Mini London Marathon 2026
We have received the ballot results for places in the Mini London Marathon. Unfortunately, West Leigh did not receive any places for either of the two distances. We are on the waitlist and will keep our fingers crossed!
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Competition Time - Spring 2 Diary Dates - Year 3 - Year 4 - Year 5 - Year 6
Online Safety - Dinner Menu - School News - Sports News - Online Bookshop
Inspirational Person - Attendance - Team Points - Sports Awards
Outside Achievements - Community News - Summer 1 Diary Dates
Newsies Jr Tickets on Sale
The Newsies Jr tickets are now available to purchase from the school office. The show features children from across the whole school and is guaranteed to be brilliant if previous West Leigh Productions are anything to go by. Don't miss out.
Portico Writing Competition
We are delighted to launch our Trust-wide Writing Competition, open to every child in Year 3 to Year 6 across all of our schools! This exciting celebration of creativity offers a writing challenge designed to inspire imagination and showcase brilliant storytelling. Year 3 & 4 pupils are invited to write “The Storm That Changed Everything” - a dramatic story about a powerful storm that transforms life as it was. Will it bring danger, loss, hope… or a brand-new beginning? Year 5 & 6 pupils will write a story that begins with a warning. The warning could be spoken, written, mysterious or frightening, but it must matter. We are looking for atmosphere, emotion and creativity. Whether through gripping openings, powerful description, ambitious vocabulary or carefully crafted tension, we can’t wait to see our pupils’ ideas come to life. This competition is open to every child across the Trust, and we strongly encourage everyone to take part. ✨ Every child who enters will receive a bookmark to celebrate their participation. 🏆 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes will be awarded in each phase. 📅 Closing date: 18th March
Spring 2 Term Diary Dates
February
- Monday 16th - Friday 20th - Half Term
- Monday 23rd - INSET Day
- Tuesday 24th - Friday 27th - Yer 6 Test Week
- Tuesday 24th - Year 3 Inspire DentalWorkshops
- Newsies Jr run through
- Theraphy Dog visit
- Wednesday 25th - Year 6 Netball Competition
- Thursday 26th - Newsie Jr run through
- Year 6 Netball Festival
- Year 5 Transition meeting (including 11+) 7pm
- Friday 27th - Year 3/4 Girls' Football Competition
March
- Monday 2nd - Year 3-5 Assessment Week
- Newsies Jr Dress Rehearsal
- Parent Council Meeting
- Tuesday 3rd - Therapy Dog Visit
- Maths Quiz Club Semi Final
- Wednesday 4th - Newsies Jr Dress Rehearsal
- Thursday 5th - Year 3 and 4 Let's Improvise
- Waterstones Visit
- Year 4 Athletics Trials
- Girls' Football League Game
- Friday 6th -World Book Day Celebrations
- Year 5/6 Dragonball Competition & Festival
- Monday 9th - Year 3-5 assessments
- Newsies rehearsal
- Tuesday 10th - Science Quiz Club Area Heat
- Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics
- Therapy Dog visit
- Year 5 Athletics Trials
- Wednesday 11th - Year 4 Tag Rugby Competition
- Year 6 Athletics Trials
- Thursday 12th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Essex Cross Country Squad Training
- Year 3 and 4 Let's Improvise Music
- Friday 13th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Saturday 14th - Newsies Jr Production - Belfairs Academy
- Monday 16th - Year 5 classes to The Globe
- Break dancing Enrichment Day
- Public Speaking Competition
- Tuesday 17th - Centicore Assembly
- Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 18th - Wyvern Assembly
- Thursday 19th - Year 5 classes to The Globe
- Essex Cross Country Squad Training
- Year 4 Breakdancing Enrichment Day
- Friday 20th - Comic Relief
- Monday 23rd - Portico Football Festival
- Tuesday 24th - Learning Conferences
- Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 25th - Essex Cross Country Final
- Father David Upper School Assembly
- Thursday 26th - Father David Lower School Assembly
- Friday 27th - Yer 5/6 Aquathlon
- Last Day of Term
Beyblades and Moon Balls
Moonballs We have unfortunately had to make the decision that moonballs can no longer be used on the playground. We know they are great fun, but they have been causing some difficulties during playtime. The good news is that we have purchased some small, soft foam balls for the children to enjoy instead. Children may still bring in soft foam footballs on their allocated football day. Please ensure that all footballs are clearly named so they can be easily returned if misplaced. Beyblades Beyblades continue to be hugely popular and it’s lovely to see the children enjoying them together! Recently, however, a number of Beyblades have been misplaced and we have been unable to return them as they were not named. Over half term, we would really appreciate it if you could ensure that all Beyblades are clearly labelled with a name sticker or initials. These can be added to the middle section of the Beyblade where it comes apart. Thank you very much for your continued support.
