Outdoor Learning
Reception and Year 1 children enjoyed a wonderful outdoor learning session exploring our school garden using 'Find It' challenge cards. The children searched for different types of leaves, compared patterns and sizes, and enthusiastically shared their discoveries. They also discovered a block of ice on the grass, giving them a real-life opportunity to experience and talk about ice first-hand. One child summed up the joy of the session perfectly, saying, “I am so happy!” Despite the icy weather, the children were eager to take part in a science activity where they created ice sun catchers using yoghurt pots, water, string and natural materials collected from the garden. The Year 1 children investigated whether warm or cold water would make a difference, while all children discussed what might happen to the water when left outside overnight in freezing temperatures. They confidently used scientific vocabulary such as ‘liquid’ and ‘solid’ and made thoughtful predictions. When the children checked their sun catchers the next day, they discovered that the water had not frozen. This led to excellent discussions about the weather and why the sun catchers hadn’t frozen. One child suggested that a freezer at home can freeze things, so the sun catchers were placed in the school freezer instead. The children are now eagerly looking forward to seeing what happens next! It was a joyful session full of curiosity, teamwork and learning — even in the cold!
Nursery
Happy New Year!! This we have welcomed our new children into Nursery. All of our older children have been amazing at helping them with the rules and routines and have started to involve them in their play. We have also been enjoying the change in the weather talking about what ice is and why and how it happens.
REMINDER: Please remember to bring a warm coat, hat, gloves and scarf as even in these chilly conditions, we play outside. Thank you
Letter sent home this week
Whole School - CEO Letter - Ofsted News - 08.01.2026
Reception
This week we have continued to identify and name shapes with four sides and sort them into sets. The children have also been spotting these shapes in the environment. Due to the icy cold conditions this week, we have had fun experimenting with frozen water and observing the melting process. Some of our small animals got frozen and needed rescuing. The children enjoyed breaking and melting the ice to break them free!
REMINDER: Don’t forget – As the cold weather continues, please make sure hats, scarves and gloves, as well as a warm coat are worn by your child. (Please make sure they are named so they do not get lost) Reading books in every day.
Letters sent home this week
Year 1
Happy New Year! Welcome back everyone. Year 1 have been very busy this week, getting back into routines and remembering our expectations for learning and behaviour. The children have done well with some of the changes we have made to extend their learning and develop their skills. In maths, we have recapped our 2D and 3D shapes, looking at describing their properties as well as being able to name them. In English, we have been exploring and refining our understanding of the writing rules to ensure our writing is consistent. We welcomed back Mrs Baines, who will be teaching us musical skills this half term.
REMINDER: Don’t forget – PE is now Monday. PE kits need to be back in school. Reading books and reading records need to be in school every day. This continues to be a year 1 expectation. The cold weather means gloves, hats and scarves. Please name them so if items are misplaced, it is easier to give them back to the correct child.
Letters sent home this week
Whole School - CEO Letter - Ofsted News - 08.01.2026
Year 2
Happy New Year! The children have had a fantastic first week back. In English some children have been focussing on letter formation, learning the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and reciting repeating refrains. The children have also looked at sentence structure remembering to use punctuation. In maths, the children have started the new unit of money. They are recognising the value of coins and notes then using them to add each value together to make a total. In science, the children have started to recognise what food is healthy and unhealthy. History has been good fun as The Great Fire of London topic has been started! The children are looking forward to immersing themselves in history!
REMINDER: Please remember to bring your child’s PE in if you haven’t done so already. Also, please make sure your child is well equipped for the weather with thicker coats, hats, gloves and scarfs!
Letters sent home this week
Year 3
Happy New Year! We’ve had a lovely start to the term and have been very busy. In English, we have started to look at the poem Spells by John Foster. We looked at the features and have written our own class poem. In Maths, we have continued to work on multiplication and division. In Science we have looked at how shadows are formed.
REMINDER: PE days are Monday and Friday.
Letters sent home this week
Whole School - CEO Letter - Ofsted News - 08.01.2026
Year 4
We have had a wonderful start to the new year. In English we have been looking at poetry from other cultures focussing on inverted commas, expanded noun phrases and creating our own summaries. We have also looked at the story, Stone Age Boy and written sentences about the text. In maths we are continuing to learn more about multiplication and division focussing on factors and multiplying by 10 and 100. In design technology we have begun our unit on food and enjoyed our lesson learning to peel and cut safely and accurately.
REMINDER: PE days are Tuesday and Thursday, please ensure kits are in school.
Letters sent home this week
Whole School - CEO Letter - Ofsted News - 08.01.2026
Year 5
Welcome back year five! We hope you had a lovely winter break and we have certainly hit the ground running now we are back in school. In maths this week, we finished off our unit on fractions, before moving on to multiplication and division next week. In English, we looked at report writing – creating our own reports about global warming and climate change. In D.T, we continued creating our moving CAM models, using hot glue guns, wood saws and accurate measuring skills to create our frames. Next, we will create our own moving CAM to add to the design! What a busy week!
