Full Steam Ahead
Rain Fails To Dampen Nursery Children’s Spirits
Although the weather has been extremely changeable this week, the children have all enjoyed the outdoors immensely come rain or shine. We embrace all the elements, and even this week’s biggest downpours couldn’t dampen the children’s spirits or stop their joy of learning. When it rains, on go the waterproofs and off they go to explore! From putting their heads under torrents of water cascading from the roof to making mud pies in their new mud pit and mud kitchen, nothing was going to stop them having fun. Then the sun came out to play and the children enjoyed showing the new Nursery children our stunning grounds while topping up their levels of Vitamin D. Basking in the autumn sunshine, the eager children headed out across the playing fields looking out for things that started with our sound of the week, ‘A’. Plenty of time was spent building sandcastles, playing tag, and even hide and seek in the long grass. While building Buckingham Palace sandcastles in honour of the Queen, the talk from some of our children turned to the sad death of our monarch. The children showed an incredible amount of empathy and sat with the teachers reflecting on the things they had learnt from their parents. When we returned to the classroom, some of the children wanted to make flags like the ones they had seen on the news. We talked about how the Queen’s passing made them feel and they shared their feelings with us. We are so proud to have such caring children in our community.
Kerry Chapman, Nursery Teacher
Reception Reap The Fruit Of Their Labours
This week, come rain or shine, our young learners in Reception have enthusiastically enjoyed our beautiful grounds. Whether it was measuring the biggest splash in muddy puddles, designing plank bridges to cross standing water, picking delicious blackberries in hedgerows or learning to whistle using an acorn cup, the children embraced the weather while working collaboratively and getting to know one another a little better. The children have been delighted to see each other again after the long summer holidays and new friendships have been forged too. Walking and talking is a well-known way to encourage conversation and it has been wonderful to hear the buzz of children chatting happily together, thereby helping one another to settle into new routines and overcome any anxious moments. They continue to develop tolerance and respect for others and for their environment while in Reception and are becoming increasingly independent. Back in the classroom, the children discussed and planned what they could do with the blackberries they had picked on their walk. After discovering there weren’t many left in the bowl – there were many purple mouths – they decided to mix them with apples in order to make the fruit go a little bit further. So the children got to work, developing their fine motor skills and demonstrating their ability to persevere by carefully peeling, chopping and mixing the ingredients. The highlight at the end of the week was tasting their delicious creation. And the outcome? There were thumbs up all round!
Rosie Snagge, Reception Teacher
Eager Year 1 Explore New Areas Of Learning
We have had a spectacular second week of the Autumn Term in Year 1. As always, the week was a delightful mix of adventure, challenge and fun. The children particularly enjoyed exploring and continuing their learning in new areas. Firstly, the children got busy with continuous provision, which is focused on child-initiated learning and enables all three Year 1 classes to come together, before turning their attention to new topics, not least sewing and science. Wonderful collaboration and rich discussions have been heard around the beebots and the reconstruction of a small model body. Armed with interesting questions, the children have once again displayed their inquisitive natures to impressive effect. In science, the magnets link nicely to our current topic, which is materials. The children have immersed themselves in this and it has provided the basis for conversations around properties of materials. Sewing, meanwhile, encourages tremendous patience, prior planning and fine motor skills. Despite never having sewn before, many of the children took to this discipline like a duck to water and have clearly found a new interest or hobby. Away from the classroom, the grounds have been fully explored during our Forest School sessions and bug hunting reached a high with the surprise discovery of a toad. As always, our fun-filled and diverse week has provided the foundation for new, and old, friendships to blossom and, once again, we have not been defeated by the weather!
Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher
Wonderful Sense Of Togetherness Evident In Year 2
Year 2 are developing into a kind and collaborative group of reflective learners, always keen to turn to a ‘talk partner’ to share ideas or listen and work together. We have seen this inside and outside the classroom. Curious to learn how to make a stretcher in Forest School, the children quickly offered to work together to help carry all of the equipment we needed. The children worked in pairs to carry the big, heavy buckets full of waterproof jackets and supported each other to carefully drag long branches across the playground, over the field and into the woods. There was much chatter on the walk and many creative suggestions about how we might be using the equipment we were carrying. It was wonderful to see the children listen intently to the ideas of others and then discuss the merits of each idea. Once we arrived at Forest School, Mr Millsom explained how the children would use the red waterproofs and the sticks to build the stretchers. The task was a little tricky and took some time and care, but their perseverance was rewarded when each child had a well-deserved rest and a giggle on a stretcher.
