Dear Parents/Carers, 

It has been a busy week here at Forest Academy. On Wednesday and Thursday we welcomed school leaders and teachers from other schools who came to see the work we are doing across the school. Today, our Year 2 pupils enjoyed an exciting trip to Sea Life, where they explored the underwater world and learned more about marine life.

Our KS2 Step into the NHS Day also took place yesterday, Thursday 12th March. Pupils had the opportunity to learn about the many different roles within the NHS and the important work healthcare professionals do to support our communities.

Next week we will also be supporting Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.

On Friday 20th March, pupils are invited to “Dress for Joy” or wear something red to school. This could be their own clothes or simply an addition to their school uniform, such as a red accessory. Cash donations to Comic Relief are welcome and will be collected at the school gate on Friday morning.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Lloyd & the Forest Academy Team

Elm class have had an amazing week this week!

In English, we have written to inform by form of a re-told story, in our case it was for the tale of Frog Belly Rat Bone.  The children were able to re-write the whole story, adding their own little spin on it.

Length and height was the main  focus in maths this week, the children looked at longest and shortest and investigated in the classroom by measuring many classroom objects such as books, pencils and baskets to see what they measured and to make comparisons between longest and shortest by looking at the amount of centimetres each object measured.

We ended our week with an amazing trip to the London Seal life centre on the Southbank, where children were able to see aquatic animals in their habitats and micro habitats. We saw sharks, sea horses, turtles, clown fish and many more.

In Year 4, we have been learning about sounds, how they are made and travel into our ears. They learnt that sound is vibration that travels through a medium. We identified that there are three ways of making sounds namely; strings, banging and blowing. They learnt that sound travels into our ears and then into the brains which tells us what particular sounds are made and heard. The children investigated how to make sounds using strings and paper cups. They explored how the vibration is blocked from travelling through a medium by tying a knot in the string and they observed that they barely heard the sound from the sound, which they cleverly explained why that happened.

We are bursting with pride over how the children completed their final Mock SATs practice before the real assessments begin. Their maturity, focus, and calm attitude during these papers were truly impressive. They should all be deeply proud of how hard they have worked; the progress we are seeing is a direct result of their dedication.

In Mathematics, we have shifted our focus to the world of geometry. The children have been mastering the use of a protractor to measure and draw angles with precision. We have explored several key geometric rules, including calculating missing angles on a straight line, finding angles around a point, and identifying the internal angles of various quadrilaterals. It has been fantastic to see them apply their addition and subtraction skills to solve these complex visual puzzles.

Our English lessons have taken a mysterious turn as we began exploring the short Spanish film, Alma. This haunting animation tells the story of a young girl who is lured into a strange toy shop by a doll that looks exactly like her, only to find herself trapped in a chilling twist. The children have used this eerie setting to develop their narrative writing, specifically focusing on how to build suspense. By using "show, don't tell" techniques, varying their sentence lengths, and choosing atmospheric vocabulary, they are crafting some truly gripping stories.

In other areas of the curriculum, we have enjoyed a wide range of practical learning. For religious education, we have been exploring the rich diversity of celebrations and ceremonies across various world religions, discussing how these traditions foster a sense of belonging and identity. Finally, to celebrate British Science Week, the classroom turned into a shipyard! The children took part in a STEM challenge to design and build boats, competing to see whose design could hold the heaviest load of marbles without sinking. It was a wonderful way to see their teamwork and engineering skills in action.

If you have concerns about a child (or their families) welfare, contact Croydon Council’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 

Telephone: 020 8726 6400 

Out of hours: 020 8726 6400 (ask for out of hours team) 

Email: childreferrals@croydon.gov.uk 

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 16:00 

If you think a child is at risk of immediate harm telephone 999