Furze Platt Juniors 2025-26 Newsletter

Well, I can honestly say I have never known such a hot June at school in all the years I have worked at FPJS! Thank you to all of our parents who have been very supportive and responded so quickly to our change of plans due to the extreme heat. It is always a difficult balancing act for us to ensure children are at school learning whilst not compromising on safety and we are pleased to have kept the school open. We are very lucky that we have invested in air conditioning in school over the last few years, and we of course would love to extend this to all classes, if our budget allows! Being in Y3 was definitely the place to be this week!

We are grateful that we had great weather conditions for our sports day last week and it wasn't too hot- see below for details of the scores and our 2026 record breakers! Once again, a huge thanks to all of the parents who helped us out with the event or came along to support! It is a huge logistical challenge but we hope everyone enjoyed the atmosphere of competition between the houses! It was good to see Vikings win once again after a 12 year wait!

See below for our classes for September- we have a few changes, but all of our teachers are staying at FPJS!

We look forward to seeing families at the FPSA summer fair tomorrow- it is still forecast to be a hot one, but slightly cooler than recent days. Please support if you can as it might help us get those extra air con units next year!

Anna Clark

Head of School

Staff Updates for September

Whilst all of our teachers will be staying at FPJS next academic year, we are sad to be waving goodbye to some of our support staff. Mrs Dean will be in school for a few weeks in September in a cover role before she leaves us in October for maternity leave for her 2nd baby!

Mr Browne, who has been with us for 4 years, has also taken the plunge into the world of teaching and will be a cover supervisor at a school nearby!

Miss McCallion, who has been with us for just under 2 years, has been inspired to become a teacher and will be off to university train in primary education in September!

Mrs Little, who worked with our Everest team since 2023 will be leaving for a role in Finance. Mrs Little has loved her time at the school working with the children and is very sad to be leaving us!

Our teaching teams will change slightly next year as follows:

Mrs Dean will be in a cover role until she commences her maternity leave in October.
Miss McGillicuddy is moving to Y4
Mr King is moving to Y5
Mrs Slyfield and Miss Thompson will be moving to Y3
Miss Iasi will be joining our Y6 team alongside Mrs Tisshaw.

We are incredibly proud of our strong, experienced teaching staff teams for next year!

We are currently finalising the class lists and your children will find out on transition day which class they will be in next year. This will also be emailed to you on the same day.

Diary Dates for the Summer Term:

Sat 27th June: FPSA Summer Fair (11.30am-3pm)
Mon 29th June: Y4 history day
Tues 30th June & Weds 1st July: Y6 FPSS taster days
Mon 6th July: Y6 Business Project- selling to students- for 3 days (email will be sent)
Tues 7th July: SATS results released to schools (expected date)
Weds 8th July: Y5 PE workshop at FPSS- 1.30-3.00pm
Thurs 9th July: Y3 Visit to Copas Farm
Fri 10th July: Reports out (emailed)
Fri 10th July: Y4 Longridge trip
W/b 13th July: Y6 Play performances -check school diary for specific performances
Weds 15th July: Transition afternoon to New Classes 1pm-3pm
Thurs 16th July: 2.30pm Guitar concert (invited parents only)
Fri 17th July: Y6 Pizza Making
Sat 18th - Sun 19th July: FPSA Summer Camp
Tues 21st July: Y6 Pizza Leavers' Party 1pm-5pm
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

Sports Day 2026

Last week, we had yet another fantastic sports day and I am sure you will agree it was a incredibly organised and successful event! Well done to Vikings for winning (first time in 12 years! with the final scores being:

Vikings: 241

Normans: 201

Romans: 197

Danes: 150

Well done to our Y6 sprint finalists who won top 3 places:

Girls: 1st: Lexi, 2nd: Adya, 3rd: Clementine

Boys: 1st Harveer, 2nd: Frankie 3rd: Fred

Thank you to Mrs Tisshaw and Miss Gill for all their passion, dedication and hard-work that they have put into the organisation and logistics of this event- which does take hours to co-ordinate! It is no mean feat ensuring that all 365 children have races of their choice, get to the events and take part. Also well done to the rest of the staff for all the effort and enthusiasm they put in to making the day so much fun for everyone- what a brilliant community FPJS is!

