Year 4 have recently started a new approach to Guided Reading, and we have really enjoyed it so far. The children have shown great enthusiasm and engagement during our sessions, and we are excited to continue developing our reading skills when we return in September.
Reading: Blog items
Acorns - core words open & close
Date: 7th Jul 2026 @ 9:57am
Acorns core words for the next two weeks are, open and close. We enjoyed learning the words and their signs and watching what each word meant, before engaging in a group learning session to develop our understanding through play and exploration.
Date: 18th Jun 2026 @ 12:05pm
🌟 Year 5 Take Over Day – A Brilliant Morning! 🌟
We had a wonderful experience during Take Over Day, when two fantastic Year 5 pupils took on the roles of teacher and teaching assistant in our Reading into Writing lesson.
Our Year 5 teacher confidently introduced a WAGOLL for a balanced argument, guiding the children to identify key features within the text. The class were fully engaged and showed great understanding as they picked out important elements together.
With great teamwork, the Year 5 teaching assistant supported throughout, helping the lesson run smoothly and ensuring everyone stayed on track.
The lesson continued with an engaging guided reading session focusing on prosody, using “Devon Cream Tea”. The “I say, you say” approach encouraged expressive reading, and the classroom was filled with enthusiastic voices.
It was a fabulous morning, and the children thoroughly enjoyed having them lead the class.
A huge thank you to our Year 5 teacher and teaching assistant—you were brilliant! 👏
Date: 15th Jun 2026 @ 9:51am
Over the past two weeks, Acorns have been learning the core word "put". Using visuals, makaton and actions to develop an understanding of the meaning and developing our sight reading and writing skills. We have been putting things on us, on objects and in a variety of things.
Date: 9th Jun 2026 @ 2:31pm
In Year 1, we have worked incredibly hard and taken part in lots of phonics activities to help us prepare for our Phonics Screening Check. We have revisited digraphs, trigraphs and split digraphs, building our confidence and understanding of different sounds.
We have also practised using sound buttons to help us segment and blend words when reading. The children have shown great enthusiasm and determination.
Reception Reading Champions Summer 1
Date: 21st May 2026 @ 10:56am
Well done to all the children in Reception who have shown decidation to their home reading teis half term. They have all recieved a special reading badge! Home reading has such a huge impact on th children's learning. It enables them to practice the skills they have been learning in phonics and help build their confidence and fluency. Don't worry ithere is a chance to earn a badge next half term. All you need to do is reading at least 3 times per week with your child and sign their reading diary.
Date: 14th May 2026 @ 11:10am
Our core word is get. We have been reading it, writing it, looking at the letter sounds and developing our understanding of its meaning. We have been engaging in shared learning experiences, using some of our favourites resources, visuals and sound buttons to support our understanding of the meaning get. Please continue to encourage your children to get things at home.
Date: 7th May 2026 @ 9:20am
📚✨ Year 6 Library Adventure ✨📚
This week, Year 6 had a fantastic trip up to the school library—and what a brilliant time we had! 🏫➡️📖
As soon as we arrived, everyone settled into the cosy reading spaces, ready to explore the wide range of books on offer. From colourful picture books 🎨📘 to exciting stories full of adventure, there was something for everyone to enjoy.
One of the highlights of our visit was sharing picture books together. 👩🏫👨🏫 Even though we are one of the oldest year groups in the school, we loved diving into these beautifully illustrated stories. The artwork helped bring the stories to life, and we enjoyed discussing the characters, themes, and hidden meanings. 🖼️💡
Reading with friends made the experience even more special. 🧑🤝🧑📚 We took turns reading aloud, listening carefully, and sharing our thoughts. There were lots of smiles 😊, laughter 😂, and thoughtful conversations along the way.
Spending time in the library reminded us how enjoyable reading can be. It’s not just about learning—it’s also about imagination, creativity, and relaxing with a good book. 🌟📖
We can’t wait for our next visit!
📌 Year 6 Top Tip: Don’t forget—picture books aren’t just for younger children. They can inspire readers of all ages! 💬✨
Year 5 Visit: Nathan Parker, Performance Poet
Date: 6th May 2026 @ 2:04pm
Year 5 were delighted to welcome Nathan Parker, a Blackpool-based performance poet, author and spoken word artist, into school. Nathan, who is proud of his northern roots, shared his journey from growing up in Blackpool to becoming a successful writer and performer, explaining how his experiences, challenges and surroundings have shaped his work. 12
During the session, Nathan spoke openly about his upbringing and how he discovered a love for writing, using poetry as a way to express real-life thoughts and emotions. He performed some of his own poems, showing the children how spoken word poetry brings writing to life through rhythm, voice and performance. 3
A key part of his visit was challenging the children’s ideas about what a poet ‘should’ look like. Nathan encouraged them to think beyond stereotypes and introduced them to a wider world of poets, including influential voices such as Maya Angelou and Benjamin Zephaniah, helping pupils see that poetry comes from many different backgrounds, styles and experiences.