Year 3
It has been a very busy final week of this half term in Year 3. In English lessons, the children have been busy publishing their non-chronological reports about Heracles and his trials. They included many organisational features such as diagrams, pictures and a glossary. They have thought carefully about how they can make their reports appeal to the reader and are very proud of their work. Liquids and potions have been the focus in maths this week whilst the children have been learning about capacity and volume. They have learnt how to read different scales and convert between ml and litres. The children explored the capacity of different sized containers. They drew diagrams based on their own magic potions using a measuring scale to represent the amount of each liquid. There has been much ripping and sticking this week in Connected Curriculum lessons as the children’s collages have begun to take shape. Applying a range of techniques such as twisting, fringing and tearing, the children have created Greek landscapes as a background ready for their Greek temples to be added. Thank you for supporting your children with spelling practice, daily reading and logging into Times Tables Rocks Stars. We would like to wish you and your families a restful and healthy break.
PE Days Spring 2
3T
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
3H
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
3L
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
3M
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Friday
Swimming
- 3H - Monday
- 3L – Tuesday
- 3T – Wednesday
- 3M – Wednesday
Year 4
As we reach the halfway point of the academic year, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the incredible progress the children have made. In our English lessons, the children continued to explore instructional texts, focusing on imperative verbs and the importance of being polite. By rewriting instructions more courteously, the children have developed their essential social skills. Using this knowledge, they created a polite set of instructions to play a card game, using modal verbs to express possibility and necessity. As mathematicians, the children have been exploring times tables and multiplication and division through a range of activities. It has involved solving multiplication and division calculations through practical or formal methods. Some groups have also then been solving different problems to practice and strengthen their understanding. The topic of evaporation and condensation was investigated in science. The children observed a range of situations where condensation and evaporation were taking place. They demonstrated their knowledge by drawing labelled diagrams and using scientific vocabulary to explain their observations. In history, through initial discussions, we have also been learning who the Romans were; why they came to Britain; what the Roman Empire was and why the Romans wanted to invade Britain. The children have begun to justify their thoughts about the three main reasons the Romans invaded. As geographers, the children have interpreted various sources such as tables, charts and graphs to make comparisons between the climate of Leigh-on-Sea and contrasting Italian locations.
PE Days Spring 2
4B
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
4E
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
4SW
- Indoor PE - Wednesday
- Outdoor PE - Tuesday
4C
- Indoor PE - Monday
- Outdoor PE - Thursday
Swimming
- 4B - Monday
- 4SW - Monday
- 4C - Wednesday
- 4E - Friday
Year 5
The children have continued their learning journeys this week with enthusiasm and interest, despite the never-ending rain! This week, the children strengthened their understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. We began by consolidating their skills in reading, writing, ordering and comparing numbers with up to three decimal places. They then moved on to converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, applying their knowledge through a range of questions and word problems. We wrapped up the week by finding percentages of amounts - a skill that will be particularly useful during any upcoming sales! After last week’s challenge of writing sonnets, the children have continued to enjoy exploring Shakespeare’s, The Tempest. They discussed Prospero’s controlling behaviour and the idea of him as a puppeteer, then used drama to investigate how character interactions can shift relationships, making clear links to the plot so far. They went on to create and perform their own dramatic scenes with great enthusiasm and emerging talent. We ended the week with monologue writing. After studying well-known Shakespearean monologues and considering how they reveal a character’s true thoughts, the children examined film monologues before writing their own in role as Sycorax - a character mentioned but never seen in the play. This task allowed them to write emotively, confidently use the first person and practise their use of relative clauses and parenthesis. They certainly enjoyed “venting their spleen” while making thoughtful language choices. In science lessons, the children organised their research comparing two different types of animal and produced a factual but engaging fact-file to share with their class. Building on our learning from last week after a visit from Mr Gauntlett from the Environmental Agency, the children have had the chance to put their understanding of flood barriers to the test. They were tasked with keeping an object dry (in some classes a sweet treat was provided) using materials they'd brought from home to build an effective flood defence. The children had great fun but demonstrated many important skills including teamwork and creativity. They also had first-hand experience; considering how best to waterproof materials and which materials were better at deterring or holding back a flood. They concluded their learning using Lego We-Do. Here, they had to follow instructions to build a flood barrier and programme it to carry out a range of procedures, including opening and closing, turning on and off lights and creating sound. Once they had mastered this, they were challenged to change the procedures in order to improve the impact of the barrier by making it more controllable. This was certainly a memorable lesson and again enabled the children to demonstrate and consolidate a wide range of critical learning skills. Over half term, we have set the children a short piece of homework. This can be found on Showbie in the folder Spring Creative Homework. In Spring 2, we will be studying the artist Hokusai and his famous woodcut, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. We would like the children to research the artist Hokusai (include at least 3 facts), Japanese culture and artforms. We would like this presented in a creative way, either digitally on Showbie, or on paper, to hand in by no later than Friday 27th February. Many thanks for your support.
