Writing in Elm
Elm – writing immersion: freeze frames on different events about the Suffragettes....
27 February, 2026
St John The Baptist
Newsletter
27.02.26
Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome back to the new term. It has been so lovely to return to school with some brighter, warmer weather. Our children have already been very busy, especially our student leaders. Year 5 and 6 Community Action Group...
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the new term. It has been so lovely to return to school with some brighter, warmer weather.
Our children have already been very busy, especially our student leaders. Year 5 and 6 Community Action Group met for the first time to learn about power and how it can be used for good or bad. Our Disciples have also met to discuss plans for a kindness challenge during Lent, and we are looking forward to sharing more details with the rest of the school. Meanwhile, you may have seen our Eco-Warriors hard at work on the pitch collecting donations of unwanted clothes, shoes and bags for our Little Recycler project. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed. The pick up is Monday morning. Our Student Council also have some exciting ideas in the pipeline.
Please remember that next week is World Book Day. Children are welcome to come dressed as their favourite book character and we look forward to celebrating a shared love of reading together.
Wishing you all a happy weekend.
Kind regards,
Ms Toni Mason
Funded Music Opportunities
We are pleased to share two exciting funded music opportunities taking place locally.
Get Set Play is a 5-week family music course for children in Year 1 and above, running on Saturdays (28 February–28 March) at Rugby Portobello Trust or Old Oak Community Centre. This fun, beginner-friendly course also offers ongoing funded musical learning opportunities.
Sparks Juniors Taster Course is for children currently in Year 1 and will take place on 25 April, 2 and 9 May at the Royal College of Music. There are five funded places available for the full Sparks Juniors (brass) programme starting in September 2026.
These opportunities are open to families who meet specific eligibility criteria, including Pupil Premium, certain benefits, lower household income, or social housing.
Families can book directly using the link or QR code on the leaflet.
Let’s Get Dressing Up!
As part of our ongoing commitment to developing high-quality play opportunities, we are continuing to build up the range of resources available for children to enjoy on the playground. We are excited to share that our next idea is to introduce a fancy dress area outdoors, giving children even more opportunities for imaginative and creative play. If you have any interesting costumes or dressing-up outfits that would be fun for the children to use, we would greatly appreciate any donations. Please hand them into the school office. Thank you for your continued support!
Keeping Our School Gates Smoke Free
We kindly ask all parents and carers to refrain from smoking outside the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times. While you may be standing outside the grounds, smoke can easily drift into the playground and surrounding areas where children are present. We also want to ensure that we promote healthy choices and positive role modelling for our pupils. Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
In the news over the past week…
Reading in Elm
Elm – immersing ourselves into our new mysterious and scary reading book ‘Room 13’. ...
27 February, 2026
Reading in Chestnut
Year 5 have been reading Zlata’s Diary, the real life story of a young schoolgirl living through the horrors of war. They’ve been showing great maturity in trying to relate to her life and understand the issues in the text....
27 February, 2026
The Train Ride in Pear
This week we have been learning about our community with a focus on the text the train ride. The children in pear class have loved using the construction area for role play. We made trains and a ticket office!...
27 February, 2026
London Rhymes in Apple
Nursery have had special visitors in to play and explore making songs together. Thanks for coming and sharing with us London Rhymes....
27 February, 2026
Learning in Fig
Book is wow said the owl. We have been exploring colours and textures. ...
27 February, 2026
D&T in Y3 (Silver Birch & Rowan)
In D+T, Year 3 are learning how to weave. Today, they practiced their techniques, so that they are confident when creating their cloths. Year 3 are looking forward to seeing how their final products will look, in operating their skills of weaving. ...
26 February, 2026
Chess in Year 3 (Rowan & Silver Birch)
Year 3 have started their chess sessions, they are enjoying learning how to play. ...
26 February, 2026
History in Cherry
Year 2 in history class learning about Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi, Amelia Earhart, and William Robinson Clark....
26 February, 2026
History in Maple
Its maple class – they were re-enacting scenes from the suffragettes protesting. ...
26 February, 2026
Writing in Plum
Year 6 have begun their exciting new topic, “If the world were a Village.” Today in writing, we immersed ourselves in village life by stepping into the roles of both rich and poor characters. Through drama and role-play, we explored what daily life might feel like......
26 February, 2026