Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been an incredibly busy and proud week for the Woodside community.

A huge thank you to the Year 3 and Year 4 parents and carers who joined us for 'Parents in to Read' this week; it is always wonderful to see our pupils sharing their love of reading with you. We also want to thank everyone who attended our two coffee mornings this week—the 'Meet the SENCO' session on Monday and our PTA Relaunch on Friday. It was fantastic to have so many of you in school to meet Miss Hopeton and to discuss the exciting future of our PTA.

On Wednesday, we had the privilege of hosting all the Headteachers and Trust Leaders from across our partnership. They conducted a full learning walk of the school, and we are delighted to share that it went extremely well. The visitors highlighted many strengths, including our children's excellent behaviour for learning, the high expectations in every classroom, and the effective adaptive teaching practices in action. We are incredibly proud of our pupils and staff as we continue on our journey of continuous improvement.

We also have a very special story to share from one of our pupils. Logan in Year 5 is running the Race for Life, and he has a moving message for our community:

"I am going to do the 3k race for life with my family. I am doing the race in memory of Ms. Sriranjan, my teacher from my school. She was so kind and lovely. Even with my disability I am determined to raise money to help everyone. Please have a look at my page and support me. Thank you."

If you would like to support Logan’s amazing efforts, you can find his fundraising page here: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/logans-race-for-life-5393. We are all rooting for you, Logan!

Finally, a reminder that this coming Monday, 4th May, is a Bank Holiday, so the school will be closed to all pupils. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday.

We hope you all have a wonderful long weekend.

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

This week, as part of our value of Integrity, we focused on the skill of honesty and why it is important to be honest. Sometimes, it can be hard to be honest even if we know we may have done something wrong or we forgot something. These things are normal but it is key that we own up as being honest shows we are good characters.

Ask you child:

• Why is it important to be honest?

• What would you do if you lied?

• What can you do to show integrity?

💛Helping Your Child Feel Safe and Supported

SATs can feel like a big moment, and it’s normal for children to feel worried or unsure. With the right support at home, children can feel calmer and more confident.

You might notice:

Changes in sleep or appetite

Feeling emotional or easily frustrated

Avoiding work or saying “I can’t do it”

Complaining of headaches or tummy aches

These are common signs of anxiety and nothing to worry about.

🗣️What Your Child Needs to Hear

Keep messages simple and reassuring:

💬“You don’t have to be perfect—just try your best.”

💬“I’m proud of you no matter what.”

💬“SATs don’t define you.”

🧠Top Tips to Reduce Worries

✅Stick to routines

Regular sleep, meals, and calm evenings help children feel secure

✅Keep revision light

Short bursts (10–20 minutes) work best—little and often.

✅Make time for fun

Balance is key—sports, games, and downtime matter.

✅Try calm breathing

Inhale 4 seconds → hold 4 → exhale 4

Repeat to help your child feel settled.

🌈Building Confidence Every Day

Focus on effort, not outcomes:

Praise trying and perseverance

Notice progress, even small steps

Remind them what they can do

🌟Confidence grows when children feel safe to try.

🛏️Wellbeing First

Healthy basics make a big difference:

9–11 hours sleep each night

Nutritious meals and water

Fresh air and movement

🚫Keep Pressure Low

At home, try to:

Stay calm and positive

Avoid comparisons with others

Reduce last-minute cramming

Children pick up on adult stress—your calmness helps them most.

🤝We’re Here to Support You

If your child is feeling worried, please speak to:

Class Teacher

Leadership Team

Family Support Worker (FSW)

We are here to help every step of the way.

🗨️Final Message

SATs are just one small part of your child’s journey.

Their happiness, confidence, and wellbeing matter most.

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Nest

It’s been an action-packed week at the Nest  as we dove into our "On the Farm" theme, which sparked a great deal of excitement and conversation among the children. While reading our story of the week, many children were eager to share their own memories of visiting farms, proudly describing the different animals they had seen in person. We built on this enthusiasm with an interactive animal sound game; by picking an animal from a mystery bag, naming it, and mimicking its sound, the children practiced vital communication and language skills while learning the importance of patience and taking turns. Our mathematical exploration was equally engaging, featuring a vibrant butterfly-themed tuff tray. The children demonstrated impressive confidence as they identified various geometric shapes and meticulously sorted them onto matching colored outlines on the butterfly’s wings, showing a fantastic grasp of both colour recognition and spatial awareness.

