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At Little Harrowden, we know that children learn best when they feel safe, happy and connected. Supporting mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of our school, and we are incredibly proud of the range of opportunities and support we provide to help every child feel valued, understood and ready to learn.
During the first full week of October, we marked Mental Health Week. Mrs Tibbs read 'Ruby’s Worry' to the whole school, helping children to explore their feelings and understand the importance of talking about worries. We also held our first Wellbeing Wednesday of the year! These special sessions will take place termly, giving children the opportunity to choose two activities to support their wellbeing, including yoga, drawing, Play-Doh and a wellbeing walk amongst many others. It was wonderful to see the children enjoying time to relax, be creative and focus on themselves.
A huge part of our wellbeing offer is the fantastic work of Mrs Tibbs, our Family Support Worker. Mrs Tibbs provides a range of in-school support, including drawing and talking therapy, sand play, yoga sessions and individual wellbeing check-ins. She has also developed a brilliant partnership with our local Mental Health Support Team (MHST), helping children to access additional support as quickly as possible when they need it.
We also recognise that wellbeing is built through the small things we do every day. We place great importance on connection before correction, ensuring children feel that they belong and that the adults around them care. At the start of this academic year, we introduced Say Hey Your Way across all classes, encouraging positive connections and helping every child feel noticed and welcomed. Alongside this, regulation stations are available in classrooms and around school, providing children with supportive spaces and resources to help them understand and manage their emotions.
Our school motto, Kindness is Key, underpins everything we do. We want every child to know that their feelings matter, that it is okay to ask for help and that they never have to face their worries alone. We will continue to nurture a school community where kindness, connection and wellbeing are at the heart of every child's experience.
Miss Renshaw
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A brilliant start in Buttercups!
What a busy and wonderful half term we have had in Buttercups! The children have been amazing, and we are so proud of how well they have settled into our routines, built friendships and embraced new experiences. It has been lovely to see their confidence grow as they share their ideas, have a go at new challenges and become more independent.
We have enjoyed exploring lots of different books, including Ruby’s Worry, Elmer and, most recently, The Little Red Hen. These stories have sparked some fantastic conversations about feelings, kindness, being ourselves and helping others. The children have enjoyed learning new words, talking about the characters and sharing their thoughts about what might happen next.
There has also been plenty of practical learning! In maths, we have been exploring numbers through counting, sorting and finding one more and one less. Our outdoor adventures have given us opportunities to notice signs of autumn, explore natural materials and work together, including building dens to keep a teddy bear sheltered from the weather.
Every child has so much to feel proud of. We have been especially impressed by the resilience the children have shown, keeping going even when things feel tricky. Well done, Buttercups, for your enthusiasm, kindness and hard work, and thank you to our families for your continued support!
Miss Tillsley
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Daisy Class – Our First Half Term in Year 1
What a wonderful and busy first half term we have had in Daisy Class! It has been lovely to see the children settling into Year 1, getting to know one another and building positive relationships with their teachers, Miss Doherty and our student teacher, Mrs Wintermoore.
We have also welcomed our class mascot, Tiddles the fox, and Talking Ted, who helps us remember the importance of listening carefully and taking turns when talking. We have been working hard to develop our listening skills, take turns, share ideas and work together as a team. The children have been earning lots of Dojos along the way, and we are so proud of the progress they are making!
English
In English, we have been focusing on writing simple sentences, remembering our sentence-writing rules: using a capital letter at the beginning, finger spaces between words and a full stop at the end. We have also been practising re-reading our work to check that it makes sense. The children have made a fantastic start, and we have been so pleased to see their confidence and independence growing as young writers.
Maths
Our focus in Maths has been addition and writing number sentences, making sure we recognise and use the correct mathematical symbols. We have explored addition using a range of practical resources, including counters, Numicon, ten frames and dominoes. These hands-on activities have helped us develop our understanding of number and explain our mathematical thinking.
Art
In Art, we have been exploring lines, shapes and colours, beginning to think about texture, too. We put our creativity to the test when creating our wonderful Harvest artwork, using a variety of materials to make colourful collage fruit and vegetables. The children have enjoyed experimenting with different textures and materials to bring their creations to life!
Geography
In Geography, we have been becoming familiar with our school environment by taking tours around the school grounds and exploring the different areas. We have been learning about compass points and playing fun games to help us remember and use them, also reciting the rhyme Never Eat Shredded Wheat! The children have also been spotting examples of human and physical geography around our school, discussing how some features are made by people while others are part of the natural world. We have also been exploring maps and talking about how they help us understand and find our way around different places. The children have loved becoming little geography detectives!
