WBA EFL Kids Cup (26/11/25)

Team – Ruben, Anand, Aaron, Eren, Luke-Veer, Jovan, Arjan, Zayd and Isaac

Last Wednesday, nine Y5 and Y6 children represented Park Hall Junior Academy for the football team in the EFL Kids Cup at West Bromwich Albion’s Academy Dome. They were put into a group of 4 teams, joining St Martin's, Hall Green and Lodge, knowing that only the top team of the group would progress to the semi-finals.

 

Game 1 - St Martin's 0-0

The first game was against St Martin's and the boys got off to a good start with Jovan, Aaron and Luke-Veer controlling the midfield. Early on, Jovan went close but, despite the pressure, Park Hall found it hard to create any clear cut chances. In defence, Eren and Anand had very little to do until the last few minutes when the game began to open up a little bit and St Martin's almost took the lead only for a superb save by Ruben who dived a full length to tip the ball over the bar. Park Hall then nearly went up the other end to take the lead themselves as Luke picked out Isaac from a corner but his shot was well saved. Unfortunately, it ended 0-0 and althought they didn't know it at the time, it was this draw that would ultimately prevent them from winning the group.

Game 2 - Hall Green 0-0

Having just watched Hall Green beat Lodge comfortably 3-0 it was clear that this would be the hardest of the group stage games and they knew that really to have any chance to win the group they would need to win it. Overall, it was a close game but Park Hall had the better of it with Luke-Veer, Arjan and Isaac looking dangerous going forward but again, they found it hard to create any clear cut chances and Isaac went closest with a shot from the right. In defence and midfield, Jovan, Aaron and Zayd were brilliant at closing down some of their best players and they rarely troubled Anand, now in goal, with any shots. Just as it looked like the game was going to end goalless, Aaron created some room for himself, just inside their half, and rifled a fantastic shot that was destined for the top corner until a brilliant diving save from their keeper tipped the ball around the post. This was the last real chance and, disappointingly, it ended 0-0 when really they had deserved more.

Game 3 - Lodge 4-0

They went into the last group game knowing that only a win would give them a chance to progress and that it would still depend on the result of the last group game between St Martin's and Hall Green who had both amassed 4 points. They also knew that they would need to beat Lodge by more goals than Hall Green had so the message to the boys was to try and get more shots on goals. And they certainly did just that! From the kick-off, Park Hall put Lodge under lots of pressure and Aaron and Luke both got shots on goal but they were saved by their keeper. They kept trying to pass it around and create chances and eventually it paid off as Jovan swept in Aaron's cross with a good finish from the edge of the area. A short time later, Isaac put their defence and goalkeeper under pressure and was able to add a second. The boys now had the bit between their teeth and were desperate to do everything they could to win the league. Ruben, back in goal, was a spectator as Park Hall attacked again and again. The 3rd came with a lovely right-footed shot from Luke-Veer from the left hand side. This was shortly followed by another fantastic right-footed shot, this time from Aaron and Park Hall were suddenly 4-0, knowing that if the last game ended in a draw, they would top the league. Lodge never gave up and tried to attack and get a goal themselves but Zayd, Isaac, Jovan, Anand and Eren all defended bravely to see out the game. They had done it. It was now just a nervous wait for the last game to see if a draw would leave Park Hall top.

 

Unfortunately for the boys, Hall Green never really looked like not winning their last game. An early goal took the pressure off them and, although St Martin's kept looking for an equaliser, it never really looked likely and about 4 minutes from the end, Hall Green added a second to end Park Hall's hopes. Despite not winning the group, the boys can be super proud of themselves for remaining unbeaten and not even conceding a goal. The 4-0 win in the last game was a great reward for them and the boys all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The Grand Opening of the new path at Walsall Arboretum

We went to the grand opening of the new accessible path from the canal to the arboretum. It was really fun as we met lots of important people such as the Mayor of Walsall and Wendy Morton (Aldridge MP). We were the only school invited to the ceremony so we felt extremely lucky. We were amazed by the dedication and teamwork put into this project and we would love to do it again!

