done Year 5s! Keep up the great work!
Miss Scott and Mr Sawle, Year 5 Team Leaders
Year 5- What are we learning?
Year 5- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:
What does the French phrase 'Il fait beau' mean in English? What about 'Il y a du soleil'?
When you give an object human characteristics, what literary device is this? What is the difference between a simle and a metaphor?
How many right angles can you put in a straight line? How many can you fit around a point?
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5:
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5:
The River's a Singer
Valerie Bloom
What was it like to be an Ancient Maya
David Long
Year 6 News
Year 6 News
Year 6 have been incredibly busy! As we prepare for SATs, we’ve been playing lots of fun games, completing plenty of revision and even took part in a reading comprehension activity based on the TV show The Traitors. With just one week to go until their tests, the children are feeling ready and we are already so proud of all the hard work they have put in.
In English, we have been focusing on using dialogue to move our stories forward and develop characters inspired by the film Broken which brings Rock, Paper and Scissors game to life. We have also been experimenting with starting our stories with a flashback, allowing us to play with tenses and make our writing even more engaging.
In maths, we have been consolidating our learning through lots of reasoning and problem-solving practice. We even stepped into the role of teachers by marking a maths paper ourselves that had lots of silly mistakes!
Our class book is Black and British, which also links closely to our history unit. We have been exploring the lives of many Black British figures throughout history, from the Roman era to the present day - including the highly influential Olaudah Equiano and Lilian Bader.
We have also begun our DT unit, where we have been exploring brand packaging and starting to design our own pizza box packaging ready for later in the summer term where we make our own pizzas!
Finally, we have started preparations for our Year 6 production. The children now know which play they will be performing (School of Pop!) and auditions will begin next week. We are so proud of you all and know that the rest of the summer term is going to be brilliant!
Miss Morales
Year 6- What are we learning?
Year 6- What are we learning?
Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:
How many degrees are in a quadilateral? Full turn? triangle?
Who is Lillian Bader and why was she such a role model?
Can you name the word class for each word in this sentence? - The little girl ran through the town excitedly.
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...
Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...
School Council Update
A Spark of Inspiration: Meet "Flame"!
A Spark of Inspiration: Meet "Flame"!
We are thrilled to officially introduce Flame, our school’s vibrant entry into the "Trunks around the Thames" art trail in support of the Thames Valley Hospice!
The name was selected by our School and Eco Councils, who had the difficult task of choosing from a fantastic range of ideas submitted by the entire school community. We thought that Flame was the perfect choice to represent the "spark of curiosity" that ignites a lifelong passion for growth and learning in our classrooms. Just as a fire grows brighter when fueled, Flame symbolizes the warmth of our happiness and well-being and the deep respect we hold for one another.
This stunning elephant is a true testament to teamwork, featuring the collaborative designs and creative visions of many children across the school. By joining this public trail, we hope Flame inspires everyone who sees him to keep their own internal fire for kindness and discovery burning bright.
Together, we are stomping toward a future filled with compassion and creativity!
Mrs Sweatman
SEND information for parents
SEND information for parents
AfC SportWorks Short Breaks Activities April 2026 (1) (1).pdfFPSA Update
FPSA Update
Cheese & Wine Evening
Last Friday evening, we ran our very first cheese & wine tasting event. Hosted by year 1 Dad Matt who is director of food and beverage at London's Michelin-starred HIDE, 60 parents (including one teacher!) joined in at the Juniors hall sampling different wines and cheeses. A great evening all round, thank you to everyone who came.
Oakwood Estates Summer Fair Boards
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to have an Oakwood Estates boards outside their house advertising the upcoming summer fair. We have had over 50 households sign up which is fabulous. Its' not too late to sign up - please use this link: https://forms.gle/8AaT5ndhBNU3cxXY6
Event poster & programme designer required.....
Ex-Furze Platt Dad Simon has designed our eye-catching event posters for many years now but has recently stepped down from this role. We are looking for someone who is familiar with Adobe Illustrator CC or Adobe InDesign CC software to take over this role. If you are interested or have any questions, please email us at fpsa.ebox@gmail.com.
Personalised name label stickers for clothes/water bottles etc.
There are 2 easy options for buying personalised labels. Simply order your labels below whilst also raising funds for our schools. These labels will help the schools return mislaid uniform and will help cut down on the lost property including water bottles and lunchboxes as well as uniform.
1 Easy2Name
Simply order from the following site: https://www.easy2name.com/stickeasy, quote code 'FR-FPIS-72' and not only will you will get free delivery, the FPSA will receive 20% of the order value.
2 MyNameTags
Simply order from the following site: https://www.mynametags.com and use fundraising code 19450. A donation is made to the FPSA per order.
Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery
This is a weekly lottery that raises money for good causes in the Royal Borough including the FPSA. Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 and from that 60p goes to good causes including 50p to the FPSA. Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance to win a prize each week with a top prize of £25,000! So please sign up and buy a weekly ticket or two using the link: https://www.windsorandmaidenheadcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/furze-platt-schools-association
Dates for your Diary:
Happy School Bags - Thursday 7th May
Our next happy school bags collection is coming up. The bags will have come home this week but you can also use your own disposable bags. Your bags can be filled with: clean adults' and children's clothing, paired shoes and trainers, console games, souvenirs, handbags, belts, hats, accessories, jewellery, toiletries, perfumes, bed linen, towels and soft toys.
Happy School Bags can’t take: bric-a-brac, single shoes, mats, carpets, pillows, blankets, curtains, books, uniforms, dirty, damaged or wet clothes.
Please note all items must be clean: especially clothing, bed linen, towels and footwear.
We are giving 2 opportunities to drop your filled bags off:
1) Wednesday 6th May at pick up time (3.15pm)
2) Thursday 7th May at drop off time (08.30pm-9pm).
Junior Discos - Thursday 7th May
The Junior Discos are back next week with DJ Sawle being joined by guest DJs Wilson and Thomas.
Year 3-4 disco is 4-5pm and the year 5-6 disco is 5.15pm-6.30pm.
Tickets here: www.pta-events.co.uk/fpsa
Mr T's (10th anniversary) Quiz Night - Friday 15th May (8pm-11pm)
This event is is close to being sold out, very few tickets remain. A few teams have 5 people on so if you are on your own and fancing joining in you would be very welcome.
Tickets here: www.pta-events.co.uk/fpsa
Summer Fair - Saturday 27th June (11.30am-3pm)
Please save the date for our biggest fundraiser of the year! It's a World Cup theme this year with stalls including 'Hook a World Cup duck', 'Harry Kane's Keepy Uppy Challenge', World Cup 100 Boards and more.
Summer Camp - Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th July
Summer Camp is back! Join us on the Juniors field for some fun with a BBQ, Bouncy Castle and games.
The FPSA Junior Summer Disco is back!
Mr Sawle, Mr King and all the other amazing staff will be back on the decks, mic and down on the dance floor - ready to bring you a fantastic afternoon of music, dancing and fun.
Don’t forget to send in your song requests so we can try and play your favourite summer hits!
We’re really looking forward to seeing you all there for a brilliant time.
Google Form Link for song requests:
https://forms.gle/UkDB2syEPinkRhBJ7
Useful information for parents
Useful information for parents
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