School Discos Letter from the School Council
As you know, we are all enormously excited about the upcoming disco on Monday! It promises to be a wonderfully fun-filled event for the children, and we want to share a few key arrangements to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Firstly, the children will need to come to school in their usual school uniforms, except Reception children they should come in in their party clothes. For all other year groups please remember to pack a change of clothes for the disco! For our younger pupils in Years 1&2, they will have time to change before lunch, so please consider this when helping them choose their disco outfit. Meanwhile, the children in Years 3&4 will change into their disco attire after lunch, while Years 5&6 will swap their clothes at the end of the school day.
For our Year 5&6 pupils, the disco is scheduled to finish at 5:15 pm. Those who have already been granted permission to walk home alone will be allowed to leave at that time. If you prefer that your child remains under our supervision, please notify the office in advance, and we will ensure they are held for collection alongside those who are typically picked up.
In addition, there will be snacks available for purchase during the disco, so you may wish to provide your child with some pocket money to enjoy some treats!
There is still time to purchase your child’s £2 entrance to the disco either through ParentPay or at the office. Remember if their name is not on the list, they will not be able to take part.
Thank you for your support and cooperation. We look forward to an exciting day of dancing and fun!
Warm regards
School Councillors
Nursery
This week we have started to talk about, with the children who are leaving us in July, about starting school. We have asked them about what they have enjoyed in nursery and what they are looking forward to or are worried about going to school. We have also enjoyed writing some stories with our teachers, scribing for us.
REMINDER: Please remember to make sure your child’s name is all items of uniform.
Letters sent home this week
Reception
We kick started this week with a fantastic sports day! The children had lots of fun and showed great team spirit. We have been thinking about going to Year One and writing our own questions. We had a great chat about the things we enjoy in Reception and might like to see in our Year One classroom. In Maths we have been learning about addition and subtraction within 10. In art we have been using the visual alphabet shapes to create a drawing and add detail.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Reception reading workshop on Wednesday.
REMINDER: We have our school disco on Monday. Please pay £2 via ParentPay online or at the office.
Letters sent home this week
Year 1
Year 1 have been very busy this week in English. They have been creating reports about themselves to give their new year 2 teacher more information about them.
In maths, we have been looking at money and discussing their values. We have explained what ‘£’ means as well as ‘p’ as in ‘5p’.
The children have worked very hard in geography this week. We have compared the United Kingdom and Kenya. Looking at houses, roads etc and comparing the weather too.
REMINDER: Don’t forget! We have our school disco! Monday 14th July. Please pay your £2 contribution to Mrs Dadd in the office.
Letters sent home this week
Year 2
In Year 2 the children have been writing a plan to make our own leaflets about Brazil. They included an introduction, persuasive language and even customer reviews! The children are recapping place value between now and the end of term, embedding number skills within numbers from 20-100, looking at tens and ones. Reviews were made in science and the children were able to write about the results from their cress experiment.
Oyster really enjoyed their time at the beach. They created their own art in the sand and even dipped their feet in the water! Please see the link below which includes the photos of the morning:
REMINDER:
- A reminder, Seahorse have their climbing wall experience on Monday 14th July.
- The school disco is for both classes on Monday 14th July.
Year 3
In Year 3 we are enjoying working to debug movement in our Scratch projects in computing and in history we are investigating the layouts of Roman buildings. In maths we are looking at 2D shapes and in English we have begun a new topic; non-chronological reports, where we are currently writing about earthquakes.
REMINDER: Don’t forget to book your disco ticket for Monday!
Please could you look around for any library or reading books you have and return them to school.
Year 4
This week we have been writing our own discussion text talking about why the Vikings were more than just fierce warriors. The children have written some detailed sentences explaining why some were peaceful. In maths we have been learning about shape, learning the properties of triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons.
Here is a link for the tennis club we went to last week, they do a junior membership if anyone is interested.
Year 5
This week in English, year five have been arguing again – but in a structured way – in the form of a debate! We have been looking at the arguments for and against using the Internet. Where do you stand on this complex issue? Is the Internet an amazing tool that has revolutionised the way we live? Or is it a scourge that plagues our attention spans, with humans now addicted to their screens, bombarded by fake information? In maths, we started our unit looking at volume, using cubes to identify the cubic capacity of different shapes.
REMINDER: Please remember to bring your PE kits in for Mondays and Thursdays.
Year 6
This week, year 6 have been rehearsing their leaver’s production – it will be fabulous! In our DT lessons, we designed a plushie toy. The children created their own patterns, cut out the material and then sewed the plushie together. The next step is to evaluate their work. All the children enjoyed a very warm sports day! As their last one at primary school, it was an important event, and we are proud of how the children participated so enthusiastically.
REMINDER: Please remember to have a PE kit in school. As the weather warms up, please ensure that your child has a water bottle and suncream.
Music
Would you like your child to learn a musical instrument?
We are currently organising lessons and tutors for September. These lessons are either 1:1 with the tutor, or 2 pupils sharing the time. If you would like your child to take up this opportunity, please collect a letter from the school office. This letter will provide details of the instruments available and the costs involved (Funding is available for recipients of free school meals). Students currently having lessons are guaranteed a place to continue and will receive a separate letter confirming this.
