William Barcroft Junior School
'Success and happiness for all'
'Pupils are very happy to attend this nurturing and inclusive school'
'The school has high ambition for pupils' achievement'
'Pupils know they have a strong voice'
'The school's pastoral care is exemplary'
Ofsted report - June 2025
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/143884
Message from the Principal:
Good Afternoon everyone and welcome to our final newsletter of 2025. My messages are all in my end of term letter this week, so all that is left for me to say is another thank you for your wonderful support and have a lovely Christmas everyone.
S Sargent
Principal
If your child is absent, please contact the school office via telephone rather than the enquires email so that we can log your child's absence before the registers close.
This term we have been challenging each class to hit 100% attendance daily with our attendance popcorn competition. Every day that a class gets 100% attendance, they receive a piece of popcorn on our attendance display. The two classes (one upper school and one lower school) with the most pieces of popcorn by the final week of term received a HUGE box of popcorn and had the opportunity to choose an activity of their choice. This terms winners were Daffodils and Lillies. Congratulations to both classes for working hard at this challenge and to the rest of the school for putting in extra effort to get themselves into school everyday.
Spring 1
Children return on Monday 5th January 2026
WB 5th January - Year 6 workshops
Tuesday 13th January - Back2Bear parents meeting 3.15pm
Wednesday 21st January - SEND parents evening
Thursday 22nd January - Year 5 Magna trip
Friday 13th February - Last day of term
Monday 23rd February - Return to school for Spring term 2
Term dates
Please check the website for 2025 - 2026 term dates.
General Information
Please do not ride bikes and scooters on the school grounds, this is for children and adults. This is for the safety of our children, thank you.
Please note, electric scooters are not allowed on the school site due to health and safety regulations and not having the facilities to store them in school.
Please do not bring pets onto the school site due to health and safety regulations. This includes picking up from after school clubs.
PE Kits
PE kit MUST be brought to school on your child's PE days,
Year 5 and Year 6 - Monday and Wednesday
Year 3 and Year 4 - Tuesday and Thursday
PE kit should be worn for every PE lesson to ensure children are successful and safe during their session. Please ensure your child is wearing the school PE top with the WBJS logo, black or blue joggers/shorts and comfortable trainers.
WBJS Newsround
We are incredibly proud of how brilliantly our Year 3 pupils have settled into the Junior school this term! We were delighted to celebrate their fantastic start, and their exceptional work, at the recent Learning Showcase. Our first maths focus was mastering place value, followed by the formal written methods for column addition and column subtraction. Most recently we've been learning our 3, 4 and 8 times tables, so please remember to keep practising over the holidays - be a TTRockstar! In Literacy, we have thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Stone Age Boy' and 'The Nothing to See Here Hotel', both books sparked interest for our own creative writing. Our History topic has taken us on an exciting journey through time, as we explored the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age . A highlight for many was our immersive Stone Age Day, where students dressed up and participated in mini workshops. In Science, we started by investigating rocks and soils, and have now moved on to being Physicists exploring forces and magnets in the world around us. Thank you once again for your fantastic support from home; it makes a significant difference to your child's learning journey. We look forward to another productive term together!
It has been an incredibly busy and productive Autumn Term for Year 4! In Maths, we have mastered the foundations of number through place value and sharpened our mental agility by practicing our times tables. Our English lessons took a spooky turn as we wrote captivating newspaper reports based on the adventures of Stitch Head, while our class reading sessions transported us to the magical world of The Land of Roar.
In Science, we turned into young biologists to explore animals and their habitats, learning how different species adapt to their environments.
Our creativity shone through in Art as we practiced the proportions and techniques of portraiture, while in PE, we headed outside to develop our teamwork and stick skills on the hockey pitch. Finally, we took important time to reflect on our well-being and support one another as we celebrated World Mental Health Day, capping off a fantastic start to the school year.
Year 5 have had a very successful first term in their new year group and classes, rising to challenges and working together to overcome them.
They have expanded on their knowledge in maths with their multiplication and division skills, and have put a large amount of focus into fraction work in the run up to Christmas. In English they enjoyed being introduced to the mysterious and spooky world of Aveline Jones before entering the magical setting of Hogwarts and following Harry Potter through his first year at wizarding school.
In other areas of the curriculum the children have been creative in Art and DT, creating illustrations of some characters from our English studies, as well as making flavoursome dips that matched our geography topic of Mexico. As well as learning about Mexico in today's world, history allowed us to study a people who used to live in this exotic part of the world - the Mayans. We have studied a variety of areas from their beliefs, their clothes, to their sporting activities.
Science has been very exciting this term, particularly when looking at space and being lucky enough to have a visit from the Planetarium. Hopefully next term will be just as exciting when we get to go on a trip to Magna to learn more about 'Materials' for Science as well as 'Natural Disasters' for Geography.
Throughout all classes children have shown curiosity and enthusiasm about our topics, allowing them to flourish in the classroom - we can't wait to see what else is in store after Christmas!
Year 6 have had a fabulous Autumn term. All classes are enjoying their learning and working very hard. In maths they have conquered tricky fractions including adding mixed numbers, multiplying and dividing fractions and finding fractions of amounts. The four operations have improved: long multiplication and division are becoming more fluent. In our second test week, the results reflect the children’s hard work.
The children loved reading Aveline Jones and the Hunger games- they have written narratives, diary entries and newspaper reports. They have worked hard to include various sentence types and vary their punctuation. Their writing is showing that they are becoming more aware of the reader and linking reading to writing.
