WISPA (Writtle Infant School Parents’ Association)

WISPA is an active, friendly parents association and registered charity (number 1152512), raising money for additional resources at Writtle Infant School. Regular fundraising events include our Christmas Fayre, Summer Fete, school discos, sponsored activities, film clubs, movie nights, cake sales and treasure hunts. We also organise the annual leavers’ party for Year 2 children moving on to Junior School.

Last year WISPA raised approximately £7,900, which was spent on the following:

Snow White Christmas Pantomime
Christmas presents for all children
Incredible Eggs hatching duck eggs
Bug Club reading programme
Power Maths programme
Year 2 Leavers Gifts and Leavers Disco

This year WISPA has funded:

New reading areas for all classrooms
Christmas books from Santa for all children
Christmas Pantomime
Armistice Centenary Theatre Production
Internet Safety Activity Day
Year 2 Leavers Gifts and Leavers Disco
Donation to Health & Happiness Hub

If you’d like to help out at our events, or offer us your ideas, we’d love to hear from you. All parents are very welcome to attend our meetings, whether or not you wish to be an active committee member. We are incredibly grateful to anyone who can volunteer a little time to help. Please send us a message using the contact form on this page, get in touch via Facebook, or speak to the school office.

Other ways to help WISPA include:

Attending events / encouraging your child to attend and participate
Offering new fundraising ideas
Donating sweets, bottles and homemade or bought cakes for events
Wrapping presents / pre-event preparation
Sourcing raffle prizes
Match funding through your employers
Signing up for easyfundraising!

Easyfundraising

Please help support Writtle Infant School Parents Association by shopping online.

Use easyfundraising to shop with over 3,600 retailers including Amazon, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com, eBay, Boden, and M&S.

Every time you shop, you’ll raise a free donation for Writtle Infant School Parents Association every time, it’s that easy!

Find out more: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/writtleinfantschool/

Calendar

Academic Calendar (Term Dates) 2022-23
Foundation Stage Events List Download to your phone by clicking Export Events at the end of the list.
School Holidays/Non-Pupil Days List Download to your phone by clicking Export Events at the end of the list.
Whole School Events List Download to your phone by clicking Export Events at the end of the list.
Year 1 Events List Download to your phone by clicking Export Events at the end of the list.
Year 2 Events List Download to your phone by clicking Export Events at the end of the list.

Childcare

The Duckling Nursery (Ducklings) Ducklings is our on-site, privately run nursery, offering a daily breakfast club and after school childcare. Call Mrs. Homer on 07771 645270 for details.
YMCA Before and after school childcare, hosted at Writtle Junior School.

Communication

ParentMail The school's primary communication tool. Download the ParentMail app from the Google Play or AppStore.
Tapestry Online Learning Journal Our online learning journal for all Foundation Stage children.
WISPA Facebook page Get in touch with our Parents' Association, WISPA, via their Facebook page.

Community links

3PR Parking Initiative Presentation Presentation given to children on 28/02/19 on considerate parking
All Saints’ Church, Writtle Our local church, with whom we have close links.
Chelmsford Foodbank Chelmsford Foodbank provides emergency food to people in our local community in crisis. If you are struggling or know of others who may struggle, particularly over the half term period, please get in touch with Chelmsford Citizen’s Advice on 01245 205579 or the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service 0300 247 0014 who will be able to issue a voucher which can then be exchanged for food.
The Writtle Surgery Writtle GP surgery.
Writtle Parish Council Information, news and events for the village of Writtle.

Coronavirus/Covid-19

A Parent’s Guide to Promoting Early Learning and Development at Home (0 – 5 years) A useful document to help you support your child's learning at home, particularly during the pandemic.
NHS Handwashing video A child-friendly guide to washing your hands thoroughly.
Self-isolation and treatment Advice about staying at home (self-isolation) and treatment for you and anyone you live with.
Symptoms of Covid-19 Check the NHS list of coronavirus symptoms to see if you need to isolate/test.

