Portland wins nature prize in nationwide competition
Published 27/02/25
Co-op Academy Portland was one of just 25 schools across the UK to win the Nature Prize, run by Let's Go Zero and the OVO Foundation.
News and Letters
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Weekly Newsletter 14-02-25
Published 14/02/25Reward News
Today, this fantastic group earned Golden Tickets from their teachers, presented in assembly by Mr. Jenkins and proudly shown here with Mrs. Shannon. 🌟 We're loving our new Golden Tickets and all the fun perks that come with them – first in line, choosing when to have lunch, and trampolining on Friday! Definitely well worth winning! 🌟 Congratulations to everyone! 👏👏👏
New Face
This week Mrs Shannon welcomed Miss Nina to #TeamPortland. She will be one of the faces you will see in our office.
She has settled in brilliantly - welcome to the team. 
This week at Co-op Academy Portland
Year 1 Explores Attitude and Gratitude with My Happy Mind!
Mrs. Patrick was thrilled to see Year 1 diving into the 'Attitude and Gratitude' module of My Happy Mind. 😊 They explored the power of a positive mental attitude, how our brains respond to positivity, and how we can be thankful for the little things in life. 😊 P was overjoyed when her certificate arrived at Beehive today and couldn’t wait to share the good news. Thank you, Mrs. Patrick.
Year 4 Girls Shine at Tag-Rugby Rave with DJ and UV Lights!
Tag-Rugby Rave 🪩
🏈 Our Year 4 Girls Tag-Rugby Team had an amazing afternoon at Birkenhead Park School!
🕺 We practiced our passing, evading, and invading skills from PE lessons and enrichment club.
🎸 The live DJ and UV lights were a real highlight, adding even more energy to the event! A huge thanks to Mr. Jenkins for capturing the action with some fantastic photos.
Year 4 Teams Shine at Dodgeball Event with Teamwork and Fun!
Today, Year 4 students from Hillside, Co-op Academy Portland, and Co-op Academy Woodslee took part in an exciting dodgeball event at Co-op Academy Bebington. They demonstrated excellent teamwork, supported one another, and most importantly, had an amazing time! Just look at all those well-earned medals!
Year 3 Explores the History of Valentine’s Day with Mrs. Barnes
💖 Year 3 kicked off Valentine’s Day celebrations this morning with Mrs. Barnes.
💖 They explored the history behind the day and discovered why we continue to celebrate it today.
Apple Class Builds and Lights Up Their Amazing Igloos!
This term, 🍏 Apple Class has been working incredibly hard on their class project.
❄️ Together, we carefully built three igloos! We started by covering balloons with layers of tissue and glue. Once dry, we popped the balloons, leaving behind our igloos, and then cut doors into them.
❄️ Next, we created the bases by ripping and gluing tissue paper onto boxes.
❄️ Miss Charlesworth carefully used the hot glue gun to attach the igloos to their bases.
❄️ We added lights inside and, when we turned the lights off, we watched our igloos glow!
❄️ We were all so proud of our creations and even invited some teachers to see our amazing work!
👏👏👏 Well done, Apple Class!
STEM Club’s Slingshot Challenge: A Thrilling Final Session!
A fantastic final session with Mr. Ogilvie’s STEM club!
✏️ The students used elastic bands to create slingshots and competed to see who could launch their pen lid the furthest. ☄️🧨
Pupil Parliament Launches First Campaign for School Reading Shed!
Pupil Parliament embarked on their first campaign today.They made some posters to convince others to vote for our school reading shed at the Stronger Starts campaign.They also were given Co-op Young Leader Badges. Miss Wiggins and Miss Lewis were very impressed with their maturity, enthusiasm and commitment to their roles!
Community News
Farewell Ray: A Heartfelt Goodbye and Best Wishes for the Future!
Today, we said a heartfelt goodbye to Ray. He had a special assembly where the children sang 'You’ll Never Walk Alone,' and a few of us even shed a tear!
♥️ We’ll miss so many things about Ray and wish him all the best in his new job – but we’re pretty sure they won’t love him as much as we do!
♥️ Good luck in your new role, Ray Murphy. You’ll be missed!
Would you like to be a parent governor?
This week, we had National School Governors Awareness Day. School governors are the largest group of volunteers in Great Britain.
Mrs Smith is our staff governor, she's in her 2nd year of her 4-year post and really enjoys this role.We are looking for two parents and/or carers to fulfil our parent roles, so if you are interested please find Mrs Smith and she can help you with everything you need and answer any questions you may have.Baby News
Our lovely Ceri had her gender reveal and:
Year 3 Superstar Brightens Valentine’s Day with Sweet Treats!
🩷 This little superstar from Year 3 brightened Mr. Leathers' day with a delicious homemade sweet treat for Valentine's Day.
🩵 She kindly shared them with several staff members, and they were absolutely divine!
