Friars Weekly Newsletter friday 19th september 2025

Coming up in this edition of the newsletter...

• Clubs have started...
• A message about naming uniform... please, please do...!
• Christmas dates...

Another busy week here at Friars!

We now have all of our new Nursery children with us, following on from Reception starting their full days last Friday. It has also been lovely to welcome a number of new children across the school too. It is always great meeting new children and to see them start theirs Friars’ journeys…

I have tried to drop into the many clubs that have started this week. It has been lovely to see so many happy children before and after school. Saying that, I don’t think the choir was impressed with my singing… ☹

On Wednesday, we did our first fire drill of the year which was a real success. Next time we will see if we can make it even quicker… although it was already very speedy!

This weekend will be busy for some children in Year 6 as Saturday is the 11+ selection day. Best of luck to everyone who will be sitting the tests and remember that you can only do your best.

To everyone else, have a lovely weekend. It looks like this lovely weather will be with us into Saturday.

Mr. McClay, Principal

Christmas Dates

Soon we will be sharing all of our Christmas dates with you - our Winter Wonderland decoration making sessions, Reception, Year 1 and 2 nativities and all of the other favourite things we do. The PTA Christmas Fayre will be on Wednesday 3rd December after school. Please save this date.

Reception 2026

In October and November, we will be hosting tours of the school for prospective parents who are thinking about sending their children to Friars in September 2026. If you have a child of that age, or have friends and family who do, we would be grateful if you could share the dates with them.

• Tour 1: Tuesday October 21 at 9:30am
• Tour 2: Tuesday October 21 at 1:30pm
• Tour 3: Thursday November 13 at 9:30am
• Tour 4: Thursday November 13 at 1:30pm

Tours will last approximately 45 minutes. Both parents and children are welcome to attend.

Naming Uniform

It is that time of the year again where we plead with everyone to make sure that all items of school clothing are named. As we still have some lovely weather, the children are regularly taking off their jumpers and cardigans and then forgetting to collect them. It makes it so much easier to reunite item and owner when things are named.

Please can we ask that, this weekend, you name your child's uniform if you haven't already done so... thank you!

Nursery

What a busy week it has been. Our new children have now started nursery and are settling day by day. This week we have concentrated on familiarising ourselves with rules and routines and where our toys all belong, so we know where to find things and put them away after playing with them. During group time sessions, we have played games to help build new friendships, sang songs together and had our first visit to the library, which everyone enjoyed. Mrs. Glen showed us where the books were that we could choose and read us a story. We picked a few books to bring back to nursery, and we will swap these, every week, during our library visit. We are looking forward to see what next week will bring.

Reception

It has been another wonderful week in Reception. We have been very pleased with how well the children are following routines, especially when they put their resources away after using them. This week we have opened up our maths and construction areas for the children to select and use their own resources. Our phonics sessions have introduced the children to the sounds s,a,t and p.

REMINDER: We will have a trip to Hyde Hall in June. The cost is likely to be around £14. More details will follow closer to the time.

Year 1

Another wonderful week in Starlings and Wrens. We are so proud of how well the children have moved into Year 1. They have all adapted brilliantly to the new routines, classrooms, and working a little more independently. Well done to them all!

In English, we have continued to look at the story of 'The Little Red Hen'. The children have written captions, labels, completed word puzzles, and looked at including adjectives in their sentences.

In maths we have been investigating numbers within 20. The children have looked at representing numbers in different ways, using practical resources, drawings and written methods.

Reminder: Library books will need to brought back in to be changed on Wednesday next week, please!

Year 2

Year 2 have investigated partitioning two-digit numbers in different ways using Base 10 in maths this week, as well completing number lines which have missing numbers. The children have started to use Numbots to develop their understanding of ‘number’. The children’s login details have been stuck into the front of their Reading Record so that they can access this useful app at home.

During English lessons, the children have made comparisons between ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and the alternative version ‘The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig’. We explored adjectives and have used them effectively to describe the setting of a story.

In foundation subjects, we have explored the strength of materials when making bridges in science. The children recorded their results in a table and discussed their findings with the class. In history, we have compared toys from years gone by with those we have today. We discovered that wood and fabric were used to make many toys in olden times, compared with toys today, which are often made of plastic.

REMINDER: 2W have Outdoor Learning each afternoon beginning on 22nd September (apart from Wednesday where they will need to wear PE as usual).

2S have outdoor learning starting Tuesday 30th September until Friday 3rd October. The children will wear their normal PE on Monday 29th.

Year 3

This week, we explored how to write interesting setting descriptions using the five senses. The children worked hard to imagine and describe settings in vivid detail, thinking about what they could see, hear, smell, taste and touch. It’s been wonderful to see their imaginations come alive in their writing!

