We have had a fantastic start to the new school year and the children have settled well into their new classes with their new class teachers. We have already enjoyed a variety of trips, events and visitors, and are looking forward to what this new half term brings. Thank you of your ongoing support.
The Oasis Opening:
The Oasis- A Space for Prayer and Reflection
We are delighted to announce that The Oasis, our new prayer and reflection room, is now complete. This calm and welcoming space offers students and staff the opportunity to pause, reflect, and pray during the school day.
Parents attending the upcoming Parent Meetings (Monday 17th November) are warmly invited to visit The Oasis and learn more about its role in supporting wellbeing and spirituality within our school community.
Writing Corner:
Writing is a key focus for us this year, and we are already seeing some fantastic progress and enthusiasm across the school!
This term, we kicked things off with a whole-school poetry competition inspired by the theme “I Have a Dream.” The creativity and thoughtfulness shown by the children was truly inspiring – well done to everyone who took part!
To support daily writing practice, all classes have been taking part in morning 'daily writes' – a short, focused time each morning dedicated to developing writing stamina, vocabulary, and creativity. As this happens right at the start of the day, it’s really important that your child arrives at school on time each morning so they don’t miss out on this valuable learning time.
We’ve also been celebrating children's writing throughout the school, with writing certificates being awarded regularly. It's been wonderful to see so many proud writers being recognised for their effort and improvement!
Finally, we are excited to launch our Autumn Writing Competition – details are attached to this newsletter. We can't wait to see the amazing entries!
Thank you for your continued support in helping to nurture a love of writing in all our children.
Science News:
We’re thrilled to announce that our brand-new Phiz Lab is currently being created and will be ready for children to explore and use from next half term! This dedicated science space will bring our science curriculum to life, giving pupils across the school chance to investigate and think like real scientists. With hands-on resources, the Phiz Lab will inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of science. We can’t wait for our young scientists to get investigating!
This half term, our Science Club have been taking part in the 2025 Analog Astronaut Mission Project — a global initiative connecting classrooms with analog astronaut crews all around the world!
Our young scientists have been working alongside real analog astronauts as part of the world’s largest analog space mission. Analog habitats simulate life in space — such as on the Moon, Mars, or the International Space Station. We are linked to Habitat 1: LunAres in Poland, which is currently simulating life on the Moon.
Throughout the project, we’ve been exploring, experimenting, and thinking like real space scientists. We’ve carried out the same experiments as the analog crew during their mission, allowing us to compare our results with real data from space-like conditions. Together, our findings will help answer genuine scientific questions about space and life beyond Earth.
Science Club especially enjoyed designing their own mission patches — just like NASA and ESA astronauts! Each patch represents our crew through meaningful symbols and images. Astronauts have been creating mission patches for decades, and our designs proudly continue that tradition. We also explored astronaut diets and discovered whether our favourite snacks could be enjoyed in space!
It has been a fascinating project that has deepened our understanding of space and inspired us to think like true scientists.
Black History Month:
This October, Belgrave has been celebrating Black History Month with the theme “Standing Firm in Power and Pride.” We began with a whole-school worship where we reflected on what makes us proud and how we can show power and pride in our daily lives. Each year group, from Reception to Year 6, learned about a significant Black individual—past or present—and created wonderful window displays to showcase their achievements. Classes then visited each other’s displays to discover more inspiring figures and their impact on the world today. To finish the celebrations, Miss Lawrence taught the dance to 'Cameo – Candy' to Years 1–6, a well-loved dance in Black culture. We all came together at the end of the day to perform it as a school—an uplifting and joyful way to celebrate unity and culture!
The Ark: Sensory Visit
The Ark went on their first adventure at the beginning of October. They travelled from school to The Blurton Family Hub on the school’s minibus. The children had exclusive use of the sensory room and inside play area where all of their sensory needs could be explored. This was an extremely positive experience for all our Ark children who often struggle with transitioning to unfamiliar places and prefer a structured routine. The success of the trip will lead to many more adventures in the future!
Y4: Lego Workshops
During October, two groups of Year 4 children visited Newcastle College’s LEGO Education Innovation Studio. They had a fantastic time building a variety of LEGO structures and then using computers to program them to move, light up, change colour, or play sounds! The children had an amazing experience, showing great creativity, teamwork, and enthusiasm throughout the day. The final group will be visiting this Wednesday for their workshop.
UKS2 Bonkers Bootcamp
UKS2 took on the challenge of a high-energy military bootcamp with Bee Active – and what an incredible experience it was! The children threw themselves into every mission, from a demanding log carry to a thrilling obstacle course.
It was inspiring to see them push beyond their comfort zones, rise to the challenge, and come away with big smiles and a sense of achievement.
A huge well done to all the children that participated, you were all phenomenal!
Y1: Experience Harvest
In September, Year 1 children enjoyed a wonderful visit to St Bartholowmew's Church to take part in Experience Harvest activities. They learned about the meaning of Harvest and why it is an important time of year for giving thanks. The children took part in a range of exciting activities, helping them understand how food is grown and shared, what clothing is made of, where clay comes from and what ingredients are used to make bread. It was a fun and educational experience that helped bring the season of Harvest to life!
Reception: Superheroes Day
Reception had an incredible time with Bee Active!
The children transformed into superheroes for the session, complete with masks and mission-ready excitement. They tackled an action-packed obstacle course, jumping through hoops, balancing on benches, and showing off their super-speed in thrilling games of tag. The day was bursting with energy, new skills, and endless fu
Y4 Middleport Pottery Visit
Year 4 visited Middleport Pottery Museum to discover our cities history. Whilst here, we were lucky enough to take a tour around the site to see our heritage, took part in a print workshop creating our own design, and even made our own bottle kilns using clay! We had lots of fun and learnt lots to help us in our history lessons!
After School Clubs:
Our clubs are, as always, very popular. Thank you for signing your children up through the online Arbor system. . If you no longer require a place, please speak to your child’s class teacher, or the school office.
Parking:
Thank you for your continued support with parking and road safety around the school site at the start and end of the school day. We ask that you park respectfully and abide by the law with regards to seatbelt safety and safe travel in vehicles.
Attendance:
A reminder that no extended leave of absence is authorised and that if it exceeds 4.5 school days, then a fixed penalty fine of £80 per pupil, per parent will be imposed. Well done to all children whose attendance is 97% or above - certificates will be awarded this half term. Thank you for your ongoing support with attendance and ensuring your children are in school, ready to learn!
Uniform
A reminder of the expectations for uniform and PE kit. We have noticed a wide array of PE kits, please make an effort to ensure you child’s PE kit meets the expected standard – in particular, plain black tracksuit bottoms and hoodies with no logos or branding . Headscarves need to be plain black and shoulder length.
The uniform expectations can be found on the link to our website: https://www.belgraveacademy.org.uk/uniform
For further information please contact School’s In on 01782 310111 or visit https://www.schoolsinuniform.co.uk