World Book Day
World Book Day is an annual celebration designed to promote and encourage reading for young people.
Once again this year, all schools embraced the opportunity to join in with the fun. On the 6th of March, children and staff came to school wearing costumes of their favourite book character, or something comfortable to cosy up and read their favourite bedtime story. Many reading-themed activities took place across all schools including book swaps, wooden spoon decorating and some teachers even decorated their classroom doors.
To continue with the theme of reading, Bird's Bush children walked to their local library (Glascote) and enjoyed the opportunity to take part in activities and discover books that are available to borrow. Lots of children now have library cards of their own so they can borrow books whenever they want!
Reading really does seriously improve lives!
Number Day
Number day is annual campaign organised by NSPCC, which is designed to make learning maths fun and enjoyable. This year, Number Day took place on Friday 7th February.
Woodthorne Primary School enjoyed a day filled with maths learning and fun. The annual tradition of ‘heaviest potato’ and ‘longest carrot’ competition took place which, as ever, bought out everyone’s competitive edge! Dunstall Hill children enjoyed a range of fun and engaging maths activities! From solving puzzles and cracking codes to exciting maths games and challenges, children across all year groups explored numbers in creative and exciting ways. Dressed in number-themed outfits or non-uniform, the children worked together to solve problems, improve their numeracy skills, and discover just how much fun maths can be. Mesty Croft Primary children took part in a variety of fun and exciting practical maths activities which included children bringing in handfuls of loose change (1’ps 2p’s, 5p’s 10p’s) to create a “money trail” of coins through school before counting, calculating and donating the total to NSPCC. All children and staff at Sledmere Primary celebrated by dressing up as something to do with Maths and enjoyed Maths activities and a reading session based on a book with a maths theme. Tillington Manor children also took part by wearing their our own clothes with numbers on, and raised £162 for the NSPCC. Well done everyone!
PHMAT Trip to Laches Wood
Children from Mesty Croft, Bird's Bush, Stanley Road, Perry Hall, Berrybrook Dunstall Hill and Sledmere Primary School joined together for a fantastic 5-day residential trip to Laches Wood and what a brilliant time everyone had! Children challenged themselves in a range of outdoor activities and physical pursuits which included included a trek through Carding Mill Valley, rock climbing, caving, high ropes, bushcraft, BMX trail, axe throwing, archery, and orienteering.
During the trip, children worked on their teamwork, resilience and independence, learning to support each other and overcome challenges. Instructors praised their manners and kindness towards one another as they supported their friends in facing their fears. All children made our schools so proud with with their bravery and impeccable behaviour and are sure to look back on this trip with plenty of fond memories!
Below is what some of the children had to say about their trip:
“Laches Wood was amazing! We did high ropes, rock climbing, biking, caving and went to Carding Mill Valley.”
“Laches Wood was great! The best activities were the high ropes and archery. We did once-in-a-lifetime activities. I would love to visit again.”
“I loved everything there and I liked the fact that it was so clean and organised. I wish I could go there again.”
“My favourite activity was axe throwing because it was so much fun!”
“I loved going caving- I went in first!”
Sporting Success!
Woodthorne Girls took part in The Premiere League Primary Stars Girls Football Tournament on Friday 31st January. Sixteen schools from across the city attended and Woodthorne came an impressive second place, after winning four matches and losing one on penalties. The top two teams from the competition (us and Codsall Middle) made it through to the next regional tournament, to be held at West Brom’s training ground. Good luck girls and well done on such a fantastic achievement - you epitomise the Woodthorne school values!
Stanley Road Netball and Football Teams
Well done to the Stanley Road Year five/six football team, who played their first league fixture against Red Hill Primary School. They worked brilliantly together and were rewarded with a well-deserved 2-1 victory! The team are looking forward to playing their next game soon!
Stanley Road girls played a Netball match at Oldbury Park on Monday 3rd March. Despite losing their first competitive match, the girls are determined to improve and progress their netball skills with more practise and games planned soon. Well done girls!