Well done to the following children below who created a new FPJS records:

FPJS Open Evening

On Wednesday 10th June 2026, we were delighted to host our very first Open Evening and what a fantastic success it was! The evening gave every class the opportunity to showcase the wonderful work, projects and achievements they have undertaken throughout the year.

Children and parents enjoyed exploring the whole school, visiting classrooms and seeing the exciting learning opportunities that await them as they move through each year group. We were also pleased to welcome Year 2 pupils from the infant school, who attended along with their parents as part of their transition to Year 3. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for them to become familiar with the junior school environment, meet staff and begin to look forward to the exciting journey ahead.

For all pupils, the evening offered a valuable opportunity to begin the transition to the next academic year, allowing children to become familiar with their future classrooms and gain an insight into the expectations and learning experiences ahead.

We were thrilled to welcome so many families and would like to thank everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a success. For those who were unable to join us, class teachers took children on a tour of the school the following morning so that everyone could celebrate and appreciate the fantastic work that has taken place across all year groups this year.

The success of our first Open Evening has inspired us and we have already begun planning next year's event and are excited to make it even bigger and better!

Mrs Barbosa

Y6 Black and British Workshops

Year 6 recently took part in a Black and British workshop to consolidate their history learning. It was aN interactive session where the children engaged in drama-based activities, including tableaux, to explore themes of segregation across both the Americas and Britain.

They also delved into the lives and achievements of influential modern figures such as Stormzy – who has set up a university fund to support young people into higher education – and Marcus Rashford, who has written a book and campaigned passionately for free school meals. The workshop helped the children reflect on how these individuals have made a lasting impact on society and inspired positive change in the modern world.

Y4 Mathemagical competition

Three of our Year 4 pupils recently represented the school at the Mathemagical Competition, competing against teams from 17 other schools. Working collaboratively, they raced to solve 28 challenging reasoning and problem-solving questions, where speed, accuracy and teamwork were all put to the test. The children demonstrated excellent mathematical thinking, communicated their ideas clearly and supported one another brilliantly throughout the competition.

We are incredibly proud to share that they were crowned overall winners, finishing in 1st place! Well done to all three children for representing the school so brilliantly!

Y4 Trip to Hampton Court

Year 4 had a fantastic day exploring Hampton Court Palace as part of their Tudor history topic. During the visit, the children took part in two expert-led workshops, Investigating King Henry and King Henry's Court, where they examined historical evidence, explored life at the Tudor court and learned more about the fascinating reign of King Henry VIII. They also enjoyed a teacher-led trail around the palace grounds, discovering many of the palace's most famous features.

The children were a real credit to the school throughout the day. They represented us brilliantly with their excellent behaviour, enthusiasm and curiosity, asking thoughtful questions and engaging fully in every activity. We were incredibly proud of the way they conducted themselves and the positive comments we received from the workshop leaders.

Y3 Roman Day

On Monday 15th June the Year 3 children were lucky enough to have a Roman Day workshop run by 'History Off The Page'. The children all came to school dressed in their Roman day costumes and looked fantastic! In the morning, the children completed many activities including creating jewellry bags, mosaic tiles, perfumes and wax tablets. They also learned all about Boudicca and how the Roman army defeated her to take over Britain. In the afternoon, the children acted out plays, became Roman soldiers and created their own dance to show to the rest of the cohort. Finally, we ended the day with a feast of pitta, cheese, dates and wine (blackcurrant juice) The children had the most amazing day and have been talking about it ever since. Well done Year 3!

Stars of the week - Class Stars & PE Stars

Newsletter 10: 26th June

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 24th June

Bedrock Learning

Well done to all our children who are regularly completing their homework tasks to improve their vocabulary! Here are our top 20 children who have spent the most time on their bedrock learning since the previous newsletter.

Well done to...

Huge congratulations to Sienna, who competed in her first international swimming competition outside the UK over half-term! Racing against more than 750 swimmers, Sienna rose to the challenge brilliantly.