PE Days Spring 2
5G
- Indoor PE - Tuesday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
5A
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
5N
- Indoor PE - Friday
- Outdoor PE - Wednesday
5F
- Indoor PE - Thursday
- Outdoor PE - Monday
Swimming
- 5N – Tuesday
- 5F – Tuesday
- 5G – Thursday
- 5A – Thursday
Year 6
Year 6 have approached the end of term with focus and maturity, producing thoughtful work across the curriculum. In English, pupils carefully planned and wrote a detailed personal recount based on a memorable experience, whether the most frightening, embarrassing or even saddest. They revisited the key features of recount writing, organising their work chronologically and ensuring clear paragraphing to support cohesion. Particular emphasis was placed on capturing atmosphere through precise vocabulary and sensory detail, as well as maintaining a consistent first-person voice. Pupils edited their work thoughtfully, refining sentence structure and selecting language to reflect both the events of the day and their personal reflections. It was a pleasure to be able to share in a range of their personal reflections and learn a little more about each of them, one story at a time! In science, pupils learned about Edward Jenner and the development of vaccination, exploring how his work with smallpox transformed public health. They considered the importance of evidence, observation and perseverance in scientific discovery, linking this learning to our earlier work on microorganisms and the role they play in disease. Discussions were both thoughtful and insightful, with pupils recognising the lasting global impact of Jenner’s work. In art, pupils completed their rainforest collages, bringing together their observational drawings and understanding of Henri Rousseau’s layered compositions. The finished pieces demonstrate careful composition, texture and depth, capturing the vibrancy of rainforest environments with great creativity. We wish all families a restful and enjoyable half term break and look forward to welcoming the children back after recharging the batteries.
PE Days Spring 2
6D
- Indoor - Wednesday
- Outdoor - Monday
6K
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
6W
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Tuesday
6S
- Indoor - Thursday
- Outdoor - Monday
Swimming
- 6D - Thursday
- 6S - Friday
- 6K - Friday
- 6W - Friday
Online Safety
Creating a strong sense of belonging is essential for children's emotional well being and academic success. This guide explores ten simple and effective strategies, such as encouraging participation, celebrating diversity, and addressing bullying, that help schools build inclusive environments where every child feels valued and connected. This week's guide offers parents effective solutions to build inclusive, nurturing environments that help children and young people feel a strong sense of belonging.
Dinner Menu
Week 1
Tuesday - All Day Breakfast (Sausage, Baked Beans, Hash Brown) - Vegetarian All Day Breakfast (Vegetarian Sausage, Baked Beans, Hash Brown) - Granary Baguette with Cheese - Scrambled Eggs, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Cornflake Crunch Wednesday - Traditional Roast Chicken - Roast Quorn in Gravy - Granary Baguette with Egg Mayonnaise - Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Carrots, Peas and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Banana Cake Thursday - Chilli Con Carne - 5 Bean and Vegetable Chilli Con Carne - Jacket Potato with Baked Beans, Cheese or Tuna Mayonnaise - Rice, Mixed Vegetables or Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Carrot Cake Friday - 100% Fish Fingers - Vegetable Fingers - Wholemeal Wrap with Salmon and Sweetcorn - Plain Potato Wedges, Sweetcorn, Peas and Salad Bar - Fresh Fruit, Yoghurt or Fruit Jelly
School News
Team Challenge
Last week, the whole school took part in our Spring Term Team Challenge, centred on the theme Values in Action. The children were encouraged to think carefully about how our Golden Values can be applied within the local community and beyond. The afternoon began with a range of fun, values-based activities designed to get everyone thinking. These included a values freeze dance, a golden line-up and a golden sorting station! As well as warming the children up, these activities helped them connect with team members from across the school. Working together, the children then explored meaningful ways to put our Golden Values into practice. They shared thoughtful ideas about how they could actively promote these values and make a positive difference in their community. To finish, the children were introduced to the exciting concept of the Golden Values Passport. Launching soon, this passport will encourage children to complete activities outside of school that demonstrate the Golden Values in action. The children designed passport covers and suggested key activities to include, showing great insight. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with creativity, teamwork and, most importantly, genuine reflection on how our Golden Values can be lived out through everyday actions.
