Dear Parents and Carers,

We have officially reached the end of the Spring term, and what a wonderful final week it has been!

Yesterday, our Year 5 pupils held their Sharing Assembly. A huge thank you to all the parents and carers who attended; it was a fantastic opportunity for the children to showcase their hard work and progress. Also on Thursday, the school was filled with colour for our Easter Bonnet Parade. It was lovely to see so many creative designs and to celebrate the arrival of Spring together as a community.

We have a few staffing updates to share as we head into the break. We are also saying goodbye to Miss Walker, who is leaving to join a school closer to her home. We wish her the best of luck and the very best for the future. We are pleased to announce that after a few unsuccessful rounds, we have recruited a new Assistant Headteacher who will be named SENCo. Mrs Hopeton will be joining us after Easter. We will be arranging time for her to meet staff, children and parents / carers next term. Myself and Ms Mckenna will continue to support the SENCo role during the transition phase.

As a reminder, school will be closed for the Easter holidays. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, 13th April. Our 'Parents in to Read' sessions will resume immediately, starting with our Reception parents on the first Tuesday back (14th April) at 9:00 am.

We hope you all have a restful and happy Easter break.

Iman Atwal

Headteacher

This term, we have been focusing on the value of Resilience. During this time, we have explored why showing resilience is important. We all face times where we may want to “give up”, particularly if something seems hard. This means questioning “what else can I do?”, and how we can be curious about how else we can achieve the outcome wanted.

So ask you child:

• What do you do when things get tough?

• What can you ask yourself?

• What makes this possible?

🌼Easter Holidays Wellbeing Focus: Rest, Connection & Fun

The Easter holidays are a wonderful opportunity for children to rest, recharge, and spend time with family and friends. Small moments of connection, play, and reflection can help children return to school feeling confident and secure.

You could try:

Spending relaxed, quality time together doing something your child enjoys, like baking, reading, or outdoor play

Reflecting on what made them happy or proud over the holidays

Maintaining gentle routines around sleep and meals

Talking about feelings and sharing positive moments

🌱Early Years (EYFS)

Offer predictable routines alongside playful activities

Use simple language to talk about feelings and experiences

Encourage imaginative play and exploration

🌻Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2)

Balance structured activities with free play

Check in about friendships or fun experiences

Praise effort and small achievements over the break

🌟Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6)

Encourage reflection on successes and enjoyable experiences

Offer calm, connected time with family or friends

Support children to maintain consistent sleep and mealtimes

🧡Gentle Reminder

Every family’s Easter break will look different. These ideas are optional and supportive — small moments of connection, play, and rest can have a big impact on children’s wellbeing. 

🥚 Easter Egg Hunts & Trails

• Addington Methodist Church Hunt (Sunday, March 29): A classic community hunt around Huntingfield and Featherbed Lane. Kids follow a trail to spell out a secret sentence and earn a chocolate treat. Tickets are roughly £4. Booking: Eventbrite Link

• Beckenham Great Easter Egg Hunt (Good Friday, April 3): Just a short hop away at Croydon Road Recreation Ground. It features a treasure hunt across the park, fairground rides, and food stalls. Booking: Official Website (Tickets usually £4)

• Whitgift Centre "Dino Eggstravaganza" (April 17–21): A free event in the shopping centre featuring interactive storytelling and craft activities. Perfect for escaping the rain. Booking: No booking required; this is a free walk-in event. More Info

• Flip Out Croydon (April 17–21): For kids with lots of energy, the trampoline park is hosting "Epic Egg Hunts" with prizes alongside their usual jumping sessions. Booking: Flip Out Booking Portal (Holiday sessions from £10.50)

🎭 Shows & Entertainment

Fairfield Halls (Ashcroft Theatre):

• Pinocchio Easter Pantomime (April 15): A high-energy panto featuring Bobby Davro and Katie Price. Expect slapstick, songs, and "it's behind you!" moments.

Booking: Fairfield Halls Tickets (Tickets from £23.25)

• Dinosaur Adventure Live (April 19): An interactive stage show where kids help rangers save dinosaurs from a "Jurassic Storm." It features realistic puppets and "roar-some" babies.

Booking: Fairfield Halls Official Site (Tickets from £18.50)

• BOXPARK Croydon Family Fun Days: Look out for free "The Kids' Table" sessions on Sundays (12 pm–4 pm) offering mask decorating and temporary tattoos while parents grab lunch.

Booking: First come, first served for BOXPARK customers.

🌲 Outdoor & Adventure

• Go Wild With Us – Day Camp (April 9–10): Located at Frylands Wood (Selsdon), this is a forest-school style camp for ages 6–11. Activities include den building, making campfires, and woodland games.