She competed in six events and won a medal in every single one, bringing home two Golds (200m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke), two Silvers, and two Bronzes. To top off an incredible weekend, she also broke four club records for her age group!

Beyond her fantastic medal haul, Sienna truly lived our school values. She showed immense resilience, cheered on her teammates, and demonstrated wonderful grace and humility throughout the competition.

We are incredibly proud of Sienna!

Sports Update

FootGolf Year 3 and Year 5

Year 3 Footgolf Festival

On Wednesday 17th June, 28 students from Wren Class (Year 3) proudly represented Furze Platt Junior School at the Footgolf Festival. The children completed six different skills stations before taking on a six-hole footgolf course. They all performed brilliantly, demonstrating excellent determination, teamwork and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the event. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the school.

Year 5 Footgolf Competition

On Wednesday 17th June, 18 Year 5 pupils represented Furze Platt Junior School at the afternoon Footgolf Competition. The team competed in six skills stations, earning points before tackling a six-hole footgolf course. They gave an outstanding performance throughout the competition and were rewarded with an impressive 3rd place finish. Congratulations to everyone involved on a fantastic achievement and for representing the school so positively.

Miss Gill

Tennis skills festival year 3

Tennis Skills Festival

On Thursday 4th June, nine Year 3 students travelled to Newlands Girls' School to represent Furze Platt at a Tennis Skills Festival.

Throughout the event, the children took part in eight different tennis skill activities, helping them to develop and improve a range of techniques. They showed great enthusiasm, worked hard at each station, and demonstrated excellent teamwork and sportsmanship.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the festival and came away having learnt lots of new tennis skills. They were fantastic ambassadors for Furze Platt and represented the school brilliantly.

Miss Gill

Year Group Updates

Year 3 News

This has been an exciting start to our final term in Year 3. This included both a Roman Day (see above for information and photos) and a sports day.

In English, the children have been creating their own non-chronological reports for a fictional animal. The children used all of the correct features as well as conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs.

In maths, the children have been working on statistics using bar graphs and pictograms as well as using clocks to tell the time. The children have enjoyed collecting data and showing time using half past, quarter past and quarter to the hour.

In science, we have been focusing on light and how shadows are made. The children looked at different sources of light as well as testing which materials were opaque, translucent and transparent. We then looked at how shadows change depending on the distance or position of the light.

As part of our Romans topic, the children have looked at the timeline of the invasions as well as why the Romans invaded Britain.

In DT the children have been looking at where food comes from and how it is imported and exported. We then looked at the different ways to cut and grate food in preparation for our upcoming trip to Copas' Farm where the children will pick fruit and then make a fruit salad.

We are also focusing on transition to Year 4 and have started to talk through this with the children. We have discussed how it can be scary and at times we get nervous, but it also exciting with new learning and experiences.

We have had a great few weeks and have many more exciting things coming up on the lead up to the Summer break.

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 hand will the big hand be on for quarter past 5?

What are the features of a non-chronological report?

What happens to a shadow when it is closer to an object?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y3...

Podkin One Ear - Kieran Larwood

Rotten Romans - Horrible Histories

The Creakers - Tom Fletcher

Year 4 News

We have had an excellent start to our final term. The children have been incredibly busy and have continued to work hard in all areas of the curriculum.

In English, the children have been writing the resolution and ending to The Explorer. They have used a range of descriptive techniques, including the five senses and show, not tell, to bring their writing to life. Their excellent knowledge of rainforests, developed throughout our geography lessons this year, has helped them to create detailed and engaging narratives.

In Maths, the children have been exploring lines of symmetry using mirrors to identify and complete symmetrical shapes. They have also been learning about the different types of triangles and investigating the properties of a range of 2D shapes.

In Geography, the children have been exploring the Amazon River Basin, learning about its importance to both people and wildlife, as well as the challenges it faces.

The children have also thoroughly enjoyed their DT lessons, where they tasted and evaluated different scones before baking their own healthy, sugar-free versions. They were very proud of their finished products and enjoyed putting their baking skills into practice!

