Outdoor Learning in Year 3/4!

This afternoon in Mrs Yates class year 3/4, we took our science learning outdoors and explored The Hazels to investigate soil and discover what it is made of.

The children carefully observed different samples of soil, looking closely at the materials they could find and discussed how soil is formed over time. They were excited to uncover a variety of natural materials, including small stones, plant matter, roots and other organic materials hidden beneath the surface.

Back in the classroom, we continued our investigation by examining our soil samples in greater detail. This hands-on experience helped develop their scientific enquiry skills as they asked questions, made observations and drew conclusions based on the evidence they found.

It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the afternoon, with the children demonstrating excellent teamwork and a real passion for learning about the natural world around them. We look forward to continuing our investigations and discovering even more about the fascinating world around us! πŸŒ±πŸ”πŸͺ±

🏁 ATTENDANCE GRAND PRIX – WEEKLY RACE REPORT! 🏁

🏁 ATTENDANCE GRAND PRIX – WEEKLY RACE REPORT!Β 25.9.26🏁
The chequered flag has fallen on another week at SAF and the attendance racers have crossed the line! πŸŽοΈπŸ’¨
πŸ“Š Whole-school attendance this week: 96.9%
⚠️ Persistent Absence: 8.6%
And now to the podium…
πŸ₯‡ JOINT 1ST – Mrs Yates Y3/4 & Nursery PM – 100%
A PERFECT LAP! Not a single missed turn all week. ⭐
πŸ₯ˆ Mr Broderick Y3 – 99%
So close to perfection! Flying around the final corner and only narrowly missing the top spot.
πŸ₯‰ Mr Andrew Y4 – 98.9%
Just 0.1 behind! That really was a photo finish.
πŸ”₯ Miss R Jones Y2 – 98.8%
Right on the podium’s bumper and keeping the leaders firmly in sight!
Also putting in some serious pace this week:
🏎️ Miss Capps YR – 98.1%
🏎️ Mrs Robson Y5 – 97.9%
🏎️ Nursery Flexi – 97.7%
🏎️ Miss Thomas Y1 – 96.9% – bang on our whole-school figure!
Elsewhere on the circuit…
🍌 Miss Brown Y6 and Mrs Vickers YR – 96.3%
A small banana skin on the track, but still very much in the race.
πŸ¦‘ Miss Jones Y5 – 95.8%
Hit by the ink just as the finish line came into view!
🍌 Miss Adams Y6 – 94.6% and Mrs Dornan-Steer Y2 – 94.4%
A couple of tricky corners this week, but plenty of opportunity to make up places next time.
πŸ¦‘ Mrs Casswell YR – 91.8%
The ink cloud caused some visibility problems this week. Time for a clean windscreen and another charge next week!
And Nursery AM – 80% had what can only be described as a race full of bananas, ink, red shells and probably a rogue Blue Shell too! πŸ˜¬πŸŒπŸ¦‘
πŸ† Race result: 96.9% overall
A strong whole-school result, but Persistent Absence at 8.6% remains the figure we need to keep working on.
Congratulations to Mrs Yates Y3/4 and Nursery PM on this week’s flawless 100% performance! πŸ‘
Next week: new race, clean track, everything to play for… 🏁

Census Day – Thursday 1st October

Census Day – Thursday 1st October
On Thursday 1st October, we will be taking part in Census Day at school.
On this day, our school kitchen will be serving a special menu of hot dogs and burgers, and we would love as many children as possible to enjoy a school dinner.
Why is this important?
The number of children who have a school meal on Census Day helps determine some of the funding the school receives. This additional funding can then be used to support resources and opportunities for our children.
So, if your child would usually bring a packed lunch, we would really appreciate your support in encouraging them to have a school dinner on this day instead.
Thank you for your continued support.
Shine, Achieve, Flourish – The SAF Way!

Macmillan Cake Sale – Monday 28th September

πŸ“’ Macmillan Cake Sale – Monday 28th September πŸ°πŸ’š

We will be holding a Macmillan Cake Sale on Monday 28th September at 3:10pm on the school playground.
​All money raised will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support, helping them continue their fantastic work supporting people affected by cancer and their families.
​In addition, Mrs Tomlinson and Mrs Dickenson are taking on an amazing challenge and will each be running 31 miles during October to raise even more money for this wonderful charity.
​We would greatly appreciate any support you can give. Please come along to the cake sale and consider making a donation to help us raise as much money as possible for this very worthy cause.
​Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you there! πŸ’šπŸ°πŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸƒβ€β™€οΈ

Welcome to a new academic year in our school!

