What a fabulous start to 2026 .....
We have had an incredibly busy start to 2026 here at Wynndale, with lots to reflect upon and celebrate. This edition of our newsletter is full of updates, highlights, and stories to keep you connected, informed, and inspired, so have a look and celebrate all that has been happening across school this half term......
A round up of learning across school.....
It has been another busy half term for all of our children across school, with all children enjoying learning through their Geography driven theme. Have a look at our class round ups for Spring 1 ........
Learning in EYFS
This half term we have been down on the farm! We have been thinking about what animals we find on the farm and about baby animal names e.g. calf, kid and chick. We have thought about why farms are important and compared a farm in the countryside to a town. We have enjoyed lots of stories set on farms and our traditional tale has been The Three Little Pigs. Linked to the Three Pigs story, F2 have explored different materials and their properties. F2's have also enjoyed sharing their special stories from home and have read stories from the Bible. We have all looked at the season of winter and talked about what we feel and see in the winter. We have also enjoyed being artists and creating our own Kandinsky inspired art work; as well as making animal masks and junk model houses.
Learning in Year 1
This term in Geography, we have been developing our map skills by following a map of the school and using directional language such as left, right, forwards and backwards. We have been identifying human and physical features and learning about Mansfield and Nottingham. We have also looked at maps to find our school address and explore where we live. In Design and Technology, we designed and made our own fruit kebabs. We carefully selected our fruit, made our kebabs safely, tasted them and then evaluated whether they met our design criteria. In Art, we have been studying Eric Carle and exploring how he creates collages using painted tissue paper. After half term, we will be painting and designing our own tissue paper before creating our own collages. In Maths, our focus has been on shape and spatial awareness. We have been naming and describing 2D and 3D shapes, creating patterns and arrangements, and exploring radiating patterns. We have also been partitioning numbers using part-whole models and bar models to deepen our understanding of number. In Writing, we have been studying The Storm Whale by Benji Davies. We have completed lots of oral rehearsal, making sure we can say our sentences clearly before writing them down. We are currently working on adding more detail to our sentences. Handwriting and presentation have improved enormously this year, with lots of presentation stickers being awarded! Reading continues to improve day by day as we learn more alternative graphemes. Our latest phonics scores were fantastic and truly blew Miss Mee away! In Computing, we have been programming our robot mouse, creating sequences for it to follow a course and reach the cheese at the end. Some children are now creating complex programs with more than ten steps. In Music, we have started learning the recorder. We follow the notes carefully and use the correct finger positions. We can now play a whole song using three different notes! We are so proud of all the hard work the children have put in this term. Well done, Year 1!
Learning in Year 2
This half term, the children have been very enthusiastic about their learning linked to our topic on Africa, and they have worked so hard across all subjects. In Art, the children explored African repeated patterns and learned about the work of Esther Mahlangu. They studied her bold use of colour and pattern before designing and creating their own African-inspired wall tiles. The finished pieces showed great creativity, careful pattern work and confident use of colour. In English, the children have focused on learning how to form complete sentences, making sure they included all the correct elements needed to create a perfect sentence. They then moved on to writing paragraphs, which helped them to retell the story of Augustus and His Smile in a clear, well-structured and engaging way. In Maths, the children have explored finding groups and recognising repeated patterns. They learned how to write multiplication equations and used practical manipulatives such as counters and cubes to support their understanding. The children also began work on division, focusing on finding equal and unequal groups and understanding how division links to multiplication. In DT, the children have been extremely busy writing up their recipe and designing questionnaires for Year 6. These were used to find out what toppings Year 6 would like on their healthy flatbread pizzas, helping the children to understand preferences and make informed design choices. In Geography, the children have learnt about the continents and oceans before looking more closely at Africa. They explored a range of physical features, including deserts, rivers and landscapes, and developed their understanding of where Africa is in the world. In Music, the children began learning the trumpet and approached this new challenge with confidence and enthusiasm. Mr Stanson was very impressed with their effort, listening skills and early progress. In Computing, the children used our Bot Mice to explore algorithms. They planned and programmed a sequence of instructions to make the mouse follow a specific route, developing their understanding of directional language, logical thinking and debugging.
Learning in Year 3
It has been another fantastic half term in Year 3. The children have continued to work hard across all areas of their learning and have made great progress. They have been incredibly focused, particularly while exploring our topic ‘Volcanoes, Mountains and Earthquakes.’
