Furze Platt Juniors 2025-26 Newsletter

I want to start by saying how incredibly proud we are of our Year 6 children this term. They conducted themselves brilliantly during their recent SATs tests; every single child was calm, confident, and tried their absolute best. They certainly seemed to enjoy having a biscuit and a drink to warm up beforehand! We are thrilled that this part of the year is now over for them so they can move on to the best bit of being in Year 6. They have already enjoyed a fantastic trip to Silverstone (featured later in this newsletter!), and they still have their business project, the Year 6 play, and their transition preparations for their new schools to look forward to.

We are also bursting with pride for our Year 4 children following their brilliant class assemblies last week. They all performed so confidently on the stage and did a wonderful job showcasing their knowledge. It was wonderful to see the pride the took in sharing their learning about their rainforest topic!

As we approach the final stretch, we are now beginning that busy stage of the school year: preparing for the next one! There is a lot happening behind the scenes as we organise classes and staffing for next year, and we will be writing to you with more information about this shortly after the half-term break.

Finally, I know many of you have thoroughly enjoyed our Dressing Up Fridays—especially the goats! Here are some photos of our recent efforts. As directly instructed by our Head Students, our staff will be continuing with these Friday dress-ups right through to the end of the term!

Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half-term break.

Anna Clark

Head of School

Attendance at FPJS- update

Whole school attendance at FPJS currently still stands at 95.2% which is slightly below our minimum target of 95.8%.

Our top four classes are:

1st Kingfisher with 98.1%

2nd Swift with 97.7%

3rd Skylark with 96.8%

4th Heron with 96.4%

A particular well done to Year 4, who have achieved a fabulous 97.5% attendance so far this year.

We are continuing to work hard as a school to improve overall attendance because we know that attendance is directly linked to a child's academic and pastoral progress during their school years.

Research tells us that children with attendance below 90% achieve significantly lower outcomes than their peers. We also recognise that regular attendance plays an important role in supporting children’s social and emotional wellbeing as well as their ability to maintain strong friendships.

We also acknowledge that some children find attending school challenging. We have a wide range of support available in school, and together we can make a real difference in helping your child to attend more regularly and ultimately, improving their academic outcomes and emotional well-being; please contact your class teacher or via the school office if you would like some advice or support..

Attendance Top Tip:

Please avoid making appointments during school hours where possible.
If an appointment is unavoidable, we ask that it is booked after 1.30pm.
Please also remember, that if your child is late into school (after 9am), this counts as an unauthorised absence for the whole session.
The occasional single day absence every now and again does build up over the weeks. Please follow our guidelines on whether your child is well enough to attend school to ensure that your child is in school every day they can be.

https://www.furzeplattjuniorschool.co.uk/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Diary Dates for the summer term:

Mon 25th-29th May: Half term
Mon 1st June: Term 6 begins
Tues 2nd June: Black and British workshops Y6
Weds 3rd June: Class Photos (Y3-5). Y6 TBC later
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
Fri 12th June: FPSA Cheese & Wine Evening
Mon 15th June: Y3 Roman Day
Weds 17th June: Y2 parents transition meeting 6pm
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 (11.30am-3pm)
Weds 1st & Thurs 2nd July: Y6 FPSS taster days
Tues 7th July: SATS results released to schools
Weds 8th July: Y5 PE workshop at FPSS- 1.30-3.00pm
Fri 10th July: Reports out (emailed)
Fri 10th July: Y4 Longridge trip
W/b 13th July: Y6 Play performances - dates TBC- check school diary
Thurs 16th July: 2.30pmGuitar concert (invited parents only)
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

Curriculum

Lunch Menu- Summer 2026

Calendar

Who's who at FPJS

Term Dates 25-26

Term Dates 26-27

Term Dates 27-28

Website including housepoints update

FPJS School News

Y4 Class Assemblies

Well done, Year 4! The children thoroughly enjoyed performing their class assemblies this week, all centred around the importance of protecting the rainforests and stopping deforestation. We were so impressed by how confidently they shared their learning from across the curriculum, including persuasive letters they had written to the Indonesian president in English, “Save the Rainforest” badges they designed in DT, and the fascinating adaptations animals have developed to survive in rainforest environments during Science lessons. From editing the script to designing and making their props, they have shown so much dedication and hard work. We were incredibly proud of the children’s performances!

Y5 Zoolab experience

The school hall was filled with excitement this week when Year 5 received a special visit from Zoolab. Our pupils became intrepid explorers, getting the chance to see, feel, and hold a variety of incredible exotic animals.