School Council Takes Parliament!
On Monday 9th February, the School Council visited the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. The children enjoyed a fascinating tour of the Palace of Westminster, learning that King Henry VIII was its last royal resident and discovering how the building has been used by monarchs throughout history. They were especially excited to step inside the Royal Robing Room, where King Charles III prepares for the State Opening of Parliament. The tour also took them into both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, where they learned about the significance of the red and green benches and explored how laws are created in the UK. After taking part in their own mini debates, the children had the chance to meet our local MP - an excellent opportunity to share some of their concerns about the local area around our school, including parking and dog fouling. This remarkable and informative visit offered the children valuable insight into the world of politics and law‑making. Who knows - perhaps we have some future leaders among us!
Sports News
Year 3/4 Boys' Football v Chalkwell
We managed to dodge the rain on Tuesday as nineteen boys from Years 3 and 4 competed in friendly football fixtures against Chalkwell. The team were very excited to compete. Receiving their football shirts to wear at lunchtime might have been the highlight of the day! There were some excellent goals scored and the children really grew into the games as time passed. On one pitch, West Leigh were convincing 5-0 winners and on the other, the team were involved in a thrilling 4-4 draw! Thank you as always to the parents for their support and to Chalkwell for hosting us.
West Leigh Visit South Essex Gymnastics Club
On Wednesday, children from across the school attended South Essex Gymnastics club for a session with their instructors. Not only did these children have an excellent time, they were also the first West Leigh children to use the new Portico minibus! The children have been learning to perform different rolls, balances, jumps and sequences in their PE lessons this half term and thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to develop these further in this session. It was a great experience for the West Leigh children to use the club's excellent facilities. The trampoline was a big hit with the children! We hope to visit again soon.
Year 6 Shine in Southend Netball League
On Monday and Thursday, our Year 6 girls proudly competed in the second round of the Southend Netball League. As always, the standard of play was incredibly high, and both teams rose to the challenge with enthusiasm and determination. Each team played five games, demonstrating excellent teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout. It was a fantastic experience for all involved and a great opportunity to develop their skills in a competitive environment. We are already looking forward to the next round of netball competitions taking place in the first week back after half term.
Year 5/6 Boys' League Football v Chalkwell
The league campaign continued on Thursday as members of our football squad competed against Chalkwell. Chalkwell took an early lead in the game but West Leigh demonstrated their resilience to come back and win the game 5-1! The team have now won three of their four league matches this season and will finish the season with a fixture against Greenways in March.
We are currently very short of black PE tops for school sports events. Over the past few years, a number of tops have not been returned, and our stock has reduced significantly, from around 30 tops previously to just 8 remaining. As you can imagine, this makes it very difficult to kit out a full team for competitions and events. We kindly ask that parents/carers check at home (especially drawers, PE bags and cupboards!) for any school PE tops that may have been taken home following sports events. If you do find one, we would be extremely grateful if it could be returned to school as soon as possible. Thank you for your support in helping us ensure all children can represent the school at sporting events.