Muddy Mondays
We have loved starting our weeks outdoors during our Muddy Monday sessions! These have been a fantastic opportunity to get to know the Reception children, build friendships and develop our teamwork skills. Our adventures have included collecting natural materials such as sticks and leaves, building dens, discovering sycamore seeds (our very own little helicopters!) and making nature paintbrushes. We have had lots of fun exploring the natural world together and learning how to collaborate, share resources and solve problems as a team.
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead to the Nativity and the festive season, we are excited about all the wonderful learning and experiences still to come. We have had such a fun-filled and positive start to our time in Year 1, and it has been a pleasure watching the children grow in confidence, develop new skills and become such an important part of Daisy Class.
We are incredibly proud of all the children and cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for Daisy Class.
We hope you all have a lovely half-term break.
Warm wishes,
Miss Doherty and Mrs Wintermoore
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What a busy first half term we have had in Primrose Class! The children have settled into their classroom routines and have been developing their confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning. It has been lovely to see them sharing ideas, supporting their friends and taking pride in their work.
In Maths, we have been exploring place value and developing our understanding of how numbers are made. We have used base 10 equipment, place value charts and part-whole models to represent numbers in different ways. A particular highlight was taking our learning outside and using chalk number lines on the playground! We have also been practising comparing and ordering numbers, alongside counting forwards and backwards in different steps.
In English, our learning has been inspired by The Lion in Paris. The children have explored the lion’s adventure, thinking about what he might see and how he might feel as he discovers an unfamiliar city. We have been building our sentence-writing skills, choosing interesting vocabulary and remembering capital letters and punctuation. Alongside this, we have been working hard on our handwriting and taking care with our letter formation.
In Science, we have been learning about animal habitats and exploring how different environments provide animals with what they need to survive. We have considered why animals live in particular places and how their habitats provide food, water and shelter.
Our Geography topic, Commotion in the Ocean, has taken us on a journey around the world as we learn to name and locate the seven continents and five oceans. Songs have helped us remember their names, and we have been using maps to explore where they are.
I am proud of the effort the children have put into their learning this half term. Thank you to all our families for your continued support. Have a lovely half-term break!
Miss Smith
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It has been a fantastic start to Year 3 in Daffodil Class! The children have been working incredibly hard as they settle into life in Key Stage 2, getting to grips with new routines, expectations and starting to develop the independence and learning behaviours needed to succeed. We are so proud of the enthusiasm and effort that the children have shown across all areas of the curriculum.
In English, we have been exploring ‘The Happy Prince’, studying the plot and characters of the story, before using these as inspiration to plan, craft and write our own narratives in a similar style. The class have worked incredibly hard to develop their storytelling skills, thinking carefully about how to structure their writing and bring their own ideas to life. Their ‘published’ versions were beautifully presented and a great first piece of independent writing in Year 3.
In Maths, we have focused on securing knowledge of place value and have recently begun our new unit on addition and subtraction. The children have been using equipment, including Base 10, to represent calculations and deepen their un derstanding of mathematical concepts by building numbers and calculations. During our Quick 10 sessions, focusing on arithmetic skills, we have been working hard to use bar models to solve questions involving all four operations, helping us to visualise problems and explain our mathematical thinking.
Our History topic has taken us back to Ancient Egypt! We have been investigating the importance of the River Nile, exploring the incredible pyramids and learning about the powerful pharaohs who ruled in ancient times. This has linked excellently with our reading lessons, where we have been enjoying The Ancient Egypt Sleepover. Using the VIPERS approach to reading comprehension, the children have answered a range of questions to develop their understanding of the text and we have brought the story to life through techniques such as drama and freeze frames, as well as taking a virtual trip to explore the Egyptian treasures of the British Museum!
In Science, we have been learning about rocks and soils, investigating the physical properties of different rocks and how we can group rocks together based on these properties, by developing our skills as young scientists through observation and exploration. The children have been encouraged to look closely, compare their findings and use scientific vocabulary to describe what they notice when comparing rocks.
Throughout the term, everyone in Daffodil class has shown a real determinati on and a willingness to challenge themselves. As they continue to find their feet in Key Stage 2, we are focusing on developing positive learning behaviours, showing respect for one another and taking greater responsibility for our learning.
It has been wonderful to see the children grow in confidence and we look forward to all the exciting learning still to come in Daffodil Class!
Have a lovely half term,
Mr Hodgkins
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As we come to the end of a busy and exciting half term, we would love to share some of the wonderful learning that has been taking place in our classroom. The children have made a fantastic start to the year and have impressed us with their enthusiasm, confidence and hard work!