In English, we have been writing a narrative based on the book 'When the Giant Stirs' by Celia Godkin. This has included developing descriptive language, using different sentence types, and applying a range of conjunctions. In our novel studies, the children have continued to develop their comprehension skills through our class text, The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith. As mathematicians, we have been learning about numbers up to 100 and practising the 2, 4 and 8 times tables.
In Science, the children have enjoyed learning all about light. Our PE sessions have focused on developing gymnastic skills as well as sending and receiving skills. We have also been involved in some fantastic music learning, developing our skills on a range of instruments, including the trumpet this half term!
Thank you for your continued support.
Learning in Year 4
This half term, we have been learning all about rainforests across the world, comparing temperate and tropical rainforests. The children have been fascinated by the different climates, locations and the incredible plants and animals that live there, as well as the important role rainforests play in our world. Linked to this learning, in English the children have been writing persuasive letters about saving the rainforests. They explored reasons why rainforests should be protected, focusing on the animals that live there, the trees and plants, and their natural beauty. The children have worked hard to include persuasive writing techniques such as emotive language, rhetorical questions and a range of specific sentence openers, producing some powerful and thoughtful pieces of writing. Our music lessons with Mr Stanton have been both challenging and exciting as we learn to play the trumpet. We’ve quickly realised just how much effort, concentration and practice it takes to play even a simple song, from controlling our breathing to producing a clear sound. Over the past few weeks, we have been working hard to learn how to play Hot Cross Buns, just in time for Easter. Swimming has continued this half term, with the children showing great commitment and working hard to develop their skills and confidence in the water. In DT, the children enjoyed junk modelling, designing and making torches that could be used by people exploring the rainforest. They showed fantastic creativity and problem-solving skills, carefully thinking about their designs and how to make them effective. It has been another busy and enjoyable half term, and the children should be very proud of all their effort and enthusiasm. We can't wait for Spring 2!
Learning in Year 5
Year 5 have had a productive and fun half term. We are midway through our Geography enquiry where we are answering the question ‘How have humans used and adapted the Earth’s natural resources impact life on Earth?’ This has linked closely with our non-fiction writing in English, where the children have written some absolutely wonderful non-chronological reports about climate change. They have truly channelled their inner David Attenboroughs and Greta Thunbergs to create writing which is both highly informative but also persuasive and emotive. Our Science learning has focused on materials, including investigating properties of materials such as magnetism and conductivity, which solids are soluble, and which changes can be made to solids and liquids that are reversible. Year 5 just love heading into that STEM lab and getting stuck in! The children have made great progress in Maths this half term. We have been investigating area, including that of compound rectilinear shapes. We’ve also been exploring the link between multiplication and division in the context of measures. Computing is another class favourite subject, and this half term the focus has been on flat file databases – searching and sorting, as well as transforming data into graphs. The website we have used is free, should your child wish to continue exploring it and refining their database skills: my files. One of our favourite memories of the year so far was when we visited Abbey Primary School with Mrs Mason and received a lesson about choir singing. It sounded absolutely beautiful! The first half of Year 5 has been simply fabulous, and Mrs Wagstaff and I can’t wait to find out what lies in store in the second half.
Learning in Year 6
Year 6 have had a very productive Spring term so far and continue to impress us with their creativity, focus and hardworking attitudes. In Maths, they have tackled some challenging concepts, including fractions, decimals and percentages, showing resilience and growing confidence as the term progresses. In English, the children have been developing their writing skills through their class texts, Narnia and Holes. Both books have really captured their interest and enthusiasm. In our Novel Study lesson, the class loved having a debate on 'Is it a fair and effective punishment to dig holes all day?'. This caused quite the discussion! If your child would like to bring in their own copy to use during lessons, they are more than welcome to do so. In Science, we are exploring evolution and inheritance, carefully building up the children’s knowledge and understanding before moving on to carry out practical investigations later in the unit. In PSHE, the focus has been on friendships and relationships, helping the children to understand the importance of positive interactions and respectful behaviour. They have been discussing how their actions can affect others, linking closely with the work on refugees studied in the autumn term and encouraging thoughtful discussion and empathy. In Art, Year 6 have begun creating their own pop art pieces, exploring colour and style with great enthusiasm. In Geography, they have been travelling around North America and developing their map skills using Digimaps. They have been exploring a range of physical features, including the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, and applying this learning in ICT by creating their own websites using Google Sites, all linked to their America topic. Music lessons have seen the introduction of the trumpet, with pupils learning how to play different notes and use their lips to create a range of sounds. They are currently practising the bridge sections to Valerie by Amy Winehouse, which they are thoroughly enjoying. As always, Year 6 continue to impress us with their enthusiasm for learning, great sense of humour and kindness towards others. Keep up the fantastic work, Year 6!
