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The post-Christmas term can often seem a little dull after the sparkle and celebrations of the festive break, but we have certainly brightened things up at KPJA!

Year 3 welcomed some very special visitors of the scaly, furry and feathery variety – and they were exceptionally well behaved! The children absolutely loved getting up close to observe and handle the animals. They listened carefully to the care instructions and fascinating information shared, showing great maturity and curiosity.

Year 5 enjoyed an unforgettable visit to the Space Centre in Leicester. They had an amazing time and I have since been regaled with a wonderful array of facts and space knowledge that they learned during their trip!

Year 6 stepped into the role of detectives as part of their English curriculum, working to solve a thrilling murder mystery. They asked probing and thoughtful questions of the suspects and demonstrated fantastic critical thinking skills throughout.

Year 4 treated us to their fantastic class assemblies. I am sure all the parents who attended would agree that they were a wonderful showcase of the children’s learning, confidence and achievements.

Next term may be a short one, but as always we have a great deal planned to ensure learning remains exciting and engaging for all of our children. Please keep an eye on Class Dojo and our Academic Year Planner, which was sent out in September and is also available on our website.

As always, I am incredibly proud of our pupils and the enthusiasm they bring to school each day. Their curiosity, confidence and positive attitudes continue to shine through in all that they do. Thank you to our staff for creating such rich learning experiences, and to our families for your continued support. Working together, we ensure that KPJA remains a vibrant and inspiring place to learn.

We look forward to another exciting term ahead and wish you a lovely half term break.

Mrs A Walker

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As part of our Science topic Animals Including Humans, our Year 3 children took part in an exciting hands-on workshop to deepen their understanding of different types of skeletons. During the visit, they had the opportunity to carefully handle and observe parakeets, millipedes, African land snails, a tarantula, tortoises, rabbits and lizards. This experience helped them to identify and compare vertebrates and invertebrates, and to explore the differences between endoskeletons, exoskeletons and hydrostatic skeletons. Seeing and feeling the animals up close brought their learning to life, enabling them to understand how skeletons support, protect and help with movement. The children asked thoughtful questions, demonstrated excellent responsibility and showed great enthusiasm throughout the session.

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In year 4 this term we have been learning about the Maya in history and our reading and writing has been based around some ancient Maya myths. We have been finding out about their customs, rituals, celebrations, and games. We have explored the length and breadth of the Mayan civilisation, from Chichen Itza in the north to Copan in the south and we looked at the ruins of the city of Tikal. We have learnt about how the Maya were giving a gift by the gods, the cacao tree which is where chocolate comes from! We have also learnt about the Mayan ball game, Pok-ta-tok and got to play it in our classroom!

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Year 5 have had another very busy and exciting term! In science, we’ve been reaching for the stars by learning all about space. This even included a trip to The Space Centre, where we discovered what it really takes to become an astronaut (turns out it’s more than just liking rockets!). Back in class, we continued our space theme in reading lessons by exploring a book all about how to become an astronaut.

Inspired by our new galactic knowledge, in our art unit, we designed our own space-themed bags. These were sold to parents as part of our enterprise project and were out of this world!

This term also saw a special visit from Aston Villa, who led football taster sessions for the whole school — plenty of skills, teamwork and smiles on show. Some Year 5 children also took part in Bikeability sessions with Outspoken Training, learning how to cycle safely and confidently on the roads.

In history, we travelled back in time to the Tudor period, learning all about Henry VIII (and his many wives!). This learning supported our writing lessons, where we used our historical knowledge to write detailed and informative biographies. The children worked hard to include key facts, organise their writing clearly and develop their understanding of this important period in history.

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We have covered a range of topics including sources of energy in geography, street art in art and design and what we have to show you - living things in science!

Below you can see we created classification keys with a twist. We used SWEETS! Licorice Allsort sweets were our choice of 'animal' and we asked closed questions to determine it's 'classification'.

We are really looking forward to next term when we visit the Holocaust Museum and start our WW2 learning.

Parents - if you have any family pictures or fun stories that you've heard from older family members about the war, we would love to see/hear them!

Have a great holiday everyone!

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This half-term, we enjoyed an action-packed Careers Day filled with inspiring speakers from a wide range of industries and plenty of fantastic class discussion. It was a real pleasure to listen to our students share their aspirations and talk about the people in their lives who inspire them. Throughout the day, we explored big dreams and thought critically about how these could be achieved or supported through different career pathways. The range of careers discussed was excellent, spanning familiar roles to some wonderfully imaginative choices. Even more impressive was the confidence with which students explained the steps they might need to take to reach their goals, whether that meant developing new skills, working hard at school, or following their passions. Careers Day truly sparked curiosity and helped widen our children’s minds to the exciting possibilities they may explore in the future.

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This term has been a busy and energetic one for sport across the school, with pupils taking part in a wide variety of activities. Year 5 pupils completed Bikeability training, developing essential road safety skills and growing in confidence as responsible cyclists. The whole school also enjoyed a special visit from a football coach from Aston Villa, who delivered an exciting taster session full of drills, teamwork and plenty of enthusiasm. Years 5 and 6 represented the school in a sports competition, competing in both kurling and archery, where pupils demonstrated impressive focus, accuracy and determination.

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In addition, an external coach has been running a netball club for Years 5 and 6, supporting pupils to develop their skills, teamwork and understanding of the game. It has been fantastic to see pupils encouraging one another, trying new activities and embracing every opportunity to be active.

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