Dear Parents/Carers, 

It has been another positive and busy week at Forest Academy, with children continuing to show enthusiasm in their learning and pride in their school. It has been lovely to see such strong engagement across the week and a real sense of community throughout.

A heartfelt thank you to all of the children who participated in Red Nose Day by dressing up or wearing something red. We would also like to thank parents, carers and staff who supported the children in taking part. Your involvement makes a real difference, and your donations are greatly appreciated. We know that even the smallest acts of kindness and generosity can have a meaningful impact.

We are proud to be part of the Inspire Partnership—a group of ten primary schools committed to working collaboratively to improve outcomes for all children. Alongside the central team, we have published our first Impact Report, which highlights what has been achieved across our schools over recent years. As parents and carers, we are keen to share this with you. You can read the report here.

We are also pleased to invite families to join us for our End of Term Easter Fun event on Tuesday 24th March, 3:00–4:30pm at Forest Academy in collaboration with Play Place. There will be a range of enjoyable activities for children, including Easter bonnet making, biscuit decorating, board games and card making. It promises to be a lovely way to celebrate the end of term together, and we hope to see many of you there.

A reminder that next Friday will be a 2:00pm finish for all pupils as we break up for the end of term. Please note that there will be no after‑school clubs and no Play Place provision on that day.

Finally, we would like to wish all members of our community who are celebrating today a very joyful Eid Mubarak.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Mrs Lloyd & the Forest Academy Team

What a fantastic and exciting week we’ve had in Year 1! The classroom has been buzzing with curiosity and discovery as the children became brilliant young scientists during science week, investigating which boats sink and which float. Using marbles to test their ideas, they explored, predicted, and experimented with great enthusiasm—there were lots of “wow” moments as they watched their boats in action!

In English, the children worked brilliantly together during paired editing, sharing ideas and helping each other to improve their writing. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they become thoughtful and supportive learning partners.

Every Friday is full of fun with our practical number activities! The children love getting hands-on with their maths, exploring numbers in creative and engaging ways that make learning both meaningful and exciting.

In design technology, they created moving gingerbread men using sliders and lolly sticks. That was a fun activity filled with excitement and teamwork!

Step into the NHS day helped the children to understand that the NHS is more than just hospitals. The children explored a range of jobs in the NHS. They were surprised by the variety of jobs that are required in the NHS. The children selected their first, second and third choice of jobs that they were aware of in the NHS. 

In science, the children have been examining the different types of soil. They investigated sand, silt, clay and loam. The properties of these different soils meant there were different uses for the different types of soil. The children were amazed that crockery was often made from clay. When the soil they mixed with clay had settled, they were able to see the silt layer. Loam was the one they found best for growing plants in.  During British Science Week, the children enjoyed the challenge of building paper boats and testing their designs to be able to carry some marbles over the water.

In maths, the children have been counting in fractions and comparing equivalent fractions. They have also been putting fractions on number lines to order them. 

Stone Age housing and the tools they used have been the focus of history. The children learnt about the reasons why the Stone Age people adapted from hunter-gatherers to settlers and farmers. Many tools were made from stones in that time period, so the children were able to identify how people started to develop tools and weapons.

In art, the children were investigating a range of natural fabric dyes. They were testing which ingredients would create which colours.

Last week, Year 5 enjoyed taking part in the national 'Step into the NHS' day, where they virtually met a range of people who work for the NHS. They found out about all the different roles and how they work together to ensure the NHS is run effectively. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and created posters celebrating the NHS.

In English, the children wrote a first person narrative as the main character in the core text 'A Kind of Spark'. They then identified features of a monologue and generated rhetorical questions Addie might have about herself and the world around her. In maths, the children have been learning how to compare and order decimal numbers, and round decimal numbers to the nearest whole number and nearest tenth. They were then introduced to percentages and learnt that percent means 'out of 100'. 

In science, the children learnt about air resistance and investigated whether surface area affects air resistance. They made parachutes of different sizes and timed how long it took for them to reach the ground. They concluded that the larger the surface area, the greater the air resistance. 

In history, children have been exploring the positive and negative experiences that people who travelled on the Empire Windrush had when they moved to the UK. They heard and read stories from a range of people, including Norma Best who became a successful headteacher and Sam King, who was Mayor of Southwark. In RE, the children discussed the qualities needed if you want to bring about change such as empathy and courage.

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