The children showed fantastic curiosity as they met some very memorable guests, including Scarlett the corn snake, Garry the giant African land snail, a cockroach, a tree frog, and even Mexi the tarantula! It was wonderful to see so many students stepping out of their comfort zones to handle the creatures safely.

The visit tied in perfectly with our Science curriculum, where Year 5 have been studying the life cycles of different animals. Seeing these creatures up close gave the children a brilliant real-world look at how different species—from amphibians and insects to reptiles—grow and adapt.

A big thank you to our brilliant Zoolab Ranger, who captured the children's interest with fascinating facts and ran an excellent, hands-on session. Well done to Year 5 for showing such great engagement and respect for the animals!

Year 5 Fire Service Visit

Year 5 had an exciting and educational visit from the local fire service this term! The firefighters came into school to talk to the children about important fire safety rules and to give them a closer look at the vital work they do every day.

Part of the visit took place outside, where the children were excited to explore a real fire engine and learn all about the important equipment kept on board. The children even got a chance to have a go at using the hose themselves!

The children learned an incredible amount about fire safety and thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about the fire service. A huge thank you to our local firefighters for giving up their time to deliver such an engaging, memorable, and important lesson to Year 5!

Y6 Silverstone trip

Year 6 visited Silverstone Circuit this week as part of their STEM learning, where they explored how decisions are made in the design of Formula 1 cars. They learnt about the importance of aerodynamics in car shape, as well as the specialist suits drivers wear, made from Nomex, a highly fire-resistant material that helps keep drivers safe in the event of a fire.

They also discovered that F1 cars are made from carbon fibre, chosen for being both incredibly strong and very lightweight. The children examined different types of tyres and learnt how weather conditions affect friction and grip which determines which tyres are needed during a race.

At the Silverstone Museum, they explored the history of the track and found out it was once an RAF base, linking nicely to their learning at the start of the year about World War II.

The trip ended with the exciting opportunity to watch bikes racing around the Silverstone track, an experience I’m sure they will remember for a long time.

Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars

Newsletter 9: 22nd May

Well done to all our stars over the last few weeks:

Our stars are chosen from following the values of the school: Passion, Well-being and respect.

We also chose children who have made exceptional effort in their work or attitude to learning.

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 21st May

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

KS2 Bowls Festival

On Thursday, May 7th, 26 pupils from Kite Class headed to Desborough Bowling Club to represent Furze Platt Junior School in an exciting first for the school. This marked the very first Bowls event our students have participated in, and they rose to the challenge with fantastic energy!

The children spent the afternoon learning the fundamentals of this classic sport, rotating through six different activity stations. Each station was specifically designed to target and develop the key skills required for bowls, from precision and aim to weight control. It was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to master a new skill.

We are incredibly proud of how well the group represented the school; their sportsmanship. Well done to all our young bowlers!

Miss Gill

Year 4 Cricket Skills Festival

On Tuesday, 12th May, 34 Year 4 students headed to Pinkneys Green Cricket Club to represent Furze Platt Juniors in the Dynamos Cricket Skills Festival. Our two teams showcased fantastic sportsmanship as they rotated through five different activity stations.

The students worked hard on their bowling, batting, throwing, catching, and fielding skills throughout the morning. It was wonderful to see their improvement and teamwork in action, but most importantly, everyone had an absolute blast! A huge well done to all the children involved for representing our school so brilliantly and giving it their all.

Miss Gill

Year 6 Quadkids

On Tuesday 19th June, 20 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils took part in the exciting QuadKids athletics event at Newlands School. The 2 tasm of competitors took part in four different activities: a 75m sprint race, a 600m run, a standing long jump, and a vortex howler throw. Each performance earned points, and the points from all four events were added together to give a final score. The winning school scored the highest combined points; this was Furze Platt Junior School with 35 points more than Courthouse Junior.

Despite threatening weather conditions throughout the day, the children showed fantastic determination and enthusiasm. The weather both helped and hindered events with running becoming harder against the wind and howler throwing, with strong winds sometimes carrying the howlers further, while at other times making throws difficult to control.

There were some excellent performances from our pupils across all of the events. A special congratulations goes to Lexi, who achieved an impressive bronze medal overall in the girls’ competition. Fred also performed brilliantly in the 600m, winning his race with excellent effort.

All of the children represented the school exceptionally well, showing great teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship. We are very proud of everyone who took part.

