Woodside Weekly - 16th October 2026

Woodside Weekly Newsletter

Respect ⟡ Resilience ⟡ Aspiration ⟡ Excellence ⟡ Integrity ⟡ Collaboration

16th October 2026

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Parents / Carers

We have reached the end of a busy and productive first half term, rounded off with our Parents' Evening this week. Thank you so much to all of our families who attended; it was wonderful to speak with you and celebrate the fantastic progress and efforts of our pupils so far this year. If you were unable to make your appointment, please contact your child's class teacher directly so that you can arrange an alternative time to catch up.

You may have noticed we have started to ring a bell in the mornings. We will ring the bell at 8:47 to signal 3 minutes until the gates close. At 8:50, the bell will ring again signalling if you enter school after this time, you will need to sign in late at the office.

Next half term, we are please to announce for full time children in our Nursery provisions (Nest & Saplings) parents can now place hot lunch orders from Chartwells. Please find full information in our letter directory.

Please ensure you check our directory, as a number of key communications have been published this week. These include important letters regarding trips for next term (Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6 Residential), Year 3's upcoming sharing assembly next half term, an invitation to a Year 4 MTC parent session and Reception Phonics Parent Virtual Workshop.

We have also shared a letter to our Year 6 parents about the use of WhatsApp. Whilst we know WhatsApp is a common communication tool for many, including children, we have seen some inappropraite use of this social media platform. A reminder that WhatsApp has an age restriction of 13. Please read the letter and the poster for more information.

Finally today, we say goodbye to Miss Briggs. She has been with us for over 2 years and we wish her well as she embarks on new adventures in Australia. We are happy that Mrs Saloojee will be returning from maternity to take over from Miss Brigg's role in 4 Maple.

We hope you all have a restful, safe, and enjoyable two-week October half-term break with your families. We look forward to seeing all the children back bright and early on Monday, 2nd November.

Mr Atwal

Values Focus

This term, our value has been Excellence. Today, we introduced our new term for next half term: Respect.

Respect means knowing and showing that everyone and everything matters. It is about treating others the way you want to be treated.

Ask your child:

How do you treat others?
How do you want to be treated?
What do you do to show respect?

Local Council Committee

LCC Woodside Parent Advert.pdf

Trams Update

Please see a message below about the London Trams which will impact services to Blackhorse Lane. This will start during October half term until Thursday 5th November. Please plan ahead to ensure your child arrives at school on time.

Spotlight on LKS2

Year 3

What a fantastic start to the new school year! The children have settled brilliantly into Key Stage 2, adapting quickly to classroom routines and building strong working relationships. Inspired by our global theme of Human Rights, we have enjoyed a busy and engaging Autumn 1 term across the curriculum.

In English, we explored the life of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson through the book 'Hidden Figures'. After analyzing features like headings, time adverbials and chronological structure, the children put their skills into practice by researching a female member of school staff and publishing their own biographies. We also studied emotive free-verse poetry, learning how to express emotion through abstract nouns and subordinating conjunctions. Every pupil planned, wrote and published an original poem about a fundamental human right, finishing with a performance showcase to their peers.

In Maths, children deepened their understanding of numbers up to 1,000. Using Base 10 equipment and part-whole models, they practiced partitioning 3-digit numbers, counting in 50s, ordering values using terms like ascending and descending and finding 1, 10, or 100 more or less. We then focused on mental addition and subtraction, learning to add and subtract 1s, 10s, and 100s and mastering strategies to jump flexibly across tens and hundreds on a number line.

History came to life through hands-on discovery. As well as the successful trip to the Horniman Museum where they took part and had the experience to explore ancient Egyptian artefacts. To explore primary sources, our classroom transformed into Howard Carter's famous 1922 discovery, where pupils used flashlights to "excavate" tomb artifacts and write archaeological logs. They compared the leadership of Queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra, explored mummification science using tomatoes and natron salts, and concluded the term with a "Living Museum" display of all their creations.

Thank you for your ongoing support as your children settle into Year 3.

Year 4

In Writing, the children have finished presenting their final narratives inspired by 'The Girl Who Stole an Elephant'. They put incredible effort into their presentation and handwriting—we are so proud of how thoughtful and clear their finished pieces look!

In Maths, we’ve been building our confidence with addition using exchanging. The children have shown great persistence and problem-solving skills as they work through column addition!

To celebrate Black History Month, Year 4 explored the vibrant, street-art style of local artist Nathan Bowen. Using his iconic graffiti style, the children created brilliant portraits of their own local area heroes. Their artwork is full of colour and energy!

Inclusion & Family Support

HAF is coming to October Half Term!

For the first time, Croydon’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme will be running during the October half-term holiday, offering eligible children and young people in Years 1 to 11 free activities and a nutritious meal.

Bookings opened at 4pm on Thursday 8th October.

The previous supermarket holiday voucher scheme has now ended following the end of the Household Support Fund. Families experiencing financial hardship can apply for support through Croydon’s Crisis and Resilience Fund

From future HAF programmes, eligibility will change and will be linked to Targeted Free School Meals. Families who may be eligible should make sure they have completed the appropriate registration with the school.

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.

Follow Family Support at Woodside by clicking on the following link; Family Support Woodside Primary School

Other Updates

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE COPY

For Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we did an activity in Art Club to help the children explore how illness made them feel, and what images might comfort them when they weren’t feeling well.

David Collingridge, is Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology and Vice President of The Lancet’s academic journals, and one of the most influential individuals working in oncology, selected two designs he liked the best and we had them mocked up as journal covers, they will also be framed for display at school.

Prof David Collingridge, The Lancet, London, UK. Prof Collingridge is the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology and Vice President The Lancet’s academic journals. In addition to his work at The Lancet, he has also worked at University College London; Imperial College School of Medicine, London; King’s College London; Yale University, USA; and Hofstra University, USA. Prof Collingridge is an award-winning editor including the GHC 2025 Distinguished Global Oncology Leader and OncoDaily’s Top 100 most influential people in oncology. He has published extensively and advises the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, on clinical research and publication strategy.

Here are the two winning designs: