Nursery children have been super busy with their Dinosaur and Animals’ topic this term.

They’ve had a wonderful opportunity to develop their communication and language skills in the
role play area. Children were very imaginative, as they went back in time to investigate and
discover what dinosaurs looked like using the fossils.

They played cooperatively in the Dinosaur Museum and were encouraged to choose a role to play,
such as a museum manager, tour guide or a customer. We had very excited tour guides who gave
tours of the museum and talked about all the different dinosaurs and animals.

Our RWI phonics sessions have been successful as children have taken a keen interest in making
sounds and practising to form the letters correctly.

Please do not send toys into the nursery with your child, as they distract learning and become very
upset when they misplace them.

We have had a spectacular week in Reception, filled with cultural celebrations and big dreams for
the future.

The children have been showing great focus as we move into more formal mathematical concepts and dive into some truly enchanting stories.

Our story sessions have taken us on some wonderful adventures this week. We’ve been exploring:

• Donovan’s Special Day: A lovely look at preparing for a big event and the sequence of a
  busy day.
• The Girl and the Dinosaur & Tom and the Island of Dinosaurs: These stories have sparked our
  imaginations, leading to some fantastic discussions about friendship and prehistoric
  adventures.

In our Maths sessions, we have been working on our “number sense” and understanding how time
works.

• Ordering Events: The children have been using vocabulary like first, next, and finally to
  sequence their daily routines.
• Adding with a Number Line: We have started using a number line to help us solve addition
  problems.

Our “Personal, Social, and Emotional Development” has focused on aspirations. We asked the
children the big question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” From brave firefighters and
kind doctors to explorers and even a few dinosaurs, their ambitions are as varied as they are
inspiring! We’ve been talking about how we can help people and stay happy in our future jobs.

It has been a week of giant imaginations and global exploration in Year 1.

We have traveled from the comfort of our living rooms to the middle of the jungle, and even to the land where the “Wild Things” are!

We have been captivated by two very different, but equally exciting, stories this week:

• The Slightly Annoying Elephant: We’ve had so much fun reading David Walliams’ hilarious
  tale. The children enjoyed discussing how they would react if a blue elephant named Sam
  turned up at their door with a suitcase!
• Where the Wild Things Are: We explored Max’s incredible journey to the island of the Wild
  Things. We’ve been using our “storyteller voices” to describe the monsters and imagining
  what our own private islands would look like.

Our Geography lessons have turned the classroom into a tropical paradise as we study climates
around the world. The children have been learning that not all forests are the same!

• Location: We’ve been using maps to find rainforests near the Equator, where it stays warm
  and wet all year round.
• Characteristics: We explored the different layers of the forest, from the dark forest floor to the
  high emergent layer.
• Adaptations: We’ve been acting like scientists to discover how plants and animals have
  adapted to survive. We looked at drip-tip leaves that help rain slide off and how animals like
  toucans use their large beaks to reach fruit.

In year 2, we have been looking at multiplication and division in maths.

We have enjoyed reading ‘Cliffhanger’ by Jacqueline Wilson this half term, learning about Tim and his friends. We have been learning about climates in geography, looking at tropical rainforests and the animals which live there.

In Jigsaw, we have been learning and thinking about our dreams and goals. Everyone has
worked very hard this half term, and we look forward to another great half term! Keep up the great
work.

In 3S this half term we have thoroughly enjoyed our shared reading book, ‘Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties’.

It has been extremely enjoyable learning to use our expressions when reading this book.

In science we have been looking at the topic of electricity and taking part in many experiments
that focused on forces and charges.

Our art and DT for this half term links to our science also. We have been making simple electrical
circuits with the purpose of designing and creating a small cube light.

It has been an incredibly busy and “sparky” few weeks in our classroom!

In Literacy, we have been diving deep into the whimsical world of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. The students have done a fantastic job analysing the text and answering complex questions about Matilda’s adventures and her battles with the formidable Miss Trunchbull.

While our heads were in the books, our hands were busy with Science! We have been exploring the
invisible forces of static electricity and mastering the fundamentals of building circuits. It has been
wonderful to see the students’ “lightbulb moments” as they successfully powered their first bulbs.

We are now thrilled to merge these two worlds in our upcoming Art and Design Technology (DT)
lessons. Using what we’ve learned about electrical flow, the students will be designing and building
their very own battery-operated electrical systems. Whether they are lighting up a diorama or
creating a moving masterpiece, we can’t wait to see their innovation in action!

It has been an incredibly productive few weeks for Year 5, with the children showing fantastic engagement across the curriculum.

In Maths, we have been mastering the relationship between fractions and decimals, developing
our ability to convert between the two and apply these skills to complex problem-solving.

Our Art & DT sessions have seen the classroom transform into a workshop; the children have been
exploring the integrity of structures, learning how to reinforce materials to create stable and
impressive designs.

Finally, in Shared Reading, we have been deeply moved by our journey through Good Night Mister
Tom. The class has shown great empathy and insight while discussing the historical context of the
evacuation and the developing bond between Willie and Tom. We are so proud of their hard work!

This half term year 6 pupils have been working extremely hard to improve their reading and maths
skills.

Pupils have also thoroughly enjoyed our ART and DT lessons this half term, working together as a
team to build their structures. Over half term we encourage all pupils to continue working on their reading by using their reading plus accounts!

It has been a busy and vibrant few weeks in SEU 1.

The children are thoroughly enjoying our shared reading sessions, bringing stories to life through role-play and hands-on crafts, while our Year 2 students have also used these opportunities to sharpen their writing skills.

To support their physical development, the children participate in weekly small-group sessions
focusing on balance, ball skills, body awareness, and coordination. These sessions are a genuine
highlight of the week, and it is wonderful to see the children so eager to practice these skills
together.

Adding to the excitement, the children had a fantastic time staying active in a recent dance
workshop. Our Year 1 and 2 students also showcased their creativity during Art Week, with many
joining mainstream classes for these successful collaborative lessons.

It has been an incredible time in SEU2!

The children have loved visiting the main hall for soft play and have been busy exploring our “New Life” theme through beautiful artwork and sensory messy play.

We’ve seen fantastic progress in communication; our Objects of Reference timetable is helping
children navigate their day, while Colorful Semantics boards are making requests much easier
during speech and language work. From the rhythmic touch of TACPAC to exploring new textures,
the children are working hard and having fun. Well done to everyone in SEU2 for a brilliant half-term.

It has been an incredibly busy and productive time in SEU 3!

We are particularly proud of how the children have been developing their communication skills. We have been using communication boards throughout the day to talk with one another and to practice making independent requests.

It has been wonderful to see the children connecting with those around them.

In PE, our focus has been on body awareness. The children have worked hard on their balance and
coordination through various activities and have been remarkably focused when following along
with different yoga poses.
Our Science lessons have taken us into the animal kingdom. We have explored the mysterious world
of nocturnal animals, and we are now concluding our topic by learning how to group animals as
herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores.

Finally, our classroom has been a hive of creativity lately. The children are very much looking
forward to sending some of their beautiful artwork home soon to share their hard work with you!

Our peripatetic students have been working hard in their 1-2-1 lessons, it has been a pleasure to drop into some of those lessons and feedback from the tutors has been really positive.

Many students are starting to work towards graded music exams which is an exciting next step.
If your child currently has instrument lessons and you have not paid for this half term, please do so
by the end of the week to secure their place. I will be looking at the waiting list to replace students
over the next half term. Payment can be made on MCAS. Any problems, please speak to the
office.

If your child does not currently have lessons and you would like to add them to the waiting list,
please fill in this form.
Once we have a space, you will see payment options on MCAS. Some instruments are more popular than others and may take some time to secure a space.

Group lessons (Cornet, Flute, Clarinet, Guitar, Violin, Singing) are charged at £10 per half term for
Pupil Premium students(free school meals) and £30 per half term for non-pupil premium students.
Single lessons (drums and piano) are charged at £20 per half term for Pupil Premium students (free
school meals) and £60 per half term for non-pupil premium students. This charge is subsidised by the
trust to enable as many students as possible to attend instrument lessons.

At Piper’s Vale, Electronic Safety (E-safety) is a fundamental pillar of our safeguarding commitment.

We aim to protect our young children from online risks while empowering them to become
responsible, confident digital citizens.

Our Core Mission

In an increasingly digital world, we equip pupils to navigate the internet safely, recognise potential
dangers, and understand the long-term consequences of their online actions.

Key Aspects of E-Safety at Piper’s Vale

1. Protection from Risks

We actively educate children on how to identify and avoid:

• Inappropriate Content: Violence, explicit material, or extremist views.
• Grooming: Recognising the signs of manipulative behaviour from strangers online.
• Cyberbullying: Understanding how to prevent it and how to support those affected.

2. The “SMART” Rules Our pupils are taught to live by these five core principles:

• S – Safe: Keep personal information (name, address, passwords) private.
• M – Meeting: Never meet someone you only know online without a trusted adult.
• A – Accepting: Do not open emails, attachments, or links from people you don’t know.
• R – Reliable: Understand that people and information online can lie or be misleading.
• T – Tell: Always tell a teacher, parent, or trusted adult if something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

3. Digital Literacy and Behaviour

We promote a culture of respect. Pupils are taught that their “digital footprint” matters and that positive, respectful behaviour is just as important online as it is in the classroom.

4. Safeguarding Compliance

Piper’s Vale maintains a secure, monitored environment for all school-based technology, ensuring
we meet all legal requirements and Ofsted inspection standards for digital safety.

Integration with Computing Curriculum

By weaving e-safety into our standard Computing curriculum, we ensure that as children learn to
code and create, they also learn to protect. We aim to produce pupils who are not just consumers
of technology, but informed and secure users of the evolving digital world.