Kingfisher Class also enjoyed taking part in their Bikeability sessions this week, where they developed their cycling skills and learned how to ride safely and confidently. We hope that Swift and Skylark Classes will be able to take part in their Bikeability sessions over the coming weeks.

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:

What is the difference between symmetrical and asymetrical?
Can you name three positive ways humans impact our earth?
What is the French word for 'backpack'?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y4:

The Boy Who Met a Whale

By Nizrana Farook

Call Me Lion

By Camilla Chester

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum

By Andy Stanton

Year 5 News

It has been an incredibly busy and productive few weeks in Year 5, with the children showing great dedication across all areas of their learning. In English, we have been completely captivated by our class text, The Storm Keeper's Island. Inspired by its magical atmosphere, the children have been creating their own narratives, focusing on writing a balance of rich setting descriptions and captivating dialogue. They have been learning to use speech effectively to move a plot forward while subtly revealing a character's thoughts, feelings, and actions.

In Maths, the children have learned about interpreting data from charts and graphs and converting units of measure. They have also revisited key arithmetic knowledge and continue to practise applying the fundamental skills to more complex, multi-step word problems.

Meanwhile, creativity has been flowing in Design and Technology as the children have begun designing their own functional tote bags. Many pupils have demonstrated fantastic sewing skills already!

Our Science and PSHE sessions have complemented each other well; the children have engaged in some mature, thoughtful discussions regarding how we change, grow, and develop as humans both physically and emotionally.

Beyond the classroom, it has been wonderful to celebrate the children's personal achievements. They took immense pride in welcoming you into school for our Open Day, and it was a pleasure to see them share their hard work and books so confidently.

The children also took part brilliantly in their events on Sports day, cheering loudly for their houses and demonstrating fantastic sportsmanship throughout the day.

Thank you for your continued support as we head into the final weeks of the term.

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 1.4 kilometres in metres? What is 23 centimeters in millimetres? How many seconds are there in an hour?
Which three punctiations marks can you use to show parentheses? Why might you use parentheses in your writing?
In French, what is une chemise in French? Un pantalon? Une jupe?

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y5:

The Storm Keeper's Island

By Catherine Doyle

Dragon Mountain

By Katie and Kevin Tsang

Year 6 News

Year 6 have had a fantastic start to the summer term! We have been in full swing with our play rehearsals. Lines have been learnt, dances are taking shape and scenery is being painted. We are so excited for you all to come and watch our spectacular performance!

In Maths, over the last few weeks, we have been carrying out market research and have begun developing ideas for the products we might sell as part of our business project, which is now just two weeks away. We can't wait to put our ideas into action!

In Science, we have been exploring micro-organisms, with a particular focus on how mould grows. The warm weather has certainly helped our investigation, as has exposing the bread to a variety of rather dirty surfaces! The results have been fascinating.

In Geography, we have been studying our local area using Ordnance Survey maps, and some of us have started carrying out surveys with parents who live locally. We will be analysing the results to help us answer the question 'Why is Miadenhead such a popular place to live?'.

We know the final weeks are going to so quickly yet we still have so much to fit in!

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 conditions make mould grow quicker?
What makes someone a confident actor on stage?
Name three questions about Maidenhead that were in your survey.

Our current reads we are enjoying in Y6...

School Council Update

A massive thank you to everyone who supported the School Council’s Great Thames Book Swap! We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we raised over £100 for the Thames Hospice 'Trunks along the Thames' appeal!

Thanks to your incredible generosity, hundreds of pre-loved books have marched off to brand-new homes. We knew our school loved reading, but you truly showed us that you have tonnes of heart.

Not only did we raise an elephant-astic amount of money for charity, but we also gave our Eco Club something to cheer about. By passing on our old books instead of buying new ones, we successfully recycled hundreds of stories—saving trees and keeping our planet happy. Talk about a win-win!

Any books that didn't find a new home last week have been packed up and donated to the upcoming School Fair, so the fundraising journey continues.

A huge well done to our 24 School Council members for running the shop so beautifully, and a giant thank you to everyone who brought in their 50ps.