The session was highly interactive, with Nathan leading fun and engaging writing activities that inspired creativity and confidence. The highlight of the visit was a whole-class collaborative poem, where every child contributed their own ideas and lines. Guided by Nathan, the class worked together to shape their thoughts into a powerful shared piece of writing, celebrating their voices and imagination. 4
Nathan’s energy, honesty and relatable approach made a lasting impact on the children, leaving them inspired to continue writing and to see themselves as poets in their own right.
Date: 30th Apr 2026 @ 7:48am
In Year 4, shared reading plays an important role in our weekly Guided Reading sessions. By reading together as a group, pupils build confidence, fluency, and a deeper understanding of texts in a supportive environment.
Shared reading allows children to hear fluent reading modelled by adults and peers, while also giving them opportunities to join in, discuss vocabulary, and explore meaning. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions, and share their ideas, helping them feel more confident when talking about books.
These weekly sessions also support pupils who may feel less confident reading independently, as everyone works together and supports one another. Over time, children grow in confidence, accuracy, and enjoyment of reading.
Shared reading helps foster a positive reading culture in the classroom and encourages pupils to see reading as something to enjoy and share. It has been lovely to see Year 4 becoming more confident, enthusiastic readers each week.
Date: 22nd Apr 2026 @ 9:54am
As part of our Reading into Writing journey, we focused on the Immersion in Reading phase using the genre of non‑chronological reports. We previously explored a WAGOLL to identify and discuss the key features of this text type. Today, we examined a different non‑chronological report and used Post‑it notes to identify its features. We discussed how many features can be recognised without reading the text in full, such as the title, subheadings, images with captions or labelled diagrams, paragraphs and fact boxes. We then skimmed and scanned the text to identify technical vocabulary related to the specific subject of the report. Finally, we cut out the features and organised them onto a sheet to deepen our understanding of how non‑chronological reports are structured.
Date: 22nd Apr 2026 @ 7:45am
Year 5 enjoyed an exciting visit to The Attic, our school library, where they had the opportunity to explore a wide range of new class reading books. The children thoughtfully browsed the shelves, sharing recommendations and enthusiastically telling each other about stories they had previously enjoyed. They spent time reading the first few pages of several books that caught their interest, carefully considering which one would become their personal choice. The session was filled with animated discussions, curiosity, and a genuine love of reading, as each child selected a book they were excited to take back to class and explore further.
Date: 15th Apr 2026 @ 2:27pm
In Guided Reading this week, we focused on building confidence and expression through poetry. We explored a poem about returning to school after half term and talked about how the feelings linked to our own experiences. We used an I say, you say approach to practise prosody and intonation, listening carefully to how the poem should sound. Some of us then bravely read the poem aloud to the class, using clear voices and expression.
Date: 15th Apr 2026 @ 7:39am
📚 Year 6 Class Novel Update 📚
Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed reading Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman this term. The novel sparked lots of thoughtful discussion and encouraged pupils to think deeply about challenging choices and moral dilemmas. It prompted mature conversations and helped develop empathy and understanding. Although emotional at times, the children found it engaging and very memorable. A powerful story that led to great learning conversations in class!
Year 6 Enjoying Reading Eggs 🥚📖
Year 6 have made a fantastic start with Reading Eggs and are really enjoying it. Pupils love the games, challenges and rewards, and it’s great to see how motivated they are to improve their reading skills. We’re proud of their positive attitude and brilliant effort so far!
Date: 14th Apr 2026 @ 11:48am
In Year Two, we have been using active spelling to help us learn and remember our spellings. The children loved building words, shaping letters with pipe cleaners, using drawing pads, and practising rainbow writing. These hands-on activities helped us embed our spellings in a fun and memorable way, keeping everyone engaged and excited about learning. Fantastic effort, Year Two!
Date: 13th Apr 2026 @ 9:16pm
Today, our Year 4 children have been busy exploring a brand‑new reading resource in school: Reading Eggs – and the response has been overwhelmingly positive!