In maths, we’ve been learning how to complete number lines up to 1000. The children practised identifying and placing missing numbers accurately, helping to strengthen their understanding of place value and number patterns. Their confidence is growing with each lesson!

History - In the afternoons, we’ve been diving into the past by learning about hunter-gatherers. The children were fascinated to learn how early humans lived, hunted, and found food before farming existed. We had some great discussions and questions about how life was different in the Stone Age.

In music, we had lots of fun playing the glockenspiels. We practised keeping in time with the rhythm and explored different notes to create simple melodies. The children really enjoyed making music together!

Well done to all of Year 3 for their hard work and enthusiasm this week. We’re looking forward to another exciting week of learning ahead!

Year 4

This week has been full of exciting learning across the curriculum!

In English, we began our new narrative 'A Warrior’s Secret'. The children have been working hard to use direct speech and inverted commas correctly, bringing their characters’ voices to life. We are already seeing some wonderfully imaginative ideas developing! In maths, we have been building on our understanding of number lines and place value. The children practised estimating and comparing numbers up to 10,000, and their confidence in working with larger numbers is really growing.

In outdoor learning, 4A enjoyed exploring still life drawing, macro photography and experimenting with false perspective photography. It was fantastic to see them thinking creatively and using their artistic skills in the natural environment.

In science, 4L had a very hands-on experience recreating the digestive system — there was lots of excitement (and a few giggles!) as we investigated how our bodies break down food. In history, we explored Anglo Saxon settlements, learning about how and why people chose certain places to build their homes. In music, 4L had great fun playing the glockenspiels, practicing keeping in time and creating simple melodies. PSHE this week was based around the story of Beegu, sparking thoughtful discussions about inclusion and how important it is to make everyone feel welcome.

4L also enjoyed getting active in PE, developing their hockey skills, and practicing their push passes with increasing accuracy.

Well done to all of Year 4 for their enthusiasm and hard work—we can’t wait to see what next week brings!

Have a lovely weekend,

The Year 4 Team

Year 5

This week the children in Year 5 have shown greater confidence with their use of place value. They have been demonstrating their knowledge using number lines, place value charts, comparison symbols and solving through word problems. We look forward to concluding this area of maths soon in preparation for some written methods with addition and subtraction.

Their English work this week started with the use of inverted commas which children then demonstrated in their narrative work focusing around 'The Alchemist's Letter'. This is the story about a machine that could turn any metal into gold. To power the device the character's own memories were fed into it. Lots of engaging narratives were told.

Through our geography this week the children worked in small groups and detailed the journey of the river through the upper, middle and lower course. Much discussion was had around where we live and what the river Thames looks like for us. Further new skills were taught in netball, where they used their bounce passes and added dodges. Within their music lesson the children have learnt the 'Ghost Parade' song and have started to improvise around the C minor pentatonic scale. All children have played the recorded and some have also used the keyboards. We look forward to hearing further compositions.

It has been lovely hearing about the clubs that have started this week. Much fun has been had and new skills learnt!

Year 6

Year 6 have worked on including speech into narrative this week. The purpose is that the story is moved on with key pieces of speech. The children have used synonyms for said and added adverb to demonstrate how the person is speaking.

In maths, we have started work on the operation of addition and subtraction with larger amounts and how to calculate unknown quantities within calculations using the inverse operation.

In science, we have fixed broken circuits using online software. We have learnt the different continents and main bodies of water on the globe in geography and we have continued to learn passing and shooting skills in our hockey lessons.

Sports & PE

Our cross country team members have been training hard ahead of next Friday's Southend competition. With two school training sessions left, the children are looking prepared. Many of the children told us that they have been practising outside of school too.

Good luck to the team - we are confident that you will all do well. News about the team's performance will follow in the newsletter on October 3rd.

Online Safety

With over 900 million monthly users, Snapchat continues to be a favourite among children and young people; however, with its ever-evolving features, the risks have evolved too. From AI-generated filters and chatbots, to disappearing messages and the Snap Map location-sharing tool, it’s easy for children to stumble into unsafe territory. This guide breaks down the latest updates, including the Lens+ subscription service, and web browser access.

We’ve also unpacked the risks of sextortion scams, overuse, and inappropriate content that may slip through the app’s moderation systems. With expert advice from online safety consultant Dr Claire Sutherland, this guide is a must-read for anyone helping young people navigate Snapchat responsibly and confidently.

PTA

On November 5th, we will be having a school non-uniform day. We will be asking all of the children to wear bright clothes on the day and to bring in a donation for the PTA Christmas Raffle. More information to follow...