Last week, our school was selected by the local authority for Year 6 writing moderation. As part of this process, three moderators reviewed a randomly selected sample of pupils’ writing to ensure our teacher assessments matched the national standard.

The moderation team was incredibly impressed by the exceptional quality of our children’s work, praising the progress they have made and commenting on how every piece of writing reflected each child’s individual voice. Alison Picknell, Thurrock’s School Effectiveness and Early Years Manager for School Services, was so impressed that she will be recommending some of our pupils’ work for inclusion in the Department for Education’s exemplification materials.

This is a fantastic achievement and a wonderful recognition of the hard work, talent and dedication of both our Year 6 children and their teachers. Well done to everyone involved!

On Thursday 18th June, Year 5 travelled to London to watch The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Having studied the book in their Reading lessons and taken part in a workshop led by the show’s creators, the children were excited to see the story come to life on stage – and it certainly did not disappoint!

The pupils were captivated by the outstanding acting, energetic dancing and uplifting songs throughout the performance. Sitting in fantastic seats, they enjoyed audience interaction, including high fives from the cast, and proudly sang along to songs they had learnt during their workshop.

The children were a credit to the school throughout the day, behaving impeccably on both the train journey and at the theatre. We were especially proud to receive an email from a member of the public praising the excellent behaviour of our pupils and staff, and commenting on the joy and enthusiasm the children showed during the performance.

The show beautifully told the inspiring true story of William Kamkwamba, whose resilience, determination and ingenuity brought electricity to his village in Malawi by building a wind turbine. It was a memorable day that our Year 5 pupils will treasure for years to come.

Ahead of their exciting trip to the theatre to see The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, our Year 5 pupils enjoyed an inspiring workshop led by Richy Hughes, who wrote the lyrics for the show’s songs, and George Harrison, the show’s Dramaturg.

The session began with an engaging assembly exploring the origins of the story. The children impressed both visitors with the knowledge they had already gained through their work in class on William Kamkwamba’s remarkable story. They also discovered more about how a theatre production comes together, from the creative writing process through to the stage.

During the class workshops, pupils learnt about the Chitenje, the traditional Malawian fabric that can be worn as a dress, headwrap and multipurpose garment. They then explored key lines from the show, learning performance techniques to bring the words to life with greater expression and drama. Inspired by one of the scenes, the children worked together to write their own lyrics before confidently performing their creations.

The workshops were a fantastic success, with the children fully engaged throughout and thoroughly enjoying every moment. The experience left everyone even more excited for their theatre visit on Thursday 18th June.

After the workshop, George wrote to share his appreciation of the children’s enthusiasm:

“I wanted to say how much Richy and I both enjoyed working with the children at Tudor Court today. We were thrilled at how they engaged with both the assembly and the workshops. It was lovely to see all the work they had done already learning about William Kamkwamba’s story and I can’t wait to welcome them to the theatre on Thursday.”

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, creativity and confidence shown by our Year 5 pupils, and we know they will have a wonderful experience at the theatre.

Last week, our Nursery and Reception children were delighted to welcome Simon Firth from Gripping Yarns for a wonderful storytelling session.

Simon introduced the children to a lovable stuffed chimpanzee called Ooh-Ooh and brought two exciting adventures to life through the power of words and sign language. The children listened beautifully throughout, completely captivated by the stories and eagerly joined in with some of the interactive moments.

The visit has inspired a real love of storytelling across both classes. Nursery now has its very own Ooh-Ooh for the children to use as they create and share their own imaginative stories, while Reception children have been enthusiastically using the classroom puppets to bring their own tales to life.

It was a truly engaging and inspiring experience, and we would like to thank Simon for sharing the magic of storytelling with our youngest learners.

After the visit Simon sent this to us: “I enjoyed my visit to your school very much. I was very interested in the storytelling strategies you have in place. I love the idea of the children being assisted to tell their stories with an audience supporting them. I love the way your practice responds to the children’s ideas.”

Storytelling is a such a key part of children’s development and it was lovely for this to be recognised by the Simon too!

Our Year 1 children have had a wonderful time celebrating their hard work inspired by the classic story, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. To bring their learning to life, the classrooms were transformed into a hive of activity as the children prepared for their very own tea party.

The children have been busy using descriptive adjectives to detail everything the hungry tiger ate, practicing their sequencing skills by writing step-by-step instructions for making a perfect jam sandwich, and carefully crafting invitations to staff members across the school.

