Eid celebrations
Eid celebrations continued at Uplands today with the children wearing their best Eid clothes to school and the kitchen made a delicious Eid lunch.
Park Run March 2024
Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy took part in the inaugural Park Run as part of the local Leicester City Schools events. We took a team of 8 children to run 2km around Spinney Hill Park against 4 other schools. Well done to Denik who came second, Hamza who came third, Iqra who was the first girl and all our wonderful runners because we won the schools trophy too.
Feedback from parents watching the Y3 Skipping Henry performance.
“I really, really, really enjoyed the skipping show. It is absolutely so lovely to see all the kids enjoy individually and as a group, such an amazing effort. Thank you so much Skipping Henry.”
“It was a really interesting session. Lovely to see how te children have progressed in the Skipping Henry session. Appreciative that we were able to come in and be a part of this. Thank you. Proud of them.”
“I really enjoyed this class. Amazing energy, I loved the vibe of the teacher, encouraging all the time. They are having so much fun and learning as well.”
“Enjoyed watching the children skipping, helping them to keep active and also having fun.”
“I really enjoyed the skipping skills, thank you for inviting parents.”
“ My child always loves the Skipping Henry lessons and now I know why! It’s simply an important part of life. Health is important. I hope there will be more tips given to kids on their diets because as a parent it is difficult to get them to eat healthily.”
“I think the Skipping Henry assembly was amazing. Seeing the joy and smiles on the children’s faces was great. Thank you to Skipping Henry for making the skipping exercise so fun and enjoyable.”
“I really liked their games and activities, it was awesome.”
“I really enjoyed the performance for these little children, the way they thought about skipping and keeping heathy for their whole life and enjoy being fit.”
“ It was an enjoyable and energetic session and good to see the children working together.”
“Enjoyed the session, my child has come a very long way.”
“My daughter has improved her fitness.”
Chinese New Year
Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy celebrated Chinese New Year today. After a delicious, themed lunch made by Mrs Spencer and her team, the children took part in Chinese New Year related art and craft activities. Many thanks go to the 12 volunteers from Leicester University who came in to support the children.
Click the link below to see some Chinese New Year posters produced by Year 6 children.
The World’s tallest basketball player and actor visits Uplands!
Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy welcomed Paul Sturgess on Monday. Paul has been a professional basketball player, playing for the Harlem Globetrotters and other teams in the USA. Paul grew up in Loughborough and did not start basketball until he was 14 years old and signed a professional contract at 18 years old. Paul also holds 2 world records – the tallest basketball player and the tallest professional actor, you will find him in the Guinness Book of World Records. Paul is also an actor and has played a role in Lord of the Rings and Dr Who amongst other shows. Paul talked to the children about how he has always celebrated his differences and capitalised on them and built a great career, travelling the world. Paul led some basketball workshops with all the children. Paul was a fantastic role model and the children had a great day.
Christmas assembly
We welcomed Reverend Andrew into Uplands today to lead our assemblies on the Christmas story. We hope to see him back before Easter.
Uplands go ice skating!
Highfields Library and homework club
We want to remind you of the incredible resource right at your fingertips—the Highfields Library. Open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm, this local treasure trove is the key to unlocking a world of knowledge for your children.
Library Benefits
Free Membership: While your children are already set up with the school, did you know that parents can also sign up for free? Embrace the opportunity to explore an extensive collection of books, both educational and entertaining.
Internet Access: Highfields Library offers a gateway to the digital world. Access online resources and help your children navigate the vast realm of information at their fingertips.
Homework Club Support: Struggling with homework? They have got your back! Their Homework Club, held free of charge, provides additional support to your children on:
Monday: 3:30 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday: 3:30 pm – 6 pm
Thursday: 3:30 pm – 6 pm
Saturday: 12:30 pm – 3 pm
For more details and to register, visit:
Why the Library Matters:
Diverse Book Collection: Encourage a love for reading with our diverse range of books catering to all age groups and interests.Quiet Study Spaces: Provide your children with a peaceful environment conducive to learning and concentration.
The Highfields Library is not just a place for books; it’s a community hub where your children can expand their minds and foster a lifelong love for learning.
Make the most of this incredible resource and join the Highfields Library!
Wow travel tracker (End of November)
Another fantastic few weeks of active travel. There has been no change to the table. We are currently still in 1st place within the local authority and progress to 12th within the country (were in 17th last time). There is a total of 391 children who have walked to school/scoot/ride at least 3 days of the week every week and will soon be receiving their badges. Well done to all.
Olympic swimmer inspires children at Uplands
Amy Smith, an Olympic swimmer visited Uplands this week to carry out an assembly and a high tempo fitness session with the children. Amy was scared of the water until she was taught to swim at the age of 7 and went on to represent team GB at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The children thoroughly enjoyed the challenges.
Diwali celebrations
Today, our Year 6 students visited the Memorial Arch in Victoria Park to honour Remembrance Day. With recycled poppy wreaths in hand, they gathered in solemn respect. The air hushed as a bugle’s melancholic call initiated a two-minute silence. Each child stood, their hearts speaking volumes, paying tribute to those who gave everything for peace. With reverence and gratitude, they placed their wreaths, a symbol of remembrance, at the foot of the memorial. In their silence, they echoed the importance of honoring the past, ensuring the sacrifices of the brave are never forgotten.
Reading challenge
Thank you to everyone who entered our Reading in an Unusual Place competition. We asked Mr Kay, a governor, to judge the entries.