It was lovely to see that of the 70 sports leaders there, there were many faces to be recognised from years gone by - last year 6 Bea, Freya and Lucy, and previous years Bessie, Varsha, Megan, Jude and Marnie, and many more.

The A team will now compete again at the Berkshire Games in July.

Mrs Tisshaw

Year Group Updates

Year 3 News

What a wonderful and busy term we have had in Year 3! The children are all working hard and we are very proud of how independent in their learning they are becoming.

In English this term the children have been creating their own Non-chronological reports using some fictionalised animals. The children have really enjoyed looking at how animals adapt, how to set out a report and sharing these with the class.

In maths we have looked at units of measure and position and direction. The children enjoyed weighing objects in grams and kilograms, measuring capacity and volume in litres and millilitres and using angles. We have also been focusing on money and how to make amounts as well as giving change.

As part of our rocks topic in science, the children looked at how soil is formed and what it is used for. The children then found their own soil samples and looked at what these were called and what was found in them using observational skills.

The children loved looking at South American countries in geography and what is traded to and from other countries.

In RE we have looked at Hinduism and how this is celebrated. The children looked at the gods and what they represent as well as how to show respect when entering the Mandir.

Finally, we have really enjoyed reading the story 'George's Marvellous Medicine' using prediction, retrieval skills and key vocabulary. The children particularly loved the ending.

We hope the children have a wonderful half term and look forward to many more exciting days in our final term of Year 3.

Mrs Barry- Y3 Team Leader

Year 3- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:

What did you find in your soil samples?

Can you face North and then complete a 1/2 turn anti-clockwise?

What are the key features of a Non-chronolgical report?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...

George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl

Demon Dentist - David Walliams

We're Roaming in the Rainforest - Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson

Year 4 News

Wow! What a fantastic end to the term the children have had! We are so proud of their commitment and dedication to their performances this week. They spoke clearly, wore brilliant costumes and sang beautifully. We hope that now, Everyone Can Understand Forests!

During our English lessons, the children have written excellent pieces of dialogue to accompany a scene from the Pixar film La Luna. They have spent time considering how to entertain their reader through the use of descriptive writing techniques such as similes and “show, not tell”.

In Maths, the children have been developing their understanding of time. They have been working with clocks to convert between digital and analogue times, as well as solving a range of time-related word problems.

In History, we have been exploring the Tudor monarchy. The children have used portraits and artefacts to investigate King Henry VIII and learn more about his children, Elizabeth I and Edward VI. They are looking forward to learning even more about King Henry during our trip to Hampton Court Palace!

On our return, the children will be taking their Multiplication Tables Check. We really encourage the children to continue practising their times tables to give them the best chance of success.

Have a wonderful break!

Mrs Batchelor
Year 4 Team Leader

Year 4- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:

How would 3pm be represented on a digital clock?
What is the name of the punctuation that is used to show speech in writing?
Why did King Henry VIII create the Church of England?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4:

A History of the World in 25 Cities

By Andrew Donkin & Tracey Turner

Test Trouble

By Serena Patel

Solve your own mystery

By Gareth P Jones

Year 5 News

It has been an incredibly busy and productive few weeks in Year 5, with the children diving into a wide range of exciting topics across the curriculum.

In Maths, the children have been exploring shape and direction, as well as mastering the concept of negative numbers whilst in English, they have been inspired by our balanced argument question: “Should children under the age of 16 be allowed smartphones?” The children have been fully immersed in discussions around this topic, learning how to write a mature, balanced argument. They have tried hard to use formal language and excellent cohesive conjunctions to present both sides of the debate. Previously, they also published some fantastic narratives that included speech.

Pupils showed their creative talents in Art, where they skilfully constructed fabulous Maya temples out of cardboard and glue, bringing their history topic about the Maya to life. They also used textiles, lolly sticks, and wool to create their own unique worry dolls, each with its own personality.

In other subjects, Year 5 have been learning about Hinduism in RE, exploring citizenship in PSHE, and even writing a detailed weather report in French.

Finally, our Science lessons have been fascinating. The children have been learning all about life cycles and reproduction in plants. A particular highlight was a hands-on lesson where they carefully dissected a flower to identify its different parts, alongside a fantastic visit from Zoolab with their exotic animals!

Alongside all this learning, they enjoyed the Fire Service visit as well as watching the brilliant year 4 class assemblies.

We are incredibly proud of how hard Year 5 have worked this term—well done!

