Important Dates for Diary

23rd February – First day of term for all children

24th February - Preloved Uniform Sale - 3.00-3.45pm - Sketty Road 

25th February – Year 3 Science Museum trip – all classes

We will not be renewing our school's subscription to Oxford Reading Buddy and so your child will no longer be able to log in. This is due to only a few children and families accessing this app. 

However, Mr Sangotade has shared a website where books can be read for free between the hours of 7am-4pm, Monday-Friday, which is great for the holidays with half-term coming up next week. It is called Epic Books – please click the link,

Instantly Access 40K+ Kids' Books & More | Epic Happy Reading!

World Book Day is fast approaching! Dressing up is optional. Please see the link below for a whole host of simple costume ideas for all ages!

126 easy World Book Day homemade costume ideas 2025 with pictures | MadeForMums

Dressing-up Ideas for Parents and Carers This World Book Day

During the school day, your children will be taking part in lots of reading activities. Please remember to check your child's book bag on World Book Day for their £1 token that can be used against a book purchase in participating booksellers, which include;

   

Reception 

This week Reception had their story cafes.  The children helped to tell the story 'Dear Zoo to their grown-ups and then took part in a variety of activities based around the story.  We all had a fantastic time learning and exploring the love of reading together.

  

  

Year 1 

This week in Year 1 Maths, we have been busy exploring place value using practical resources called Dienes equipment.  Using Dienes has helped the children to physically see how numbers are made, strengthening their understanding and confidence. It has been wonderful to see them working collaboratively, counting carefully, and proudly explaining how they know their answers.  K said “I know this is 25 because there are 2 tens and 5 ones.”

   

Year 2 

This week, Year 2 have been enjoying the story The Minpins by Roald Dahl and using it as inspiration for our Writing. We have written some wonderful descriptions of the Minpins’ clothes, homes and magical tree, using clear statements and rich descriptive language.

In Art, Year 2 have been exploring patterns in nature. We carefully examined a range of natural patterns, focusing in particular on the beautiful spirals found on snail shells. The children then recreated their own snails using clay, practising the techniques of scoring, rolling and slipping to join and shape their work carefully.

Here are some of our fantastic clay snails.

   

Year 3

Year 3: Design and Technology – Making clay sculptures.

This week in Year 3, we have been diligently enhancing their clay sculpting skills! Inspired by the Barnabus project, they crafted detailed instructions on how to create the perfect pet. Putting their fine motor skills to the test, the children designed their sculptures, exploring various techniques to manipulate the clay effectively.

After thoughtful design updates, they embarked on the exciting journey of sculpting their creations. The results have been nothing short of fantastic! Each student has produced truly awesome sculptures, showcasing their creativity and hard work. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and can’t wait to display their masterpieces!

  

  

Year 4 

To introduce our new text in Writing, The Lion and the Unicorn, Year 4 took part in an exciting hook activity in the hall. When the children walked in, they immediately noticed a range of intriguing artefacts laid out for them to explore. These included a gas mask, a ration book, and WW2 posters encouraging families to “grow their own crops.”

The children examined each item closely and discussed what they thought it might have been used for.

• They learned that a gas mask was worn during air raids to keep people safe from harmful gases.
• The ration book helped families during the war manage their limited supply of food and essential items.
• The posters showed how people were encouraged to be self‑sufficient by growing vegetables in their gardens to support the war effort.

As they pieced together the clues, the children quickly guessed that our new story would be linked to World War II. Their curiosity grew as they asked thoughtful questions about what life must have been like for families and children at that time. The hook created a real buzz of excitement, and the children were eager to learn more.

Following this activity, the class explored the emotional side of wartime childhoods by writing in character as Lenny, the main character from The Lion and the Unicorn. They wrote heartfelt letters to Lenny’s father, who had gone away to fight in the war. The children used emotive language to express feelings of fear, pride, confusion, and longing. Many included touching details about missing their father’s presence and hoping he was safe. The class then extended this by writing dialogue between Lenny and his mum before he was evacuated. They used inverted commas correctly to show speech, and explored the mixture of emotions both characters might be feeling—nervousness, reassurance, and the difficulty of saying goodbye.

The children look forward to  exploring more of the book in our Writing lessons.

  

Year 6

In PSHE this term, Year 6 have been thinking carefully about the news and how it can affect our mental health. We discussed how constant exposure to difficult or upsetting events can make people feel worried, overwhelmed or helpless, and explored ways to manage these feelings, such as talking to someone we trust, limiting screen time and focusing on positive actions we can take. The children also shared their dreams for the world. Their ideas included a world with no war, equal opportunities for everyone, an end to homelessness, better care for the environment, kindness spreading through communities, and access to education for all children. They then illustrated their hopes and aspirations, and their thoughtful artwork is pictured below.

   

We were also fortunate to take part in an online presentation from Big Ideas about careers in the aviation industry. The children had the exciting opportunity to ask questions directly to a pilot and learn more about the different pathways into aviation careers, including training routes, required skills and the wide range of roles available within the industry.

  

House Captains 

On Wednesday of this week, our exceptional House Captains from Year 2 and 6, spent the morning at Lancasterian Primary School in Tottenham. The captains took great pride in sharing what an amazing job they are doing within our school. They spoke with pride about our school and represented The George Spicer School Community like the tremendous role models that they are! 

The House Captains enjoyed mixing with their fellow counterparts from Lancasterian Primary School, demonstrating superb skills in teamwork, democracy, commitment and responsibility. They absorbed so many ideas and ways to develop, with the Year 2s buzzing about working with the Year 6s more often in future strategy meetings. 

We are all now champing-at-the-bit to start implementing some of our new ideas and initiatives that aim to improve school life at GSPS. A massive thank you to LPS school for hosting such an inspiring event, we look forward to returning the favour soon. 

I couldn't be prouder of each of our wonderful House Captains!

 

Girls' Football

On Wednesday, our girls' football team (Years 4–6) represented the school brilliantly in their opening league fixtures against other schools in the borough. The girls showed excellent organisation, resilience and determination, battling hard against strong and physical teams. Although we were often playing against Year 6 pupils from other schools, our squad included younger players who rose confidently to the challenge and played with great maturity. It was particularly pleasing to see the team remain unbeaten through the afternoon, a testament to their teamwork, discipline and effort. The communication and organisation on display were fantastic, and it was wonderful to see elements from our training sessions being put into practice during competitive matches.

We are excited to announce that the girls' football club will be starting again in Autumn 1 for girls currently in Years 3–5. The club is free of charge and provides high quality coaching in excellent facilities, with training taking place on the 3G pitch at Southbury Leisure Centre. We hope to see even more girls getting involved – please watch out for further details.