 

Getting ready for Spring? 

Arboretum Bulb Planting Event

Some of Year 6 had a fantastic morning at the Gallery Garden, in the Walsall Arboretum, planting daffodil and tulip bulbs ready for Spring. Arham, Muskeen, Liyana, Safa, Kabir, Abdul-Hadi, Shayaan, Esha and Prabhkirat not only did an amazing job at planting the bulbs, they also learnt about how the bulbs collect their nutrients through the roots and about a process called photosynthesis. We can't wait to go back to the Gallery Garden next year to see the flowers in bloom! Well done!

 

School Council

Autumn term has been busy for our council representatives.  After sharing a powerpoint to their classes about our local food bank, children worked hard behind the scenes collecting food and other essentials to help our local families.  They will soon be making their way to the Black Country Foodbank to meet Alan and see how it all works.  Well done to Mrs Bates and the School Council Team!

 

Venture Week - Year 6 September 2025

Friday

It has been a fantastic Venture with our Year 6 children.  The sun has continued to shine for our final few hours here.  For breakfast, children enjoyed a choice of toast with eggs or beans; or pancakes alongside cereals and yoghurts.

All groups are completing their last activity this morning before we meet up with our instructors to say a big thank you. 

After lunch, we will be heading back to school and you will receive a message with our estimated arrival time.  You can collect your child once we arrive home or you can collect at the usual time (or Treehouse, if booked in).

The children have been absolutely fantastic and have given everything a go - we are very proud of them.  A big thank you to our Park Hall staff who have looked after the children throughout and encouraged them to try new things.

Friday's photos will be added to the website next week alongside some additional kayaking photos.  Enjoy having your child back with you this weekend.

Thursday

Breakfast this morning was a choice of bacon, eggs, beans or vegetarian sausages with toast alongside yoghurt and granola, fruit and cereals.

It is a lovely autumn day again with the sun shining and a clear blue sky.  All the children have been enjoying a range of activities including archery and kayaking.  After a very busy day, they will certainly have an appetite for their evening meal.

The sun has shone all day and the children have enjoyed lots of exciting activities including kayaking, aerial trek, climbing, lazer tag, archery and aero ball. 

They have enjoyed a tasty lunch of tacos (pork or beans) or chicken/quorn nuggets with french fries or rice and steamed vegetables or salad. We are now getting ready for tea and our evening activity- nocturnal safari! 

Please do not worry if you cannot see your child completing a certain activity. We have yet to upload all photos from today and each group has one more activity tomorrow. 

For tea tonight, there was a choice of kung pao chicken/tofu with rice or sausages (pork, chicken or vegan) with mashed potato, Yorkshire pudding, peas and gravy. For pudding, there was a scrumptious jam doughnut. 

The temperature started to drop after our meal and the children got cosy in their warm clothes and coats for the nocturnal safari. They had the chance to hunt for insects and frogs around the site using torches which they loved! We also had the chance to star gaze and could not believe how many stars we saw- we even saw Saturn! 

Children are now packing up and getting ready for bed. They are very sleepy and ready for a rest! We have an early breakfast tomorrow and then our final main activity before some activities with our instructors. They are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and telling you about their trip!

 

Wednesday 

The children have arrived safely and enjoyed eating their lunch in the beautiful sunshine!  It has been a glorious warm autumn sunny afternoon for them.  They have moved into their dormitory and have been having a tour of the site to familiarise themselves.  Their first activity has started and they will be enjoying their dinner early evening.

Children have enjoyed a delicious tea of pizza, chicken or paneer with potato wedges or rice. The children's favourite part was the chocolate ice-cream for pudding! They have all completed their first activity and have a busy day ahead tomorrow. After dinner, we took part in mini-olympics where the children competed in their groups. They competed in javelin, shot-put and running races. 

It has been a lovely day and we are looking forward to tomorrow. 

Here are some photos from Wednesday's activities.

 

Parent Information for Residential Sept 2025