Newsletters

Friday 3rd October, 2025

Dear Parents & Carers

Thank you for supporting the author's visit so well this week. It has been lovely seeing the children reading and enjoying P G Bell's latest book; we really enjoy inviting authors into school and hearing about their writing journey. 

Thank you also, if you were able to come along to the Macmillan coffee morning last week. We hope to hold some more coffee mornings during the school year. 

At the Friends' AGM last Friday, we discussed a range of fund-raising events during the year which I'm sure the children will enjoy. The first one of which will be coming along in November with the return of Disco Bingo!

The term continues at pace and we've been pleased with the attendance so far. This week has seen a slight dip due to there being quite a bit of illness around. If your child is feeling slightly under the weather, we will always encourage you to send your child to school, and we will always contact you if your child needs to go home. 

Year 6 have been out on two school trips this week – please have a read below. It was lovely to hear about how much they enjoyed them and that the children represented the school well. 

A big well done to the football team for their win last night. It was our first sporting fixture of the season and we look forward to many more as the school year continues. 

Next week, we have our school photos on Wednesday and we look forward to an enjoyable 'Olly Day Road Safety Show' on Thursday. We finish the week hosting a cross country race for Norwich schools on Friday. 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Kind regards

Matt Walton, Headteacher

School Library

Do you have a few hours a week free to help? We need help with keeping our library running well and would love to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer. No amount of time is too small, so if you can help, even for an hour a week, please get in touch! Please speak to a member of staff or contact the office.

Parent Readers

We are always on the look out for any parents who would like to come into school to hear children read. If you enjoy supporting children with reading and would like to help, please get in contact with the school office or a member of staff and we will get back to you. 

Salhouse go back in time!

As part of their first history unit in the Autumn term (The Tudors), Year 6 visited Kentwell Hall in Suffolk to take part in the interactive Michaelmas Tudor experience.

This visit provided a fantastic opportunity to bring the period to life in a hands-on and memorable way. It was a unique and immersive experience where children stepped back almost 500 years to experience everyday life in 16th century England.

Throughout the day, they explored the manor and grounds where over 250 skilled Living Historians recreated the sights, sounds and smells of Tudor Suffolk. Children met the people of a Tudor manor, discovered how they lived, what they ate, how they dressed, and what they did for work and leisure. 

Everyone had an amazing time - here's what some of the children thought about the day...

"I enjoyed looking at the kitchens and the way they made bread. I felt like a real Tudor!" Zariya

"I enjoyed the dancing because it was very, very fun!" Lewis

"It was an amazing experience," Bia

"I enjoyed the room where there was a mural on the ceiling because we were in the hall in the painting!" Grace

"I liked seeing all the animals," Ben S

Salhouse takes over Pizza Express!

Not content with one trip in a week, Salhouse packed in another with an exciting trip to Pizza Express at The Forum the following day.

This special visit gave the children a hands-on experience of cooking, learning about fresh ingredients, and, of course, making their very own authentic Italian pizza!

Pizza Express has been running these school workshops since 1999, transforming their kitchens into classrooms more than 25,000 times. The sessions are designed to be both educational and fun, giving children the chance to explore good food and healthy ingredients in a lively and engaging way.

Salhouse had a great time at Pizza Express, and had an even better time eating their creations when they got back to school!

A big thank you to everyone at Pizza Express Norwich for hosting Salhouse and making it such an enjoyable trip.

The Great Sprowston Bake Off! (Friday 24th October)

Do you enjoy baking?

Have you got what it takes to be Sprowston’s top baker?

Then let us introduce the Great Sprowston Bake Off!

Salhouse will be hosting a Halloween-themed Great Sprowston Bake Off on Friday 24th Oct.

Entries are open to any member of the Sprowston Junior School community as we try to find the best sweet and the best savoury bakers.

To enter, simply bring your bake (and the Bake Off entry form) to school on the morning of Friday 24th Oct and deliver it to the school hall. Our VIP judges will peruse the bakes and the winners will be announced in a special celebration assembly that morning.

All bakes will be for sale during the day and after school on the same day, with some of the funds raised going towards Salhouse trips this term.

Please note, all entries must be nut-free.

Will you be crowned this year’s Great Sprowston Bake Off Champion?

European Day of Languages (Friday 26th September)

Last Friday, our school celebrated the European Day of Languages. The day gave us the chance to explore the richness of different languages and cultures across Europe – and everyone joined in with enthusiasm!

Classes enjoyed listening to stories from around the continent, learning new words and phrases in a variety of languages. Children had great fun practising their greetings, playing language games, singing songs, and discovering fascinating traditions from other countries.

The day was not only lots of fun, but it also helped us understand the importance of celebrating diversity and being curious about the wider world. It reminded us that learning another language can open the door to new friendships, adventures and opportunities.

Thank you to all the staff and pupils who made the day so memorable – and well done to everyone for embracing the challenge of trying something new!

Best-selling Author visit - P.G Bell (Wednesday 1st October)

This week, we were delighted to welcome author P.G. Bell to our school. P.G. Bell is best known for his thrilling new mystery adventure, The Big Bad Wolf Murder, which has already captured the imaginations of children across the country.

During his visit, P.G. Bell spoke to the children about how he creates his characters, builds tension in his stories, and where his inspiration comes from. He also answered lots of excellent questions from the children, who were fascinated to learn more about the world of writing and publishing.

The highlight for many was hearing P.G. Bell read aloud from The Big Bad Wolf Murder, bringing Ruby and the wolves vividly to life. His passion for storytelling shone through, and he left our budding writers feeling excited to put their own ideas onto paper.

We are so grateful to P.G. Bell for visiting us and sharing his love of books. Who knows – his words might have just inspired the next generation of authors in our school!

Thanks to the Norfolk Children's Book Centre for helping to arrange this visit. 

We are pleased that the Clubhouse is now open and the feedback from the children has been very positive. 

If you would like to use the Clubhouse, please get in touch with the school office and fill in a booking form. The office will also be able to answer any further questions you may have.

We can take short term bookings, as well as longer term bookings. Prices are broken down with different payment options after school, depending on the length of the session. 

Marvellous Me

We are hoping that all the issues have now been resolved. If you haven't signed up yet, please do so. Speak to your child's class teacher if you need another joining code, or simply email the school office.  

Ship visits to the building site & Sprowston library

The SHIP children really enjoyed their visit to see how the building work was going for the new SHIP building.  Oliver from Munnings  organised a super visit for them and they were all issued with a hard hat and high-vis jacket to make sure they were all safe on site. They hope to visit again as the build continues. 

The SHIP also enjoyed their visit to the local library to meet the staff there and to see all the wonderful books available. The children enjoyed looking at the books and finding out all about the library. 

The SHIP would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Alexander for her kind donation of waterproofs for all the children as modelled below in some not very nice weather today!