28 November 2025
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Living and Learning: encourage self-respect, establishing the link to our own happiness. When can we feel especially proud of about ourselves?
For children in Key Stage 2,check out ‘Self-awareness’ from BBC Bitesize.
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
This week’s Talk Time relates to this half term’s Art topic.
I can compare and contrast different artworks.
I can give my opinions, and back them up with reasons.
In our Art lessons, we’re thinking about the work of these artists and we’re using the following vocabulary:
Y1,2 Artists:
Vocabulary: primary colours, secondary colours, shape, line
Y3,4 Artists
Vocabulary: complementary colours, warm colours, cool colours, abstract, figurative
Y5,6 Artists
Vocabulary: sculpture, form, shape, scale, abstract, figurative, modern, classical
The key to this task is being able to explain thoughts and opinions. It’s worth remembering that the opinions of one person may not match those of another and that it’s okay to disagree.
We’d like your child to speak confidently and passionately about art. Using ‘because’ will encourage your child to think carefully about their own interpretation of the art. Offering your own opinions may also help your child to consider alternative viewpoints and perspectives.
Discussions about the art could take place in a number of ways. Here’s a couple of suggestions:
- Discuss each piece separately before then looking at them side by side.
- Have both pieces side by side from the start.
Whichever approach you opt for, referring to these questions and the vocabulary above will help to focus your discussions at home:
- Explain what you like about each piece.
- Explain what you dislike about each piece.
- How are the two pieces similar?
- How are the two pieces different?
Considering what is most important to you, which piece do you prefer?
Our weekly message: Friday 21 November 2025
Last week was Children in Need day. Our non-uniform day raised £239.61 – thank you to all who contributed.
At Moortown Primary, we love reading!
Amazing attendance
- The national attendance rate for primary schools is 95.4% (that’s for Autumn 1 term).
- Our attendance rate is 97.3% (that’s up until 18 November).
It’s great to see that our attendance so high – let’s keep it that way!
Is my child too ill to attend school? It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school. Check the NHS website: Is my child too ill for school?
Thinking of a term-time holiday? 468 penalty notices for unauthorised absences have been issued in Leeds so far this year. Check out the legal consequences of term-time absences, from fines to court action.
Applying for a Reception place?
The national closing date for Reception September 2026 applications is 15 January 2026.
Check out these frequently asked questions.
Trim Trail
In case you missed this news…
Over the half-term break, we had a trim trail installed on The Green. We didn’t want to use lots of the lovely green space but we also wanted to introduce some equipment that would enhance both play and physical development.
A big thank you to the PTA who paid for this to happen – all of their fundraising was much appreciated and it’s great when we can pay for things like this.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Our weekly message: Friday 14 November 2025
Let’s start this week with an introduction… Have you met our new Admin Assistant, Geiselle Redman, yet?
I’m from Sheffield, a city not too far away! I moved to Leeds in 2014 and live with my husband and daughter. When we’re not out and about, I enjoy getting exercise, listening to jazz music and using my imagination. I love how no two days are the same at Moortown Primary, and look forward to meeting everyone – feel free to say hello!
The rest of this week’s message is about the Autumn 2 topic in Key Stages 1 and 2. Last half-term, it was a Geography topic; this half-term, it’s Art…
This half-term, we’re artists. We’ll be developing our art knowledge and skills. The learning has two aspects to it. In art history and appreciation lessons, children will be learning about some specific artists and their work. In art process lessons, children will practise and develop skills by creating art.
Each phase has age-related specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they’ll learn, use and apply across the topic. Follow this link to the Curriculum Guide to find out more.
Years 1 and 2
Children have two featured artists who they’ll be studying across the half-term: Leonardo Da Vinci and Paul Klee. They’ll compare their art, talking about similarities and differences. They’ll discuss what they like and dislike about the art and how it makes them feel. They’ll also learn about the artists’ lives and where in the world they lived.
