Friars Weekly Newsletter

Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...

• A full round-up of a busy week
• Sports Competitions... Essex Cross Country and the Portico football
• Rock Steady report

Two terms gone and one to go… Wow! We have had lovely autumn and spring terms and we now have only the longer summer term left. Time does fly when you’re having fun. This week has whizzed by. On Tuesday there was a fantastic Rock Steady concert and it was lovely to see Year 3 performing their assembly to parents this morning. Unfortunately, I had a meeting to rush off to so didn’t see it all, but I had already seen a dress rehearsal! Congratulations Year 3… it was a great show. There is a report about Rock Steady further on in the newsletter. A special mention to Ralph from Year 4 who participated in the Essex Cross Country Final on Wednesday. Ralph ran exceptionally well so a huge well done to Ralph! There is a great photo of Ralph in the Sports section! We also took part in the Portico Trust's football tournament. When we return after Easter, we have the Year 6 residential meeting after school on the Tuesday, and on the Wednesday Year 1 start their swimming sessions at Garon Park. Wrens are first up with Starlings going later in the summer. In the autumn term of 2026-27 we will have the pop-up swimming pool back on our school playground. This will see all of the children from Years 1 to 6 swimming again. Last year when we had the pool it worked brilliantly and the children had very high-quality lessons on our doorstep! Fingers crossed that we have a super, sunny two-week holiday. Enjoy and see you all on Monday 13th April. Mr. Chris McClay, Principal

Breakfast Club

In September, we will have childcare available between 7:30am and 8:00am. This will be before the Breakfast Club provision and will be a paid-for service. More information will follow about this in the summer term.

KS1 and KS2 Sports Day and Picnic

A reminder that our big family sporting and picnic event is at the end of next half-term… Thursday 21st May. This is the last day of term. More information will come to you after Easter, but please do save the date. A reminder too that the children in Early Years, Nursery and Reception, have their own separate events. Early Years events are in June (dates are below).

Summer Events 2026

We love seeing the Friars Family come together at our summer events so we are pleased to share a number of dates for your diaries as we move into the second part of the academic year… More information about these events will follow closer to the time.

Nursery

What an Eggscellent week it has been. Yes, you guessed it, this week Nursery have gone easter crazy. After listening to the Easter Story, we talked about new life and signs of spring – new flowers growing and baby chicks and lambs being born. And of course, what Easter generally means to children in Nursery....The (Chocolate) Easter Egg. We have played egg and spoon races, rolling eggs down ramps to see which went the furthest and a traditional Easter Egg hunt. Children made chocolate easter nests that went home with easter cards that the children made. We must also not forget the magnificent Easter Bonnet Parade and what a fabulous show of bonnets there were. Some with chicks on, others with eggs and one of our winning wining ones had been totally changed into a spring lamb. Well done everyone, I think it was our best one yet.     

REMINDER: Have a fantastic Easter break, stay safe and we look forward to seeing you in the summer term. 

Reception

Can you believe that we have finished the second term of school? It was lovely to be able to speak with so many of you about your child’s progress last week. Thank you for supporting their education at home – it really does make a difference. Throughout the week we have spoken about Easter, new life and shared the Easter story. There have been lots of opportunities to explore Easter crafts through weaving, drawing, making patterns, using sticks to make crosses and much more. In class we have been teaching the children to recognise and sort odd and even numbers. Our phonics sessions have focused on reading longer words, such as mammoth and lightning as well as the letter s making a z sound, in words such as visit, poison and queens. 

REMINDER: The equipment within the Reception garden is tidied at the end of every day. Please do not allow your children to use any of the resources. Thank you.

Year 1

We have had a very busy week in Year 1. We have continued writing our Jack and the Beanstalk stories adding our own ideas to each section.  In maths, we have completed our weights and measures activities by using balance scales to compare weights of items and then we moved on to using language such as half full, nearly empty to compare capacity quantities.

In history we have completed our topic of the great fire of London by thinking about what changes were made in London because of the fire. We thought about the fire service that is available now, the way in which houses are built on wider streets and that they are made from different materials. Starlings have enjoyed their outdoor learning week completing various art activities in the school garden. We had a very exciting end to the history work but we don’t want to spoil it for Wrens class so we won’t tell you about it yet! Have a fantastic easter break and we look forward to welcoming the children back in the summer term! 

REMINDER: Wrens will be doing their outdoor learning in the first week back on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They will also begin their swimming lessons on the Wednesday – exciting times ahead!!   Starlings will swim later on in the term.

Year 2

This week in English, the children have been fascinated as we learnt about the sinking of the Titanic. We researched facts to find out more about the disaster, identified key facts and recorded them into our books. The children have enjoyed our learning about the Titanic and have been excited to share their facts.  In maths, we focused on measuring temperature in degrees Celsius (°C). Across the week, children tracked the temperature and recorded the temperature each day into a table. At the end of the week, we looked at our results and identified the hottest and coldest temperatures of the week. This week, we concluded our DT project. The children used their designs to create their toy car using cardboard, straws, wooden dowels and wheels. The designs were creative and the children demonstrated perseverance when cutting some of the trickier parts of their car designs. The finished cars reflected the children’s hard work and creativity. What an amazing end to a very busy term!