💚 Thank you for spreading joy and making every day a little brighter!
Support our “Ride and Rant” for Wirral Mind!
We did it!
Staff from all three Wirral Primary Academies completed our sponsored Spinathon yesterday! We managed to spin the combined distance of 1474 miles! (Helped along by Hillside pupils on Friday afternoon). This is same amount of miles from Wirral to Naples in Southern Italy! A huge thank you to our communities and families for their support and donations. We have raised a huge £1347 for Wirral Mind . We are so proud to be able to raise awareness and much needed funds for such a worthy cause. There is still time to donate! Here’s the link -
Team Portland's Valentine's Disco Raises £600 for the Community Fund!
A huge thank you to ALL of #TeamPortland for supporting our #Valentine discos today.Mrs Hall and Mrs Smith work so hard get everything together - but with Miss Barr and Miss Marl on the decks, Ray setting up and pretty much everyone else helping it - it was a gorgeous event.So with their help and YOUR support together we raised around £600. This money will go into the Communuty Fund to support school trips, visitors and events to minimise the cost of these things for all our families.#
CommunityMatters
Dates for your Diary
February
Friday 7th- school Spinathon
Saturday 8th- Staff Spinathon (donations to Wirral Mind via Go Fund me)
Wed 12th - Valentines Disco
Friday 14th- school closes for half term
Monday 24th- school reopens
March
Thursday 6th- World Book Day
Friday 25th- World Down Syndrome Awareness day
REWARDS
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families. At Co-op Academy Portland, we will do all we can to support your family and ensure our academy is safe, calm and a supportive environment for your child. Let’s celebrate everyone’s success together.
Class
Attendance
Year 1
86.67% 
Year 2
92.96% Year 3
96.55% Year 4
94.58% Year 5
90.97% Year 6
94% "Congratulations to Year 3 for the highest attendance this week!"
How can I improve my children’s attendance?
Follow NHS advice for any mild illnesses.
Promote good hand hygiene with your children.
Liaise with the Early Help team who will support you as a family.
Speak to your child’s teacher as a collaborative approach is essential
Noticeboard
If your child is absent from school, you must inform the school office by 9am of the reason for absence.
If any of your contact details have changed or you arent receiving communications, pop into the office and we can make sure everything is up-to-date!
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Wirral Co-op Academies Unite To Raise Over £1500 for Local Mental Health Charity
Published 14/02/25Teachers and support staff Co-op Academy Hillside, Co-op Academy Woodslee and Co-op Academy Portland joined forces for a non-stop spinathon on Saturday 8th February. Together, they cycled for 1474 miles - the same distance as cycling to Naples!
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Weekly Newsletter 07-02-25
Published 07/02/25Reward News
Congratulations to our first round of Golden Ticket winners.
We are so proud of you!They will be awarded a Golden Sash to wear with pride and enjoy a range of privileges during the week - ending on a Friday with a trampolining trip or
An end of term drinks/snacks/games treat with Mr Leathers for those in EYFS 
Our Little Bees Shine at the #SpellingBee2025!
Wow!!! Today, this incredible trio traveled to Angel Square in Manchester to represent our academy at the Trust’s annual #SpellingBee2025. 🐝 A huge congratulations to #TeamMedlock for their victory, but we couldn’t be prouder of our little bees! Representing our school is a key part of our #Portland50 – well done for being both brave and brilliant! 🐝
This week at Co-op Academy Portland
F2 Stay & Play
🙂 F2 hosted Stay and Play for our parents and carers today, even on one of #TeamPortland’s busiest days!
🙂 A big thank you to everyone who stayed and joined in.
NSCC Numbers Day
Today, children and staff have been celebrating numbers and showing our love of maths by dressing for digits as part of #NSPCCNumberDay.
Maple Class explore the local library
📚 Maple Class had a wonderful visit to our local library at the St. James Centre this afternoon. 🪪 We activated our class library card, and every child took a book home!
🎓 A big thank you to Diane, the librarian, for teaching us how to find books using book plates and the Dewey Decimal System!
👏 The staff at the centre were impressed by our children's exceptional behaviour in the community
.
Beehive’s Heartwarming Visit to Oxton Grange Care Home
🩵💙🩵 As part of our Intergenerational Program, Beehive and friends visited @OxtonGrange care home today.
💙🩵💙 We had a wonderful time learning more about our friends there, discovering their likes, and having meaningful chats with their relatives.
🩵💙🩵 We got creative with Valentine’s-inspired art, enjoyed parachute games, and absolutely loved playing pass the balloon! (Stay tuned for some videos!)
💙🩵💙 A big thank you to Mrs. Smith, Miss Smith, and Mr. Leathers for making these visits happen regularly.
🩵💙🩵 It’s such a privilege to spend time with everyone at Oxton Grange, and this has quickly become the monthly trip everyone looks forward to!"