Recognition for Wynndale's strong outcomes
You may remember that in our last newsletter, we told you that we had made the local news as a result of achieving great outcomes at the end of Key Stage 2 last year. Earlier this half term, we also received an email into school from the Secretary of State, congratulating us on our outcomes and particularly celebrating the fact that all groups of children in our school do as well as each other. These outcomes wouldn't be possible without our wonderful Wynndale Learners and without the care, commitment and unwavering effort of the entire Wynndale staff team. As Head Teacher, I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them. Well done Team Wynndale!
Our Choir perform at Young Voices......
Our choir had the best day and night at the Young Voices concert at Sheffield Utilita Arena on Friday 30th January. They joined with over 5000 other pupils to create one magical choir. The children have worked so hard learning all the songs since September and really showed how well they knew the songs on the night. The children were brilliantly behaved and a real credit to our school. We hope they all loved the experience as much as the staff did!
After half term we are looking forward to taking the choir to Eastwood Hall to sing at the annual Governors conference in March. We are honoured to have been invited to sing by the Local Authority and we look forward to sharing our beautiful singing with everyone there!
Promoting a Love of Reading and Writing at Wynndale.......
This half term we have continued to use our vending machine to promote our 'Remarkable Readers' initiative. Children have continued to have their name put in their class jar for a range of reading behaviours, including showing a love of reading in school, reading regularly at home, engaging in our phonics, Novel Study and STAR Reading sessions or for making good progress in reading. Today our Spring 1 Remarkable Readers have been chosen.....look at how proud they look with their book choices.
Each class teacher has also chosen one 'Wonderful Writer' to share their first piece of published writing in our celebration assembly today and receive a prize for their effort and outcomes in writing - we have been blown away by the quality of writing and the beautiful presentation across school this half term. Well done everyone!
Year 4 Mansfield Museum Art Workshop
As part of a special workshop led by textile artist Jess Grady, Year 4 have been exploring a range of collage techniques to create vibrant, textured artwork inspired by the theme ‘My Favourite Tree’. During the session, Jess introduced the children to different materials, stitching effects and layering methods, helping them experiment and develop their own creative ideas. Each child’s piece will form part of a larger collaborative sculpture, celebrating both individuality and teamwork. Once completed, the sculpture will be proudly displayed at Mansfield Museum.
Sporting Achievements this half term
This academic year, we once again continue to develop our sports provision here at Wynndale, both through our curriculum offer and also through extended school provision. Mr. Brookes is part of the Wynndale team working with us for five days a week this year delivering the PE curriculum across school and taking a lead on organising our engagement in sports competitions and festivals, as well as lunchtime provision. Have a look at some of the things that have been happening this half term in Sport.....
Intra-House Glow in the Dark Dodgeball
What a glow-tastic intra-house event! 🌟 Year 1&2, 3&4 and 5&6 took turns lighting up the hall as they competed in glow-in-the-dark dodgeball, proudly representing their house colours. The energy was unreal and the smiles said it all! 🏆 1st: Blue Dragons 🥈 2nd: Yellow Griffins 🥉 3rd: Green Dragons 🔥 4th: Red Phoenix Well done to everyone who took part!
Y4 Dodgeball
Our Year 4 Dodgeball team did Wynndale proud at the Mansfield School Games Dodgeball Festival. All children taking part demonstrated amazing teamwork, positive attitudes, and outstanding sportsmanship. And to top it all off we were crowned 'Most Honest School'! That’s the Wynndale way.
Year 5/6 Dodgeball
Year 5 and 6 represented Wynndale Primary School with pride at the School Games Dodgeball Festival. A brilliant showcase of our teamwork, determination and plenty of dodging, ducking and diving. Fantastic effort from everyone involved!