Keep reading, FPJS!

Mrs Sweatman

SEND information for parents

While you are preparing your children and young people for transition I wanted to highlight some of the information that is available in RBWM.

The RBWM local offer, information and advice for families can be found here:

https://rbwm.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/education/guidance-about-choosing-and-applying-for-schools/education-transitions-for-children-with-send

Expectations for settings are available in RBWM's Ordinarily Available resource here:

https://rbwm.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/education/about-sen-support-in-schools/ordinarily-available-provision/expectations-of-all-settings/transitions-and-preparing-for-adulthood

Below are some newly created leaflets for families that I will also display on the SEND page on the website.

4283_W_M_transition_to_SECONDARY_OR_UPPER_SCHOOL_June_23.pdf

4283_W_M_transition_to_JUNIOR_SCHOOL_June_23.pdf

FPSA Update

Summer Fair tomorrow - it's coming home!

We look forward to seeing you at our World Cup Summer Fair tomorrow. Kick off is 11.30am and full time is 3pm. Please bring change with you as not every stall has a card reader. Due to the hot forecast, you are advised to bring a hat, suntan cream and water.

Thank you to those people who have signed up to help on a stall for one hour or more, much appreciated. We still have a few slots to fill, here is the link to sign up: https://volunteersignup.org/8HRYW

Food options include a BBQ, tuck shop, cake stall, delicious samosas and cookies in the Juniors hall.

Summer Fair Silent Auction

The online Silent Auction is up and running and finishes on Friday July 3rd. We have lots of fabulous prizes on offer so please take a look and get bidding!

https://fpsa.charityhive.co.uk/auction

Summer Fair Raffle - top prize of £250, 2nd prize of £100

Get your raffle tickets now as you could be in with a chance of winning cash prizes with a top prize of £250! Link is here: https://fpsa.charityhive.co.uk/raffles

Cheese & Wine Evening II

On Friday 12th June, we ran our second Cheese & Wine evening and once again, it was hosted by Matt Mawtus. A fun evening was had by just under 50 people. Winners in the evening included Dean who won the top prize on the 100 Board (lunch for two at Michelin-starred restaurant, Hide in London), Ralf who won the second prize (a bottle of wine) and Jemma who guessed the mystery wine from South Africa. The 2 Cheese & Wine evenings have raised over £2,000 for both schools which is fantastic.

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:

Summer Fair - Saturday 27th June (11.30am-3pm)

It's tomorrow! Kick off is 11.30am and full time is 3pm.

Year 2 Leavers' Disco - Friday 17th July (4.15pm-5.30pm)

Calling all year 2 children, DJ Dexter and DJ Dee will be in the house (hall) playing some top tunes! Tickets will include a special FPIS leavers keyring. Tickets go on sale very soon.

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, Bar, Tuck shop 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/

Summer Reading Challenge 2026

Summer Reading Challenge

Beat the "Summer Slide" with the Library Reading Challenge!

Summer break is nearly here, and while we love the downtime, it’s also the perfect season to foster a love for reading! This week marks the launch of the Summer Reading Challenge at all local libraries, beginning 5th July until 12th September.

This year's theme, "Read to the Beat" is packed with fun activities, tracking logs, and cool prizes to motivate your child to keep turning pages. Whether they are into graphic novels, audiobooks, fantasy, or sci-fi—it all counts!

Visiting the library is a fantastic, free summer activity. Head over to your local branch to sign up, meet the librarians, and stock up on some great summer reads. All of the children who complete the challenge will receive a certificate to be presented in assembly in September!

Books for the summer- GET AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR

We absolutely love books at Furze Platt Junior School! We love reading for pleasure and we encourage all our children to love books as much as we do. Our teachers are constantly on the lookout for new and exciting reads and we regularly update our library with current reads.

If you are struggling for ideas for your children, here are a brilliant lists of recommended reads. Remember, you can often get these books from the library. Children love to browse and look through books too - so it is a great summer activity to get into! Try the library challenge too for an added incentive:

This year's theme is "Read to the Beat:- you can find out more at your local library or here

Page updated

Report abuse