This week, we were delighted to launch our Reading Buddies scheme with Class 1. Our Year 5 and 6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed sharing stories with the Reception children, who listened beautifully and loved hearing the different books. It was wonderful to see the older pupils taking on their roles as reading role models, helping to build confidence and nurture a love of reading across the school. The sessions were full of smiles, enthusiasm and thoughtful conversations about the stories.

In Maths, Year 6 have been developing their understanding of factors and multiples, using their reasoning skills to solve a range of challenges. Meanwhile, Year 5 have been practising rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100, becoming increasingly confident in explaining their methods. In English, we have been exploring how adverbs and adverbials can add detail and interest to sentences as part of our learning about outlaws. We have enjoyed creating descriptive sentences and are looking forward to using these skills when writing our own non-chronological reports next week.

In Science, we investigated whether the mass of a ball affects the rate at which it falls, making predictions, carrying out fair tests and discussing our results. We have also been learning about Sir Isaac Newton and his discoveries about gravity, linking our investigations to his important scientific work. It has been another busy week of learning and discovery. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and look forward to welcoming everyone back next week for more exciting learning and new challenges.

Art
I teach Class 3 on Thursday afternoons and this week they were learning to use charcoal as a medium in art lessons. We explored the idea of Chiaroscuro (light and dark) in art. Using different charcoals and techniques the class observed rocks and made these sketches: Isla (left) Oliver (right). The darkness and light created with different techniques has contributed to the overall effect.

Friendship Bench
Thank you to Sarah Marley, who successfully secured this free bench for our playground. Donated by the Lazy Susan Furniture Company, this has been introduced to the the children as a friendship bench. If they are looking for someone to play with at breaktime, they can sit on the bench and other children will see they need a buddy and invite them to play.




Meet The Teacher
Thank you to the parents and carers of all our new reception children who joined Abi Flashman and Tom Otterwell-Taylor for an information session this week. We hope you found it useful.

Staff Update
I am delighted to share the exciting news that through their outstanding practice, Tom Otterwell-Taylor and Abi Flashman have been appointed as early years subjects leaders across the 15 schools of Bridge MAT. Tom has also taken on the leadership of art across the Trust. In addition to this, Sam Watts is leading on Showbie, the app used across Trust schools to support children's learning. These appointments reflect the excellent work and level of expertise of these teachers.

We have had another super week here in Class 2.

In Maths, both years 1 and 2 are almost at the end of their first unit of work on Place Values. This week, Year 1s have been counting forward to and back from 10, finding 1 more and 1 less than a number and comparing numbers. Year 2s, on the other hand, have been using deins to split large numbers and writing them in their expanded forms, using number lines and comparing numbers.

In Literacy, we are learning to write a recount. This week, learned to use the adverb of place and time, and coordinating conjunctions. We used our learning to write the introduction and first paragraph of our recount.

In Science, we are learning all about living things and how they grow. This week, we recapped our understanding of what different animals eat and considered all the things that are essential for our survival.

In RE, we explored the Christian concept of forgiveness. In History, we have begun to look at our own personal histories and talk some significant events in our lives. In Computing, we looked at how technology is controlled after which we designed our own robots with our own unique set of controls.

In Art, we have begun to look at how artists explore and collect things to help them create their art. We considered how artists use of sketchbooks to collect and preserve their impressions and how we could also do the same using our art sketchbooks. We also looked at some works by Andy Goldworth and went out into the forest school for an afternoon of foraging, collecting and arranging to create some Goldsworthy inspired nature art. Here are some of the amazing works we created this afternoon!

Finally, a very well done to:
> Ysella for getting the Ready Award for working really hard at Maths and putting in extra effort to master the art of flexibly splitting big numbers.
> Viv for getting the Respectful Award for always taking care to present all her work neatly.
> Rowan for getting the Safe Award for always taking care of his friends.

NOTE:
Please note that we have an additional day of PE with Pro20 every week starting next week. Besides Tuesday, please sent your children in their PE kits on a Thursday too. 
Friday, 25 September 2026 is Share-a-book-Friday.

It has been wonderful to have the class back this week, and they have made a fantastic start to the new term. The children have quickly settled into new routines and have approached all of their learning with enthusiasm and determination.
In PE, we have been developing our handball skills, and the class have been demonstrating some excellent throwing techniques during lessons. It has been great to see their teamwork and growing confidence as they practise the key skills needed for the game.
In Maths, Year 6 have been working hard on ordering and comparing numbers up to 10,000,000 as well as exploring negative numbers. Year 5 have been adding 10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000 to numbers and investigating the value of digits in numbers up to 1,000,000. The children have shown a positive attitude and have been keen to explain their mathematical thinking.
In English, we have begun planning our outlaw characters and thinking carefully about their appearance, personality and backstory. The children have come up with some imaginative ideas and we are looking forward to developing these further in our writing.
In History, we have been investigating the trading routes used by the Vikings and learning about the goods they traded with other parts of the world. The class have enjoyed discovering how far Viking traders travelled and the impact trade had on their lives.
Overall, it has been a super first full week, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the class. I am very proud of the effort and enthusiasm they have shown already and am looking forward to seeing what next week will bring. Have a lovely weekend!