Miss Scott and Mr Sawle, Year 5 Team Leaders

Year 5- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks:

What is a balanced argument? What does P.E.E.L. stand for?

Which is greater? 7 or -8? Can you order these numbers in ascending order? 0, -3, 5, 37, -42, -5

What does this mean: Dans le nord, il fait beau le matin mais l'apres-midi, il y a des orages.

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5:

Ancient Maya

David Long

The River's a Singer

Valerie Bloom

Year 6 News

Year Six have had a brilliant end to the first half of the summer term. They have worked incredibly hard and we have been so proud of them for their hard work and positivity during SATs week. We are also very excited for all the fun activities that are still to come.

In History, we have been finishing our unit on Black and British, where we have looked at famous Black British figures such as Lilian Bader and Marcus Rashford. We are also looking forward to the Black and British workshop coming up soon.

In Maths, we have started our Finance unit and the children have begun learning all about taxes, credit cards, debit cards, budgeting and how to become financially literate.

In DT, we have been busy thinking about the requirements needed for effective packaging and using this knowledge to design our own pizza boxes. This will be ready for when we make pizzas later in the summer term.

We are looking forward to some of the upcoming fun activities for example business project . Have a lovely May half term and we will see you for the countdown to Summer!

Miss Morales

Year 6- What are we learning?

Ask your child the following questions to see what they have learnt over the last few weeks!:

What legally needs to be included on packaging?
Summarise what has influenced your sculpture in one sentence.
Who is Lilian Bader and why is she celebrated?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...

School Council Update

Big News: The Furze Platt Book Swap is Coming!

Get ready to share the joy of reading! After half term, we will be holding an exciting Book Swap to support the fantastic Trunks across the Thames appeal for Thames Valley Hospice.

We need your help! Please sort through your bookshelves and donate any good quality books that you no longer read to the school and eco council. Whether it's a thrilling story or amazing facts, let's pass them on for other children to enjoy!

Books will cost just 50p each, and every penny raised goes to a brilliant cause. Keep your eyes peeled—the official dates of the swap will be announced right after half term!

Go Green with Our Brand New Classroom Eco Bins!

We are thrilled to share that our brand new, green eco bins have arrived in classrooms this week! The fantastic Eco Team are on a mission to make recycling easier than ever, protect our planet, and significantly cut down on waste heading to landfill.

These new bins are for clean recycling waste. To help us recycle perfectly, please check out the handy posters on the bins, which clearly explain what can go inside. Together we can help Furze Platt Junior School smash our green goals and protect the planet!

SEND information for parents

May Newsletter 2026.pdf

FPSA Update

Junior Discos

The Junior Discos were back on the 7th May with the wonderful DJ's King and Sawle in action once again. Thank you to all the Juniors staff who stayed behind to help at both discos, they have raised over £1,800 for FPJS!

Quiz Night

Mr T's Quiz Night was back last Friday evening at the Juniors. 27 teams packed into the hall to take part in the 10th anniversary quiz. There was lots of fancy dress on show from The Spice Girls, Where's Wally, Teletubbies, Rockstars, Butterflies, Christmas Jumpers and more. The prize to the best dressed team went to the Men In Black team with runners up the Mexicans. Best team name was 'We're going on a beer hunt'.

The winners of the quiz were 'The Tipsy Tubbes' with 'Totally T-voted' in second and 'FPJS Punk Rockers' in third, the latter one of 3 separate teams of Juniors staff. The music round finished with Take That on the stage singing 'Back for good' and 'Could it be magic', incredible scenes! Thank you to everyone who came. The quiz night will return in October.

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:

Cheese & Wine Evening (Friday 12th June)

Following the success of the first Cheese & Wine evening, we are laying on another next month. Please get your tickets soon at: https://fpsa.charityhive.co.uk/tickets/5/uncorked-2-an-evening-of-michelin-star-pairings-with-matt-mawtus

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 Tin Can Alley, World Cup 100 Boards and more.

Volunteering for stalls is now open. We will need lots of help to run the different stalls so please can you sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/8HRYW

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.

Useful information for parents

Pre-loved books Collection for the The Children's Book Project

We are partnering with The Children's Book Project on their book drive. Running from 23rd May until 20th June The Little Bookshop Cookham will have a collection box in the shop for preloved books in good condition or new books. The Children's Book Project will redistribute the books to children who have few or no books of their own. They are aiming to collect 200 books so any donations would be gratefully received! The Children's Book Project is a registered charity and you can read more about them here.

https://childrensbookproject.co.uk/

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