In practical art lessons, children will be honing their artistic skills and knowledge by sketching objects using pencil, learning about and mixing colour and then they’ll be learning how to print by creating relief prints inspired by the artwork they’ve studied.
Part way through the half-term, they’ll visit the Hepworth Gallery for a printmaking workshop to complement the learning in school.
Years 3 and 4
Children will be learning about the work of Wassily Kandinsky and Martha McDonald Napaltjarri. They’ll compare and contrast the artworks by these artists and also learn about their lives and the places they lived. In particular, children will learn about abstract and figurative art (see the vocabulary for definitions of these words).
In practical art sessions, children will develop observational drawing skills and their understanding of colour by learning about warm, cold and complementary colours. They’ll then apply what they’ve learnt by creating sculptures inspired by the artists they’ve studied.
Years 5 and 6
Children are learning about sculpture in their art lessons and will be focussing on three artists: Thomas J Price, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. The children have already been on their school trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where they’ve seen and learned about sculptures by these artists. In Art history and appreciation lessons, they’ll learn about the lives of these artists and how their localities have influenced their art. They’ll learn about classical and modern art in relation to their featured artists and in art movements more generally. They’ll also learn when and why the modern art movement happened.
In practical Art lessons, children will develop their observational skills and will create ‘soap sculptures’ inspired by the work of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
How can you help?
Talk to your child about what they’ve been learning in class. The Class News page of the school website is a good place to find out more about what the children are doing.
Familiarise yourself with the artists and the artwork that your child will be learning about in class. Look in books or on the internet for pieces by the artists and talk about them. Find art by other artists that you like and compare it to the featured artists. If you feel confident, you can go into more depth using the vocabulary. However, if not, leave that to the teachers and just enjoy looking at the pieces and asking general questions:
- What do you like or dislike about the art?
- How does the art make you feel?
- Is it life-like or not?
- What colours can you see?
The Tate Gallery has a good children’s website with games and activities which children can explore.
If you’re in Leeds, the Leeds Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute are both free to enter.
Finally this week, a big well done to one of our Year 3 pupils who competed in the Yorkshire Junior Chess Association Grand Prix 2025-26 (Event 1) on Saturday 08 November at Bradford Grammar School. The competition saw a total of around 90 children from all over the north of England participating under different categories. Our Year 3 star competed in the ‘Novice’ category and bagged second place!
Living and Learning: Hotshots sponsorship event
To finish off our Me and My Money themed week, all the school took part in a Hotshots event, led by PE Partner, to raise money for our school charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Can I just say how fantastic all the children were in every year group! It was amazing to see them all encouraging each other, no matter their ability. When the children were up for their turn, who maybe football isn’t their forte, the rest of the children were so supportive with their cheering and encouragement. It was fantastic! You should be very proud of them all!
Living and Learning: Penny trail
It was great to see the generosity and enthusiasm of the children during our Me and My Money themed week to try and fill their class collecting tubes. They were filling up by the end of the week.
On Friday, all the classes ventured into the playground to use their pennies to create a huge ‘Moortown’ penny trail. We had so many 1ps and 2ps that we ended up doubling and tripling up our coins.
The total amount raised for Yorkshire Air Ambulance was a fantastic £123.53 so thank you for your donations.
Who is our new chosen charity?
After a busy day of voting, and much deliberation, our pupils have chosen a new charity to support over the next academic year; we’ll be supporting Martin House for the next 12 months.
They provide family-led hospice care, free of charge, for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses.
We look forward to supporting them throughout the year. The children were really well informed about the charities – thank you for your support in discussing this at home.
Our weekly message: Friday 07 November 2025
We hope you had a good half-term break. This week in school has been a themed week – Me and My Money. Talk to your child about something new they’ve learnt or considered about money!
Odd socks day
Monday is Odd Socks Day.
The day celebrates that we’re all unique. Children are invited to wear odd socks to school today, marking the fact we’re all different in some way. Part of Anti-Bullying Week, the day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying. It helps us celebrate anti-bullying day in a fun and positive way.
