As part of Year 9 PSHE this year, representatives from Project Guardian as part of Transport for London delivered sessions about Safety on Public Transport to all Year 9 pupils across the three sites. Pupils were given clear information about how to keep themselves and others safe, including how to report an incident as well as what pupils should do if they need support. Year 9 pupils were actively engaged throughout each session and made very valuable contributions towards the various discussions surrounding safety on public transport. The representatives from Transport for London were very impressed with the maturity shown by our pupils and the excellent behaviour displayed on each site. They not only provided our pupils with very important information, but also provided pupils with the tools to keep themselves and others safe on public transport. We look forward to booking the sessions again next year.

A massive congratulations to Elijah A , who has officially signed for Queens Park Rangers Football Club. This is a fantastic achievement and a very proud moment, and we wish Elijah every success in this exciting next chapter of his football journey!

On Monday 12th October several of our Year 9 students attended the annual School’s Day at New Scientist Live at the Excel in London. At the event they got to see the Ministry of Science Live where they learned about vortexes, saw a fire hurricane and tried their best to get Mr Skeels on stage (luckily the hosts saw how terrified he looked and didn’t choose him!) Students also attended a talk titled ‘Are we alone in the Universe’ where they heard about all the amazing planets outside of our solar system and saw some evidence of life on Mars! Along with this, they toured the expo area, meeting industry professionals and scientists. They were able to enter a giant helicopter, watch robots walking around the zones, and got their hands on a few freebies as well (including some water bottles and T-shirt!)  Our students behaved brilliantly on the day and represented Robert Clack with pride. Coming back, they reported on the success of the day and their renewed interest in Science! Well done to all who attended!

In June, our GCSE Geography students enjoyed an excellent trip to Walton-on-the-Naze. The purpose of the trip was to investigate whether the sea defences at Walton were effective at preventing erosion and flooding. Although we had some problems with being able to complete all our fieldwork with high tides some days, the students were still able to collect enough data. The weather was hot with a ferocious heatwave, closing the school early, but it we enjoyed refreshing sea breezes in Walton. During September, the same students attended the trip to Stratford, where they were investigating the regeneration of Stratford and seeing if this improved people's quality of life. The students were fantastic during this trip and were able to speak to members of the public, along with collecting some great fieldwork. This will really help them with their exams in June. The students' behaviour was excellent throughout the trips. They listened well and followed instructions carefully and were a credit to the school.'

Twelve pupils from Years 3, 4 and 5 proudly represented Robert Clack Primary at the Borough Cross Country Event, demonstrating outstanding determination, resilience and sportsmanship throughout the day. Our children were a credit to the school, with their behaviour described as exceptional from start to finish. They encouraged one another, showed great respect to competitors from other schools and represented Robert Clack with pride. There were some fantastic individual achievements. In the Year 5 boys' race, Leo produced an outstanding performance to finish in 2nd place , securing a well-deserved silver medal . In the Year 3 girls' race, Tanvi ran brilliantly to take 1st place , earning an impressive gold medal . While not everyone came home with a medal, every member of the team gave their very best effort and should be incredibly proud of their achievements. Taking part in a borough-wide competition requires courage, commitment and perseverance, and all twelve children demonstrated these qualities in abundance.  Well done to all of our runners for representing the school so positively and for being excellent role models both on and off the course. We are very proud of you all!

We are incredibly proud of all the children for the wonderful start they have made to their journey in Reception. The children have settled into school life extremely well and have embraced new routines with confidence and enthusiasm.  This term, Reception have worked hard to follow the Robert Clack values and rules, showing kindness, respect, responsibility and a positive attitude to learning. It has been lovely to see them demonstrating excellent behaviour, caring for one another and taking pride in being part of our school community. In the classroom, we have already seen great progress. The children have begun learning their letter sounds and are becoming more confident in recognising and forming letters correctly. Their effort and determination in all learning areas is fantastic! One of the most special parts of this term has been watching new friendships blossom. The children have enjoyed getting to know one another through play, collaborative activities and shared learning experiences. They have shown great teamwork, kindness and compassion as they learn to work and play together. Thank you for your continued support throughout the children's first term at school. We are delighted with how well they have settled and look forward to seeing their confidence, learning and friendships continue to grow throughout the year. Well done, Reception!