French
This week, year one have enjoyed learning the words for some clothes in French; year three have enjoyed learning some concepts to do with planetary warming; year six have mastered some concepts related to moving up to secondary school.
PE & Sport
The children have worked extremely hard over the past few weeks in their Sports Day events. A huge ‘well done’ to all the children from year 1 to year 6 for your fantastic effort in all the activities.
Oyster Class get creative at the beach
Oyster Class had a wonderful beach trip filled with exploration and creativity. They began by taking in the peaceful estuary view before kicking off their shoes to paddle in the cool water, feeling the sand beneath their feet and enjoying the sense of being grounded. As they walked back up the beach, they noticed the contrast of hard stones underfoot. The children then worked independently, in pairs, or small groups to create beautiful pieces of transient art using natural materials found on the beach. These creations formed Porters Grange Primary Gallery #2, and the children took time to walk around, admire each other’s work, and share what they appreciated most about each piece.
Online Safety
AI isn’t just transforming the way we learn and work, it’s also reshaping the tactics scammers use online. From generating convincing phishing emails to fabricating influencer videos, criminals are using AI to make their scams more convincing than ever. Young people, who often embrace new tech quickly, can be especially vulnerable.
This guide highlights several AI-enabled dangers – including romance scams, deepfake audio and video impersonations, and fake job offers – and explains how to spot and report them. With clear tips for verifying content, thinking critically, and using trusted platforms, it’s essential reading for parents and educators to help young people stay one step ahead of the scammers.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Our Uniform shop is located within the front reception area of the school and is open Monday-Friday 8.30am - 4.00pm. All items are 50p each (cash only please). We always have a good selection of skirts, trousers, jumpers, tops, dresses and P.E items. Please ask at the office to point you in the right direction.
Donations
We always welcome school uniform donations for us to sell at our school uniform shop. Could we please ask that the clothes are in good, clean condition. All items can be dropped off at the school office between 8.30am - 4.00pm. Thank you so much for doing this for the school as it helps our parents out tremendously.
Thank you
Attendance
Attendance Certificates 2025
As we come to the end of the school year, you’ll soon be receiving your child’s school report. Alongside this, we will also be sending home their Attendance Certificate, which gives a snapshot of their attendance across the year.
The certificate will include their overall attendance percentage, and to help make sense of what that number means, we’ll be using the following categories:
- Excellent – 96% to 100%
- Good to Could Improve – 90% to 95%
- Persistently Absent – 70% to 89.9%
- Severely Absent – below 50%
Our school’s attendance target is 96%, and we’re really looking forward to celebrating the children who have reached or exceeded this. Those pupils will receive a special End of Year Celebration Certificate to recognise their great effort and commitment in being here and learning throughout the year.
In addition to this, we’ll also be recognising and celebrating:
- Most Improved Attendance – for children who have made a real effort to turn things around and have shown significant improvement over the year.
- Best Attendance Despite Circumstances – for children who, despite facing medical appointments or special circumstances, have shown incredible resilience and a strong commitment to their learning.
We know that attendance can sometimes be a challenge, and we want to celebrate the effort and progress just as much as the end result. Every day really does count, and we are so grateful for your ongoing support in helping your child be here, ready to learn. Thank you so much for your continued support in helping your child get the most out of school. We appreciate everything you do to help make attendance a priority.
Contact us
You can still continue to contact the school to talk to someone for support or advice on attendance or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact the Attendance Team and ask to speak to, Mrs S. Dowd, Attendance Administrator or Mrs D Morris Assistant Principal and Senior Leader for Attendance, you can also pop in to the school office to request to speak to one of us face to face, alternatively you call the school or send us an email to attendance@pgps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk we are here and we are always happy to help!
Being ready for every day and getting in on time is the challenge you set yourself to achieve greatness!
Dinner Menu
Week 1
Monday
- Baked Sausages with Crushed Potatoes & Gravy
- 3 Veg Macaroni Cheese
- Pasta with Tomato & Basil Sauce
- Baked Beans & Peas
- Chocolate & Beetroot Brownie
Tuesday
- Beef & Vegetable Pie
- Vegan Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Steamed Rice
- Jacket Potato with Baked Beans
- Sweetcorn & Broccoli
- Courgette & Oat Cookie
Wednesday
- Roast Chicken Fillets with Gravy
- Vegan Squash, Sweet Potato & Bean Hot Pot
- Pasta with Tomato & Basil Sauce
- Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Greens & Carrots
- Fruit Jelly (book Vanilla Ice cream and it will be replaced with fruit jelly)
Thursday
- Beef & Vegetable Ragu with Penne Pasta
- Vegan Vegetable & Chickpea Ragu with Penne Pasta
- Jacket Potato with Cheddar Cheese
- Cauliflower & Roasted Carrots
- Apple & Parsnip Sponge
Friday
Principal for the Day Menu
- Chicken Nuggets, chips and ketchup
- Fish Fingers and chips
- Vegan Vegetable fingers and chips
- Ice Cream
Community
Cost of Living Advice
Click here to access cost of living advice from Southend City Council. It contains information on housing support, energy cost advice and benefits and support for those with children.
Credits:
Created with images by Ekaterina Pokrovsky - "French national flag" • M.studio - "healthy eating concept"