Y3/4 Tag Rugby
Year 3 & 4 had a fantastic time at the Tag Rugby Festival at Mansfield Rugby Club. Coached by the club’s excellent staff, the children developed their skills before putting them into practice during games of touch rugby. With more than half the team made up of Year 3 pupils, everybody's effort, improvement and determination was outstanding, and they enjoyed a great deal of success throughout the day. They truly showed what Wynndale Primary School is all about. Well done, Team Wynndale!
Y5/6 Tag Rugby
Outstanding effort from our Years 5 & 6 at the Mansfield Rugby Club Tag Rugby event earlier this week. All children taking part demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship, teamwork and resilience; they were all a credit to themselves, their families and Wynndale Primary!
County Cross Country Finals
What an amazing achievement for our Year 5 & 6 pupils at the Cross Country, County Finals in Worksop! After earning their place back in October, they proudly represented Wynndale Primary School and the entire Mansfield School Games Partnership at the County finals in January. Their determination and resilience shone through! A brilliant day full of effort, smiles and memories that will last a lifetime. We couldn’t be prouder! 🏃♀️🏃♂️🌟
Our 'MBLL' Provision: Handball Finals
After 12 fantastic weeks of competition, teamwork, and lunchtime action, our MBLL reached an exciting finale! With dedicated leagues for Years 3 & 4, Years 5 & 6, and our brand-new girls only league, it’s been brilliant to see so many pupils getting involved, developing their skills and showing great sportsmanship every single week. The final showdowns did not disappoint! Bears vs Explorers, All Stars vs Dynamos, and Angels vs Energy. Each match packed full of effort, determination, and team pride. A huge well done to everyone who took part and helped make the MBLL such a success. Lunchtimes at Wynndale have never been so competitive or so fun! Year 3 and 4 Handball Champions: Explorers Year 5 and 6 Handball Champions: All Stars Girls only Handball Champions: Energy
Promoting Positive Attendance
Good school attendance is essential to a children’s success, both academically and socially. When children attend school regularly, they are more likely to keep up with their learning, build strong relationships with teachers and their peers, and develop positive learning habits that last a lifetime. Consistent attendance also helps children feel connected and confident, reducing stress and making learning more enjoyable. By prioritising being at school every day, families and school can work together to support children in reaching their full potential. At Wynndale, our school attendance target for the year is 96%, and we strive for every individual and every class in school to at least reach this target. Our attendance in this half term has been really strong again - as a school we have been above our target almost every single week. Well done Team Wynndale! At our March parents evening events you will receive your child's attendance certificate, so that you can see their attendance information for year to date (up to the end of Spring term 1). We will continue to send these home each half term so that you are informed of your child's attendance percentages throughout the year. Earlier on in the half term, you will have also received updated information about our attendance procedures as well as our whole school initiatives to promote positive attendance. These have now been fully introduced and the children have been incredibly engaged in conversations around good school attendance, as well as being very excited about winning the weekly attendance certificates and working towards the half termly reward. Have a look at how your child's class did in Spring 1.
FS1 - 95.2% FS2 - 93.9% Year 1 - 97.5% Year 2 - 96.3% Year 3 - 96.8% Year 4 - 97.3% Year 5 - 97.1% Year 6 - 97.9%
Congratulations to YEAR 6 who are our half termly attendance winners and win the 'piggy bank prize' for the best attendance! Congratulations also go to Year 1 who have had the best punctuality this half term, with only 2 late marks in the whole half term. They will also receive a 'piggy bank prize' for being so good at being in school on time!
Children's Mental Health Week: 'This is my Place'
This week we have celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 in our school! Throughout the week, the children have taken part in a live assembly and in fun and thoughtful activities that help them understand their feelings, build confidence, and learn simple ways to look after their well-being. The theme this year is 'This is my Place' - giving children opportunities to explore belonging, what it means to 'belong' and how belonging - or not belonging- can make them feel.
Throughout the week we have also encouraged pupils to talk openly, be kind to themselves and others, and explore what helps them feel calm, happy, and connected. By working together with families, we can help every child feel supported, valued, and ready to shine—both in the classroom and beyond.
