Leigh Academy Peninsula East

Module 3 | 9th January 2026

Attendance

Oliver Jeffers - 94%

Julia Donaldson - 95%

Michael Rosen - 93%

Nelson Mandela - 96%

Boudica - 95%

Rosa Parks - 98%

Kadeena Cox - 99%

Lewis Hamilton - 93%

Leigh Academy Peninsula East - 96%

Well done to Julia Donaldson class for having the best attendance this week in KS1. In KS2 this week, Kadeena Cox class are the winning class so congratulations to them too! It is great to see that in the first week back we have reached 96%!

PYP Learner Attribute Awards

Oliver Jeffers Class - Ates (Caring) & Connor (Thinking Skills)

Julia Donaldson Class - Junior (Risk-Taker) & Daisy (Thinking skills)

Michael Rosen Class - Mollie (Thinker) & Marnie (Communication Skills)

Nelson Mandela - Roseann (Balanced) & Jamie (Research Skills)

Boudica Class - Bella M (Open-minded) & Izzy O (Thinker)

Rosa Parks Class - Levi (Communicator ) & Gracie (Research Skills)

Kadeena Cox Class - Albert (Communication skills) & Ellis (Risk-Taker)

Lewis Hamilton Class - Luisa (communication skills) & Ibrahim ( Knowledgeable)

WOW Writer Awards

Congratulations to these children for fantastic writing this week...

Oliver Jeffers Class - Louie

Julia Donaldson Class - Ayden

Michael Rosen Class - Katie

Nelson Mandela Class - Harrison

Boudica Class - Helin

Rosa Parks Class - Edward

Kadeena Cox Class - Joseph

Lewis Hamilton Class - Austin

Readers of the Week

Oliver Jeffers Class - Luna-Belle

Julia Donaldson Class -Blake

Michael Rosen Class - Zachary

Nelson Mandela Class - Bertie

Boudica Class - Tilly

Rosa Parks Class - Mason

Kadeena Cox Class - Frankie P

Lewis Hamilton Class - Richard

Our Wonderful Inquiry Work

Rosa Parks

This week, Year 5 has had a fantastic first week back! We kicked off our learning with a 'provocation' session, where the children delved deep into our lines of inquiry and posed thoughtful questions to guide their future discovery. We have also thoroughly enjoyed starting our new class text, Holes. The children have been busy unpicking rich vocabulary—such as the word ‘inhospitable’—to describe challenging environments. By building up this bank of high-level language, the children have successfully drafted their own vivid descriptions of Camp Green Lake.

School information

Writing

Here you can see the work from our Wow Writers this week!

Every week we will showcase the winners of our weekly writing certificate so you can see the piece of writing they won their award for.

Year 1: Describing characters feelings

Insert text here

Year 2: Analysing a narrative

Year 3: Science Observation

Insert text here

Year 4: Features of a Newspaper Report

Year 5: Describing a setting

Insert text here

Year 6: Writing an explanation

👋 Makaton Sign of the Week: animals!

Hello everyone!

This week in school, we had lots of fun learning some Makaton signs for animals. Makaton is a special language program that uses signs and symbols alongside talking to help everyone communicate!

Command signs are really useful because they tell us to do something. Have a look at the signs we learnt below!

✨ Why Signs are Great

Using Makaton signs helps everyone, especially friends who find it harder to talk, to understand and share what they want to say. When we sign and speak at the same time, we're helping our whole school be a great place to communicate!

🤩 Keep Practicing!

Ask your child to show you the signs they learnt this week. Practice using them together at home. The more you use Makaton, the easier it becomes!

Happy signing!

Behaviour and Rewards

What is a positive behaviour reward system?

Using reward systems can be an effective way to support your child’s behaviour. Reward systems focus on the behaviour we want to see by rewarding children/young people when they display those target behaviours.

Reward systems can be used in a variety of different ways which make them appropriate for children and young people of all ages. For example sticker charts can work well for younger children whereas for young people chore lists and pocket money may be more motivational.

Why do we use a reward system?

Reward systems can:

Improve your child’s positive behaviour
Reduce challenging behaviour
Build your child/young person’s confidence and self-esteem
Support your child/young person’s independence
Teach responsibility

Class Dojo

At Leigh Academy Peninsula East, we use ClassDojo: a fun and engaging platform used to recognise and reward positive behaviour. Pupils earn points for demonstrating 'behaviours for learning' that align with our IB Learner Profiles , with these points accumulating towards both individual and whole-class rewards. Children are celebrated with a certificate and a badge upon reaching milestones of 100, 200, and 300 points. Additionally, each class works together to hit a collective target by the end of each term to earn a special whole-class treat.

Attendance Reminders

Did you know that the school can administer your child's medicine and/or antibiotics so that they can return to school from illness? If your child has been off ill and need to continue taking medicine or antibiotics then if you fill in a form at the academy office we can then administer these to your child so that they can return to school.

Persistent Absence

The government defines a pupil as a Persistent Absentee (PA) when their attendance falls below 90% at any point during the academic year.

What Does 90% Attendance Mean?

While 90% may sound high, in reality, it means your child is missing one-tenth of their education.

90% Attendance = Missing Half a Day of School Every Week.
Over an entire school year, this equates to four full weeks (20 school days) of missed learning.

Once a child's attendance dips below the 90% threshold, they are officially classified as a PA pupil, regardless of the reasons for their absence. This classification triggers formal support and monitoring procedures by the school and local authority.

At Leigh Academy Peninsula East, if your child's attendance in any class falls below 90% you will receive a letter to inform you of this and if it continues to fall you will be invited to an attendance meeting with Mrs Dyke and Mrs Rimmer. If there is still no improvement, you will be asked for medical evidence for any future absence. If it continues to fall below 90% and there are unauthorised absences then a Notice to Improve will be issued. Once this has been issued, if there are any further unauthorised absences then a referral to Medway attendance will be made.

The Impact of Missing School

Academic Gaps: Missing 10% of the curriculum makes it incredibly difficult for a child to keep up with their peers, often resulting in gaps in core knowledge (literacy and numeracy).
Social and Emotional Well-being: Regular attendance is key to building friendships, developing social skills, and feeling a sense of belonging within the school community.

We are committed to working with all families to ensure every child achieves the highest possible attendance. If you are struggling with attendance, please contact the school office immediately so we can offer support before your child reaches the PA threshold.

Thank you for helping us give your child the best possible start to their education.