English This half term, Year 5 have been enjoying the exciting class text Arthur and the Golden Rope. Through drama activities, the children have brought key scenes and characters to life, helping them develop a deeper understanding of the story. They have also used the book as inspiration for their own writing, producing detailed sets of instructions on how to catch Fenrir (the evil wolf) and imaginative diary entries from Arthur's perspective. Science In Science, the children have been exploring materials and their properties through a range of practical investigations. Acting as building surveyors, they examined different materials and objects around the school to determine if they were fit for purpose. They also investigated the viscosity of various liquids, carrying out experiments and recording their findings like real scientists. Computing As part of our exciting Mars Rover topic, Year 5 have been learning how binary code is used to transfer information across vast distances in space. The children explored how data is sent from Mars back to Earth and discovered how computers use binary code to communicate and process information. Art In Art, the children have been developing their mark-making and line-drawing skills by studying the work of different artists, such as Charlie Mackesy and Elizabeth Catlett. Using these techniques as inspiration, they created their own printed designs using polystyrene, experimenting with patterns, texture and creative compositions to produce some fantastic artwork. History In History, Year 5 have been learning about the Vikings as traders, settlers and raiders. The children took part in an exciting trading game to understand how Vikings exchanged goods and built trade networks across Europe. They have also explored a range of primary and secondary sources, developing their historical enquiry skills and using evidence to learn more about Viking life and the impact they had on Britain.

In The Nest , we have been having lots of fun working in small groups and on our own to develop our part-whole model skills in maths. We have been using practical resources to help us understand how two parts can be combined to make a whole. We have also enjoyed reading stories, acting them out and building sentences using colourful semantics. Bucket time is always a favourite, helping us to develop our attention and listening skills while taking part in a range of fun fine and gross motor activities.  In The Treehouse , we have been busy developing our fine and gross motor skills through mark-making activities and exploring different construction materials. We are working hard on our communication skills, using our communication boards to make choices and requests. We have also been practising our attention and listening skills during turn-taking games and group activities. One of our favourite parts of the day is imaginative play, where we love exploring our role-play kitchen and shop areas with our friends.

It has been a real pleasure getting to know your children as they settle into Year 1 routines – they are all absolutely wonderful and amazing! We would also like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for your continued support in helping your child at home to learn. Please continue reading with your child at least three times a week or ideally every day if you can. It is this valuable home-school partnership that ensures academic success and it is much appreciated! Thank you! What we have been learning Our topic this half term has been ‘Remarkable Me’, and we have been developing children’s knowledge and understanding of the human body. Children have been introduced to the concept of five senses that help them to find out about the world around them and link those senses to particular parts of the body. We really enjoyed exploring taste, touch, smell, sound and sight. For example, as part of our scientific learning, we had a food tasting event to understand the difference between bitter, sweet, sour and salty foods and classify those food groups. We also went on a learning walk outside to see, smell and touch everyday plant life. Finally, as part of our science unit, we explored touching a range of everyday materials to sort items into categories such as ‘soft’, ‘smooth’ or ‘hard’. In History, we have been developing our understanding of what the ‘past’ means. In Art, children have enjoyed learning about lines and shading. Our shared reading has been very enjoyable, and children particularly loved gaining a deeper understanding of the story ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. In Maths, children have been developing their counting and addition skills and writing numbers to ten and beyond. Finally, children have been working very hard in their writing and have produced some lovely work, including a List Poem and a character description. We have also been challenging ourselves to use upper and lower case letters correctly in our writing. Upcoming Learning Next half term, our topic will be ‘Winter News’, which explores the season of winter. In Science, we begin by looking at winter and its impact on British wildlife. We will explore how some animals and insects adapt to the cold, while others hibernate or migrate. In PSHE, our ‘Winter News’ topic will look at how to take care of our health by discovering which foods boost wellbeing in the winter months. Winter is also a time for reflection; just as wildlife experiences a scarcity of food, so do many humans. We will be discussing simple things we can do to help those in need. Finally, winter is the season that heralds the joys of Christmas. In RE, we will be learning about the story of Christmas and engaging in a range of festive activities, including getting ready for our Christmas Concert!  As part of our Learning Wonders, we will also look at the festivals of Diwali and Bonfire Night. In English, children will learn to write short, well-constructed sentences, which they will then develop into longer sentences using varied sentence openers and descriptive vocabulary. In Maths, we will be focusing on subtraction, number bonds, and 2D and 3D shapes. It is going to be an amazing new half term and we cannot wait to see you all again!