Riverside News Issue 472 -20.11.25 - Riverside Primary School

⭐ STAR of the Week ⭐

Leopard: Billy H

For making such amazing progress with his phonics, reading and writing! Billy is such an eager and enthusiastic learner, challenging himself every day to show us his learning and be a Risky Risk Taker! Well done Billy, we are super proud of you!

Zebra: Havana B

For singing with such enthusiasm when practicing songs for our Christmas Play. You have learned all the words so quickly and are a real star. Well done!

Lion: Taine N

For sorting 2D shapes confidently in maths and identifying key characteristics of the countries in the UK during geography. You consistently approached your learning with care and enthusiasm and you are always an excellent role model for others! Great job!

Bear: Ella J

For amazing acting and singing during our Christmas play rehearsals. I can’t wait to see you perform as our wonderful donkey!

Otter: Ophelia H

For always being kind and looking after her friends in Otter Class. Ophelia is always willing to help and is engaged with her learning, especially phonics. Well done Ophelia.

Seal: Summer R

For always trying her very best in every lesson. She has particularly shone in maths this week, working hard to use the methods we’ve learned to tackle subtraction with confidence. Keep trying your best and being such a wonderful, determined learner!

Dolphin: Teddy L

For always listening so well and trying his hardest in each lesson. For always striving to do his best; for showing tolerance and achieving so much. Well done Teddy. We are proud of you.

Giraffe: George T

For using his knowledge to identify the geographical features of different continents. He used his skills confidently and participated exceptionally well throughout the lesson.

Turtle: David A

For always challenging and pushing himself to tackle any maths reasoning problems with determination and confidence.

Panda: Freddie H

For consistently being a wonderful role model in Year 3 and always giving his best in everything he does.

Tiger: Hollie B

For using the illustrations from Escape from Pompeii to brilliantly convey the main characters’ feelings, writing thoughtful sentences that demonstrate a deep understanding of their emotions.
Well done Hollie!

Meerkat: Lam Lam Y

For completing a wonderful art piece inspired by Barry Martin’s theme of movement. You added impressive detail, and the shapes you chose show careful thought and create a strong sense of 3D movement within your collage.

Rhino: Henry T

For excellent work in class, and for confidently verbalising your ideas in front of everyone during our PSHE lesson, showing real resilience and maturity.

Kangaroo: Lacey S

For a super effort with maths! You have really persevered and worked hard to understand fractions.

Koala: Sophie H

For your wonderful artwork, your perseverance and great effort in working carefully on all the details, and for being such a fantastic team player. We’re so proud of you!

📅 UPCOMING EVENTS! 📅

Dates not shown on previous issues are added in RED!

Autumn 2 2025

21/11/25 — INSET Day

24/11/25 — INSET Day

01/12/25 — Christmas Post Box Open

03/12/25 —Tudor Banquet Day – Special Menu!

03/12/25 — PTA Event – Christmas Sale

08/12/25 —Year 1 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

08/12/25 — PTA Event – Christmas Sale (after school)

09/12/25 —Year 2 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

10/12/25 — Christmas Jumper Day

10/12/25 — Christmas Dinner – Special Menu

11/12/25 —Year 3/4 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

12/12/25 —Year 5/6 Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

15/12/25 — KS1 Christmas Disco

16/12/25 —EYFS Christmas Productions 9:30 / 1:30

17/12/25 — KS2 Christmas Disco

18/12/25 — Christmas Post Box Closes

Letters

Below are a list of letters, leaflets and posters uploaded to the website this week.

Leaflets/Posters for Parents

Letters sent this week

Revised Plans for EYFS_KS1 Cross Country 20.11.25

Previous letters, leaflets and posters can be found on the school website Events & Letters > Letters & Parent Meetings

Parking Concerns Around School

We kindly remind parents and carers that any parking issues in the local area can be reported directly to Chelmsford City Council. This helps ensure concerns are logged correctly and sent straight to the enforcement team.

To report a parking issue:

Visit the Chelmsford City Council website.
Click ‘Parking & Travel’ on the homepage.
Select ‘Parking Restrictions’.
Click ‘Report a Parking Issue’.