Help at home: Please make sure your child knows that bullying is wrong and damages children’s social and/or emotional health. Check they know our two STOP messages:
- Definition: What is bullying? Hurting someone Several Times On Purpose
- Solution: How can we stop bullying? Start Telling Other People
Bullying is often group behaviour. For older children, it would also be great if you could talk about the different roles people might play. Watch this short clip together, and link it back to Start Telling Other People.
Children in Need
Next Friday is the annual Children in Need fundraising day. Your child is invited to attend school in non-uniform with a donation to the charity. If you wish to donate at school, please donate in cash only.
Please remember that pupils should dress appropriately and respectfully, even on non-uniform days. More details can be found in our Uniform Policy.
Is my child too ill for school?
As winter approaches, schools face rising illness-related absences. We know some are unavoidable, but please refer to NHS guidance to know if your child is too ill for school.
The Department for Education has asked us to share some key messages:
- Always ask: Is my child too ill for school? Use the NHS site for guidance – it’s easy to use.
- Pupils shouldn’t miss school on a precautionary basis and can normally attend with a mild cough or cold, unless they have a fever or diarrhoea or vomiting.
- Book medical appointments outside of school hours where possible. Where this isn’t possible, they should bring their child to school before, and return after, if they are well enough. Pupils can attend appointments in their school uniform.
Times tables
The government sets out the expectation that children should know their times tables by the end of Year 4. Knowing times tables off by heart makes a huge difference to children’s progress in Maths. It helps them:
- solve harder problems more easily
- work more confidently and quickly
- focus on new concepts without getting stuck on basic facts
Times tables underpin many other areas of Maths, such as division, fractions, long multiplication, algebra and ratio. The more fluent your child is, the better prepared they’ll be for future learning.
At Moortown Primary, children in Years 3 and 4 take part in daily Mastering Number lessons to learn their times tables. Older children continue to practise their times tables.
In school, we chant multiplication facts by saying the smallest number first and we don’t say ‘times’ or ‘equals’. For example, for 4×3=12, children would say ‘3, 4, 12’.
Towards the end of Year 4, children do an online Multiplication Tables Check – find out more about this.
Since this national check was introduced, we’re proud that the average score at Moortown Primary has been much higher than national each year. Thank you for continuing to help your child practise their times tables at home.
Finally this week…
Admissions consultation
Leeds City Council is running a public consultation on the 2027/28 admission policy for Leeds community and voluntary controlled schools. You can share your views until 1 December. Find out more.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Half term shenanigans
It’s been a busy day back in school after the half term holiday – it was great to see everyone back.
While school was empty, we had a trim trail installed on ‘The Green’. We didn’t want to use lots of the lovely green space but we also wanted to introduce some equipment that would enhance both play and physical development.
A big thank you to the PTA who have paid for this to happen – all of their fundraising is much appreciated and it’s great when we can pay for things like this.
Our weekly message: Friday 24 October 2025
What a busy week…
Thank you to all the parents/carers who met with teachers this week for the first of two parent-teacher meetings in the year. We’re available for short updates and questions, comments and concerns at other times, but we hope you found the meeting this week helpful.
Today, we’ve had a training day. Teachers from across Sphere Federation have had four professional development sessions:
- Art
- Maths
- Special Educational Needs
- Assessments
Applying for a place in Reception or secondary school?
The deadline for applications for Year 7 places falls in half-term: 31 October 2025. If you need help with an application, please contact startingsecondary@leeds.gov.uk
If you’re applying for a Reception place, you might want to check out Leeds City Council’s You Tube video about applying for a school place.
Staying safe online
We’ve recently updated our Online Safety page on our website. If you’ve not spoken with your child about the importance of staying safe online for a while, it would be worth having a look at the clips and checking out the NSPCC link over the half-term break.
Watch us while we work
If you visited us for our recent Watch Us While We Work session, thank you. An even bigger thank you if you left us some feedback:
- What went well? ‘The way the teacher interacted with the class, how the subject was taught, the command and rapport the teacher has with a the class.’