English
In English, the children have produced some amazing narrative writing! They particularly enjoyed writing their own versions of Whatever Next! and were thrilled to have the opportunity to share their stories with the Reception children. It was lovely to see how proud they were of their work! We then moved on to writing narratives inspired by The Lights on Cotton Rock. The children loved using their imaginations to write about aliens and really impressed us with the ambitious vocabulary they have learnt and included in their writing.
Maths
This half term, we completed our place value unit and have now moved on to addition and subtraction. It has been wonderful to see the children's confidence growing, particularly when explaining their mathematical thinking and reasoning. The children have also thoroughly enjoyed spending time on Times Tables Rock Stars and eagerly checking our weekly leaderboard updates! Regular practice on TTRS at home would be incredibly beneficial in helping the children develop their times table fluency and confidence.
Swimming
The children have had the fantastic opportunity to take part in swimming lessons this half term. We have been so impressed with the progress they have made, both in their swimming skills and their confidence in the water. It has been especially rewarding to watch their resilience and determination grow as they challenged themselves and celebrated their achievements.
History
Our History topic this half term has been the Ancient Maya civilisation, which has certainly captured the children's imaginations! They particularly enjoyed discovering the Maya ball games and learning about the fascinating (and sometimes rather gruesome!) possibility of human sacrifices. The children engaged in some brilliant discussions and debates throughout the topic, showcasing their developing oracy skills and their ability to listen to and build upon one another's ideas.
Mrs Pond and Mrs Pearce
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What an exciting start to Year 5! We began by exploring Brain School, where we learned about three important parts of the brain: the shark (amygdala), the octopus (prefrontal cortex) and the seahorse (hippocampus). We discovered what happens when our brains respond to a perceived threat through fight, flight or freeze, and discussed what we can do when our “shark fin goes up”. These sessions have helped us to understand our emotions and think about strategies we can use to feel calm and ready to learn.
In English, we used The Wolves in the Walls as inspiration to create our own imaginative narratives before becoming persuasive writers. We explored both sides of the debate around screen use and then tackled the question of whether children should have homework. Along the way, we have worked hard to improve our sentences, learning how to use fronted adverbials, relative clauses and modal verbs to make our writing more interesting and convincing. In maths, we have strengthened our understanding of place value, rounding, addition and subtraction. We even learned a rounding song to the tune of We Will Rock You to help us remember the rules! We also explored Roman numerals and developed our written methods, including using the bus stop method for division.
Science has been full of practical investigations this term. We explored soluble and insoluble solids, investigated how solutions can be separated and carried out an evaporation experiment using salt water. We also tested different thermal insulators and experimented with filtering muddy water. These activities gave us the opportunity to make predictions, observe changes and develop our scientific enquiry skills.
Our history lessons took us back to Roman Britain, where we learned about the Romans, the Iceni tribe and the fascinating story of Boudicca's life and rebellion. We also explored Roman towns and considered what their remains can tell us about life in the past. In art, we took inspiration from the imaginative work of Antoni Gaudí, exploring his distinctive style and using it to create our own colourful, harvest-themed artwork. We experimented with shapes, patterns and designs to produce some wonderfully creative pieces.
In French, we have been learning vocabulary linked to body parts and animals, practising using verbs and adjectives to describe things. Music has given us the chance to get creative with technology, using laptops and Charanga to experiment with digital instruments and begin making our own musical compositions. We have also continued to develop our swimming skills and completed our learning about water safety, helping us understand how to make sensible choices in and around water.
In RE, we explored Sikhism, learning about the Three Pillars of Sikhism and the importance of seva, which means selfless service. We discovered the significance of the gurdwara and imagined taking part in a langar – the community meal where everyone is welcome. This helped us to understand the importance of equality, generosity and sharing. In PSHE, we learned about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, discussing the rights that every child should have and reflecting on our own rights and responsibilities as learners. We thought about how we can all contribute to making our classroom a safe, respectful and positive place for everyone.
The children have embraced new challenges, shared their ideas and continued to grow as learners. Thank you for your continued support.
We hope you all have a lovely half-term break, and we look forward to another exciting term ahead!
Mrs Hindwood
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We couldn’t have asked for a better start to Year 6! This half term, pupils have been busy exploring a range of exciting topics and developing their skills across the curriculum. In History, we travelled back in time to investigate how crime and punishment have changed throughout the ages. From the harsh punishments of the Romans to the unusual methods of deciding guilt in Anglo-Saxon times, the children were fascinated by how different justice was in the past and enjoyed comparing it to the legal system we have today.