E-safety

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) Report your concerns about online abuse.
Childnet A non-profit organisation helping to make the internet a great and safe place for children.
Children’s Commissioner A digital safety and wellbeing kit for parents, and a safety guide for children. The kit and guide have been designed to help ensure children are safe and their wellbeing is looked after while at home during the coronavirus outbreak – when their screen time maybe higher than usual.
Common Sense Media Movie, game and app reviews to help you decide if content is age appropriate.
Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) Guidance for parents and carers to help them understand online safety and exploitation generally.
Internet Matters Helping parents and carers keep their children safe online
Net Aware A joint initiative between O2 and the NSPCC. The website is full of information and advice for parents on the most popular social networks, apps and games used by children and young people.
NetSmartz Educational resource about Internet safety from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Parent Info A website offering expert safety advice, endorsed by the National Crime Agency’s CEOP command.
Parent Zone A website with a range of resources for families, including guides on digital platforms and trends.
The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) One of the UK's leading children's charities, the NSPCC has produced several guides to online safety
Thinkuknow Teaching 5-7 year old children how to use the internet safely
UK Safer Internet Centre Films, storybooks etc. to help children stay safe on the internet.

Foundation Stage

50 things to do before you’re 5 A lovely list of things to do with your child before they are 5 years old. Tick them off as you go!
A Parent’s Guide to Promoting Early Learning and Development at Home (0 – 5 years) A useful document to help you support your child's learning at home, particularly during the pandemic.
Am I ready for school? Helpful poster with tips on getting ready for school.
Foundation Stage Meeting Presentation 21.09.21
PACEY’s Steps to Starting School Top tips for your child so that they are confident, curious and ready to learn when they start school.
Recommended Reading: Foundation Stage Our list of recommended books for Foundation Stage children
Supporting your child’s speech, language and communication at home Webinar giving strategies to support children's language and communication skills.
Tapestry Online Learning Journal Our online learning journal for all Foundation Stage children.
The Road to School Lovely poster with a detailed road map to prepare your child for school.
TLC Essex TLC is an Essex campaign helping parents, carers and families give their young children the best start to life.
What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Fundraising

Amazon Smile Raise funds for charity while shopping on Amazon, at no cost to you.
Easyfundraising Shop online and raise money for our school!
WISPA Chair’s Report – AGM 2021
WISPA Facebook page Get in touch with our Parents' Association, WISPA, via their Facebook page.

Health & Wellbeing

A Parent’s Guide to Common Childhood Illnesses and Wellbeing Invaluable guide to common illnesses and whether or not to keep your child home from school.
Advice if you’re upset by the news CBBC Newsround's reassuring advice for children who might be affected by upsetting news stories.
Chelmsford Foodbank Chelmsford Foodbank provides emergency food to people in our local community in crisis. If you are struggling or know of others who may struggle, particularly over the half term period, please get in touch with Chelmsford Citizen’s Advice on 01245 205579 or the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service 0300 247 0014 who will be able to issue a voucher which can then be exchanged for food.
Healthy sleep tips for children NHS advice on establishing healthy sleep routines for children.
How much sleep do children need? NHS advice on the number of hours of sleep recommended for children.
Jump Start Jonny Aerobic work out videos for children. We use these in school and the children love them!
Mentally Healthy Schools An initiative from Heads Together – the mental health charity spearheaded by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The content is aimed at school teachers but there is useful information for parents too.
Once a week, take a peek Offers useful information for checking, treating and preventing headlice.
Supporting your child’s speech, language and communication at home Webinar giving strategies to support children's language and communication skills.
The Children’s Health Project We are a Children's Health Project Partner, as part of our vision to keep children active and healthy..
The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) One of the UK's leading children's charities, the NSPCC has produced several guides to online safety