Booking: April 9 (Ages 6-11) Link | April 10 (Ages 9-13) Link

• HAF (Holiday Activities & Food) Programme – free holiday clubs with sports, arts, and meals for eligible children More Information - Croydon HAF

Wandle Park – playgrounds, family walks, and open space for play

Ashburton Park – playgrounds and parkland for outdoor activities

Nest

It has been an absolutely amazing week at the Nest, filled with sensory exploration and discovery!

The children delighted in our water play area, where they used silver spoons and containers to create 'flower soup' with fresh petals. They were fascinated by the natural scents, with many children pausing to smell the petals and excitedly exclaiming, “This smells like flowers!” This wasn't just imaginative play; it allowed them to explore the mathematical concepts of full and empty while practising their hand-eye coordination and sensory awareness.

In our tuff tray, the children became 'rescuers', using tweezers to match chicks to their correct number nests—a fantastic exercise for both number recognition and fine motor skills.

Our outdoor EYFS garden was also a hub of activity as the children independently accessed the bikes and large climbing frame, showing great confidence and physical coordination.

To top off the week, we had an exciting egg hunt, searching high and low for hidden treasures!

We hope you all have a lovely and restful half-term break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday, April 13th.

Saplings

This week in Saplings, we have celebrated all things Easter!

We’ve been making Easter egg prints, chicks from playdough, bunny masks, enjoying our own easter egg hunts and much more. The children have looked at the life cycle of a Chick, how to grow their own carrots and mark making on their own Easter eggs.

In Numeracy, we have been mix and matching quantities with Easter eggs, where the children match the eggs with the number and quantity printed.

In Literacy, we have explored the phonic sound ‘R’ through repetition and song. 

We have also loved getting creative for the Easter bonnet parade, the children have loved sharing all their crafts they've been doing at home to prepare for the parade, as well as making our own bunny masks here to take home for the holidays.

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and will see you all when we return on Monday April 13th!

Reception

In Literacy, we have turned our focus to the fascinating world of nocturnal animals. We’ve been learning that while we are tucked up in bed, many animals are just waking up! We compared nocturnal animals (like owls, foxes, and hedgehogs) with animals that are awake during the day (like horses, pigs and cows).

In Maths, we are pleased to say the children are absolutely smashing their work on doubles! They have moved from physical objects to recognising doubles almost instantly.

The classroom has been a hive of creative fun this week! From playdough chicks to Easter crowns, it has been a joy seeing them take such pride in their creations.

A massive thank you to all the parents and carers for your help with the Easter Bonnets. The children looked absolutely wonderful during our parade

We hope you all have a lovely Easter break!

Reminder: children are back to school on Monday 13th April 2026.

Year 1

Another busy term comes to an end!

This week in English, we have been writing a diary entry from the point of view of characters in the story “Grandad’s Island.” Using all the skills we have been practising, we first worked together to write from Granda’s point of view, then the children worked independently to write an entry from Syd’s perspective.

In Maths, we started a new unit learning about grouping objects. We recognised when groups were equal and explained when they were not. We then used repeated addition to add equal groups. Finally, we learnt about rows and columns using the language correctly, and then making arrays ensuring we had the same number of objects in each row and column.

Wider Curriculum

RE. We learnt about the Easter story thinking about the different emotions that people felt during the events leading up to Easter and on Easter Day. 

Geography. We have now finished learning about the 4 countries that make up the UK. This week using atlases we labelled a map of the UK and found out the names of the seas that surround the 4 countries. 

Science. We have been learning about the season of spring this week. We’ve thought about how the weather changes, and how animal and human behaviour changes. The children have been outside spotting signs - new buds on trees, blossom appearing, warmer weather and birds singing.

Thank you for all your support this term. We hope you and your family have a restful and enjoyable break. The days are getting longer, and hopefully the sun will shine!

Year 2

We have had an absolutely fantastic week in Year 2!

The children have shown incredible focus as we wrapped up our big history project and moved into some very exciting practical work in DT and Science.

Here is a summary of our learning:

In History, we have officially finished our unit on the Victorian Era. The children have been fascinated to learn how much life has changed for children over the last 150 years. We spent time looking at the legacy of Lord Shaftesbury and how his determination to change the law helped move children out of dangerous factories and into classrooms. It has been wonderful to see the children appreciate their Right to Education!

In English, following our exciting trip to the zoo, the children have been busy writing and publishing their non-chronological reports. Using their first-hand observations, they created detailed reports on gorillas, birds, and mammals.

In Design and Technology, we have successfully completed our hand puppets based on our core text, Frog Belly Rat Bone. This was a challenging project that required a lot of patience! The children should be very proud of themselves for mastering two different types of sewing:

• Running stitch (for joining our fabric together).

• Overstitch (to create strong, decorative edges).

The classroom was a hive of creativity as these characters came to life!