The winners are Mrs Adams (staff prize) and Yusuf Amujee from Hazel class on the climbing wall. Mr Kay said “I love his multitasking going on there and it really highlights the idea that you can read a book almost everywhere!”
We hope to run a similar competition over the Christmas break too, watch out for more details.
Energy Sparks
On Friday we were lucky to have a visit from James Veness from Energy Sparks, who spoke about reducing our energy consumption through turning off lights and electrical items when they were not in use.
He brought with him a thermal camera to show the pupils how much heat was being lost through inefficient insulation and to show the children how much heat is produced from electrical items as well as our bodies.
His talk has given the School Council and Eco team a fresh understanding of how our energy use affects the environment and has increased their determination of what they can do to reduce green house gases and their effect on the planet through simple actions.
Reading drop-in
We welcomed nearly 70 parents to Uplands this morning at our open classroom event. The focus was reading and parents were invited to watch and support their child in a reading lesson. Thank you so much to all the parents that attended and for your feedback.
Some parental comments:
“It helps us parents to support our child at home, it would be great if we had more sessions like this.”
“I like the way the children raised their hands respectfully and read nicely and answered the questions.”
“I have enjoyed today, the students were good readers.”
“Useful insight on the reading lesson in the class, showed that the teacher knows how to engage the children.”
“I found this helpful.”
“I really liked this session, it was very informative.”
We welcomed 12 reading volunteers from the University of Leicester to Uplands this week. Thank you for helping us to encourage children to read. Uplands will be welcoming many more students from the university over the next few weeks to support reading and develop the children’s fluency and understanding of reading.
Indie, the reading dog made a visit to Uplands this week. The benefit of animals to support learning and well being is well documented. We had more children than ever wanting to read to Indie and they absolutely loved it. Indie will return before Christmas.
On Wednesday (25.10.23), Alexander, a violinist with Down’s Syndrome visited Uplands to play for us. We all enjoyed listening to his music, pieces such as ‘Love changes Everything’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He demonstrated for us just what can be achieved through hope and determination to nurture his gift for music. What are your children’s gifts and talents? Is there anything you can do to help them flourish in those areas?
We welcomed Rev Andrew Quigley from St James’ church to lead our Harvest Festival assembly. The children learned about why harvest is so important and that it is also a time for sharing and generosity. Thank you to families who donated a tin, these will be taken to the food bank.
Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy are delighted to be working with Jill Tipple, Public Health Nutritionist from Leicester Nutrition and Diabetic Services on some parent and child healthy eating workshops. Today, parents alongside their child learned about the importance of healthy eating and how to prepare healthy snacks/meals together.
Comments from the parents were so positive.
“This is so good because my son is always hungry between meals, and I don’t want to him to snack on junk.”
“This is so useful to learn with the children as they listen more with teaching adults rather than us parents.”
“It was interesting to learn that there are lots of hidden fats and sugars in some foods that we don’t know about.”
“Children like cooking with parents but we are sometimes so busy we don’t have time but this has made me realise that it is very important.”
“This is a good idea for us to work with our children learning things together is so important.”
Thank you very much to Jill and we look forward to the next session on 21st September.
Click the link below to find more information on how to eat healthily and be active.
‘I found out that cows have to have had a calf to be able to produce milk!’ Safaa Valli
‘I couldn’t believe that the farm was the size of 800 football pitches!’ Abdullah Fahim
‘My favourite part was learning about the chickens and picking strawberries.’ Daniel Sors
The children undertook practical activities that each school had planned
1. Understand the importance of recycling plastic to their environment. How they can have a positive impact on the wider environment?
2. Understand the importance of biodiversity in the natural world. They have had a positive impact on biodiversity in the local areas.
3. Understand what a refugee is and the difficulty of having to leave their country in an emergency.
The children alongside Mrs Seedat, will be bringing the knowledge learned today back to Uplands for a Global Citizenship Day here.
From 1 July until the 17 September, children 0-15 years can sign up to take part and complete the six-book challenge. Our offer is enhanced with a range of free family activities, all designed to promote reading for pleasure and the joy of sharing books and stories.
A Ready, Set Read! invitation bookmark has been sent for every child in primary school and, as an additional incentive, will offer a £100 book prize to the school from which the highest percentage of pupils complete the challenge.
For further information about our full programme of activities please visit leicester.gov.uk/summerreadingchallenge.
The assembly was a success because it was packed with important information for the children. It was interactive, engaging and throughout the assembly, children were asked difficult questions to which they responded to exceptionally well. During the assembly, he informed children on the different types of legal and illegal drugs and the impact it has on our body.
Children commented:
“Before the assembly, I didn’t know that coffee has caffeine which is not good for our body.” Raabiah 3Ash
“I have learnt that smoking causes lung cancer.” Aisha. A. 3 Ash
A Parent’s guide to help children keep safe online
Information for parents of children who will be new to Year in Autumn 2023
Summer Fair 2023
Message from reading volunteer
Coronation celebration seeds
To commemorate King Charles III’s coronation, Uplands Junior Academy received packages of wildflowers seeds from the Department of Education. Our gardening club planted the seeds. The King’s love of nature encourages children to discover and enhance the biodiversity of school grounds while making them more pleasant locations to work and learn. Spending time outdoors and fostering children’s connection to the natural world will support both their physical and emotional health. The native annual wildflower species included in the seed packs include cornflower, corn poppy, corn chamomile, corncockle, corn marigold and night-flowering catchfly, which will bloom this summer after being sowed in the spring.