Saplings

This week in Saplings, we have enjoyed our third week of plant exploration, focusing on the life cycle of a sunflower where the children have seen clips, images and stories that explain the stages of a sunflower's life, even up to how many days it takes to complete the full cycle. We have been creating flower gardens with playdough, and had some fun mini beast exploration on the decking. We have also been making the most of the warm weather with lots of fun outdoor exploration, the children have loved using chalks to trace around each other.

In Numeracy, we have been learning about shapes, introducing the names and labelling the shapes the children already recognise. We have been looking at the amount of sides and corners on each shape, and using the classroom to play fun shape exploration games in which the children are sent to go and find an object with a particular shape. We have also had some shape matching activities, using different objects to print shapes in the painting area such as cups, lego and playdough cutters.

In Literacy, we have been focusing on the phonic sound ‘F’, exploring the sound through repetition and song. 

The children have also enjoyed discussing their upcoming transition to Reception, it has been wonderful hearing all the things they are excited to do once they start in September! Together we have talked about exploring their new classrooms and what they may be learning about.

Reception

This week, Reception explored the powerful story 'Where’s the Elephant?', which helped us understand the human impact on animal environments and the effects of deforestation. The children took on the role of different animals, reflecting deeply on how it would feel to have their habitats destroyed.

We have been amazed by the growth of our sunflower seeds, which are now nearly 15cm tall! Our caterpillars are also growing rapidly and look ready to move into the next phase of their life cycle very soon.

In Phonics, we have been continuing our focus on our Phase 3 graphemes and reading longer words, and it has been lovely to see the children role-playing as teachers in our phonics area to consolidate their learning. This confidence has sparked a wave of independent writing, with many children choosing to write heartfelt letters to friends, family, and teachers.

In Maths, we’ve been diving deep into the world of numbers, moving beyond just counting and starting to look at how numbers are actually "built" and using their subitising skills: We are challenging the children to subitise (recognise an amount instantly without counting) to decide if a group of objects shows exactly 5 or not. By using tools like the 10s-frame, double dice frames, and our fingers (using two hands now!), In small groups children have been working on number bonds to 10 using numicon.

We have also continued to refine our fine motor skills by practicing our scissor cutting. It is wonderful to see them applying their skills so creatively!

Year 1

A wonderful week of Learning in Year 1! With the children showing great enthusiasm across all areas of their learning.

In DT, the children have been exploring a range of weaving techniques. They had the opportunity to try different styles, including circular, loom, and plain weaving, carefully threading materials to create their own patterns. The children demonstrated great creativity and concentration as they developed their techniques and experimented with different approaches. After exploring each method, they were able to evaluate which technique they found most effective and decide which would be best suited for creating a final piece, such as a blanket. This hands-on activity supported their fine motor skills, problem-solving, and independence.

In English, the children have been continuing their work on our class text 'Dear Greenpeace'. Building on their understanding of letter writing, they have now applied their learning to write their own letters to a friend. The children used their imagination and drew on everything they have learned so far, including sentence structure and key features of a letter. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they worked independently to complete their writing from beginning to end.

In Maths, the children have been learning about quarters. They explored how shapes and objects can be divided into four equal parts and practised identifying and showing one quarter. The children also worked with groups of objects, finding one quarter by sharing them into four equal groups through practical and engaging activities.

In History, the children compared maps of Croydon from the past and present, helping them to understand how their local area has changed over time.

In Science, the children have been learning about the life cycle of a plant, exploring the stages from a seed through to germination and growth.

We have been very impressed with the children’s creativity, focus, and enthusiasm throughout the week. 

Year 2

In English this week, our young authors have been busy writing letters of response to Floella Benjamin, the author of our core text, 'Coming to England'. The children have been telling her all about what England is like today and what they enjoy most about living here, as well as sharing a little bit about themselves. They have been focussing on including rhetorical and answer questions to engage their reader, while also using interesting words and previously learnt key skills to enhance their work. We are very proud of how they have published their final pieces in their best handwriting and we look forward to having these on display soon.

In our Maths lessons, the children have been learning about fractions. They have been exploring the relationship between a part and the whole and have been using various manipulatives to support their understanding. The year group has really excelled in grasping these new concepts and have shown great confidence when using concrete resources to represent different fractions and identify equal parts.

Design and Technology, in preparation for the creation of our carnival headdresses, the children have been busy testing out different bonding materials to see which would be most effective for their designs. They have also spent time designing eye-catching headdresses, thinking carefully about the bright colours and features they want to include. We have been very impressed by their creative ideas and their ability to plan how to make their structures sturdy.