Equal Access School Award for Perry Hall
The FA and Barclays Girls’ Football School Partnerships have awarded Perry Hall Primary with the 'Equal Access School Award' for making a difference in young people's lives by providing equal access to girls’ football at their school. Mr Boneham attended the award ceremony to receive the award after proudly leading the girls' football team for many years. Well done Perry Hall!
Cross Country Competition for Bird's Bush Primary
Year 3 and 4 cross country teams at Bird's Bush Primary School have been competing against other local schools this half term. Well done to Reggie in Year 3 who came 11th out of the large field of 60 runners on his first time running representing Bird's Bush Primary.
Swimming Success for Perry Hall Primary!
On the 3rd April, The Royal School, Wolverhampton hosted a swimming gala, inviting pupils from 11 local primary schools. Perry Hall Primary children represented their school beautifully, enjoying a fantastic morning filled with friendly competition and teamwork. With a great mix of swimmers, from confident club swimmers to enthusiastic first-timers, every participant gave their best and the sportsmanship displayed was truly impressive. A big 'well done' to the Perry Hall girls team who came 2nd place overall!
Children's Mental Health Week
This year, Children's Mental Health Week took place between the 3rd and 9th of February and Forest Hills Primary based their activities on the Disney film - Inside Out. Children thought about the emotions they all feel and how best to deal with them and created a whole school display of core memories. At the end of the week children and staff arrived in school dressed as an emotion character, some from the film and some were children's own interpretation of what an emotion looks like.
Bird's Bush Primary School held a special assembly to mark Children's Mental Health week. Rachel Brain, Educational Mental Health Team, attended and talked to the children about this year's theme 'KNOW YOURSELF, GROW YOURSELF' Discussing all the things needed for growing positive mental health.
Lunar New Year Celebrations
Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people around the world, especially in east and south-east Asia. This year marks the Year of the Snake and it started on 29th January. New year celebrations happen from the evening before, and last for 15 days. The exact date of the Lunar New Year changes each year but it usually happens between 21 January and 20 February, on the date of the first new moon.
Dunstall Hill Early Years children had a wonderful time celebrating Lunar New Year with lots of exciting activities. They listened to traditional stories, made beautiful lanterns and learned about the importance of this special celebration and welcoming the new year with family and friends. It was a fantastic way to introduce different cultures and celebrate together.
At Woodthorne Primary, all RE lessons were replaced with a dedicated lesson around the significance of Lunar New Year. In Nursery and Reception, children enjoyed an exciting parent workshop, where grown-ups were invited in to spend the afternoon learning all about Lunar New Year too.
Stanley Road Early Years children shared stories about dragons, Peppa's Chinese New Year and the story of The Great Race in celebration of Luna New Year. Children listened to the story of Nian and they used chopsticks in the home corner and tried to pick up food. The children also made the village from the story out of blocks and enjoyed making Nian and the old man out of play dough. They listened to the story of how the years got their names and learned that it is the year of the snake. They all had a go at cutting and making our own snakes to take home.
Bird's Bush and Tillington Manor Sing at Young Voices
On Monday 13th January choirs from Bird’s Bush and Tillington Manor Primary School took part in Young Voices at the BP pulse arena in Birmingham. After weeks of rehearsing they were extremely excited for the opportunity to show off their singing skills alongside children from across the Midlands. There were 5418 children singing that night for an audience of equally enthusiastic parents and family members. The children were brilliant and not only got to rehearse and perform with a live band and singers and under the expert direction of a conductor, but also saw performances by Urban Strides dancers, and Tommy Blaize (who is best known for singing on Strictly Come Dancing). Children described the experience as 'The best day ever’ and were so keen to share that they performed some of their favourite songs in assembly for the rest of the school. Tillington Manor were also very excited to spot themselves on Central News! Staff were super proud of the children and as you can see – they really enjoyed themselves.
Roll on Young Voices 2026!