Letters sent home this week

• Year 2 - Books for Breakfast - 23.03.2026

Year 3

This week in English, the children explored poetry by using similes and alliteration to make their writing more creative and descriptive. They worked hard to create their very own poems and then confidently performed them to their classmates. It was wonderful to see their imagination and enthusiasm as they shared their work! In maths, the class began learning about mass. The children explored how to measure weight using grams (g) and kilograms (kg). They practised comparing and measuring different objects and discussed which units are best to use for lighter and heavier items. During Geography, the children learned about earthquakes. They looked at a world map and located some of the most famous earthquakes around the world, helping them understand where earthquakes often occur and how they affect different places.

Year 4

We have had a wonderful final week of term in Year 4. In maths, we continued our work on fractions, focusing on adding and subtracting fractions and building confidence with these skills. During English lessons, the children created their own persuasive leaflets about water conservation, using strong arguments and persuasive language to engage the reader.

Science learning explored what we can do, both as individuals and as groups, to help protect our planet. In DT, pupils enjoyed designing and beginning to create their own ‘make do and mend’ toys, showing creativity and problem-solving skills. Geography lessons introduced North Carolina, where children located it on a map and learned about its three main regions.

We also finished our class reading book, Kensuke’s Kingdom, which the children thoroughly enjoyed.

Year 5

This week in Year 5 the children have been busy writing letters to Asda explaining about the importance of using sustainable palm oil. We were amazed at how many products palm oil is in. The children used their detailed research to tell Asda about the damage that 'dirty' palm oil was having on habitats, forests and animals around the world. Watch out for your letters Asda!   In our maths lessons this week we have focused around statistics. The children have plotted and read and interpreted a range of line graphs and moved on to tables. We discussed how statistics are all around us and how many parents must use these in some of their jobs. Keep practising TT Rockstars over the easter holiday.   We enjoyed another session of yoga where the yoga teacher explored different balances with them. Children watched carefully and at points worked with a partner to develop the move further.    Well done again to our children who were involved in the wonderful RockSteady concert. Leaflets went out in school, but do see the rock steady website if you are interested further!   Have a fabulous easter holiday!

Year 6

The easter holidays are nearly here and we would like to say well done to the children for all their hard work this term. We have been bringing our writing to life using personification. We have also tried to write using varying degrees of possibility and certainty but including modal verbs into our work. Maths has been all about the revision of fractions and then work on area and perimeter of a variety of shapes. We also practised drawing angles with a protractor. Just a reminder, the children have got a set of practice papers to complete over the holidays.  We hope you all have a lovely time.

Computing

  This week in computing, students in Years 4, 5, and 6 have diligently engaged in programming activities that foster creativity and critical thinking. Year 4 commenced the week by utilising Scratch to develop various games. Some pupils focused on creating football-themed games, while others dedicated their efforts to designing and crafting unique sprites and backdrops. Additionally, a number of students employed the pen extensions to construct maze and drawing-style games, showcasing their imaginative capabilities. In Year 6, the children concluded their final week with Tinkercad, meticulously adding the finishing touches to their three-dimensional models. These models are scheduled to be printed following the Easter holidays, and there is a palpable excitement among the students as they anticipate witnessing their designs materialise through our 3D printer. Year 5 pupils also enjoyed an enriching experience this week as they experimented with Scratch to create their own games. Some students concentrated on developing a moving sprite, while others were inspired to design a chatbot-style game, enabling a sprite to pose questions and receive responses from the player. This task necessitated the use of selection statements, including ‘if’, ‘then’, and ‘else’, thereby enhancing their programming skills.  

Sports & PE

This week we took a selection of children to a Portico football tournament where our children played against other schools from the academy. Year 5 and 6 created additional teams made up from a selection of players from across the academy. It was lovely to see the children getting on so well with each other in a competitive way. It was a great afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed by all the children attending.

As Mr. McClay mentioned in the opening of the newsletter, Ralph in Year 4 enjoyed success at the Essex Cross Country Finals. 33rd place out of more than 100 runners is amazing!

Online Safety

As exams approach, many young people fall back on familiar revision habits like rereading and highlighting. While these can feel reassuring, they often do little to support long-term memory. This guide explains why passive techniques can lead to misplaced confidence, gaps in understanding and increased stress when pupils struggle to recall key information under pressure. Focusing on simple, evidence-informed strategies, it supports parents and educators to guide more effective revision. From active recall and spaced practice to building manageable routines, the guide offers practical ways to improve retention and confidence. With expert insight, it encourages a balanced approach where challenge supports learning without overwhelming pupils.

PTA

A busy summer term awaits with lots of PTA events. Thank you in advance for your support.