Thank you for your continued support, The Year 2 Team

Year 4

In Year 4 this week, we were delighted to welcome parents into the classroom to read with the children. This gave them a valuable opportunity to see how reading is taught throughout the week, as well as the skills children use to retrieve and understand answers from texts.

In English, the children have been planning their narratives and adding more detail to make their writing more engaging and meaningful.

In Maths, the focus has been on decimals, particularly tenths and hundredths. The children have been using practical resources to support and deepen their understanding.

In Science, pupils explored the digestive system in greater detail, unpicking the process of how food is absorbed. To support their learning, they carried out a practical experiment using digestive biscuits and water.

Year 4 children have also continued to practise their times tables, developing greater speed and accuracy through this week’s competition.

Year 5

In our Maths sessions, Year 5 have been becoming "Measurement Masters" by exploring the relationship between perimeter and area. By exploring the boundary of 2D shapes, the children learned to calculate the total distance around the edge, understanding that perimeter represents a linear measurement of length. The children then progressed to investigating area, shifting their focus to the space contained within those boundaries. By using square grids to count units and eventually applying the formula L x W, the children were able to find the area of rectangles and compound shapes.

This week in English, the children have been using their detailed plans to begin writing their biographies. They have focused on organising their work in chronological order, carefully mapping out their chosen naturalist's life from their early childhood through to their famous achievements to ensure the story flows logically. To make their writing even more authentic, the children have been weaving in direct quotes from their figure, allowing the unique voice and passion of experts like David Attenborough or Steve Irwin to shine through on the page.

In our Science session, Year 5 has been exploring friction by investigating how different surfaces affect movement. The children conducted an experiment where they released toy cars down ramps covered in a variety of materials to see how fast they would travel. By observing how rough surfaces like sandpaper slowed the cars down compared to smooth surfaces like plastic, the children learned that friction is a force that acts between two surfaces to resist motion.

This week in Reading, our Year 6 children have been working hard to sharpen their reading skills in preparation for their upcoming assessments. We have focused heavily on the Point and Evidence technique, encouraging the pupils to always look back at the text to find specific proof to back up their answers. The class has explored a wide range of both fiction and non-fiction texts, practicing the vital skills of retrieval to find facts quickly and inference to "read between the lines." By tackling a variety of question types, the children are becoming much more confident in explaining their ideas clearly and accurately.

In PSHE, the children participated in a SATs exam stress workshop led by a visiting team, providing a valuable space to discuss the emotions and feelings that can arise during this period. We explored the subtle differences between anxiety and fear, allowing the children to reflect on any feelings they may currently be experiencing. Most importantly, the session focused on practical empowerment; the pupils shared and practiced various techniques to support their wellbeing, such as specialised breathing exercises and the importance of making time for hobbies they enjoy. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to realise that while feeling nervous is natural, they have a toolkit of strategies to help them stay calm and focused.

Summer Term Clubs

Bookings will be open from Friday 20th March at 6pm and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The dates exclude the half term week, 25th May 2026 - 29th May 2026 and Bank holiday, Monday 4th May 2026. Also, Inset day, Friday 19th June 2026.

Please book directly using the links provided or via Arbor where it is indicated to do so.

Kindly ensure your child commits to the duration of the club, as we cannot guarantee refunds.

Sign-up starts at the beginning of the club, not once the club has started.

Please follow this link for futher information and booking links:

Summer Term Clubs 

We are using in-app messages to communicate with parents through the app - please could parents ensure they are able to log-in and Arbor is set up to accept these messages - they should be visible in the Communications section of the portal.

Parents who have the app should enable Push Notifications - this will alert you through the app that a message has arrived.

Over 90% of our parents have logged into Arbor - if you are having difficulty, please talk to the office who can help.

Check your Child's Data

Please log in to Arbor and check your child's/children's details are correct - and let us know if not. You can also request changes directly through the app which will take place once we have seen them - if we have questions, we will get in touch. Or you can let the office know directly.

It is important we have the correct data for all our families.

Please remember to check Arbor - either the Parent Portal (at https://login.arbor.sc/) or the parent app (available from the App Store or Google Play).

Parents who log in can:

* see their child's attendance

* log consent for local trips and those further afield

* pay for trips and book and pay for clubs

* receive In-App messages - and message the school

* book parent consultations

* see their child's details and request changes to ensure they are completely up to date

If you have more than one child at the school, they should be visible via a drop-down so you only need to login once.

To set up your account, you need the email you use for school communications and the date of birth of one of your children. Follow the Forgotten Password link on either the app or the website.

If you need support with logging in, please talk to the office team who will be glad to help.