- ‘Can not believe how quick my daughter is at her working out on arithmetic.’
One comment was around varying the subjects we feature. We’ll act on this next time.
Coming up in the first week after half-term break…
Me and My Money themed week
Our next whole school themed week, Me and My Money, is based around money and financial education. A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this aspect of our Living and Learning curriculum. Learning throughout the week will include:
- What is money?
- Where does money come from?
- How do we spend money?
- How do we manage money?
There will be two fundraising events, as chosen by our Junior Leadership Team, to raise money for our current school charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Firstly, we’ll be having a penny trail where children are encouraged to bring in any 1ps and 2ps to their class during the week and a trail will be created using all the money brought in at the end of the week.
To conclude our Me and My Money themed week, on 07 November, we’ll be holding a Hotshots fundraising event led by PE Partner. This involves each child having three chances to score a goal and their fastest speed recorded. All children will receive a certificate with their fastest shot speed and medals will be awarded for the fastest boy and girl in each class. Your child will be bringing home a sponsorship form for this event and money raised should be added to School Gateway by Friday 14 November.
If your job involves an aspect of finance and/or money and you can support our themed week by coming into school, please contact us.
We’ll select the new school charity as part of the themed week. The shortlist is:
- Zarach, whose mission is to end child bed poverty, giving children the opportunity to engage at school and break the cycle of poverty.
- Martin House provides family-led hospice care free of charge for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.
- Emmaus (pronounced em-may-us) helps people move away from homelessness by providing a home, training and work opportunities as part of a package of long-term support.
- National Deaf Children’s Society, who support deaf children with any level of hearing loss.
- Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, whose vision is a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature.
Have a happy and healthy half-term break.
Our weekly message: Friday 17 October 2025
Let’s start this week with a thank you…
A few weeks ago, we asked for donations to support our Cooking curriculum. To make sure that we can continue to offer this, asked for a voluntary donation of £3 to £6 to pay for the ingredients. So far, we’ve received £232 which will really help to pay for the ingredients we need. Thank you for your support.
For more about our Cooking curriculum, please check out our Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum Guide – they include the recipes and background information including the food preparation skills children will practise. (We’re in Year A this year.)
Being geographers
On Monday morning, Year 2 pupils conducted fieldwork in Moortown Park. They were answering the question ‘Which trees grow in the park?’ They observed the trees closely, collected leaves and took photographs. Back in class, they used a key to identify the trees.
I saw oak trees, a fir tree, a willow tree and an apple tree with apples on it.
Diary update
We’ve a diary change… It might seem like way off but just in case you need to know, the school photographer has had to change the date for the next visit to Moortown Primary. This means the date for the class pic at the end of the year is now Thursday 18 June 2026.
Arbor
We have recently moved our Management Information System (MIS) to Arbor. Arbor will allow us to communicate with you more efficiently and will eventually bring all core school data into one system.
Yesterday, you should have received an email letting you know how to login to the parent portal/app for your child. If you’ve not received this, please let the office know.
You can familiarise yourself with Arbor using this link: Getting started – Log into the Parent Portal and the Parent App
Arbor also offers access to other training resources, which can be found here.
Before the half term break, we hope to have finalised the payments area in Arbor, so you’ll be able to pay for school meals on the portal or app. We’ll let you know when this is live.
If you’ve any questions, please contact the school office.
Finally this week…
Junior Leaders
After another busy day at the polls, we have a newly elected Junior Leadership Team:
- Reception: Satin and Rory
- Year 1: Jesse and Zuri
- Year 2: Xara-Mae and Lydia-May
- Year 3: Lily and Shaurya
- Year 4: Hadeed and Riya
- Year 5: Jayan and Abhijeet
- Year 6: Grace and Haleema
Congratulations to our winning children but a massive well done to everybody who had a go.
We’re looking forward to meeting with the new team very soon.