In English, creativity has been flowing as pupils wrote their own poetry about an animal embarking on an exciting adventure. We then travelled back to Anglo-Saxon England, where the children explored persuasive language and powerful vocabulary to write inspiring battle speeches, encouraging their warriors to fight bravely.
In Maths, we have been developing our multiplication and division skills, tackling increasingly challenging calculations and applying our knowledge to problem-solving activities.
Art lessons have also been full of creativity, as pupils experimented with pencil grades and shading techniques to create detailed portraits using the grid method for accuracy. Comparing traditional sketches by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci with the work of modern artists helped the children understand how portrait techniques have developed over time.
In PE, pupils have been developing their attacking and defending skills through netball, dodgeball and football, focusing on teamwork, tactics and making effective decisions during games.
In RE, we explored Islam, learning about the different ways Muslims demonstrate their commitment to God through their beliefs and everyday actions. We have also been thinking about our own futures in PSHE, setting personal goals for the year ahead and considering how we can achieve them.
The children have made a fantastic start to their final year of primary school, showing enthusiasm, determination and a positive attitude towards their learning. It has certainly been a busy first half term, and we are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved so far!
Miss York
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As we reach the end of a busy and successful Autumn Half Term, it is wonderful to reflect on the positive wellbeing opportunities that have taken place across the school. Supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils remains a key priority, and we have been happy to see so many children engaging positively with the activities on offer.
This term, we launched our Wellbeing Wednesday Afternoon, which was a great success. Pupils enjoyed taking part in a range of activities designed to promote relaxation, mindfulness, creativity and positive social interaction. The afternoon provided children with valuable opportunities to develop new skills, strengthen friendships and focus on their overall wellbeing. The enthusiasm and positive feedback from both pupils and staff was gratefully received and we look forward to offering more wellbeing afternoons in the future.
We have also been delighted to welcome Molly, our therapy dog, back into school along with her owner Peter. Molly has already brought lots of smiles to pupils and staff alike. Her calm and friendly presence helps to support children’s confidence, emotional wellbeing and sense of comfort within school. Many pupils look forward to spending time with Molly, whether through reading sessions, calm time or simply saying hello as they pass.
As we approach the half term, we would like to thank our families for their continued support in helping us promote positive wellbeing throughout our school community. We wish you a lovely half term break and look forward to welcoming everyone back for the run up to Christmas!
- Please see below the links to this month's Stay Connected information. Lots of exciting Halloween events and activities happening over the half term break for families to enjoy. This gets updated throughout the month so keep checking back.
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/EZxl6KdU6wBYJNx3?ref=Link
- Please find the Healthy Schools newsletter below: -
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/cNUu5paJapKGs5rd?ref=email
If you have any wellbeing or mental health worries or would just like a chat about life’s stresses, please don’t hesitate to contact me clare.tibbs@lhps.inmat.org.uk or find me on the school gate, I am usually there ??
HAPPY HALF TERM.
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Inclusion Corner
Welcome back to a new academic year! We hope that all of our families enjoyed a restful summer and that our children have settled back into school life with confidence and enthusiasm.
At Little Harrowden, inclusion remains at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to ensuring that every child feels valued, understood and supported to achieve their full potential. We know that every family has its own unique journey, and we are proud to work in partnership with parents and carers to create a positive and nurturing environment where all children can thrive.
As we begin the new school year, we would like to share a fantastic local resource for families. The North Northamptonshire Stay Connected Newsletter is regularly updated with information about local events, activities, clubs, support groups and services available to children, young people and families across the county. Many of the opportunities featured are free or low-cost, making it a valuable source of information throughout the year.
North Northamptonshire Stay Connected Newsletter
Whether you are looking for family activities, holiday opportunities, wellbeing support or SEND-related services, there is something for everyone to explore.
As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can support your child, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to another successful year of working together and celebrating the achievements of all our children.
Warm regards,
Mrs Carley
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A big welcome to Miss Doherty and Mr Hodgkins, who have joined Little Harrowden this year! We are very happy to have you!
As we approach the festive season, here are the main dates for December events:
Nursery, EYFS, Year 1 & 2 Nativity: 1st December, 9.30am and 2pm. 2nd December, 2pm.
Christmas Fair: Thursday 10th December, 2.30pm to 4.00pm.
Whole School Pantomime trip: Tuesday 15th December.
Nursery, EYFS, Year 1, Year 5, Year 6 Carol Concert: Wednesday 16th December, 2.30pm
Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 Carol Concert: Thursday 17th December, 2.30pm.
Whole school Christmas Lunch: Friday 18th December.
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Everyone at Little Harrowden wishes all our families and community a happy and spoooooooky half term!
School reopens to children on Monday 2nd November, 8.35am.
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