Top tips to keep a healthy mind
Change of school times from August 2023
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands is returning to Uplands! Each week classes will compete, scoring as many correct answers as possible on Times Tables Rock Stars. The classes in Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 that score the highest average correct answers per person will earn 5 minutes of extra playtime and credit on their reward chart in the hall.
The competition is live from 8am until 7pm every day so please encourage your child to practise at home. Not only will this practice give their class a greater chance of succeeding in the tournament but it will also help them to speed up their recall of times tables, which is an essential part of your child’s development in maths.
This week, Uplands children have been busy making bunting ready for the King’s coronation party next Friday. There isn’t long to go now!
Local basketball trials coming soon
Reading
A huge congratulations to all of our amazing winners from last term’s book prizes. Children are awarded based on one of three categories: the most words read on Accelerated Reader, those who have made the most progress in their reading age or reading results and those who have shown the most effort with their reading on a daily basis.
As a school, we read 26,848,994 words last term. We are very proud of all of the children and hope we can achieve even greater numbers this term.
I want to urge you all to find the time to enjoy the benefits of reading. Reading is not only a wonderful form of entertainment but it is also one of the most important skills you can develop.
When you read, you are opening up a world of knowledge, imagination, and inspiration. Reading helps you to develop your vocabulary, improve your memory, and enhance your critical thinking skills. It also allows you to escape into other worlds and experience different perspectives.
Moreover, reading is a great way to spend your holiday. It can be an excellent way to relax, unwind, and de-stress from the everyday pressures of life. Whether you prefer adventure, mystery, or romance, there is a book out there for everyone.
So, my plea to you this term, especially during the bank holidays, is to read. Read as much as you can, as often as you can. Make it a habit and enjoy the journey. Remember, reading is the key to unlocking a lifetime of knowledge and success. Here are some of the places you can access free or cheap books. Also, books make greater presents during celebration periods.
- Highfields library is open over the holiday period.
- Use of MyOn at home.
- Your school library book and access to Accelerated Reader.
- Local charity and book shops where you can buy books cheaper.
And do not forget to share your amazing reading pictures with us on our Twitter page. @uplandsleadacad
Happy reading!
Mr Deacon
End of Term Celebrations
Future Events
Literacy Tresure Trail – Why not enjoy the outdoors with your family and take part in our Literacy trail. Around the Highfields community, you will see posters in shop windows. You will have the opportunity over the Easter break tohunt down these clues by popping along to shop windows, reading the extract from the book and answering the question. Simply bring in the completed form when you return to school to enter the prize draw. We still have a few posters left, so if you own a shop with street access window, please get in touch. To find out the businesses already involved please see this sway https://sway.office.com/5tmRh6HhZWrg4teV?ref=Link
Our next Lets try event is Shiamak (Bollywood dancing). We have decided to postpone the event until after the Easter break due to Ramadan. As soon as we know the new date, I will message those interested. There are still spaces available if you would like to join us. Please check schoolcomms for further details / videos and to sign up please click here https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=HCBDF7GBoEOqWbJW_OwBUUZr7YrdoJlEvDQVe_2K6ghUOVNVVlFVWjJBN0ZLQVpRUTZGNVAyMTNUNy4u
Leicestershire County Cricket v Durham (Tuesday 27th June) – We have a fantastic opportunity to take children to watch thishigh level game. We have managed to secure free tickets for the game,but are asking for £2.54 towards the travel. If you are interested inyour child attending please complete the following form https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=HCBDF7GBoEOqWbJW_OwBUUZr7YrdoJlEvDQVe_2K6ghUQlNVWjBWSFRMRlVXNUtMWUdDN05KRDUzTi4u
Bike Maintenance
On Tuesday 21st March, a group of Uplands students took part in a bike maintenance course delivered by Northside cycles (https://www.northsidebikes.org/). Children learnt how to carry out basic bike checks, check tyre pressures (and pump up tyres) How to check and adjust the brake / brake pads, clean / oil a chain. Throughout the session children were able toidentify faults withtheir bikes such as back break loose, cable was not secure and seat loose.
Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel
Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy took part in Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel this week. More information can be found on their presentation which was shared with the children during assembly.
World Book Day
Staff and children at Uplands celebrated World Book Day in style! A huge thank you to the many children who came to school dressed up for the occasion having chosen their outfit to reflect a favourite ‘book character’ or piece of ‘vocabulary!’
Sharing Love ❤ of Reading:
During the day, the children had a wide variety of opportunities to enjoy and share books with one another. Following the success of last year, some classes chose again to do a paired read across the school, enabling some of the older children to talk about books with their younger peers in lower school.
As a special treat, the school funded an online theatre performance for the children to access in their classrooms. Many children shared how much they enjoyed the show having been unfamiliar with the story of Alice in Wonderland beforehand.
Favourite Authors Treasure Hunt:
Prizes were won for taking part in a lunchtime treasure hunt around the playground. A big thanks to Mrs Wood and the play leaders for collecting all completed correct entries.
The children had a wide variety of book prizes to choose from – including: Harry Potter, Tom Gates, Horrid Henry, Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Horrible Histories, Alex Rider and many more!