In science they have learnt about electricity and evolution. They have been electrical engineers and have been able to construct circuits and have investigated the effects of making changes to the circuits. During our evolution topic they have learnt about Charles Darwin and the impact he has had on modern science since his theory of evolution.
Climate change has been the focus of geography lessons and the children are looking forward to completing this after Christmas with a Climate Change workshop with Labrascals where they will build their own wind turbines.
History has focused on the Tudors; from Henry the 7th to Elizabeth the 1st. Learning about Henry the 8th and the reformation of the church was fascinating and the children have really impressed us with how much they have remembered-they really enjoyed creating our showcase, which retold the Tudor period.
On Friday 12th December and Wednesday 17th December, our pupils were treated to a truly magical festive experience at Grimsby Auditorium. This year’s pantomime was the timeless classic Beauty and the Beast, brought to life with dazzling costumes, lively music, and plenty of laughter.
The children were captivated from start to finish, joining in with the fun and enjoying the spectacular performances on stage. A particularly special moment came when our very own Neveah was invited up onto the stage—an unforgettable highlight that had everyone cheering!
It was a wonderful festive treat for all, filled with joy, excitement, and plenty of Christmas spirit. A fantastic way to celebrate the season together!
Our performance of Oliver! was a huge hit, and our students really shined onstage. The cast brought tons of energy, heart, and humor to every scene, and the audience loved watching the story come to life. From big musical numbers to touching moments, everyone gave it their all and made the show something special. We’re so proud of the hard work that went into it and grateful to everyone who came out to cheer us on.
At William Barcroft we took part in celebrating Christmas Jumper day and raised an incredible amount of money for a great cause! The children all looked fabulous in their Christmas jumpers and enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner too! Thank you to everyone who donated, this money will go to families and children around the UK and world who need support and help in an increasing volatile world and will help them to stay safe. Thank you.
The day was accompanied by a Christmas dinner in the hall which the children thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to Mellors for providing us with a fantastic festive feast!
To top off a brilliant term, the school hall was transformed into a festive celebration for our Christmas Disco on Monday! The atmosphere was electric as the children traded their school uniforms for their best party outfits and hit the dance floor to enjoy their favorite holiday hits. There was plenty of laughter, impressive dance moves, and a wonderful sense of community as everyone celebrated their hard work together. It was the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit and end the year on a high note!
Unfortunately the rain this year meant we couldn't get to the church this year for our annual Christmas celebration, so instead the church came to us! We loved our visit from Rev. Mellaney and our Barcroft band fronted by Mr Blake and Miss and Mrs Townell. The children sang better than they ever had before and we loved hearing the Christmas story.
On Wednesday afternoon we had an very unexpected but appreciated visit from the one and only Santa! He welcomed us all into the hall with a sack full of presents and a cheerful smile. He told us that we were on the nice list and that we have been impressing him as William Barcroft role models. Thank you Santa!
Follow this link to visit the safeguarding section of our website, and for a copy of our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy. https://wba.harbourlearningtrust.com/our-academy/safeguarding/
We are pleased to announce that the Humberside Police 'Mini Police' project has started again at WBJS. Usually the scheme is delivered during the Summer term only but last year we had so many pupils asking to join we have pleaded for them to come back and deliver the sessions twice a year for our school - which thankfully they agreed to do! There will be 7 weekly sessions for the children to take part in followed by a presentation to their parents/carers in January.
Change the life of a local child, be a foster carer. Enquire today Fostering in North East Lincolnshire | NELC
As a foster friendly school, we want to raise awareness of the need for local foster carers to come forward in the area. If you think you can make a positive difference to a child’s life, enquire today. Fostering in North East Lincolnshire | NELC https://youtu.be/sNXx6dycp3Y
For all SEND enquiries please contact Mrs Asher our school SENDCO.
NAS Parent Support Programmes – FAQs NE Lincolnshire
What are the NAS parent support programmes?
Evidence-based courses licensed by the National Autistic Society:
• EarlyBird (under 6)
• EarlyBird Plus (approx. 5–10)
• Teen Life (approx. 10–16)
home–school collaboration.
Does my child or young person need to have received an autism diagnosis?
No families with a diagnosis or on the assessment pathway are welcome.
How long are the courses?
Six weekly sessions (around 2–2.5 hours each). Regular attendance is important for best results.
Is there a cost?
No, the programmes are free at the point of access locally.
Can a professional attend with us?
Yes, with your consent, a supporting professional (e.g., SENCO) can attend to strengthen home–school collaboration.
How do we register?
Complete the Microsoft Form (link provided in the email) to confirm interest and share your preferences (days/times, online option, access needs).
Is online delivery available?
We’re collecting preferences to shape future cohorts, including potential online options.
What if we miss a session?
We understand things happen please let facilitators know. We’ll support you, but attending all six sessions is strongly recommended.
My child’s age is at a boundary – which course should we choose?
Choose based on developmental stage, not just chronological age. If unsure, note this on the form and a facilitator will advise.
Can Teen Life include older teens (e.g., 17–19)?
Teen Life is designed for parents of adolescents. If your young person is older but their developmental stage fits, mention this on the form we’ll review case-by-case.
Where and when are sessions held?
Dates and times are shown in the Microsoft Form. Places are first come, first served. Venue details will be sent after registration.
What outcomes do families report?
Greater understanding and confidence, practical strategies to use immediately, and valuable peer support.
Toy scalping & online fakes aren’t just frustrating—they can harm children financially & emotionally. This #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how bots & scams work, and how parents can help young people stay safe.
Download your FREE copy here >> vist.ly/4hxpk
Please check out the following links to our X (Twitter) accounts and see what each class have been up to this week in real-time!