We have had the most amazing first week back!
It was so lovely to see all the children come into class, excited and so very eager to start the new year in Class 2. Everyone has settled beautifully and we are well on our way to embedding class rules and routines. Here are a few highlights from the fun week we have had learning in Class 2.

Class 2 is a group of 21 Year 1 and Year 2 children. The class is taught by Mrs Ati Charlesworth, along with Miss Jo Walker and Mrs Lesley Sammels. Miss Jo Walker covers Mrs Charlesworth's PPA on a Tuesday afternoon.
Some key dates to remember for the Autumn term are:

• TUESDAY: PE
  (Please make sure that the children come into class in appropriate PE kit.)
• FRIDAY: Forest School
  (Please sent your children in clothes that are appropriate for an afternoon outdoors. Please also sent in a pair of wellies that they can change into for the afternoon session.)

Today we said farewell to our Year 6 pupils. We wish them all the very best for the future in their new schools and thank them for the many contributions they have made during their time at Harrowbarrow. Thank you to those families who are leaving us; we wish you all the very best for the future too. To sign off for the summer, I share some photographs from the Year 6 residential to the Brecon Beacons last week. We had a glorious week of weather and had a huge amount of fun. Hopefully, this will leave the children with some lifelong memories of of their time at Harrowbarrow. 



Thank you to the all the staff and pupils who have worked so hard over the last year. It's now time to relax, unwind and recharge ready to go again in September. I wish you all a very happy summer holiday break and look forward to seeing everyone for the start of term on Monday 7th September.

What a super week it has been!

This week, Class 2 had all the Year R and Year 1s in for transition week. We have had a most fabulous time getting used to being Year 1s and year 2s - getting to know each other, finding our way around the new classroom and making the most awful mess all around. In between all this, we have also managed to get a lot of learning in too. Everyone has settled into our new routine as if we have been together in Class 2 for months.

Both Year 1 and 2 have started their new unit on Place Value in Maths. Year 1s have been sorting objects into groups, counting out objects and matching correct numerals (up to 10) to a set of objects. Year 2s have been counting up to 100 in 10s and learning how to recognise "ten" and understand its value relative to the corresponding one. In Literacy, we have completed our diagnostic test for our new unit on writing recounts which we will start in September.

We also made time for Forest School sessions where we learned how to recognise trees by looking at the shape of their leaves. In PSHE we had a lot of discussions around what kind of a classroom we want to come into in September, and how we can all make sure that we all make Class 2 the best class in the world.

Finally, a very well done to:
> Freddie for getting the Ready Award for some fabulous work in Maths and having a really good go at some really tricky Greater Depth questions.
> Charlotte for getting the Responsible Award for always remembering her "pleases" and thank yous."
> Rowan for getting the Safe Award for always being the first one to tidy up after every playtime.

Our Year 6 children have had an absolutely amazing week in Brecon with Mr Hunt and Mrs Sammels. It has been a week full of adventure, fun, and wonderful memories that will last for years to come. The children have enjoyed exploring the beautiful surroundings of Brecon, including a visit into the town where they treated themselves to a well-earned ice cream. They also took a scenic walk around a local reservoir, taking in the stunning views and enjoying the great outdoors. One of the highlights of the week was undoubtedly the white water rafting, where the children showed tremendous courage, teamwork, and enthusiasm. It was fantastic to see everyone embracing new challenges and stepping outside of their comfort zones. We have also been incredibly lucky with the weather. The sunshine has been with us throughout much of the week, allowing everyone to make the most of the activities and enjoy spending time outdoors. The children have relished the opportunity to spend time away with their friends, creating special memories and strengthening friendships along the way. Mr Hunt and Mrs Sammels have been so proud of the children, who have represented the school brilliantly through their excellent behaviour, positive attitudes, and willingness to try new experiences. We are sure that Year 6 will return home tired but happy, with plenty of stories to share about their unforgettable week in Brecon!

Whilst some of our Year 6 pupils have been enjoying their exciting residential visit to Brecon, the rest of us have been settling into our new classes ready for September. It has been a real pleasure to welcome our new Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and seeing what they are capable of. This week, we have begun exploring some exciting new topics for the Autumn Term. In History, we have been learning about the Vikings and discussing some of the stereotypes that are often associated with them, thinking carefully about which ideas are fact and which are fiction. In Maths, we have focused on place value, with Year 5 developing their understanding of Roman numerals, while Year 6 have been working with numbers up to 10,000,000. The children have shown great enthusiasm and confidence as they have tackled these new challenges. In English, we have started our new unit on non-chronological reports through our exciting topic of Outlaws. The children have enjoyed exploring the features of this text type and gathering information ready for their own report writing. It has been a fantastic week of learning, and we are incredibly proud of how well everyone has embraced the move-up week. We are already looking forward to an exciting and successful year ahead in September!