The hard work culminated in a fantastic celebration. The children thoroughly enjoyed welcoming their adult guests and tucking into a delicious spread of cakes, biscuits, crisps, and juice. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

This week, reception parents were invited into attend their children’s phonics session.  It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the skills that children have learnt this year.  They saw Fred Talking, Fred in your Head, Spelling with Fingers and storybook routines.  It was also important that parents saw just how much is included in a daily session and the pace of the delivery.    Parents were very appreciative of this opportunity as is reflected in the positive comments below.  This is definitely something that we will repeat next year.  

Comments on the sessions from parents below:

“I really enjoyed it, I didn’t know how much they had to do.  I now realise they do much more than just play.”
Reception parent 19.5.26

“It was just 5 minutes.  I didn’t realise how much they had to do.”
Reception parent 20.5.26

“Now it makes sense, he acts all this out at home and uses all the words.”
Reception parent 20.5.26

“At her old school,they didnt tell us anything.  We were given a book and didn’t know what to do with it.  This has been so helpful becausee now we know how to help her.”
Reception parent  20.5.26

“The phonics class with our children today was very informative in helping us understand what happens, how it is taught and how our children learn. It also gave the children a chance to involve us in their school life and an opportunity to bring the learning home in a familiar way with a bit more confidence as a parent”.
21st May 2026

“Thank you for organising for us to come into the phonics session lesson today. It was great to have a chance to see how our children learn. It was very engaging and will help us to further support them at home. It was also good to see the start of the day at registration etc”.
21st May 2026

“Coming to my daughter’s class was very lovely. There were lots of interactions between the teachers and students. I love the way phonics are taught and everything. I enjoyed the class very well. My daughter has improved in reading and identifying words. I am really impressed.21st May 2026”.

“Amazing to see how the children are taught. Enjoyed the experience”.
21st May 2026

As part of their enquiry question, “What was ‘great’ about the Great Fire of London?”, Year 2 enjoyed an exciting and memorable educational visit to the Tower of London. The trip brought their classroom learning to life and gave the children a fantastic opportunity to deepen their understanding of the events of 1666.

The day began with a visit to The Monument to the Great Fire of London at Pudding Lane. They were fascinated by the history surrounding the famous landmark and enjoyed seeing such an important historical site up close.

From there, the children walked to the Tower of London, where they met a Yeoman Warden and explored many exciting parts of the castle. Highlights included walking along the battlements, visiting the White Tower, seeing the place where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, spotting the famous ravens, learning about the Royal Beasts, exploring the torture exhibition and seeing the magnificent Crown Jewels.

One of the highlights of the day was the interactive workshop, where the children were able to re-enact and apply their knowledge of the Great Fire of London. They participated enthusiastically and clearly demonstrated how much they had learned throughout the topic. Their confidence, excitement and enjoyment truly shone through during the activities.

This was an unforgettable learning experience that enriched the children’s understanding of this important period in history.

The Early Years Library is a new addition to our school.  We opened in October to provide opportunities for children and parents to share high quality texts.  Research shows sharing stories and books is an essential part of a child’s healthy and successful development.  The National Literacy Trust found that in 2024, fewer parents reported engaging daily reading activities compared with 2019.

The library was an instant success and we actually have queues of parents and children waiting to enter at 3 o’clock.  Some children have visited every day and many children who were once reluctant to read now attend with requests for books they want to take.

In the next academic year we hope to build on the popularity of our EYFS library by hosting regular storytimes where parents can come and read, used book sales and extending to year 1 as our current children transition to their new classes.

Library opening times Monday Friday 3.00-3.15

Year 1 had a fantastic time during our Phonics Cafe afternoon. We had the pleasure of inviting parents in for biscuits and phonics fun in our classrooms.

Parents observed a whole-class phonics “Speed Sounds” lesson, giving them an insight into how this part of the session is delivered and the thinking behind it. They then took part in phonics activities alongside the children.

We hope the parents enjoyed it as much as we did!

On May 8, 2026, Tudor Court Primary School officially opened its new butterfly garden, a project created as a fluttering tribute to Sir David Attenborough. The ceremony featured a butterfly release, with special involvement from the school council and the school choir. Following the garden’s inauguration, the atmosphere turned festive as the entire school participated in a birthday-themed street party. This event not only honoured a legendary naturalist but also provided the pupils with a dedicated outdoor space to connect with nature and observe local wildlife firsthand.