Competition: Design an image for ‘Nation Book Tokens Gift Cards’
This is a National competition and our entries will be sent in to the prize draw at the end of the month! We had many wonderful designs…
FREE Book Token! Your child has come home with a free book token!
Please explore the free books available to you with your ticket! https://www.worldbookday.com/books/
You can visit any of the participating book shops to collect your free book. Check them out in advance!
Level 2 Bikeability
A visit from Mr Egypt
Year 5 were taken on a historical journey through time to learn all about the Ancient Egyptians. With Mr Egypt’s help, the children learnt all about the geographical features of the country and the importance of the River Nile. In addition to learning all about the different dynasties and pharaohs throughout the Egyptian period, the children were also able to examine a range of different artefacts. All these artefacts were thousands of years old and were discovered in the tombs by Mr Egypt himself.
In the afternoon, the children had great fun reenacting the mummification process. Finally, to complete the day, the children were amazed to learn all about Mr Egypt’s personal journey of becoming an Egyptologist.
A huge thank you to Mr Egypt for giving the children such a memorable experience. It was a day that the children all enjoyed and were given the opportunity to learn so much.
Cooking Club
This week in Cooking Club, the children enjoyed making shortbreads.
“I enjoyed making shortbreads this week. When I went home, I shared them with my siblings who said the shortbreads were sweet and delicious. Out of the four dishes we made, my favourite one was the chicken wrap. I will miss cooking club.” Khadeejah Nalla (3 Ash)
Fundrasing
Two children at Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy successfully raised £1413.65 over the weekend to support ‘The Ummah Welfare Trust’. This was to help the people affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Hannah (age 8) said “My cousin Yusuf had a wonderful idea of raising money. He said that I should come on Friday evening to help make bags of sweets to sell on Saturday. My sister Halah helped me make some bracelets too and I made the sign all by myself. There were lots of very generous people who donated money without buying anything!”
Yusuf (age 8) said “I decided to fundraise for the people of Turkey and Syria because there was an earthquake. The earthquake happened at 4am and there was a lot of damage and death. Lots of people jumped out their windows barefoot, with only their pyjamas on! My cousins and I set up a fundraising table nearby Masjid Noor and we were so happy with people’s generosity.”
Year 5 Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
This week in year 5, the children had the opportunity to meet the mummies at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery. They learnt about the everyday life of skilled and unskilled people in Ancient Egypt and were able to gather facts from the Egyptian artefacts on display in order to create a leaflet all about the Egyptians this week in writing.
Author Visit
This week we were extremely lucky and grateful to have the amazing comedian Alasdair Beckett-King, a member of the BBC Mock the Week team, come in to our school to discuss his first novel ‘Murder At The Museum’. Uplands Junior were one of only 2 schools in the county to have the opportunity to meet him. The children were very excited to have a first-hand experience with an author face to face. He shared his love of reading, why he became an author and the techniques he uses to create his story. During his talk, Alasdair discussed what made a good detective and the skills needed to catch the suspects. The hall was fall of laughter and smiling faces. Many of the children and staff were able to purchase a copy of the book, which Alasdair signed personally for them after the show. We would like to thank Walkers Books for giving us the opportunity to share the launch of Alasdair’s book and to Roving Books for their continued support in developing a love of reading within our school. Our school continues to drive reading and a love of reading. Without these amazing opportunities and the support of parents and careers at home, these events would not happen. We hope the children enjoy reading the book as much as the teachers.
The children said, “Alasdair is a creative author who made the concept of writing fun and entertaining.”
“He was inspiring and I can’t wait to begin his book.” “We found him very welcoming and had a kind heart.”
Year 6 Vets Visit
This week, Year 6 were visited by veterinary nurses and employees from Vets4Pets. They were also accompanied by two dogs, Mitsie and Boe. The visitors spoke to the children about the day to day life of working in a veterinary practice as well as teaching the children about the heart rates of a variety of animals. The children were able to try out different veterinary equipment and even had the opportunity to listen to the heartbeats of the dogs. The children thoroughly enjoyed meeting the visitors, both humans and animals alike, and were able to ask lots of questions as well as retain lots of key learning.
Grammar & Punctuation
Thank you to all our parents who have attended our open classes; one teaching spelling and one with the focus on grammar or punctuation. We appreciate the feedback too!
Parental feedback -Grammar & Punctuation
Chinese New Year
We celebrated the Chinese New Year of the rabbit this week. The kitchen cooked us a wonderful Chinese themed lunch and then our wonderful volunteers through our University of Leicester partnership came into school to support the learning activities. Some of our volunteers had prepared presentations to share with the children and staff.
Topic Parents Show
We would like thank year 6 parents for coming in this week to explore all the work we have done around the topic of WW2. The children had an opportunity to share the facts to parents which allowed them to show that they have embedded the key knowledge taught.
Music Events
A full week of music experiences at Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy this week.
On Tuesday each year group sang some Christmas songs at the Highfields Centre, it was so nice to have the whole school come together. On Wednesday the choir sang at The Caribbean Centre and on Thursday we had our end of term performance by our Rock Steady bands, supported by the choir. A very big thank you to our parents who came to support their children and to join in the singing. Our thanks also goes to Ash from Rock Steady, Chris from Leicestershire Music who teaches ukulele and Rebecca who leads the choir. If your child is interested in joining the choir or Rock Steady please contact Mrs Grimshaw through the school office or refer to the leaflet about Rock Steady later in the newsletter.