Welcome Back! 4.9.26

Welcome to a new academic year in our school!

Dear Parents, Carers and Members of our SAF Family,

A very warm welcome back to a new academic year at Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School and Nursery.

I hope that you and your families have enjoyed a wonderful summer filled with rest, laughter, special moments and perhaps a few exciting adventures along the way. We have loved listening to the children sharing their experiences and the memories they have made. We are incredibly proud of how well they have settled into their new classes and routines The children have returned with enthusiasm, positivity and an eagerness to learn.

We are delighted to welcome all of our new starters to school, including our Reception children who are beginning their exciting learning journey and the pupils joining us in other year groups. Starting a new school can bring a mixture of excitement and nerves, and we are committed to ensuring that every child feels safe, valued, and part of our school family from day one. Our staff will work closely with children and families to help everyone settle in, make new friendships, and quickly become familiar with our routines and expectations. We look forward to seeing each child shine, achieve, and flourish as they become part of our school community.

At Sir Alexander Fleming, we are committed to ensuring that every child feels safe, valued, supported and inspired to be the very best version of themselves. The strong relationships we share with our children, families, staff and wider community are at the heart of our success, and together we create an environment where everyone can flourish.

This year, we are proud to embrace our new motto: “Shine, Achieve, Flourish – The SAF Way!” These three simple but powerful words capture our vision for every member of our school community. We want our children to shine with confidence, achieve their full potential and flourish academically, socially and emotionally. By working together and supporting one another, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. It is a privilege to lead such a wonderful school community, and I am excited to see our corridors and classrooms filled once again with smiling faces, enthusiasm and a love of learning.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead as we all continue to Shine, Achieve, Flourish – The SAF Way!

Very best wishes,

Mrs Tomlinson
Headteacher

Spellings

Spellings

A Parent’s Guide to Practising Spellings at Home

Why spelling practice matters…

In Key Stage 1 and 2, the focus is on developing accuracy as well as a range of strategies for spelling.

Although teachers will highlight spelling errors to children, it is important children recognise for themselves when they have made an error and know a range of strategies for correcting inaccuracies. By this stage, children will have a range of spelling strategies that they will have been taught to draw on. Children will use the strategy which best suits their learning style and works best for them.

Helping at Home

Parents can support children by practising any spelling patterns or spelling investigations which are sent home as part of home learning and also by helping children to read and spell the Y3/4 word lists (included in this document).

Children will practise these spellings throughout the week in spelling lessons and will be tested on a Friday using some of the words from each week or others with similar spelling patterns.

We will track your child’s progress in spelling through the statutory word lists and half-termly reviews.

Remember to make practising the words enjoyable and not a chore.

Click on the link below for your year group!

A parent guide and home spellings for Year 3

A parent guide and home spellings for Year 2

Art Club – Summer 1

Well done to Hadassah, Maisie, Enrica, Shannon, Ariella and Rosco, who have spent Tuesday lunchtimes with Mr Farlow this half term, to produce these FANTASTIC oil pastel pictures linked to their Egyptians topic.

Computing Showcase

Last week, we held our first ever ‘Computing Showcase’ for Years 2, 3 and 4. Ran by a group of Year 5s, the children got to get hands on with a variety of computing equipment, including: VR headsets, Sphero Indi Robots, Intelino Smart Trains, Dashbots, Beebots, Rodocodo and Micro:bits. The aim was to expose the children to the amazing equipment we have in school and to encourage their love of computing! All of the children were extremely positive about the day and we will be sure to hold another one soon!

Comic Relief 2025 at SAF

We celebrated Comic Relief 2025 in school by having a ‘Hop-a-thon’ on the field! Each class had a session to see how many hops they could do.Β  We also were selling red noses and children wore their own clothes.Β  Overall we raised Β£462 for the amazing charity.

For more information about where the money goes, please see here: What Your Money Does | Comic Relief

Year 3 went to Exotic zoo!

Year 3 went to Telford’s Exotic Zoo Wildlife Park where we met and held the animals we have been learning about as part of our rainforest topic.

We stroked and held an animal that lives on each layer of the rainforest including a hissing cockroach, clicking tenrec, a tree frog, a chameleon and not least an armadillo!

It was a fantastic day and so impactful to bring our learning to life.