Term 1 Newsletter October 2026

As the new academic year gets well underway, we are delighted to welcome new families to Wilmington Primary School and to welcome back those who already know and love our community. From exciting classroom learning and Bikeability training to Stay and Play sessions, fundraising for Mind and a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities, our pupils have made a fantastic start to the year. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into school life and the many opportunities that help our children learn, grow and flourish every day.

We have also been delighted to celebrate the achievements of our pupils through the launch of our prestigious Wilmington Awards, (our inaugural Awards is this evening!) These awards recognise those pupils who consistently demonstrate our school values of Aspiration, Cooperation, Compassion and Resilience, making a positive contribution to our school community and doing the right thing every day. Nominated pupils receive a Certificate of Excellence and a special Gold Star badge to wear proudly on their uniform.

Parents and carers of award recipients are invited to join us for each presentation ceremony, creating a special opportunity to celebrate success together. With six award presentations taking place throughout the year, there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to be recognised for consistently demonstrating our school values and making a positive contribution to school life.

Reception ‘Stay and Play’. Our Reception pupils thoroughly enjoyed sharing their learning environment with their families during Stay and Play. Acting as confident guides, they introduced parents and carers to a variety of engaging activities, showcasing how exploration, creativity and play underpin everyday learning.

Year 4 have been working hard in maths, using carefully structured worksheets to reinforce key concepts and deepen their understanding. It was wonderful to see pupils supporting one another as they developed their fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills.

It was wonderful to see Year 5 applying their mathematical skills to increasingly challenging calculations. Using whiteboards to record their methods, Mrs Assender’s class confidently worked with numbers exceeding four digits.

Year 5 pupils have been developing their ukulele skills this term in dedicated music lessons with Mrs Greenbank. Having learnt two chords and practised strumming crotchet and quaver patterns, they particularly enjoyed putting their new skills into action by playing along to Roar by Katy Perry.

Mr White and the Wilmington Primary football teams donated their previous football kits to the Bosha Secondary school in Chikwaka East Mashonaland in Zimbabwe. As you can see from the photo, they are absolutely delighted with their new school team strip!

Year 1 pupils have been developing the fundamental movement skills that support physical activity and sport throughout their PE lessons this term. During this session, they worked on hand-eye coordination through throwing and catching activities, before improving their timing, balance and coordination with a range of skipping and jumping challenges.

Pupils demonstrated great enthusiasm and concentration as they developed these important physical skills.

Year 6 pupils have enjoyed taking part in Bikeability training this term, gaining the skills and confidence needed to cycle safely and responsibly. The sessions provided a valuable opportunity to develop independence, road safety awareness and a love of healthy, active travel. It was wonderful to see them embrace the challenge, developing road safety awareness and confidence that will support them long after the sessions have finished.

As part of their English learning, Year 3 have been exploring how to write non-chronological reports. Using knowledge gained from their reading lessons about the history of our Earth, the children researched volcanoes and produced their own fact-filled reports.

It was wonderful to see pupils applying their learning so confidently, transforming into budding volcano experts as they shared their knowledge through their writing.

Miss Finch and Year 2 are currently exploring Paddington in their literacy lessons. After reading part of the story, pupils worked together to develop their summarising skills, identifying the most important information and expressing it in their own words.

Using the ‘Who, What and Why’ method to guide their thinking, pupils demonstrated fantastic listening and reading skills, resulting in some excellent summary sentences and thoughtful discussions about the text. I joined the lesson as pupils worked in pairs to discuss their ideas before sharing them with the class – excellent work!