Your report will go directly to the council’s Enforcement Team, who will respond to you directly.

Thank you for helping us keep the area around the school safe for all.

Reminders

Reporting Pupil Absence

This is a reminder to all parents/carers that the correct way to report absences is to leave a message on the absence line answerphone daily. If messages are sent by email to the admin email address they will not be registered in time for the morning attendance and you may then receive a call from our attendance team.

Supervision

This is a gentle reminder that parents are responsible for supervising their children and siblings on-site before and after school. We have had a couple of incidents reported to us which were considered ‘near misses’ and children could have got hurt. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

KS1 Playground
Please do not allow children to play on the equipment either before/after school. At the end of the day, parents and children should leave the site promptly . This enables us to open up the playground for our other clubs. Thank you.

KS2 Playground
Please note that the day in KS2 does not start until 8:40am when the doors open. Children should not be left unsupervised on the playground before this time. Children should not play on the equipment. Thank you

Latest Facebook Posts

🌟 Children in Need Fundraising Total! 🌟

🏐 Riverside vs OLR 💪✨

🎨 Dolphin Class: Digital Art Adventurers! 🐬

💻🎵 Riverside Takes On the Primary Coding League! 🎵💻

🎅 🦌Christmas Production Bookings Open! 🌟🎄

A Polite Reminder – Scooters and Bikes on the Way to School

We’ve had a few parents share their concerns about younger children riding scooters or small bikes at speed on the way to school, particularly along Ferry Road. In some cases, children are well ahead of their adults, and there’s a real worry that one could accidentally veer into the road before a parent is close enough to intervene.

Please can we kindly ask all families to ensure that children stay close and ride at a safe pace when travelling to and from school. This helps to keep everyone safe – especially near busy roads.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support in keeping our school community safe.

Updated Parent Information Leaflets – Assessments 2025–2026

The Department for Education has published updated parent information leaflets for all national curriculum assessments taking place this school year (2025–2026). These explain what each assessment involves, how results are shared, and how they are used.

National curriculum assessments
Primary school pupils in England take part in the following:

Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA): within the first 6 weeks of entering Reception
Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP): between April and June of Reception year
Phonics Screening Check: in June of Year 1
Key Stage 1 Tests: optional, at the school’s discretion, at the end of Year 2
Multiplication Tables Check (MTC): in June of Year 4
Key Stage 2 Tests (SATs): in May of Year 6

Pupils working below the national curriculum
Children working below the standards of the national curriculum in one or more subjects may be assessed under alternative teacher assessment routes:

Pre-key stage standards – for pupils engaged in subject-specific study
Engagement model – for pupils not yet engaged in subject-specific study
Your child’s teacher will let you know if this applies.

Progress measures
Results from national curriculum assessments are also used to calculate primary school progress measures. These provide parents with information about how schools are performing.

The full set of updated parent leaflets is available to read by following the links below. We ask all parents and carers of children taking part in assessments this year to read the updated information:

Emotional Based School Avoidance Support

SNAP charity has compiled a short guide explaining Emotional Based School Avoidance (ESBA). The guide includes advice and resources to help parents and carers.

To find out more and access the resources, visit SNAP’s website.

Online Safety Guides

Before children have even learnt to read, most can navigate through devices to play games and watch cartoons.

Internet Matters primary school guide helps you to:

Get up to speed on popular apps and platforms like YouTube and Roblox
Learn more about risks and challenges they might face, from inappropriate content and too much screentime.
Find tips and resources to protect them from online harms

Prospective Families

Is your child starting school in September 2026?

The primary school (Reception) admission round opens on Monday 10 November 2025 for parents of children to apply for a Reception school place for the academic year that starts in September 2026. The statutory national closing date for applications is 15 January 2026.

From 10 November 2025, applications can be made online via www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. 99% of parents in Essex applied online last year.

The website also has a copy of the Primary Education in Essex 2025-26 booklet and the Schools Admissions Policies Directories contain details of all admission policies.

