Money Week – Maths
In maths this week we have been learning about money. The children learnt all about our currency and the coins and the notes we use to buy or pay for things. In this lesson the children learnt about what the difference between pennies and pounds were and the order of each from the lowest value to the highest. Again, the Year 1s did a really good job learning this and they even managed to complete a number of tasks amongst themselves around money. 
Money Week! – Woodland Adventure.
This week on our first week back from the half term break, our wonderful Year 1s have taken part in our Money Week in school. They had a really informative online workshop with someone from HSBC! They took us on an online woodland adventure, where we met lots of new animals. As we met them we learnt about all the amazing ways we can save money, how to spend it and the differences between what we want to spend our money on versus what we need to spend our money on. The children did really well with this learning overall but they struggled understanding that we don’t need to buy that new toy they all want.
Me and My Money themed week
We’ve had a fantastic start to the week! The children have returned from the half-term break feeling refreshed and ready to learn. We’ve begun our Me and My Money themed week by exploring the difference between wants and needs, discussing why saving is important and having fun investigating real money.

Help at home: Have a think about the things you spend your money on? Are they a want or a need? Is it ok to spend money on things you want?
Anti-bullying day/Odd socks day Monday 10 November

Bonfire safety
Recently, our local PCSOs, Sian and Matt, came to talk to us about staying safe at this time of year around bonfire night.

Help at home: ask your child what stop, drop and roll means. Why did Sian show us a carrot?
Guided Reading Information
This week, Year 6 have been given their guided reading books.
The class have been divided into groups and each group has been given a book to read at home. This will last for this half term.
During our Book Club sessions each Friday, each group will discuss what they have read so far and share their reading record activities related to their book. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the children to explore characters and storylines more than they might do normally!
Every Friday during Book Club, each group will be given a new page to read to for the next Friday. This information will be posted every week on our class news.
What to remember:
- Your child has a book that they need to read every week (up to a chosen point marked with a post-it note).
- The reading record activity needs to be completed using their new book.
- A comment from a grown up needs to be written in their reading record.
- Group reading books and reading records need to be brought in every Friday.
Help at home: listen to your child read their new book and ask questions about the book to help prepare them for class discussions.
I look forward to hearing the children’s discussions next week!
Do you have a child due to start primary school in 2026?

A video and FAQ’s are available for more support and guidance with applications.
Light and dark!

Training day – Arty ideas !
We thought you’d enjoy hearing a little about what went on during our recent teacher training day! Part of the day was dedicated to developing our art knowledge and skills with our resident art teacher, Mrs Boulton.
Teachers got hands-on with paints, pastels and even soap! There was plenty of colour, laughter, and even a bit of friendly competition as we experimented with new techniques and ideas for upcoming art lessons.
The rest of the day focussed on other important areas too, including maths and inclusion. It was a full, productive day – and we left feeling ready and excited for the next half-term!

Autumn 1: Week 8
Diwali
This week, we explored the story Binny’s Diwali. We talked about what a festival is and discussed the similarities between different religious festivals. The children had lots of fun learning how families prepare for and celebrate Diwali.
Help at home: Can your child remember something about Diwali? If they’re unsure, here’s some key words to help them: food, decorations, fireworks.
For our writing activity, the children designed their own invitations to a Diwali celebration. They included some fantastic drawings and used recognisable letters in their writing—well done, everyone!
What else have we been up to?
We’ve been getting creative by making our own magic potions! The children used their imaginations to come up with exciting ingredients and then wrote lists to describe what they added to their mixtures. Fantastic mark-making and early writing practice!
In the maths area, we practised 1:1 correspondence by counting pom poms to match numerals up to 10.
One-to-one correspondence focuses on the actual counting of objects, and assigning numbers to objects in the correct order, as they are counted. This also helps children to understand that the numbers they are saying hold value.
The playdough challenge has been very popular this week! The children have really enjoyed using their fine motor skills and creativity to make colourful Diya lamps.

Another popular chilli challenge involved drawing detailed Mehndi patterns, We observed some fantastic concentration and careful mark-making.
Yesterday, the children worked in pairs to design and create some beautiful Rangoli patterns.
Reminders
- Marvellous Maths Stay and Learn Session
Tuesday 18 November
Come and join us for a fun, hands-on maths learning experience! - WOW Moments
Have you noticed something special or a new interest at home?
Send photos or updates to: [email protected]
We love sharing these in class! - Daily Reading
It’s important that your child reads daily at home. Please continue to read eBooks to support phonics skills and their library book to support love of reading.
Have a happy and healthy week. See you on Monday 3rd November!