E-Safety Focus
On the final Tuesday of this half term, we celebrated Safer Internet Day 2026. This year’s theme was 'Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI'. There’s absolutely no escaping the fact that AI is exploding in terms of popularity / usage, bringing with it endless possibilities as well as potential hazards and downsides. At Wynndale, we teach our pupils to use AI responsibly and cautiously rather than shying away from it completely, for example with the use of ChatGPT to help children research and clarify their learning. The BBC link here is filled with useful advice, activities and videos for you to explore alongside your child if you wish to learn more. Safer Internet Day 2026 – Live Lesson - BBC Teach My best advice to you though is – talk to your child about their internet usage. Find out what they do online – be curious! That way you can help them to make safe choices.
Safeguarding update
At our school, safeguarding is taken extremely seriously and remains a priority at all times. We would like to remind families that the Safeguarding Team is available all year round, including during school holidays. If you have any safeguarding concerns during the school holidays, please contact us via the pastoral email address, which is monitored throughout the year by a member of the Safeguarding Team. Any concerns raised will be responded to appropriately and in line with safeguarding procedures.
The pastoral email address is: pastoral@wynndale.notts.sch.uk
Members of our safeguarding team are: Mrs. Rickersey - Head Teacher and Senior Safeguarding Lead Mrs. Evans - Assistant Head Teacher and Deputy Safeguarding Lead Mrs. Taylor - Pastoral lead and Deputy Safeguarding Lead Mrs. Tebbutt - SENCO and Deputy Safeguarding Lead Mrs. Mason - EYFS lead and Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Understanding the New Ofsted Framework
As many of you will be aware, Ofsted has introduced a new way of reporting on schools, designed to give parents and carers a clearer and more balanced picture of what school life is really like. Instead of one overall judgement (such as Outstanding, Good or Requires Improvement), schools will now receive separate judgements across a range of key areas, including: • Safeguarding • Inclusion • Curriculum and Teaching • Achievement • Behaviour and Attitudes • Personal Development and Well-being • Leadership and Governance Inspectors look closely at how well schools meet the needs of all pupils, how effectively children learn and behave, and how schools prepare them not just academically, but socially and emotionally too. The new approach recognises that schools may be strong in many areas while still working hard to improve others. The new gradings are very different to to the old ones and will include: • Attention needed – some things are going well, but there are some areas that still need to be worked on. It is not a fail, but highlights where more needs to be done • Expected – this is what Ofsted think every school should be doing. Ofsted say that they expect a lot for this grade, as it is what every child should be getting • Strong – indicates that school has been doing an excellent job for a long time to make a real difference For parents, this means Ofsted reports should be more detailed and transparent, helping you understand both what a school does well and how it continues to develop. We welcome this more rounded system of judgements and remain committed to meeting these high expectations, providing a safe, happy and ambitious learning environment for every child in our care. If you would like to find out more information about the new framework, you can use the link below to the DfE website. The Easy Read Parents Guide is particularly helpful in explaining the system in a user friendly way.
Understanding Ofsted report cards and grades - GOV.UK
Useful Reminders
Ahead of our next half term in school, please note the following reminders: *Our school doors open at 8.35am each morning, with registration closing at 8.45am. Please make sure children arrive to school on time. Any children arriving late to school need to come in through the main school office, so that we know they have arrived safely and so that we know what their lunchtime choices are. Can we also politely request, that unless you are late to school, or have pre-arranged to drop your child off at the main reception as part of their morning provision, you take your child to their classrooms via the playground.
*Our children do PE outdoors all year round where possible. Please ensure children have suitable clothing in school to wear when it is outdoor PE e.g. jogging bottoms and a jumper/tracksuit etc. Please also ensure that children are able to remove any jewellery - including earrings, prior to PE lessons. Please also see our uniform policy to ensure children wear the correct PE kit for school - crop tops and hot pants should not be worn as they are not part of our school PE policy. Thanks for your support with this.
*Please also be reminded that we have a uniform policy here at Wynndale. Children should not be coming to school wearing jewellery (other than a watch or stud earrings) and they should not be wearing nail varnish, false nails and transfer tattoos. Can we please also remind parents that children should not be wearing leggings for school - girls should wear skirts/dresses with socks or tights or school trousers. We try really hard to get the children into good habits regarding school uniform from a young age, as we know that when they transition to secondary school, uniform policies are strict, with consequences for those children that don't follow them. We thank you for your support in this matter.
Come and join our new Stay and Play @ Wynndale....
Here are some dates for your diary for next half term. We will be adding to these throughout the half term. Exhibitions of Learning dates will be sent out separately after half term. We will share any updates as and when we have them.