Welcome to the first newsletter of 2026!

The children have returned to school refreshed and have made an enthusiastic start to the Spring Term. Even the snow didn't stop our learning last week. Thank you again to our amazing governors who showed incredible community spirit, clearing the paths and even digging staff cars out of the car park.

Our attendance has decreased slightly since the last newsletter. Please remember, non-attendance is lost learning time. Your support with attendance as emailed this week is very much appreciated.

Here are some of the highlights from the first two weeks of the Spring Term. 

Miss Matthews and Mrs Guild are delighted with how Reception Maple have started their Spring Term learning. Here are some highlights from the start of the term.

We’ve also been practising our writing skills by writing ‘I can see’ sentences. Well done everyone!

PSHE

In our PSHE lessons and Character Education assemblies we have learnt all about cleanliness and orderliness. We’ve ensured to thoroughly wash our hands before eating and after using the toilet. At the tidy-up time, Miss Matthews and Mrs Guild have been choosing a ‘mystery mess’. We have to work very hard as a team to locate the mess whilst Miss Matthews counts down! Mrs Burke has also been teaching us to tuck our shirts in!

Mathematics

In maths, we have revisited one more/one less and consolidated our knowledge of number bonds within 5. We really enjoyed playing a bean bag game and creating our own 5 ladybirds! This week in maths, we have been learning all about mass and capacity. We’ve used vocabulary such as heavier, lighter, balanced, full, and empty. The children have enjoyed exploring this independently, with their friends, and alongside Miss Matthews. Well done everyone!

Expressive Art and Design

Our Expressive Arts and Design learning is focused around painting! So far, we have finger painted, and this week, we have used natural materials to make our own paintbrushes. We have used vocabulary such as sticky, cold, and gloopy to describe the texture of the paint. Whilst creating our pictures, we talked about the vocabulary ‘abstract’ and ‘figurative’ and we discussed what these two words mean. Lots of us have been able to use the new vocabulary to describe our pictures. Well done Reception Maple!

Physical

Reception are continuing to work hard to develop their gross motor skills. They have really enjoyed accessing the outdoor equipment, as well as taking on fine motor challenges in the classroom. Thank you for supporting this at home – please continue to send photos on Tapestry of the wonderful activities you are doing!

Literacy Tree

In Writing, we have been focusing on the beautiful story ‘Dadaji’s Paintbrush’. We became artists ourselves, creating stunning pictures using a range of media and writing captions just like in a real art museum. We have also been working hard on our letter formation, making sure our letters are formed correctly and remembering to use capital letters and full stops.

Maths

In Maths, we have been learning all about place value to 20. The children have explored one more and one less, ordering numbers, and identifying how many tens and ones are in different numbers. They have worked so hard and are becoming confident mathematicians who can explain their thinking clearly.

Phonics and Reading

Mrs Stamp and Miss Rogers have been absolutely blown away by the children’s reading! They are becoming fluent readers and are showing fantastic comprehension skills. Our phonics lessons have been brilliant too - the children are now learning even more alternative graphemes. Did you know that the letter ‘y’ can make three different sounds? The children do, and they love spotting them in words!

Religious Education

This term in RE, we are learning about 'celebrations' and how different faiths celebrate. 

Geography

In Geography, we have been learning what an atlas is and how to use it. The children have enjoyed locating the four countries of the United Kingdom and talking about where they live. Next, we will explore how the weather changes in the UK and how to use a compass! 

Computing

This term in computing, the new topic is called 'moving robots'. The children are becoming experts in programming commands to make the Beebot move in different directions.

Today was the first after-school cookery club session. Eighteen children quickly transformed into chefs and had the most amazing cookery experience making rainbow pasta bake. "It smells so good," a Year One boy told us. Thank you, Sammy at The Foodies Club!

Thank you for your continued support with parking respectfully during the morning drop-off and afternoon collection. It is much appreciated.

Garden Village Primary Academy is not part of the new Government 'Free Breakfast Club' initiative that starts April 2026. Our before-school club will continue to operate as normal. 

On Thursday 8th January, Mr Hand (Vice-CEO) and Mrs Wright (Maths Leader from Violet Way Academy) spent the morning at Garden Village completing a Collaborative Picture Building exercise exploring Mathematics. It was a highly positive morning. The children demonstrated fantastic mathematical knowledge when the staff visited the classrooms and the pupil conferencing was just wonderful. Thank you, Mr Hand and Mrs Wright for your knowledge and expertise.

For further information about the Trust, please use this link: Fierté Multi-Academy Trust - Home

Telephone: 01827 214630

Office Email: office@gardenvillage.fierte.org

Headteacher / SENCO: headteacher@gardenvillage.fierte.org