Y6 Visit to The Attenborough Arts Centre
This week Year 6 visited the Attenborough Arts centre to explore the ‘Playing in Wonderland’ exhibition by an artist called Mohammad Barrangi. The children were invited to step into the artist’s imaginative world of fantastical characters and colourful scenery. They were inspired and able to understand the art from Barrangi’s perspective. The children explored what life is like in Iran and had a chance to express their feelings about the art from his perspective.
Christmas Singing at Caribbean Court
On Wednesday 7th December, Uplands Junior choir sang a medley of Christmas songs to the residents of The Caribbean Court. The children and residents really enjoyed themselves; the children sang beautifully and we were very proud of them. Thank you to Rebecca and Mrs Grimshaw for arranging this.
RE – Roadshow
After a 20-minute walk through the Highfields area, we finally managed to find the entrance to St Phillip’s church. When inside, we were split into 11 equal groups as there were 11 stalls. Each stall explained the different religions the people of Leicester followed and all were very welcoming and understanding. Each member explained their religion in different ways as some of them had artifacts whilst others had leaflets, food, clothes, or books.
A lot of the children were able to learn about a religion they had never heard of before. One of the religions was called Paganism. They found that the people believed in elements (fire, water, air, earth) and that there were three stages of the faith: Norse gods, witchcraft, and Heathenry. One interesting fact is that no one person founded the religion.
A lot of the children were given the opportunity to dress up in a variety of clothing from the different faiths at the show. Some children were able to wear Jubas, Saris, Kippah, turbans, and topeis.
The church, where the roadshow took place, was almost destroyed in 1996 by a fire that ripped through the building. It has since been rebuilt and new parts added. Prince Charlies, our future king, visited the church in 2008.
We would like to thank all those volunteers who took the time to share their beliefs. We really enjoyed the show.
STEM Activity
Last week, we welcome Mr Abdullatif from Madani Schools Federation to Uplands to take part in our next STEM activity. The children were tasked with the job of creating a marble run that was required to pass three tough tasks. First, they needed to build the biggest tower for the marble but it must be free-standing and structurally secure. They also needed to make the marble run ascetically pleasing to the judge. Finally, they needed to make sure that their tower took the ball on the longest and slowest journey. The children were given time before to plan as a team and then set 45 minutes to build and test their project. The children were able to overcome many challenges including towers collapsing and working out how best to slow down the natural force of gravity. They showed greater determination, adversity and teamwork and most importantly enjoyed the session. Well done to Mrs Khan’s class (Willow) Where both the first and third-place teams were located. We look forward to our next project with Madani and would like to thank them for allowing Mr Abdullatif to come to school.
Children In Need 2022
Well done to all the children, staff and parents who dressed in something spotty and donated to Children in Need.
Year 3 at Stonehurst Farm. November 2022
As part of their English and Science topics, the Year 3 children visited a local farm last week. They had a fantastic time.
The children asked some brilliant questions to deepen their understanding about the different farm animals. Reece, Tom and Jen (the farmers who guided us around) explained why some female cows have horns, why some of the sheep have coloured spots on them, and the difference between straw and hay. The children even saw Wilbur from their English book ‘Charlotte’s Web’!
They thoroughly enjoyed the tractor ride through the village, playing in the hay bales, taking a nature walk and observing the old transport in the museum.
The children got the opportunity to cuddle a guinea pig too; some of the guinea pigs were so relaxed they left a little gift on the children’s laps!
A few members of the public commented on how well behaved the children were.
Tuesday 8th November 2022 – Fencing Festival
Salute, On guard, Fence. These were just three of the key terms which 9 children from Year 5 learnt in today’s fencing festival. The children worked on their balance, reaction time, accuracy and team spirit. Children were also given the opportunity spar with each other. A fantastic opportunity provided by the sports partnership and thank you to the Crownhill Fencing Academy leaders.
Remembrance Day
Y6 walked to Victoria Park to lay the wreaths (made by every class at Uplands Junior), at the memorial. The children were a credit to the Academy and observed the 2 minutes silence alongside other schools and the public.
After our assembly yesterday about the meaning of Remembrance Day, Madina did this at home. Well done Madina.
Year 6 pupils have ‘buddied up’ with year 4 children to help improve writing. During these weekly sessions, the Year 6 writers focus on upscaling vocabulary and editing sentences for a better impact. The children are really enjoying this process and have worked on their final pieces of writing which has included stories and letter. Some great writing coming along!
Y4 trip to Bosworth
This week year 4 students visited Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre as part of their history topic. The children had the opportunity to experience being an archaeological detective. They also met a Roman soldier and Boudicca. The children had a fantastic day filled with lots of information about the Romans!
In Year 6 This Week
In Year 6 this week, the children have been learning about the importance of a First Aid kit. The children have become aware and understand the basics of First Aid, such as what a kit looks like, what it is included in one and how to use some of the items inside it. It is a great practical opportunity for the children to become involved in these activities.
Year 3 children share their Stone Age learning with parents.
Year 3 welcomed parents into school so that the children could present and share their previous half term’s learning. Such great support from our parents and lots of excited children.
Parental feedback was so positive:
I loved seeing my child’s work and for him to go through what he has learnt was amazing! Thank you for the opportunity. I can see both staff and children working very hard.
It was a good idea to let parents come and see their work, I really liked how I was able to see my child’s work and se what they have been learning.