OPAL

We are excited to share that we have begun the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) project to enhance the lunchtime experience even furtherfor your children. The aim is to provide more opportunities for creative and active play.

This section of the newsletter will keep you updated on our OPAL journey, including upcoming developments and ways you can get involved.

Also, if you are having a clear-out, please look out for our donation requests for resources to enhance the playground. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated!

As part of our exciting OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) journey, we are continuing to develop a rich and varied outdoor play experience for all our children—whatever the weather!

To help us make the most of our wonderful outdoor spaces even as the weather turns wetter and muddier, we are asking that every child brings a pair of wellies to school from September. These will be kept in school so that children can continue to enjoy outdoor play at lunchtimes and still return to lessons feeling clean, dry, and comfortable.

Thank you for your continued support as we build a happier, healthier, and more active playtime for all our children.

The OPAL Team

OPAL Play Project – Donations Wanted!

As you know, we are developing our playtimes through the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) project. This exciting approach helps children develop creativity, teamwork and resilience by giving them access to a wide range of play opportunities.

To keep building on this, we’re looking for donations of the following items:

Medical toys (doctor/nurse kits)
Wallpaper (for crafts)
Toy tools (plastic hammers, spanners, screwdrivers, builders’ kits etc.)
Larger sized wellies (sizes 5, 6, 7)
Pop-its

If you have any of these at home and no longer need them, please drop them off at the school office. Every little contribution helps us make playtimes even more exciting!

Dinner Menu

We are operating a two week rolling menu. The menus, ingredients and allergen lists can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

Attendance W/E: 14/11/25

	Class	%
1	Koala	100.00
2	Tiger	98.10
3	Meerkat	97.80
4	Turtle	97.40
5	Kangaroo	96.80
6	Seal	96.70
7	Panda	96.20
8	Giraffe	95.70
9	Zebra	94.70
10	Bear	94.30
11	Lion	93.20
12	Leopard	92.40
13	Otter	91.70
14	Rhino	91.50
15	Dolphin	81.00

Team Points

SEN Coffee Morning

Makaton: Sign of the Week

We’re excited to share our ‘Sign of the Week’— Leaf

The Megacentre Community Space

Please see a list of activities that run throughout the week at the Megacentre at their new venue (78a Eastwood Road, SS7 7JP).

Please not you do not need a formal diagnosis to access any of our support.

Unless otherwise stated, sessions take place at our Community Space: 78a Eastwood Road, SS6 7JP.

Here’s a quick guide to what’s on:

Monday Mix
Exclusive soft play for SEND families – plus crafts, football, gaming room, inflatables, laser tag, and more.
Held at The Megacentre, Brook Road
No booking required.

Monday – Youth Group

Open youth group for secondary aged children, Games, Crafts & Snacks. Term time only. No booking required.

Tuesday – Punching for Purpose
Boxing-based sessions to build confidence and resilience.
5:00–5:45pm (ages 6–15)
5:45–6:30pm (ages 16+)
Suggested donation: £7
Booking required: families@megacentrerayleigh.co.uk

Wednesday – T21 Heroes (for families & children with Down Syndrome)
First Wednesday of the month: 1:00–2:30pm (under 5s)
Fortnightly sessions: 3:30–5:00pm (ages 5+) – contact us for dates

Wednesday – Midi Mix (SEND club for school-age children)
4:00–6:00pm
Activities include arts & crafts, sensory play, table football, table tennis, and outdoor games (weather permitting).

Thursday – Your Space – Youth Wellbeing Group

4:00–5:30pm

Secondary age. Referral only, please contact us if this sounds like something your child would benefit from

2nd Thursday of the Month – SEND Coffee Morning
10:00am–12:00pm
Meet other SEND parents, ask questions, and hear from guest speakers on a range of SEND topics.

4th Thursday of the Month – DLA Workshop
Support and guidance for completing Disability Living Allowance forms.

Friday – Mini Mix (Under 5s SEND Group)
A safe, welcoming non-judgemental group for families with younger children who have SEND needs – free play time, no structured activities and no music. Facilitated by experienced SEND professional.