From the moment the children logged in for the first time, there was a buzz of excitement around the classroom. The colourful design, friendly characters and interactive activities immediately captured their attention. For many pupils, it didn’t feel like “work” at all – more like a fun challenge they couldn’t wait to get started on.
Date: 13th Apr 2026 @ 10:53am
Welcome back everyone. This weeks core words are same and different. We will be learning these as sight words, visuals and signing. We will look a a variety of things in our indoor and outdoor learning environment that are the same or different. Please look for things at home or in your local environments that are the same or different too.
Acorns - Little Red Riding hood
Date: 2nd Apr 2026 @ 11:00am
Acorns have been enjoying the sensory story, Little Red Riding Hood. We have loved howling like a wolf, having big eyes and ears and watching the teeth chomp, chomp, chomp. We have been learning to say familiar words and phrases to finish a sentence or using visuals cards to help. We have been developing our engagement and learning during a small group activity.
Date: 27th Mar 2026 @ 3:40pm
🌟 Spelling Bee Success! 🐝📚
Today, our school was buzzing with excitement as children from Year 2 to Year 6 took part in our annual Spelling Bee! 🏆✨
Over the past few weeks, pupils have been working incredibly hard to learn their spellings. From tricky letter blends to confident articulation, they have shown real dedication. 💪🧠
When the moment arrived, each participant demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage. Taking the stage in front of the whole school is no small task, yet our spellers stood tall, spoke clearly, and gave it their very best. 🎤👏
We are incredibly proud of every child who took part. Their effort, determination, and enthusiasm made today a wonderful celebration of learning. 🎉📖
A huge well done to all our super spellers! 🌈⭐
Date: 25th Mar 2026 @ 12:17pm
This week, Year 5 have been exploring two different chapters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—the chapters focusing on Veruca Salt and Charlie Bucket. The children have been comparing the two characters by finding evidence from the text to support their ideas about each character’s personality traits.
Date: 19th Mar 2026 @ 5:04pm
This week in preschool, we’ve been diving into the classic tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears—but with an exciting twist! Our sensory story sessions brought the story to life in a way that encouraged the children to explore, play, and learn through all their senses.
The children had the chance to feel porridge that was “too hot", compare “big,” “medium,” and “small” items and even explore soft, hard and lumpy textures. Using different materials helped the children retell the story, build new vocabulary, and develop early literacy and communication skills—all while having a wonderful time.
Sensory stories are a fantastic way for children to engage deeply with books and we can’t wait for more story adventures together!
Date: 18th Mar 2026 @ 5:29pm
This week in Guided Reading, Year 5 have been exploring two different poems about the tide. The children enjoyed discovering how two poems can be about the same natural phenomenon, yet create very different moods, feelings and images.
Nursery Create Three Little Pigs
Date: 12th Mar 2026 @ 5:18pm
Thhe children have really enjoyed retelling the story The Three Little Pigs using puppets. They really got in to character, using differrent voices and using the correct story language.
Date: 10th Mar 2026 @ 3:42pm
📚 This half term, we have been developing our narrative writing skills by creating our own stories inspired by Rock, Paper, Scissors.
🎬 To begin, we watched a short silent film that introduced us to the three main characters—Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Without dialogue, we had to pay close attention to their actions, expressions, and interactions to understand the emotions and relationships portrayed in the video.
🧠 As a class, we discussed what we thought the characters were feeling, why certain events happened, and how their personalities could be shown through descriptive writing. We also explored how music, movement, and timing in the video helped build tension and atmosphere.
✍️ Using the film as our inspiration, we planned and wrote our own narrative version of the story. We focused on developing:
- 🌟 Strong character descriptions
- 🌈 Detailed settings
- ⚡ Powerful verbs and figurative language
- 📖 Clear story structure with a beginning, build-up, conflict, and resolution
🖊️ Each pupil then drafted their story, edited it carefully, and created a polished final version. We are extremely proud of the creativity, imagination, and effort shown in every piece.
🌟 Have a read through some of our fantastic stories and see how we brought the characters of Rock, Paper, and Scissors to life!
Date: 5th Mar 2026 @ 8:38pm
What a wonderful World Book Day! We had a class full of super book characters including Matilda, Stick Man, Unicorns, Mermiads and The Cat in the Hat. It was lovely to see the chidlren dressed up and we all enjoyed the story Little Red Riding Hood brought in by Red Riding Hood herself!