Attended for the first time and liked the concept, it connects children with parents and makes parents aware regarding progress of a child.
It was really nice to come into the class and visually look at what my son has learnt in history. I find these types of presentations very nice to see how the children progress and learn. I would love to make regular visits.
Book fair with Roving Books 26th October 2022
We welcomed back Roving Books to Uplands Junior today. It was lovely to see parents and children browsing and buying such a range of high-quality books.
Welcome back festival for Y3 and Y4
Just before October half term, we took 10 children to this event. Children were able to try their hand at frisbee, cricket, tennis and “Catch the Flag”.
Tuesday 12th October 2022 – Girls Fixture
The girls football team played their first football match at Judgemeadow last night, they lost 1-0 but really enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to the next fixture.
Tuesday 11th October 2022 – Water Safety
A big Uplands thank you to the RNLI for providing the children with such a thought -provoking assembly in Year 6 on water safety. The children were really engaged and loved dressing up as did Mr Deacon and Mr Lee!
Wednesday 21st September 2022 – Girls Football Development event
Kicking off the start of the School Sports partnership events for the Academic year was the Girls Football development sessions. 9 children (from Year 5 and 6) took part in a series of different football-based activities at GOALS. The children learnt about using the correct technique for passing and receiving the ball, how to work well as a team and also demonstrating positivity within a competitive environment. Hopefully, they will transfer these skills to their games in the upcoming session.
Thursday 22nd September 2022 – Year 3 Health & Well being Festival
After a brisk walk to the Wyggestone and QE I college, 3Oak took part in a Health and Wellbeing festival. The children took part in a series of different activities. Sessions covered fitness, confidence and nutrition. Children learnt how the power they generate can turn fruit pieces into smoothies (using a smoothie bike), took parking in party games / dances, parachute games, boxing session, blind football and yoga bingo.
The day was energetic, but all the children enjoyed the day. Thank you to the leaders who ran the event
Cherry class continued their learning in science today with a challenge. How could they make an intruder alarm? The children worked collaboratively with a partner- it took a long time to work it out but with determination and eliminating reasons why the circuit would not work, they had success. Well done Cherry class.
Singing Assembly with actions and musical accompaniment!
Mussa in Y3 has created this amazing skeleton and named the bones in his body as a result of his teaching and learning in PE with Mrs Wood.
Yesterday, 4Holly and 4Hazel were invited to take part in a PE session led by the Year 10 Leadership team at Moat. The children took part in either Basketball or Badminton sessions which were planned, organised and delivered by these young leaders. They were very excited and enjoyed the learning new skills.
WOLLATON HALL TRIP – YEAR 3
On Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th September, Year 3 went to Wollaton Hall in Nottingham for a Stone Age workshop. This enhanced their understanding of the Stone Age period and built upon their classroom learning.
At the workshop they had a chance to:
The children had lots of fun and learnt a lot more about what Stone Age life was like.
Y6 visit The Herbert Museum and The Coventry Transport Museum 22.9.22
The Y6 children visited the museums to learn more about World War 2, they also visited Coventry cathedral. The children had a fantastic day.
Black Country Living Museum – Sept 2022
Year 5 had an amazing time visiting the Black Country Museum as part of their Victorian topic. The children were able to experience what life was like for people during the different eras, and the impact the
Industrial Revolution had on the world that that we live in today.
During the day, the children were able to take part in a school lesson and visit various different shops, which helped them to understand how life has changed. Staff at the museum were very impressed with the behaviour of the pupils, and were very complimentary of the manners and politeness they showed to staff and members of the public.
Queen Elizabeth 11
Look what Almira made over the weekend. A wonderful tribute to the late queen.
Let’s Try ..Skateboarding
Our latest Let’sTry event was held last week.Children and their parents had a try at skateboarding.Lots of fun and laughing. Well done to everyone for giving this a try.
Y6 STEM DAY September 2022
Uplands welcomed Mr Abdulattif and four Year 11 students from Madani Boys School to lead a STEM day. The children had a fantastic day and learned so much.
The structure of the day can be found here:
School Games National Finals trip 2.9.22
Mrs Wood took a group of children to the School Games National Finals at Loughborough on 2nd September 2022. The children emailed Mrs Carlisle about their day:
I liked the pole vault the best because it was fun and everybody was cheering the crowd was very excited to find out who would win. Salmaan and Abdulrahman
WE went to the LOUGHBROUH UNIVERSITY and watched athletes play pole vault long jump and hammer it was so cool. By Suleman.
To Mrs. Carlisle
How to do pole vault is you have to run as fast as you can with the stick and jump over the pole . If you don’t jump over it you will get a cross so be careful . But if you jump over it then you can move on.
Mohammed Dalal
This trip was amazing. We had lots of fun. I enjoyed watching the pole vault and the high jump.
The competitors came from all parts of the UK. We stood on the track and saw people throwing a metal object. Mrs. Wood told us the sport is called hammer. Overall, it was a great experience.
Thank You Mrs. Wood for organizing this event.
Zaid and Hassan 6 Yew.
Today we went to Loughborough University to watch athletics. We watched pole-vault, long jump, disc throw and hammer. The trip was a good experience. Thank you, Miss, Wood for organising this event From Yaseen and Uwais
Fantastic Home Learning 2.9.22
Madina in Y3 created this fabulous representation of the characters in Charlotte’s Web at home.
Year 3 start learning about the Stone Age. September 2022.
