This year we will be showing racism the red card on Friday 17th October
Join us by wearing red and help raise awareness about this important issue. Look out for the letter next week.
Diary Dates
October
- Tuesday 7th - Year 6 Author Visit
- Friday 10th - Individual photos
- Friday 17th - Wear Red Day
- Tuesday 21st - Parents Evening
- Flu Immunisations
- Thursday 23rd - Parents Evening
- Friday 24th - INSET Day
- Monday 27th - Friday 31st - October Half Term
November
- Tuesday 4th - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Wednesday 5th - Year 6 Height & Weight Screening
- Tuesday 11th - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Tuesday 18th - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Tuesday 25th - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Wednesday 26th - Flu Immunisation
- Friday 28th - Some children visiting Beechcroft Gallery
December
- Tuesday 2nd - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Tuesday 9th - Year 6 visiting IndiRock
- Monday 22nd - Friday 2nd January - Christmas Break
Nursery
Nursery class has been very busy this week. We have enjoyed continuing to build friendships and are trying hard to share our toys and resources. We have enjoyed playing with rice in our malleable/sensory area and have started to learn lots of new songs, rhymes and ring games. We have also enjoyed sharing the garden with our reception class friends.
REMINDER: Please remember to call the school to report your child’s absence if your child will not be attending their nursery session.
Letters sent home this week
Reception
Reception have been learning to use their new outside area and exploring and playing with all the new equipment.
In the reading area the children have been exploring the puppets and been creating their own stories to act out.
This week the children have been split into their classes (Sea Lions and Sea Otters) the children are now coming through their designated doors for register and home time.
Now we are in classes, reception is now practicing which line to go in to move around the school.
REMINDER: Please if you have not done so already make sure you have bought some spare clothes in for your child. If you have been lent clothes by the school, please ensure you return those items to the class teacher.
All your child's property should be labelled with their names, we are seeing an increase in children losing jumpers and cardigans because their names are not in them, if you kindly could write their name on their items, it will save belongings getting lost.
Letters sent home this week
Year 1
Year 1 have completed their first mini maths assessments this week and did very well showing us their number knowledge. The focus for the assessment was ordering numbers, using the ‘>’ symbol correctly and using a number line. They did very well.
In phonics we have continued to expand our knowledge of phase 3 and phase 5 sounds. Some groups have been practising dictated sentences.
In geography, we discussed Banjo the cat and where he is off on his adventures this week. Last week he was in Morocco. I wonder where he is this week?
REMINDER: Continue to read at home and write it in their reading records. Books must be in school every day.
PE days are Thursday. Ensure your child’s PE kit has their name on each item.
Cardigans and jumpers keeping being lost. Please name your child’s belongings. We can’t find jumpers/cardigans with no name on them.
Letters sent home this week
Year 2
This week we have been completing our work on place value. In English we have written our own version of the story ‘Whatever Next’. We changed the characters, the place they visited and the transport they used to get there. In history we compared a picture of Southend in the past to a picture of Southend today. We discussed the similarities and differences between them.
REMINDER: Please make sure your child reads regularly at home and bring their PE kits to school on Wednesday.
Letters sent home this week
Year 3
This week, Year 3 have continued with their Place2Be workshop. They discussed what heritage meant and shared information about their own heritage.
In maths, we have started addition and subtraction. We talked about how to add and subtract in 1s and 10s. The children revised their number bonds to 10. Later on in the week, we had a go at solving trickier addition and subtraction problems.
REMINDER: Please make sure your child doesn’t bring anything precious to school. There have been a few incidents this week where they are losing things and getting upset.
PE is Monday and Friday and should have to correct footwear.
Letters sent home this week
Year 4
This week year four have been learning to round numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. There are games on Topmarks.co.uk that the children can play to further develop these skills as it can be tricky to remember. In English, we have been writing explanation texts about The Romans and why their empire collapsed. In science we have been naming types of teeth and describing what their functions are.
REMINDER: PE kits should be in school ready for PE on Tuesday and Thursdays. The children can complete TTR, spellings from their reading record and reading for homework.
Letters sent home this week
Year 5
This week in English, year five have been writing their own examples of a flashback text using the story of ‘Pandora’s Box’. In our work, we have been adding the writing features we have learnt about in previous weeks – such as fronted adverbials and effective dialogue. In maths, we finished our unit looking at place value, where we learnt to round to the nearest 10,000 and 100,000. We also took part in ‘Walk It’, where we learnt about road safety, what dangers to look out for when crossing and how to keep ourselves safe as pedestrians.
REMINDER: Please bring in PE kits ready for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The weather is changing and your child needs a suitable cold weather kit for outdoor activities. In particular, suitable footwear as the playground can be slippery in the wrong attire.
