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Thank you for helping us launch our Monster Phonics programme  with your amazing support for our MONSTER DAY on Thursday 5th October. Children (and staff) came to school dressed as their favourite monster  and we of course had a MONSTER LUNCH. . Our fun Monster Lunch included special Miss Oh No's doughnuts (she lives in one apparently) and chocolate sauce served from Tricky Witch's magic cauldron, with children's favourites plus our daily healthy baked potatoes and choice of salad and fruit. All children having our monster lunch will also get a FREE monster sticker and, if they are infants, also a FREE monster book. We promote our school meals with special fun lunches at least once a term. Sometimes this is when numbers are counted which is why many schools do it but  our main reason at Woodside is because we know our lunches are healthy and sustainable and much better for children than the Ultra Processed Food (UPF)  which are often part of children's lunch boxes. Scientists have proved that Ultra Processed Food is not only bad for children's bodies, often leading to obesity and the danger later of diabetes and cardiac disease but can also affect their brains making learning more difficult and mental issues more likely.

We continue to be a very musical school with plenty of opportunities for children to sing and play instruments. We are maintaining our weekly Steel Pan teaching for all Y3 and once children have started this they can join one of our Steel Plan clubs. We are no longer teaching recorder only in Y4 but now teaching it throughout the school as part of music lessons so that children can keep and develop their skills and, in Y5, can play music linked to their study of Shakespeare. All children will learn to play keyboards in class lessons as this helps them learn to read music and develop their understanding of harmony. Our extensive range of instruments now includes Indonesian Gamelan giving children experience of a very different musical system. Individual and small group lessons also taught in school currently include piano/keyboard, violin, guitar, drums, and voice. Other instruments may be available on request or at the Thurrock Music School that meets here on Wednesday evenings. There is a cost for individual lessons but they are half price for children entitled to free school meals.

Unfortunately, due to predicted high winds and the priority for children's safety, the company providing our inflatables for our after school session on Wednesday 20th of September have cancelled the event. We are waiting to be given an alternative date. All tickets already purchased will be honoured with refunds available for anyone unable to attend the new date.

Thank you to all those families who joined in 'Ready, Set, Read', the sport and games theme for this year's Summer Reading Challenge. As well as the rewards from the library of stickers, certificates and a medal we will be giving all children who completed the challenge a session on our inflatable obstacle course in the summer term (hopefully that will encourage even more children to take part next year). However, the real reward will be the enjoyment children can  have from reading and the progress they can now make through keeping up their reading skills over the summer.

Please make sure your children continue to read regularly at home.

A number of schools have been asked to close because they have unsafe RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) in their roof construction. We had a survey for this on 18th July and received the report on the first day of term. This confirmed that no RAAC was found and confirmed we can open as normal with no action needed. The surveyors intend to return at some point to look at areas they were unable to access but think in unlikely that we have any RAAC. The letter below sent before we had this confirmation therefore still applies.

Dear Parent,

You may have seen recent media coverage regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and its use in educational settings. RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete; because it is weaker than regular concrete, concerns have been raised about its long-term durability. Department for Education (DfE) has recently changed its guidance to education settings on the management of RAAC to take a more precautionary approach and as a result areas in affected spaces will be vacated.

We do not have any confirmed RAAC in our buildings and have not been asked to close any areas. However, we want to take care and to be sure, and are currently working with the DfE and our surveyors to actively check whether RAAC has been used in the construction of any part of our buildings. If RAAC is identified, we will let you know straight away, and we have contingencies in place.

We think this is highly unlikely as RAAC was used from the mid 1950s until the early 90s and Woodside was opened in 1952. Also, since becoming an academy we have had all the original roofing professionally surveyed and the covering replaced with funding from the DfE. We would have expected the decking to have been replaced at the same time if it had been any problem.

The change in guidance is precautionary in nature, and only affects education premises where the presence of RAAC has been confirmed.

Any contingency plans will prioritise the continuation of education and ensure that, if RAAC is identified, any impact on children is kept to an absolute minimum. Rest assured that the safety of children and staff is of paramount importance to all concerned.

Thank you for your understanding.

Yours faithfully,

Mr E E Caines

Principal