Year 3

As we approach the end of this term, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and express my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support. Education is a partnership and your dedication to your children’s learning, whether it’s the nightly reading, the deep dives into homework or simply ensuring they arrive ready to learn, has truly been noticed. It makes a world of difference in the classroom and the progress the children are making is a testament to the bridge we’ve built between home and school.

It has been an incredibly busy and vibrant few months! The children have shown such impressive engagement with our curriculum.

Here are just a few of the stand-out moments we’ve shared:

• World Book Day: It was a joy to see the school come alive with literary characters and a shared passion for storytelling.

• Science Week: Exploring how and why boats float.

• Coding in Computing: The children took their first steps into game design, showing fantastic logic and creativity as they built their own playable games.

• Our Visit to the Gurdwara: A beautiful experience where the children showed great respect while learning about community, faith and service.

• The Stone Age: From exploring a roundhouse to studying and drawing the historical influences that shaped Britain, the children have truly connected with our distant ancestors.

Watching them grow in confidence through these experiences has been the absolute highlight of my term. Thank you for being a part of this journey.

We hope you all have a restful and wonderful break.

Year 4

This week, Year 4 have been working incredibly hard and we are very proud of their achievements.

In English, the children completed their information pages about children’s life in Ancient Greece, based on our core text “And You Think You’ve Got It Bad.” Their writing is well-structured, humorous, and full of creativity. They made excellent use of adverbials, conjunctions, hyperbole, and similes to engage the reader.

In Geography, we consolidated our understanding of physical and human features and how these affect people’s lives. The children compared life in Greece and the UK, exploring reasons why there are more people living in the UK than in Greece, as well as identifying the main exports of each country.

In Science, we continued our investigations into sound. The children carried out fair tests to explore how sound travels through vibrations and how these vibrations enter the inner ear.

One of the highlights of the week was our DT lesson, where the children created models of the Greek temple, the Parthenon. They showed fantastic creativity and enthusiasm throughout the activity.

In Maths, we focused on equivalent fractions. The children used fraction walls and formal methods to find equivalents by multiplying both the numerator and denominator by the same number. We also worked on reasoning problems to deepen understanding.

Please continue supporting your child by encouraging them to practise their times tables regularly and to read daily.

Wishing you all a lovely and well-deserved Easter break.

Year 5

In Maths, the children continue to explore the idea of thousandths, which they have investigated  by representing numbers with up to 3 decimal places on a place value chart. Using place value counters and exchanging between the values, the children have been able to partition decimal numbers with 3 decimal places.

In English, we have transitioned from the planning stage into the exciting process of writing our internal monologues. Having carefully mapped out their ideas, the children focused on translating those plans into powerful first-person narratives. The challenge for the children was to move beyond describing external actions and instead dive deep into the character’s "inner world."

Finally, our Year 5 stars truly showed off their acting skills this week during their assembly. It was a pleasure to see the children confidently sharing their Science learning on the topic of Forces. The children did a fantastic job of explaining complex concepts—including gravity, friction, and air and water resistance—with clarity and enthusiasm. They even put the audience on the spot with a "pop quiz" to ensure the adults were paying close attention!

A huge well done to everyone involved for such an informative and entertaining performance.

The Year 5 team would like to wish the children and adults a restful break.

Year 6

What a spectacular way to conclude a truly vibrant Spring Term!

This week in History, Year 6 stepped back in time and dove deep into their scientific inquiries, showing incredible curiosity and leadership. WWII Immersive Day Our classroom was transformed into a scene from the 1940s as the children took part in a fully immersive WWII History Day. To build on their existing knowledge of the Blitz and the Home Front, the children arrived dressed in fantastic period attire—evacuee labels and flat caps galore!

Thanks to a wonderful loan of memorabilia from our local Croydon Library, the children were able to handle:

• Feeling the heavy wool and brass buttons of real-life service wear.

• Examining replica ration books and mock-up food items to understand the daily "make do and mend" struggle.

A Taste of the Past:

The sensory experience didn't stop at touch! The children tasted authentic wartime recipes, sampled games played during the era, and completed rigorous WWII-themed tasks. It was a brilliant way to bring their history books to life.

In our final English unit of the term, we took a cross-curricular leap into the world of physics. Using our "Lemon Battery" experiment as a hook, the children became expert instructors. Working in pairs, children practiced their oracy skills by acting as "Directors." They had to guide their partners through the experiment using precise imperative (bossy) verbs. There was no room for "put that thingy there"—we heard fantastic instructions like: "firmly insert the galvanised nail" and "Secure the copper coin into the incision."

After testing lemons and potatoes, the children were challenged to explain why certain items (like our bread roll!) failed to act as an effective electrolyte. The children then used these bossy verbs to write a formal set of instructions on how to construct a battery. They successfully transitioned their oral skills into professional, formal writing by using advanced punctuation—such as dashes for extra detail and ellipses to build tension—to document their scientific findings. They even explained the science behind why the bread roll failed to act as an effective electrolyte.

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.