On Thursday 1st September 2022, the Year 3 children took part in their first introductory History session consisting of a carousel of 4 activities relating to the Stone Age – Jewellery Making, QR – Is it Stone Age? activity, Stonehenge collages and cave paintings.
The QR activity required children to work in pairs investigating the school playground area hunting for QR clues. They needed to scan the codes to discover pictures and decide together whether they were related to the Stone Age or not using Google Forms to input their answers. Children were able to reflect upon their answers due to self marking.
The children focused on exploring Stonehenge and the children created a sunset collage by tearing different coloured paper to create their masterpiece.
Children explored famous examples of Stone Age caves and had a fantastic time creating their own cave painting. Children used charcoal to sketch hunting scene and used dark pastels colours as Stone Age artists used pigments from minerals. They also discussed the purpose of cave art and a variety of reasons behind individual paintings.
Pupil voice:
- I think that it was good. I liked it so much and enjoyed the activities. My favourite task was the QR code (NS – 3Fir)
- I thought it was going to be a good day, which it was. We made stone age jewellery, which was my favourite, found QR codes and learned about Stonehenge and cave painting. (IP – 3Oak)
Year 6 Leavers July 2022
Uplands celebrated all the successes of our Year 6 children alongside parents at our leavers assembly followed by our Bring and Share event for parents, children and staff. It was a chance to say goodbye and wish the children good luck for the future. Please come back and see us and let us know how you are and what you are doing.
We also ran the staff versus Y6 football match to end the final day.
Y5 Freestyle Football 6.7.22
Today, all children in Year 5 were given the opportunity to learn some freestyle football skills from the fantastic Stephen Gray. Stephen started freestyling when he was around 14 years old and has since competed in numerous championships around the world, performed at some spectacular venues including the King Power Stadium and currently holds three Guinness World Records.
After a brief demonstration of his skills, it was over to the children. With determination, commitment, and a plenty of resilience, it was clear that we have some children who demonstrate a flair for free styling.
Stephen also ran a Lets Try session for parents and children. With a lot of laughter and collaboration, the children and parents looked confident and performing skills with control.
Finally, Stephen led a session after school for our talented Year 4 football team and a few other PE children.
Y4 visit to the Botanical Gardens July 2022
When we entered the Botanical Garden, we were greeted by a nice, elderly man called David. Then we entered a colossal hall and he kindly introduced himself and gave us fantastic activities such as shelter building. We went to see cute catfish. Then we went to an alpine greenhouse. The soil in the alpine house was dry although the plants still grew. In the tropical greenhouse, the weather was humid and in the afternoon, it was 30 degrees. When we went back into the hall, David told us some interesting facts such as the alpine plants can grow in cold weather and extreme wind.
By Muhammed Arif Hoque and Aaqsiyah Barber Y4.
Stem Day at Moat June 2022
Year 5 children visited Moat Community College on the 27th June for an exciting and interesting taste of life at the school. They were invited to participate in a STEM day (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and the focus of the day was the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Throughout the day, the children investigated different aspects of the topic: testing different foods to see the nutrients they contain in the laboratories; making a prototype ‘fitbit’ (a piece of technology that tracks the number of steps a person takes whilst exercising); programming their fitbits in the computer suite; testing the fitbits and working out, mathematically, how many steps the children would have to complete to burn off all the calories from the food they eat. Finally, some brave members of the group presented a short presentation of what they had learned. Well done to them and everyone else who participated in this fun and interesting experience.
Mustafa 5AP
I had a really good day and particularly enjoyed running around the Astro Turf, testing the fitbit
Shabnam
I really enjoyed the part of the day when programmed our fit bits in the IT suite. It was fun entering the code.
Basketball tournament June 2022
Last Monday, children from Year 5 and 6 participated in the final basketball tournament of the academic year. Competition was fierce as always, but the children performed well, narrowly losing a few tightly contested games before finishing on high by winning their last game. This is also a nice opportunity to say farewell to Kevin, Tanisha, Zaid and Yakoub after their consistent participation in the basketball team throughout the year. All the best and we hope to see you competing for your high school teams in the near future!
Roving books
Roving Books visited Uplands 18th May.
Our new reward shop is open!
Our reward shop is open! When children have filled a green dots card, they can visit the shop and choose a gift. Children earn green dots for excellent behaviour, work and effort.
Visiting Highfields Community Library
Y5 visited Highfields Community Library this week. The library is so close to school and has an amazing range of books for the children to explore and borrow.
Reading Dog
We were lucky enough to have Indie visit us during the summer term. There is plenty of research to suggest that reading to pets builds children’s confidence and fluency.
Platinum Jubilee
We celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by wearing red, white and blue and having a whole school picnic lunch outside; the weather was dry. Thank you to Mrs Spencer in the kitchen and City Catering for the wonderful picnic lunches. Y4 linked their DT topic to this and planned and made their own food.
School Fair May 2022
Thank you to all our children, staff and parents for making the school fair such a success. We raised £1700 which will be spent of the school library.
Open door maths classroom – 19.5.22
Thank you to all our parents who came to see a maths lesson in action this week. Your children really appreciate you coming in, as do the staff. We hope events like this help you to understand what we are teaching and help you to support your child’s home learning.
Partnership between home and school is essential for children to achieve success and to feel confident. We will hold more in the autumn term.
Parent feedback
I enjoyed the lesson. The teacher method of teaching was very good. I am happy with the children’s learning in class. They ae progressing well. I am happy that I was invited into school. Thank you.