Recycling Fashion Show at Tillington Manor Primary
Tillington Manor children held a fashion show in school where pupils made 'sustainable fashion' from recycled materials - it was a brilliant success. Year 6 pupils then managed the 'pop up shop' where they sold second hand clothes (donated by the children) to raise money for Science equipment in school - raising £95!
Elsie the Therapy Dog
Children at Dunstall Hill Primary have enjoyed visits from Elsie the therapy dog. Our furry friend helped bring smiles to the faces of both children and staff! The children had the opportunity to read stories to Elsie improving their reading and confidence skills. The sessions were also an opportunity to spend quiet, calm afternoons with Elsie.
Berrybrook Primary Support Local Care Home
Berrybrook have made links with their neighbour - Wulfrun Care Home, to raise cultural capital awareness. This has been a wonderful opportunity for pupils and so far, school council pupils, head boy and girl and their deputies have taken part in a variety of activities to enhance their leadership and communication skills. These activities have included breakfast with Santa, singing and dancing with the residents, Valentines cookie baking, Shrove Tuesday (making pancakes) and are looking forward to taking part in an Easter egg hunt.
Residents and carers have also been invited to Berrybrook's Christmas fair, EYFS nativity production, World Book Day and to watch years 3, 4 and 5 productions.
Woodthorne Eco Warriors
The sun was shining and the Woodthorne Primary Eco Warriors along with special helpers planted around 300 saplings to create a priority habitat and hedge, offsetting almost 8 tonnes of CO2 and providing a home and food for a variety of wildlife. Well done everyone!
Kabaddi World Cup
Dunstall Hill and Berrybrook Primary children were lucky to be chosen to attend the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup (KWC) 2025 at Wolverhampton University, Walsall Campus on Friday 21st March. Children had the opportunity to watch the world’s best kabaddi players from men’s and women’s teams from across the five member continents of World Kabaddi, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Pan America and Europe. As well as watching live matches on the day, the children also took part in a creative workshop which involved creating a collage about this sporting event. It was a great day out, but the icing on the cake was when children met players from the England team and the Kabaddi ambassadors from Egypt and Malaysia. What a fantastic experience!
Congratulations!
Public Speaking Competition - Mesty Croft Primary School
Wednesbury Learning Community invite all 10 primary schools to participate in an annual public speaking competition, held in the Council Chambers at Sandwell Council House. This year, Penny W from Year 4 and Layla V from Year 6 represented Mesty Croft Primary. Both girls eloquently delivered well-crafted speeches on the topic of 'What challenges do children today have compared to the last generation?' Penny from Year 4 won the Year 3/4 competition- for the second year in a row! The competition was it's toughest yet and was judged by Sally Giles- Director of Education and Children's Services, Simon Foster- Police and Crime Commissioner for Sandwell and Councillor Syeda Khatun MBE, Mayor of Sandwell.
Elklan Communication Friendly Setting Status for Woodthorne Primary School
We are delighted to announce that Woodthorne Early Years has been awarded Elklan Early Years Communication Friendly Setting (CFS) Status! This recognition reflects the commitment to supporting children’s speech, language, and communication development while also equipping staff with effective strategies. During the audit, the assessor praised the welcoming, well-organised environment, where staff use sensitive interactions, visual supports, and structured quiet areas to enhance communication. Engagement with parents was also highlighted, ensuring families feel supported in developing their child’s language skills at home. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We are now exploring parent workshops to further strengthen communication support beyond the classroom.
A huge well done to everyone involved—this is something to be truly proud of!
Well done to Berrybrook Primary School for achieving the Computing Quality Mark!
The Spring term has gone by so quickly, which is not surprising due to the many wonderful and exciting activities which have taken place across all of our schools. I would like to extend my appreciation to all parents and carers for your support and contribution to the many celebrations including World Book Day, Mental Health Week and Number Day. Without your help, this simply would not be possible and hopefully you can see from this newsletter how much fun our children have had.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our children and families a wonderful Easter break and look forward to seeing you return to school ready for the Summer term!
Amarjit Cheema (CEO)