Woodside Weekly - 11th September 2026

Woodside Weekly Newsletter

Respect ⟡ Resilience ⟡ Aspiration ⟡ Excellence ⟡ Integrity ⟡ Collaboration

11th September 2026

Heads Welcome

It has been a delightful week at Woodside as we officially welcomed our newest pupils into our Nursery and Reception classes. It was wonderful to greet both our brand-new families and returning faces. While there may have been a few tears at the gate during those first drop-offs, it has been heartwarming to see how quickly the children have settled into their new surroundings, making friends and getting stuck into their learning.

Looking ahead to next week, we have two important opportunities for parent engagement. On Monday at 9:00 AM, we are hosting our RSE Parent Consultation session in the Community Room, where you can come along to find out more about how Relationships and Sex Education is taught across the school. Then, on Tuesday at 9:00 AM, our popular 'Parents in to Read' sessions resume, starting with Year 1. Please refer to the letter sent in last week's directory for full details regarding these sessions.

We are also excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is returning to Woodside next week! As always, every book purchased helps us earn rewards and funds to buy new reading resources for our classrooms and school library. Please see the letter sent out in this week's directory for further information on dates and times.

We hope you all have a lovely and restful weekend.

Mr Atwal

Values Focus

As part of the value of Excellence, this week we explored the idea of "Effort". In order to try and excel and do the best you can, you have to put in effort.

Effort means not just physical effort, but mental effort to finish a task or work towards a goal.

So ask your child:

How much effort have you put in?
What are you trying to achieve?
What can you do more of to get there?

Our Learning this Week - KS1

Welcome to Key Stage 1!

Year 1 have made an excellent start to the new academic year, filling the classroom with big smiles and wonderful enthusiasm. We have spent our first week learning new routines and creating a class charter so everyone feels happy, safe, respected and ready to learn.

In English & Phonics We are building directly on your child's fantastic foundation from Reception. We still share a 'Favourite 5' story together every day and daily phonics and dictation sessions continue using the Little Wandle program to develop the children’s early reading and writing. Our English core text this term is 'My Shadow is Pink.' The children have enjoyed discussing what the main character likes to do and how his feelings change throughout the story. Children have been encouraged to share their ideas orally using sentence starters and speaking in full sentences.

In Maths, we have been focusing on mastering their understanding of numbers to 10. The children have been busy ordering numbers, finding missing numbers, selecting specific quantities from a larger group, and using tens frames. We have also practiced sorting objects into different groups based on their similarities and differences, and identified odd and even numbers by making pairs.

In the wider curriculum, our foundation subjects are off to a flying start! In Science, we are exploring everyday materials, investigating which are hard and which are soft. In Art, the children have been examining flags, taking close note of the different colours, line directions, and line thicknesses. In History, we introduced the concept of time using the words 'past' and 'present,' reflecting on things we have already done in our own pasts. Children have also enjoyed some PE sessions. Please support your child by giving them opportunities to practise undoing and doing up buttons, taking off jumpers, tying shoe laces and learning how to turn clothes the right way round. Please also ensure items are clearly named.

There was great excitement as the children explored our new Learning Hub! Similar to the continuous provision they enjoyed in Reception, this dedicated space allows them to choose independent activities that connect directly to our classroom learning. Each day, children spend time here engaging in creative painting, small-world play, construction, writing, and hands-on maths challenges.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we settle into this exciting new year together! Year 1 Team

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a lovely start to the new school year. The children have settled in well, enjoyed getting to know their new routines, and have already shown lots of enthusiasm for their learning.

In English, we explored a range of traditional fairy tales, including Snow White, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. We discussed the similarities and differences between these stories, thinking carefully about their characters, settings and key events. We then introduced our new core text, 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. The children looked closely at the characters and setting and began to describe them using a range of adjectives. We also practised extending our sentences by using conjunctions such as and, but and because in our writing.

In Maths, we focused on partitioning numbers into tens and ones. The children used practical resources such as cubes and dienes to support their understanding and worked together in pairs, demonstrating our value of collaboration. We also practised representing numbers in different ways, including writing them as digits and in words.

In Geography, we used atlases to locate the United Kingdom and developed our understanding that the UK is part of the continent of Europe. The children enjoyed using maps and atlases to explore where we live in relation to the wider world.

During our RE session, we discussed the meaning of authority and thought about the people who have authority in our lives. The children shared some thoughtful examples from home and talked about the qualities they believe a good authority figure should have, such as being kind, fair, responsible and helpful.

It has been a fantastic start, and we look forward to seeing the children continue to grow in confidence and enjoy their learning over the coming weeks. Year 2 Team

Inclusion & Family Support

Transfer to Secondary School September 2027

If your child’s date of birth is between 1st September 2015 - 31st August 2016, they will be due to start Secondary school in September 2027.

Reminder!!! The deadline for applications is 31st October 2026.

It is recommended that you submit your application no later than 16th October 2026 (Friday before half-term)

Late applications will be processed after those received on time, which could severely reduce your child’s chances of being offered a place at your preferred school.

Applications are made online through eAdmissions which can be accessed through Croydon Councils website - click on the link below;

Apply for a secondary school place: step by step | Croydon Council.

You will also find information on local Secondary schools and step-by-step guidance to help you through the application process.

If you are familiar with the application process, you can apply straight away here; www.eadmissions.org.uk

Click here for the Link to Croydon Secondary Schools Prospectus;

Croydon-Secondary-school-admissions-prospectus-2027

Follow this link for the Transfer to Secondary Schools open days / evenings;

Find out about open days and evenings

If you missed an open day/evening for a particular school, please contact the individual school - most will be happy to accommodate you at another time.

For any parents and carers who need help understanding the school admissions process or need support making an application, please make an appointment to see Mrs Georgiades (Family Support Officer) who will be happy to help you complete the application. You will need your council tax reference number to make an application.