REMINDER: Our PE lessons are now on Wednesday and Thursdays, please ensure your child has a suitable kit within school, especially as the weather has now become much colder. Reading diaries should be signed as much as possible and remember to continue to practice your times table fluency on TTRS and Maths with a Mouse!
Letters sent home this week
Whole School - CEO Letter - Ofsted News - 08.01.2026
Year 6
In English, we have started exploring exciting Greek myths and describing the fantastic mythical creatures that are in them. We are focusing on adding detail so our readers can picture the stories in their heads. In maths, we are working in different groups on measures, fractions and arithmetic skills. In PE this half term, we are learning gymnastics and badminton. In DT, we are cooking healthy meals on a budget. This week, we have revised cutting with a knife skills and kitchen hygiene. As part of our preparation for secondary school, homework starts this week. Homework is given out on Fridays and is due in school on Thursdays. Please support your children by helping them decide when they will do their homework and where they will do it. Homework support in school is available on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes.
REMINDER: PE is now on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Homework is given on Fridays and is due on Thursdays. Please send in a small-medium sized plastic container for cooking eg a take away container. Your child will be cooking and bringing home their food to share with you. Thank you.
Letter sent home this week
Music
Instrumental Lessons Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey Wednesday Drums – Mr Peters Keyboard lessons resumed this week. All other lessons will commence next week
French
Welcome back to years 6, 5 and 2, who have been learning about school, numbers and the weather.
Online Safety
This #WakeUpWednesday edition offers clear, supportive guidance to help parents and educators feel more confident in navigating the online world with children and young people. It looks at how everyday conversations, simple boundaries, and a bit of digital awareness can make a real difference to young people’s online experiences. This guide also explores how parents and educators can create an environment where children feel comfortable asking for help when something online unsettles them. By highlighting the importance of safe and healthy internet usage, these tips provide a grounded starting point for anyone supporting young people’s digital lives.
Second Hand Uniform
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.
Attendance
Welcome Back to the Spring Term!
We hope you had a restful and enjoyable break. We’re excited to start the new term together and continue building on the fantastic achievements in attendance from last term.
Attendance Update – Autumn Term Success!
We are delighted to celebrate the fantastic attendance achievements from the Autumn term:
- 77 children maintained 100% attendance – an incredible commitment!
- A further 139 children achieved attendance between 99% and 96%, meeting our school expectation and target of 96%.
Well done to all of you – fantastic effort!
Attendance Expectations
A reminder to parents:
- The expectation for pupil attendance is 96%. That means that your child should have an attendance that meets or exceeds 96%
- Where absences are unavoidable, please inform the school on the first day of absence in the morning via phone, email, come in a talk to the school office or send in a written note.
- Unauthorised absences of more than 5 days may result in a penalty notice fine being issued. This includes absences for holidays or travel abroad, which meet the government threshold for a fine for poor attendance - £80 per child for each parent.
Contact us
Please ensure the school is kept informed of the circumstances for any absence, that way you will know if an absence has been authorised or unauthorised. If you need to talk to someone for advice on a planned absence or about support with difficulties around pupil attendance or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact the Attendance Team. You will need to speak to, Mrs Dowd our Attendance Administrator or Mrs D Morris our 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!
Thank you for your continued support in helping every child achieve excellent attendance.
NEW MENU
Lunch menu
Week 2
Monday
- Grilled Cumberland Sausage with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Vegan Sausage with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Pasta with Tomato & Basil Sauce
- Steamed Peas & Carrots
- Chocolate & Pear Sponge
Tuesday
- Beef Korma with Steamed Rice
- Vegan Chickpea & Spinach Korma with Garlic & Coriander Naan Bread
- Baked Potato with Baked Beans or Salmon
- Spiced Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli
- Apple & Carrot Flapjack
Wednesday
- Roast Leg of Pork with Gravy
- Vegan Spiced Squash & Potato Samosa
- Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce
- Roast Potatoes, Broccoli & Carrots
- Fruit Jelly
Thursday
- Spiced Tex Mex Chicken & Baked Wedges
- Roasted Vegetable Fajita & Baked Wedges
- Pasta with Squash & Tomato Sauce
- Corn on the Cob & Roasted Carrots
- Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake
Friday
- Fish Fingers, Chips & Ketchup
- Vegan Quorn Nuggets with Chips & Ketchup
- Baked Potato with Baked Beans
- Baked Beans & Peas
Available every day Salad Bar Fresh fruit, yoghurt and Jelly
Cost of Living
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 Fabio Principe - "A diary open with instruments for writing. Pencil, eraser and notebook on white background. Close up of a wooden pen orange and black, an eraser green and a booklet black. " • Ekaterina Pokrovsky - "French national flag" • Pungu x - "Username and password (Login) with biometric identification fingerprint scanner, encryption for technology cyber security internet and networking system. Businessman hand typing notebook (Laptop)." • Pixel-Shot - "School uniform on color background" • pjjaruwan - "Chef standing behind full lunch service station with assortment of food in trays." • Vitalii Vodolazskyi - "Cost of living written in a notebook and calculations of home finances."