Kathleen Salusbury, Year 2 Class Teacher
Intrepid Year 3 Dig Deep To Tackle Brookham Caves
Year 3 have always liked a challenge and this year’s group of children have certainly raised the bar! For our ‘Exploration’ topic hook, Year 3 had the opportunity to explore the Brookham Caves, tunnelling under the ground and overcoming their fears of darkness, insects and so much more. The children made a collective decision that they would help one another to overcome their fears and I am proud to say that everyone had a go. Tunnelling was hard to top but meeting Nick Carter, the adventurer, has helped everyone to realise that they can do anything they set their mind to. After a fantastic insight into the life of a perennial explorer, the children now feel confident that they know how to get an adventure started: first, dream; second: plan; third: go for it! What a tremendous and exciting start to the term.
Stephanie Turner, Year 3 Class Teacher
Year 4 Step Back In Time To Wartime Era
During the Autumn Term, Year 4 have been learning all about the Second World War. Early in the term, the children collated a timeline made up of key dates which spanned the first few years of the war and which had been mixed up ready for the children to sort. As an extra challenge, they then researched further important dates and facts and discussed, in groups, which should be included in their wartime timeline. It followed a factfinding session where the children worked together in groups to ascertain what Year 4 already knew about the 1939-45 conflict. From that, the children drew up a list of interesting questions about the war and how people’s lives changed because of it.
Louise Doven, Year 4 Class Teacher
Year 5 Open With A Win, A Draw And A Defeat
On a delightfully warm September afternoon, the U10A boys’ team took on the mighty Amesbury. Highfield started well, moving the ball effectively from left to right which resulted in several early shots on target, with Rupert E seeing his brilliant attempt acrobatically saved by the Amesbury goalkeeper. The went into half time goalless having played good football but lacking composure in front of goal. The second half began in a similar vein until Henry M broke the deadlock when he managed to glance the ball home at the near post from a corner. Highfield continued to have the lion’s share of possession, although home goalkeeper Gus R was forced to make a good save to keep his side in front. In the face of Highfield’s continual threats, Amesbury tightened up at the back before a long kick from the visiting goalkeeper caught Highfield napping and the visitors grabbed a share of the spoils in the dying minutes. A positive start from all the players and we look forward to the next game.
Richard Dunn, U10A Football Coach
The U10Bs had a challenging start to the new season against a well-drilled and clinical Amesbury team. The visitors raced into a 3-0 lead before a goal just before half-term from Alexander O gave Highfield hope of a comeback. In the second half, Highfield were buoyed by the return of Toby W (whose shinpads had finally turned up) and duly pinned Amesbury back deep inside their own half. But Amesbury’s stoic defence stood firm and they scored twice more on the counterattack to seal a 5-1 win. Despite the defeat, there were many positives to take away as Highfield look to bounce back in their next match.
Ed Elgood, U10B Football Coach
The U10C team made a brilliant start against their opponents from Amesbury, romping into a commanding 3-0 lead by half-time. The visitors roared back in the second half to level the match at 3-3 as Highfield wobbled, but a rocket into the bottom corner from Olu restored Highfield’s lead. Determined to get something from the game, Amesbury turned up the heat late on but found goalkeeper Rex in inspired form while Felix marshalled the defence brilliantly to seal the win.
Joe Tebbutt, U10C Football Coach
Safety First As Year 6 Tackle Game Design
Year 6 will be creating a ‘steady-hand game’ in DT this term where the player must steer a hook around a convoluted wire shape from one side of the board to the other without setting off a buzzer by touching the wire. As a result, they will be exploring electronic circuits, acrylic plastic, wood joinery and computer-aided design throughout the project. But before that particular project could get under way, the children had to understand the importance of health and safety in any project, especially the safe use of soldering irons, which will be used in the manufacture of the game. They also worked on developing ideas for their game shape.
Jamie Dew, Head of DT
Year 7 Attention Turns To House Poetry Competition
Along with the rest of the school, Year 7 have been busy carefully selecting poems to recite for the highly-anticipated house poetry competition, which takes place on 14th October. Each child in the school chooses a poem to learn off by heart before reciting it to their English teacher and the rest of the class. The teacher then has the difficult decision of who to put through to the next round in each house before the Heads of House, who listen to the children recite their poems again, decide who goes through to the final of the competition. We have been really impressed with the enthusiasm, thought and care Year 7 have put into choosing their poems and can’t wait to see their performances in class in the near future. Good luck, everyone!
Lucy Hendry, Year 7 English Teacher
Year 8 Tap Into Ways Of Beating Stress
Year 8 have been looking at how best to manage stress. Having spent a previous lesson understanding what stress is and how they might recognise their own stress warning signs (for example, having a headache or not seeping well), the children looked at a practical representation of the ‘stress bucket’. Year 8 thought of things that may cause stress, wrote them on a piece of paper, scrunched the paper into a ball and threw the ball into a bucket until it overflows. The children then considered what could be done to help them feel a little less stressed; perhaps using a ‘tap’ such as asking an adult for help, doing something creative, or going for a walk. The children will then repeat the stress exercise, but this time using a bucket with a tap to demonstrate how we can keep our buckets from overflowing.
Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE)