Maple Class Celebrates Chinese New Year with Dragon Dances
Maple Class had a fantastic time celebrating Chinese New Year!
🐲 They explored the story behind the celebration and learned about modern-day festivities.
🐲 The children loved watching the dragon dances and had fun mimicking the movements themselves!
Community News
Miss Lewis Leads the Way for #TimeToTalk at #TeamPortland
A huge thank you to Miss Lewis, our Community Pioneer, for all her hard work today, ensuring every class and staff member was informed about today’s #TimeToTalk event. She emphasized the importance of speaking up—whether it's with friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, or professionals.
😍 Even though Miss Lewis is with us only on Fridays, she’s an invaluable asset to #TeamPortland. Mrs. Smith has truly enjoyed planning events and collaborating with her—they make the perfect team. #SucceedTogether 🩵
Support our “Ride and Rant” for Wirral Mind!
This Time to Talk Day, Co-op Academy Hillside, Portland and Woodslee are going all out to support mental health awareness with our “Ride and Rant” spinathon!
On Saturday, 8th February, a group of us will cycle non-stop for 6 hours at Bidston Council Gym to raise funds for Wirral Mind, an incredible charity supporting mental health in our community.The event kicks off with spin classes led by our fabulous school staff, followed by a team effort to keep the wheels turning. Together, we’ll tag-team to ensure at least one bike is spinning at all times and tally up our miles to see how far we can go.Exercise is a fantastic way to boost mental wellbeing, and this event is all about getting people moving, talking and supporting a cause that makes a real difference.Please donate to help us reach our goal and support Wirral Mind in their vital work. Every pound raised will help provide mental health resources and support to those who need it most.
Let’s cycle, chat, and make a difference together. Thank you for your generosity!
Here’s the link -
Dates for your Diary
February
Friday 7th- school Spinathon
Saturday 8th- Staff Spinathon (donations to Wirral Mind via Go Fund me)
Wed 12th - Valentines Disco
Friday 14th- school closes for half term
Monday 24th- school reopens
March
Thursday 6th- World Book Day
Friday 25th- World Down Syndrome Awareness day
REWARDS
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families. At Co-op Academy Portland, we will do all we can to support your family and ensure our academy is safe, calm and a supportive environment for your child. Let’s celebrate everyone’s success together.
Class
Attendance
Year 1
92% Year 2
97.78% Year 3
93.79% Year 4
95.42% Year 5
96.13% Year 6
92% "Congratulations to Year 2 for the highest attendance this week!"
How can I improve my children’s attendance?
Follow NHS advice for any mild illnesses.
Promote good hand hygiene with your children.
Liaise with the Early Help team who will support you as a family.
Speak to your child’s teacher as a collaborative approach is essential
Noticeboard
If your child is absent from school, you must inform the school office by 9am of the reason for absence.
You will meet our newest member of the office team Nina. Please give her a great big Portland welcome!
Another fabulous opportunity to join our Coop family. We have an Academy Club Coordinator, would this be something you’re interested in?
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Time to Talk - Its time to share!
Published 06/02/25
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Weekly Newsletter 31-01-25
Published 31/01/25Reward News
Congratulations to our first round of Golden Ticket winners.
We are so proud of you!We have updated our weekly celebration assembly and each class will now have a Golden Ticket winner.They will be awarded a Golden Sash to wear with pride and enjoy a range of privileges during the week - ending on a Friday with a trampolining trip!
We absolutely loved our first trampolining treat with our friends from CoopAcademy Woodslee and Co-op Academy Hillside.
We cannot wait to come together again next week with our next set of golden ticket winners!
This week at Co-op Academy Portland
A huge thank you to our Beehive parents for attending our meeting this week - it was so useful to listen to your questions - #ParentsVoicesMatter
Superstar
Huge well done to this little one who impressed her mum by practising her gymnastics skills that she has been learning outside of school.
Thanks for sharing the picture Toni - we love seeing what our children do outside of school.
Well done C we are proud of you 
Eco Club Kicks Off the Year with a Big Litter Pick!
🌳🚮 Eco Club is Back and Better Than Ever!
Our first litter pick of the year kicked off right in our own playground, and the Eco Club wasted no time diving in! We collected two big bags of rubbish from the depths of the playground.
Miss Barr & Miss Charlesworth are incredibly impressed with the Eco Club’s dedication and the fantastic job they’ve done! 🌟
Year 3 Gets Hands-On with Flower Dissections in Science! 🌸🔬
Year 3 was completely engrossed in their science lesson yesterday! 🌸 They dissected flowers and used complex vocabulary to label each part.
A big thank you to Miss Wiggins for sharing these amazing pictures! 🥰
Beehive Rewrites a Story: Their Version is Even Better! 🐝📖
Today, Beehive worked together to create a story! Each student chose a section they enjoyed and rewrote it in their own words. 🐝 We think their version is even better than the original!