We really enjoyed the maths lessons together. I am looking forward to more lessons with my daughter. Thank you.
I enjoyed the lesson as it was full of information on the topic. There were lots of questions, which are beneficial for everyone as this helps us to recap over what had been learnt. The lesson was interesting, and everyone was engaged and focused which is important. I learnt a lot from this lesson.
22nd March 2022,
Visit to Gurdwara Temple March 2022
In Year 4 last week we were able to visit the Ramgarhia gurdwara temple in the local area. The children enjoyed a leisurely walk through the park to reach the temple and were greeted by some very welcoming sheikh worshippers. Some of the children have included a recount of the event.
First we listened to the instructions and so we had to take our shoes off before entering the congregation hall. The boys sat on the right side while the girls sat on the left. They explained about Sikhism and then we asked some questions. Before we left they have us some chocolate and a view of the room where the holy book is kept. (Munawar, Sarah and Yusuf 4JD)
We felt very excited to see what happened and the Guru Granth Sahib because we have been learning about Sikhism and wanted to see it face to face. It is good to learn about and respect other religions (Maheera, Iqra S 4JD)
I liked the way the Gurdwara had lights around the Guru Granth Sahib. It was also interesting to learn about how lots of religions are mentioned in the holy book. The boys and girls sat separately but the man told us you don’t always have. (Rumaisah and Umama 4CS)
When we went to the Gurdwara we took off our shoes because we are like guests. They showed us where they cooked the langar (food) which they give to anyone who wants it. They can be from any religion.
(Hamza and Hifza 4CS)
9th March 2022,
9th March 2022,
9th March 2022,
9th March 2022,
ANGLO SAXONS IN YEAR 4!
In Year 4, pupils have been learning all about the Anglo Saxons this term. They have explored the different lands that the Anglo Saxons settled in or invaded such as Kent, Wessex and Northumbria. As part of their History curriculum, the children investigated how the Anglo Saxons lived, especially focussing on their living environment. Living in small villages that were built near a body of water such as a river or lake, the Anglo Saxons, built their houses made out of wood, wattle and daub (cement like substance). Also being near the water, would allow them to have access to clean water and food. Sitting in the middle of their village, the house of the chief would be larger than most as it would often be used as a hall for the whole tribe. Year 4 pupils were most alarmed when they discovered that Anglo Saxon children didn’t have any time to play, instead they were busy contributing to the group by doing jobs such as collecting wood, feeding the livestock and finding food. That’s very different to our children’s lives now!
Our pupils have loved designing and making models of Anglo Saxon villages and creatively sharing different aspects of the village. During this project, they showed great team work, collaboration and perseverance! You can see some of their wonderful Anglo Saxon village models here.
8th March 2022,
1st March 2022,
22nd February 2022,
1st February 2022,
CHINESE NEW YEAR
The children learned about the Chinese New Year in assembly this week, the myth that led to the selection of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac and that 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. We also discussed the characteristic traits associated with each animal.
6CR made some red envelopes and decorated with Chinese writing. These envelopes are given with gifts of money to celebrate the New Year. The children also made some Chinese Lanterns.
Year 4 have made some lanterns to celebrate Chinese New Year. They used weaving skills to create these beautiful read and yellow lanterns! Lanterns hung at Chinese New Year are thought to scare aware the Nian monster and bring good luck.
28th January 2022,
BOCCIA TOURNAMENT
Many thanks to Mrs Patel for all the practise in the corridors and to Mr Walker and Mrs Patel for taking the children to the event.
Well done to Akeefa, Ayub, Nalin, Samatar, Adam, Mohamed Wasim, Amina and Ambreen who represented the school at the Boccia tournament at Aylestone Leisure Centre. Mr Walker and Mrs Patel commented that the children were very well behaved. We entered 2 teams and came second and third, a fantastic achievement – well done!
26th January 2022,
LCSSPAN DANCE FESTIVAL
In January, our Dancers took part in the LCSSPAN Dance festival at Crownhills Community College, where East and West schools joined together to demonstrate what “Happiness is…..”. Their dance was energetic, and performed to Waka Waka. Well done to the girls who took part.
26th January 2022,
FOOTBALL
The new football league started at the end of January at Judgemeadow Community College. The team played their first game well and were leading right up to the end until a last minute goal in the dying seconds saw the game end 1-1.
The next 3 games saw uplands on the defence throughout and whilst there were chances they all ended in losses for the team.
In the final game Uplands again managed a draw, thanks to some spectacular saves by Hamza, something that the organisers noticed.
For the first games of the season this has given the team something to build on in the coming months.
25th January 2022,
BASKETBALL
In recent weeks, a number of children have participated in two basketball tournaments and, I am very pleased to say, they have given a fantastic account of both themselves and the school with their attitude and application to these events. Unfortunately, the standard of competition is very high and we did not manage to win either of the competitions, but, as every good sportsperson knows, it is not the winning that counts, it is the taking part.
Mr Pryce (basketball coach).
31st December 2021,
Dear Parents / Carers,
The school will open on Tuesday 04th January 2022.
REMINDERS
To minimise our risk to infection:
- There must be only one adult that brings children to school.
- Please keep at least 2 meters apart at all times.
- All adults must wear masks.
- Collect your own child – children will not be allowed to go with friends.
You will be notified if there are any changes.