Home Learning

Maths

Farmer Pete Number Bonds Song Year 1 loved this Farmer Pete song which helped them remember their number bonds to 10!
Hit the Button Brilliant for number bonds and times tables practice. Also available as an app.
Oxford Owl for Home Oxford Owl is packed with expert advice, top tips and activity ideas so you can help your child with reading and maths.
Rounding Numbers Song | Nearest 10 & 100 Rap NumberRock have some great maths videos which the Year 2 children have enjoyed in class. This one has a really helpful graphic at 2:25 to remind the children how to round numbers up or down.
Top Marks Maths Games Lots of fun maths games you can play at home. Some of our favourites are listed below.
Top Marks: Caterpillar Ordering Game An activity for ordering and sequencing numbers.
Top Marks: Place Value Charts Useful game for teaching children about place value (hundreds, tens and units)
Top Marks: Toy Shop Money Helps the children choose coins to pay the correct amount.

Ofsted

DfE Performance Table View our performance data and compare us to other schools
Ofsted Parent View Tell Ofsted what you think about our school
Ofsted Report – January 2018 Writtle Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection report, January 2018

Phonics

Articulation of Phonemes A useful video clip showing the correct 'pure' pronounciation of phonemes (units of sound).
Letters and Sounds Free printable resources for the Letters and Sounds phonics programme.
Mr Thorne Does Phonics Mr Thorne, British teacher, YouTuber and author creating online tutorials and apps teaching phonics and early reading skills.
Phonics Games Links to free online phonics games which can help your child to develop their phonics skills and knowledge of letter sounds.
PhonicsPlay A site packed with interactive phonics games, phonics planning, assessment ideas and many teaching ideas and resources to help children to learn to hear phonemes, recognise graphemes and develop the blending and segmenting skills that are vital for learning to read and spell.
Top Marks English Games Great practice for phonics and reading.

Reading

100 fiction books to read before leaving primary The 100 fiction books children should read before leaving primary, according to teachers!
Bug Club Online reading program for Years 1 & 2. Please login regularly to read your assigned books!
Common Exception Words for Year 2 These words do not follow the common phonetic spelling rules. Children are expected to read and spell these words by the end of Year 2.
ICT Games – Literacy Free educational literacy games aimed at children between 5 and 8 years old.
Oxford Owl for Home Oxford Owl is packed with expert advice, top tips and activity ideas so you can help your child with reading and maths.
Reading Strategies Prompt Sheet for Parents Use these strategies to help your child read effectively.
Recommended Reading: Foundation Stage Our list of recommended books for Foundation Stage children
Recommended Reading: Year 1 Our list of recommended books for Year 1 children
Recommended Reading: Year 2 Our list of recommended books for Year 2 children
Top Marks English Games Great practice for phonics and reading.
Vocabulary.com Vocabulary.com helps you learn new words, play games that improve your vocabulary, and explore language.

School improvement

Miquill Catering Our school meals caterer.
Miquill Welcome Letter Autumn 2021
School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme Details of the government scheme which provides children with a daily fruit or vegetable snack.
School Lunch Menu – Summer 2022
The School Food Plan Outlines the Department for Education's approach to food in schools – including standards for school meals and teaching about food and nutrition.

Writing

How we write our letters and numbers at Writtle Infant School. Correct formation of letters and numbers.

Year 1

Bug Club Online reading program for Years 1 & 2. Please login regularly to read your assigned books!
Recommended Reading: Year 1 Our list of recommended books for Year 1 children

Year 2

Bug Club Online reading program for Years 1 & 2. Please login regularly to read your assigned books!
Common Exception Words for Year 2 These words do not follow the common phonetic spelling rules. Children are expected to read and spell these words by the end of Year 2.
Getting Ready for Year 2
Key Stage 1 SATs video for parents Information for parents about the Key Stage 1 tests
Reading Strategies Prompt Sheet for Parents Use these strategies to help your child read effectively.
Recommended Reading: Year 2 Our list of recommended books for Year 2 children
Year 1 and 2 Common Exception Words

WISPA (Writtle Infant School Parents’ Association)

Contact WISPA

Links

Search the site