Atwood Newsletter 6th November 2026

We have had an exciting week at Atwood this week topped off by a fantastic firework night celebration organized by FOAP. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered their help to make the event such a success.

Nursery have had a fantastic start to Autumn 2! This week, the children learned all about Diwali and discovered how Hindu families prepare for the festival. They also talked about Bonfire Night and learned how to stay safe around fireworks, bonfires, and sparklers. To join in the celebrations, the children made their very own tissue paper diva lamps for the WOW wall and used kitchen rolls from home to create a night time firework scene. In maths, the children practised counting objects up to 5, using one number for each item. Miss Fernandes kept making magical mistakes counting up to 5, so the children had to help her get it right.

In Reception this week the children have been learning about Diwali and positional language. You can read more here: https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/atw-diwali-spatial-reasoning

This week, Year 1 had a fantastic time visiting the Science Museum. They attended a bubble workshop featuring giant bubbles, sinking bubbles and even fire bubbles! They also explored the space gallery and discovered many amazing facts about our solar system. In the classroom, Year One have started writing about the story ‘Whatever Next?’ using the conjunction ‘and’ to link two sentences. They have begun working on addition word problems, finding the information in the text that will help them solve the problem. Year One also learned all about the life of Louis Braille and the writing system he invented. They also made their initials in braille.

The children in Year 2 have been busy this week! In English, they have been introduced to The Twits and all of the horrible tricks they tried out on each other (to the great amusement of the children! Parents watch out!!). This knowledge will be used to develop their understanding of using expanded noun phrases and imperative verbs in recipe writing next week. It also led nicely into their learning in science about hygiene and how to keep themselves clean and healthy. In thematic, they have also been learning about Tudor food and were surprised to find out about some of the things they ate: swans, puffins and pottage to name but a few!

What a fantastic, all be it shorter, week of learning in Year 3! In English, the children finished their mysterious story introductions inspired by ‘The Lump’ from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, building suspense using prepositions, fronted adverbials, descriptive adjectives, and the power of three. In Maths, they tackled adding 3-digit numbers bridging 10 and 100, reading word problems and passionately convincing each other of their methods. During whole-class reading, they were inspired by Where the Poppies Now Grow, discussing the significance of Remembrance Day and hunting for rhyming couplets, while in PE they kicked off their gymnastics unit by perfecting dynamic jumps with balance and control. In thematic, the children further explored the life of a poor Victorian child, through their jobs, living accommodation and school. They were shocked to discover the true dangers of working in the coal mines or cotton mills for 14 hours a day! To top off a brilliant week, the class practised applying the prefix ‘re-‘ in spelling, and their weekly library visit was a huge success—filled with expressive reading. One of our Reading Ambassadors stepped proudly into his new role taking on the responsibility.

This week in Year 4, the children have been immersed in some fantastic learning across the curriculum! In their whole class reading sessions, the children have been exploring Walter Tull’s Scrapbook, learning all about the inspiring life of the professional footballer and World War I hero, focusing particularly on his experiences when he joined the army. In maths, the children have been mastering the compact column addition method and applying their skills to tackle multi-step word problems. Meanwhile, in science, we launched an exciting investigation into tooth decay—using eggs to simulate tooth enamel so we can observe the effects of different liquids over time.

Year 5 have settled back into school routines after a restful half term. The children have started their Beowulf unit in English this week and have immersed themselves into the story, story mapping what the setting was like before and also after Grendel arrived. In maths, they have continued their learning of statistics. The children have been creating line graphs and inputting data onto them, as well as interpreting information from two-way tables. In whole class reading the children have continued learning about Armistice Runner. They learnt that Ernest had sent himself off to fight in WW1 and was out to avenge his brother’s death. In computing this week, the children have continued their learning on online safety and looked at the privacy policy and why that is in place. They also started their dance unit in PE where the theme is Rock n’ Roll. They performed light, quick and sudden flicks to for the first 4 actions in their dance piece. In spelling this week, Year 5 focused on words ending in -ant and discussed their meanings, looking for definitions in the dictionary and then challenging themselves to put them into sentences. In thematic this week the children focused on geography and looked at the different push and pull factors that would make a Viking want to leave Scandinavia to come to Britain. The children learnt how Scandinavia’s mountainous terrain made crop-growing a real struggle.

In English, Year 6 have begun an exciting new unit on mummification, linking closely with the Ancient Egyptians topic in Thematic. This week, the children have been exploring the fascinating process of mummifying a body, learning about the different stages, tools and materials used by the Ancient Egyptians to prepare the dead for the afterlife. They have been developing their understanding of chronological order, technical vocabulary and instructional language. By the end of the unit, the children will write their own detailed, step-by-step instructions explaining how to mummify a body, using imperative verbs, precise vocabulary and a range of organisational features.

In Maths, Year 6 have moved on to their new unit on decimals. The children have been developing their understanding of decimal place value, exploring the value of digits in tenths, hundredths and thousandths. They have also been learning how to order and compare decimal numbers, applying their place-value knowledge to a range of reasoning and problem-solving activities.

In Whole Class Reading, Year 6 have been exploring War Game by Michael Foreman, a moving story following the experiences of young British soldiers during the First World War. The children have been particularly interested in the remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914, when British and German soldiers temporarily stopped fighting and came together in peace. Through thoughtful discussions, the children have been making inferences and predictions, exploring the emotions, experiences and relationships of the soldiers. With Remembrance Day approaching, this has been a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made during wartime and the importance of peace, kindness and humanity.