Newsletters

Friday 9th October, 2026

Dear Parents & Carers

We find ourselves less than two weeks away from the first half-term and it's been another busy week in school. 

We've had a number of visitors, including Jon from Little Riders with another successful course, Reverend Tim for an interesting assembly and PC Darryl Robinson talking to Year 5/6 all about staying safe when walking or biking to school, especially with the darker nights ahead. 

Well done to the Year 6 football team for their efforts and team play in the first couple of games they've played. As the report says below, we look forward to seeing them grow as a team as the year progresses.

Well done also to our runners this afternoon in the cross-country. I enjoyed seeing the efforts from all our runners and I hope all enjoyed participating. 

Next week we're looking forward to our first curriculum day, and thank Mrs Connell for organising it. The topic for the day is 'climate' and I'm sure the children will enjoy the different activities planned. 

Our I.T issues are starting to improve and hopefully won't impact on communication going forward. You should have received the information for parents' evening yesterday. Please contact the school office if you have any trouble booking a slot. 

We're looking forward to the Halloween events next week, with the bake off on Wednesday and the party on Thursday evening. My thanks to the office team for organising the party, and we hope the children really enjoy themselves.  

Have a lovely weekend. 

Kind regards

Matt Walton, Headteacher 

Year 4

Year 4 finally made the trip to West Runton to spend the day with the team at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The weather was simply lovely and the adults and children had a very enjoyable and interesting day. Many thanks to the parents who helped out on the trip. 

At West Runton, we did some rock pooling and fossil hunting. While we were rock pooling, Jannah & I found shrimps and periwinkles. (Meera)

What I loved about West Runton was the rock pooling because we got to find the different seal life creatures in between the rocks. I also enjoyed fossil hunting - it was a lot of fun. (Ava) 

Year 6 Football Team

It has been a challenging start to the season for our Year 6 football team, with two tough matches played so far. The team lost 5–0 to Horsford and 6–1 to Old Catton, but the scores certainly don’t tell the whole story.

The boys showed an excellent attitude and great resilience, continuing to work hard and support each other even when the games were difficult. For some of the boys, these were their first-ever competitive football matches, so a huge well done to them for stepping up and giving it their all.

There is plenty for the team to build on, and we are looking forward to seeing their confidence grow as the season continues.

Our next league match is against Queens Hill. Good luck, boys! 

Year 5 and 6 take on a global STEM challenge

We’re delighted that Salhouse, Hickling and Wroxham are taking part in Learning Sectors, an exciting programme that brings schools together across the world to explore real-life challenges through science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Supported by the British Council and Formula 1, the programme will connect our Year 5 and 6 children with pupils at a partner school in India. Together, they’ll work on a challenge that matters to their communities, share ideas and discover how STEM can help people find practical solutions.

The children will take part in hands-on activities and build their problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills. They’ll also learn about the many future pathways STEM can offer, including careers in engineering, technology and innovation. Real-life examples from Formula 1 will help bring these possibilities to life.

Click here for more information about the British Council Learning Sectors programme.

We’re looking forward to seeing what the children discover, create and achieve together.

Social Media 

As a school we were early users of social media to promote school events and to showcase everything going on. In recent times, we have stopped using these channels as much, but we are now planning to use them again to celebrate school life at SJS.

Please fill in the quick questionnaire regarding photo permission and we will start posting very soon. 

Instagram & Facebook 

Our STEM Racing Teams: Can You Help?

We recently told you about our four new STEM Racing Club who are now busy preparing to represent the school at the Regional Finals in February.

The teams are busy designing, testing and building miniature cars, while also creating team identities, preparing presentations and planning pit displays. Along the way, they’re developing skills in science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as teamwork and problem-solving. Find out more about STEM Racing Primary.

As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, we’re looking for local businesses, organisations and community members who could support the teams. That might mean sponsorship, mentoring, sharing links to STEM careers, providing materials, or helping with team branding and displays.

Every contribution would help make this a memorable opportunity for our young engineers. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Mr Arthur at deputy@sprowstonjunior.norfolk.sch.uk.

In a world exclusive, here are the team logos for: The Blazing Bulls, Racing Rhinos, Fire Breathing Dragons and Bouncing Baboons.

Little Riders Bike Training

We were delighted to welcome Jon from Little Riders back to school, who delivered bike training for children who are unable to ride a bike yet or who lack confidence on two wheels.

Some children were taking part for the second year, while for others it was their first time. Jon was very impressed with the excellent attitude shown by everyone, and it was wonderful to see so many children becoming more confident on two wheels as the sessions progressed.

We also had the opportunity to use some of our new school bikes, purchased last year through the Active Travel Grant.

A huge thank you to Jon for all his hard work, encouragement and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing our children continue to develop their cycling skills and confidence!

Safeguarding at Sprowston Junior

At Sprowston Junior School we are committed to supporting all of our children to do well. We will do everything we can to ensure our children are safeguarded and protected from harm. If you have any concerns about a child at our school and feel they could be a victim of abuse or are at risk, please report your worries immediately to one of our designated staff (DSLs). DSLs can be identified by their green lanyards.