Letters sent home this week
Year 6
In English, the children have wowed us with their imaginative (and slightly scary!) ideas for murder mystery stories. This week, we are writing a whole class story and next week everyone will write their own.
In reading lessons, the Octopus and Stingray have swapped books. Octopus is now reading Oliver Twist and Stingray is reading Crime and Punishment Through the Ages.
In maths, we are continuing to focus on multiplication and division. These topics are much easier if your child has already learnt their times tables.
Stingray went on their geography field trip this week and Octopus is going next week. They took the role of city planners very seriously and came up with some fantastic ideas for the empty land opposite the Kursaal.
The focus of our Place2Be PSHE session this week was:
- the importance of our heritage
- how discrimination can affect someone’s feelings and mental health
- building values like compassion, kindness and acceptance
- learning how to stand up for others in fair and kind ways
REMINDER: If your child does not yet now all their times tables, please support them by going on TTRockstars for 10 minutes every afternoon.
PE kits should be in school all week and PE is on Mondays and Fridays.
Spellings are given on Mondays and checked on Fridays.
Thank you everyone that has already filled in the IndiRock permission form. You have to watch the video first!
The secondary school application deadline in 31st October 2025. The form is here:
Letters sent home this week
Music
IMPORTANT: if you have a choir polo shirt at home, please return it ready for the next performance.
Music Lessons
- Tuesday Guitar - Mr Brown
- Wednesday Guitar – Mr Elliott
- Wednesday Keyboard – Mr Hockey
- Wednesday Drums – Mr Peters
We have availability - if your child is interested in learning a musical instrument, please contact Mrs Baines for more information.
These lessons take place within the school day.
French
This week we said a big thank you in French to the year 6 language assistants who went out onto the playgrounds and ran the European Day of Languages events with Mr Morris. Well done to all, children said “we are celebrating” in no less than 7 European and world languages including Welsh and Shona. A diverse day, very well celebrated.
PE & Sport
Online Safety
With new kits, updated squads and refined gameplay, EA FC 26 brings the thrill of top-tier football to living rooms once again. While it continues to offer family-friendly fun in modes like Kick-Off and Career, the ongoing popularity of Ultimate Team – where players spend money to build fantasy squads – brings a mix of excitement and risks.
Children can encounter issues such as gambling-like mechanics, voice chat with strangers, and potential exposure to scams. This guide breaks down the game’s most important features, highlights the key risks to be aware of, and shares practical advice for helping young players stay safe while gaming and interacting online.
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
Celebration Assembly Attendance Awards
Over the past two weeks, six classes have successfully met our school attendance target – a fantastic achievement! Awarding so many certificates shows just how hard our pupils (and their families) are working to improve attendance.
Aim to attend school 100% of every week.
Attendance Reminder
We kindly ask for your continued support in helping your child achieve the best attendance possible. You can:
- Log into ARBOR to keep track of your child’s attendance.
- Contact the school promptly if your child will be absent.
For term dates, please check the school calendar on our website. We also send reminders, updates, and other exciting news through text and email – so keep an eye out to stay up to date.
Good attendance is vital for every child’s learning and wellbeing. The Department for Education (DfE) expects all schools to monitor attendance closely and to follow up on absences promptly.
If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the school office before 9:00am on the first day of absence, giving the reason. This helps us keep our records accurate and ensures we can safeguard all pupils.
Thank you for working with us to support your child’s attendance and learning.
If you have any questions about how long to keep your child off school due to illness, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Dowd from our attendance team on the school number 01702 468047 and then select Option 1 for the attendance line.
Being here Is half the Battle.
Contact us
If you would like 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 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 ace 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!
Lunch menu
Week 3
Monday
- BBQ Chicken Pizza with Baked Wedges
- Margherita Pizza with Baked Wedges
- Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce - Sweetcorn
- Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Custard
Tuesday
- Beef Meatballs in Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce with Spaghetti
- Vegan Meatballs in Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce with Spaghetti
- Jacket Potato with Baked Beans
- Broccoli & Cauliflower
- Sultana & Oat Cookie
Wednesday
- Slow Roast Beef & Root Vegetables with Gravy
- Vegan Country Vegetable & Bean Pie
- Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce
- Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Greens & Carrots
- Fruit Jelly
Thursday
- Chicken Jambalaya
- Vegan Vegetable Jambalaya
- Jacket Potato with Salmon or Baked Beans
- Cauliflower & Roasted Carrots
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
Friday
- Fish Fingers, Chips & Ketchup
- Mexican Roasted Vegetable & Bean Quesadilla
- Wholewheat Pasta with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce
- Baked Beans & Peas
- Chocolate & Courgette Rice Krispie Cake
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."