Community News
Celebrating Mrs. Shaw: 15 Years of Dedication and Support at Portland! ⭐️👏
Mrs Shaw received her long service award.
She has worked at Portland for just over 15 years. She has had many roles but you will currently find her supporting the Key stage 2 classes, mentoring children and providing 1 to 1 support.Mrs Shaw is a fantastic asset within #TeamPortland and a brilliant colleague too.Thank you for your hard work and dedication Mrs Shaw. We really appreciate you.
Support our “Ride and Rant” for Wirral Mind!
This Time to Talk Day, Co-op Academy Hillside, Portland and Woodslee are going all out to support mental health awareness with our “Ride and Rant” spinathon!On Saturday, 8th February, a group of us will cycle non-stop for 6 hours at Bidston Council Gym to raise funds for Wirral Mind, an incredible charity supporting mental health in our community.The event kicks off with spin classes led by our fabulous school staff, followed by a team effort to keep the wheels turning. Together, we’ll tag-team to ensure at least one bike is spinning at all times and tally up our miles to see how far we can go.Exercise is a fantastic way to boost mental wellbeing, and this event is all about getting people moving, talking and supporting a cause that makes a real difference.Please donate to help us reach our goal and support Wirral Mind in their vital work. Every pound raised will help provide mental health resources and support to those who need it most.
Let’s cycle, chat, and make a difference together. Thank you for your generosity!
Here’s the link -
Dates for your Diary
January
Stay tuned for all the latest updates on our social media
March
Thursday 6th- World Book Day
Friday 25th- World Down Syndrome Awareness day
February
Friday 7th- school Spinathon
Saturday 8th- Staff Spinathon (donations to Wirral Mind via Go Fund me)
Friday 14th- school closes for half term
Monday 24th- school reopens
REWARDS
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families. At Co-op Academy Portland, we will do all we can to support your family and ensure our academy is safe, calm and a supportive environment for your child. Let’s celebrate everyone’s success together.
Class
Attendance
Year 1
97.33% Year 2
88.15% Year 3
93.62% Year 4
97.41% Year 5
89.68% Year 6
93% "Congratulations to Year 4 for the highest attendance this week!"
How can I improve my children’s attendance?
Follow NHS advice for any mild illnesses.
Promote good hand hygiene with your children.
Liaise with the Early Help team who will support you as a family.
Speak to your child’s teacher as a collaborative approach is essential
Noticeboard
Another fabulous opportunity to join our Woodslee family. We have a casual minibus driver job vacancy across all three primaries, would this be something you’re interested in?
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HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR
Published 29/01/25
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Weekly Newsletter 24-01-25
Published 24/01/25Welcome to this week's newsletter
The first one in our new format, and we hope that you love it. Even better, you can now use the map button at the top right of the page to translate.
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Halloween Discos and Fireworks Fright Night
Published 08/11/24Our spectacular autumn celebrations!
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Bringing Smiles Across Generations: Students Share Special Moments with Care Home Residents
Published 09/10/24Beehive class have been visiting Oxton Grange care home in an intergenerational exchange. The pupils have loved chatting to and reading with the residents.
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Polly the Reading Dog at Portland
Published 28/08/24Therapy Dogs Nationwide provides therapy dogs and volunteers through their scheme "Paws and Read". This scheme allows children to read to a therapy dog. These dogs are gentle, non-judgemental, attentive and the perfect listeners. This scheme can help with self-esteem and behavioural problems, plus teaching children how to behave with dogs appropriately, and it also teaches them basic dog safety skills.
Polly the Reading Dog and her owner, Michael, have been visiting Portland and reading, in Years 1 and 2, during both the spring and summer terms.
Therapy Dogs Nationwide provide assessed and trained dogs for therapy visits to hospitals, nursing homes and other places, as well as the "Paws to Read" scheme in schools. https://tnd.og.uk/schools-2
Year 1 children told Miss Munnerley, our English/Reading Lead, that they love reading with Polly "as she's a good listener". Mrs Smith, their class teacher, said that 23 out of 26 children loved reading with Polly and looked forward to her weekly visits.
Deborah Zaher, Regional Community Development Manager, who organised for Polly and Michael to visit Portland said, "Reading to a friendly and calm therapy dog helps children to feel more confident about their reading, as they know that whatever they say Polly will listen and not correct them, happily accepting and listening to them. The pressure to read things correctly is taken off the children, and they feel more at ease. We are extremely grateful to Polly, Michael and Therapy Dogs Nationwide for this wonderful opportunity."
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Year 1 Visit The Loud Library
Published 17/07/24In July 2024, Year 1 pupils went on a special trip to the Loud Library at North Birkenhead Development Trust - St James Centre.