Inspirational Person - David Attenborough
This half term's inspirational person is the amazing Sir David Attenborough. In the year that he turns 100, we learned about some of the incredible ways he has taught us about our responsibility for the planet. He did not start his career with the aim of saving the world - but as he was given the chance to spend time with so many different creatures in their habitats, he realised that they were in danger. Some of his programmes talk directly about these problems, but most of the time he likes to show how wonderful nature is, hoping it will make people want to look after it. We thought that Sir David really showed us how to take responsibility for the world around us, through teaching people how our human actions affect animals and their habitats. By explaining climate change, pollution and habitat loss in a clear and calm way, he helps us understand that we all have a responsibility to look after the Earth for future generations. Responsibility also means sticking with something even when it’s hard or slow. David Attenborough has dedicated his entire career to conservation, showing us that being responsible isn’t a one-time action—it’s a lifelong choice. Well done to all of our Showbie challenge winners for the last half term. This term's Showbie challenge will hopefully help us to make the world a better place - one small bit at a time. Use the WWF link to find out some of the ways that you can help. Choose one and tell me what you did – you could share a photo of a nature walk, a letter that you have sent your MP or you could even tell me how you became a Walrus detective! Ways to help our world in 2026 | WWF
Outside Achievement
We are delighted to celebrate the fantastic achievements of Ronni and Ada, who recently represented their majorette troupe, Urban Twirlers, at the Majorette & Twirling Union (MTU) Violet Competition. The girls performed brilliantly, securing an impressive 5th place in their duo routine, “Dazzle”, and Ronni also achieved 5th place in her ribbon solo performance. These results are a wonderful reflection of their dedication, teamwork, and the many hours of practice they put into perfecting their routines. We are incredibly proud of Ronni and Ada for their hard work and commitment, and we look forward to hearing about their future successes as they prepare for their next competition.
We are extremely proud to share the fantastic news that Honor has been crowned Champion of the Essex Cross Country League in the Under 11 category. Over the past six months, Honor has competed in five challenging races held across Essex, demonstrating outstanding determination, stamina, and consistency throughout the season. Her hard work paid off as she finished 1st overall individually and was also part of the team that secured 1st place overall. Congratulations to Honor and her team on such a well-deserved success!
Community News
We've created a dedicated space on our website to share flyers for local events and community support. Click the link below to explore what's happening in our area.
Summer 1 Term Diary Dates
April
- Monday 13th - Children return to school
- Tuesday 14th - Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 15th - Year 3 Sports Enrichment Day
- Thursday 16th - Class photos
- Friday 17th - Year 5/6 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Swim Squad Training
- Year 5/6 Padel Competition
- Tuesday 21st - Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 22nd - Year 6 Book Look
- Year 6 Boys' Cricket Competition
- Thursday 23rd - Year 6 Girls' Cricket Competition
- Friday 24th - Year 5/6 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Tennis Competition
- Year 5/6 Tennis Competition
- Tuesday 28th - Portico Multi Sports Festival
- Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 29th - Year 5 Book Look
- Year 5/6 Quad Kids Competition
- Thursday 30th - Creative Dance Festival
May
- Friday 1st - Year 5/6 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Swim Squad Training
- Monday 4th - Bank Holiday Monday
- Tuesday 5th - Therapy Dog Visit
- Wednesday 6th - Year 4 Book Look
- Year 5 IndiRock Visit
- Year 3/4 Quad Kids Competition
- Friday 8th - Year 5/6 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Swim Squad Training
- Monday 11th - Thursday 14th - Year 6 SATs
- Tuesday 12th - Therapy Dog Visit
- Friday 15th - Year 5/6 Swim Squad Training
- Year 3/4 Swim Squad Training
- Tuesday 19th - Therapy Dog Visit
- 4B & 4C Performance
- Wednesday 20th - Year 5 IndiRock
- Swim Gala
- Thursday 21st - SEEMSMA Rehearsals
- 4E & 4SW Performance
- Friday 22nd - Big Art Adventure Day
- Monday 25th - Friday 29th - Half Term
Credits:
Created with images by mnirat - "Closeup Colorful drawing pins on Calendar page with date." • tatomm - "close up of calendar on the orange table background, planning for business meeting or travel planning concept" • ImageFlow - "Kid boy with phone, cybersecurity hologram and padlock circuit" • ercan senkaya - "full lunch service station" • deeaf - "News word on table" • Kaspars Grinvalds - "Tablet with sports news website on stack of newspapers.,All contents are made up." • Dusan Petkovic - "Adorable curious caucasian little girl with eyeglasses standing in bookstore and reading interesting book. All around are books on shelves." • New Africa - "Trophy and confetti on light background, top view with space for text.,Victory concept" • mnirat - "Closeup Colorful drawing pins on Calendar page with date."