In maths this week, the Reception children have been exploring the concepts of ‘more than’ and ‘fewer than’. Using a variety of resources, such as counters, ten frames and number cards, they worked both independently and in small groups to compare quantities. In doing so, the young mathematicians actively engaged in discussions, using mathematical language to describe their findings while having fun embellishing their counting and comparison skills. This interactive approach helped them grasp key concepts in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 have been working hard on their front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke techniques this term. The more adept swimmers among the group have moved up into the deeper end of the pool but all of the children are notably gaining in confidence. Having got to grips with the mechanics of the three strokes, the children have been learning how to refine their techniques in order to swim faster. Listening to their swim coaches has been key to this and has allowed the children to make positive progress in the pool.

Sharon Simpson, Head of Swimming

In phonics, Year 2 were challenged to expand their spelling knowledge, specifically tricky words of two or more sounds that ended with the letters ‘ure’. Carefully segmenting the words using their ‘Fred Fingers’, a technique which helps children learn to spell words by breaking them down into sounds, Year 2 were delighted to form words such as ‘picture’, ‘mixture’ and ‘temperature’. They initially doubted their ability to do it but were left with a real sense of pride at being able to stretch their spelling and language learning.

Rachael Berry, Year 2 Class Teacher

As part of their current topic, Year 3 developed their historical questioning skills to find out as much they could about Mayan city states, from nothing but pictures of ruins. Using myriad classroom resources, including reference books, the children charted the likely layout of the cities before sketching them, noting particularly the higgledy-piggledy layouts as the civilisation grew and prospered. Once the designs are finished, Year 3 will be tasked with the project of building their Mayan cities.

Henrietta Platt, Year 3 Class Teacher

In English, Year 5 continued to explore the story of Street Child, an impactful book written by Berlie Doherty which centres upon a young orphan’s battle for survival in Victorian-era London and inspired the creation of children’s homes by Dr Thomas Barnardo. Year 5 were tasked with paying particular attention to descriptive vocabulary within the story and challenged to write about how the main character, Jim Jarvis, felt about seeing the circus leave town; the circus having initially offered him an escape from his harsh living conditions on the streets of London. The exercise gave the children an excellent opportunity to think about the very real issues surrounding homelessness.

Steph Turner, Year 5 English Teacher

In Spanish, Year 6’s objective was to learn different verbs associated with everyday household chores such as washing up, vacuuming, and putting the rubbish out. To do so, the children took part in a challenging memory game where they had to translate the Spanish verbs into English. The children courted accuracy, understanding and speed – as they were competing against each other – and tackled some difficult language with a good degree of success.

Annabel Keville, Year 6 Spanish Teacher

Year 7 are currently looking at the beginnings of the British Empire. The challenging topic of slavery was in the spotlight, and this week the shipping of slaves from Africa to the Americas was examined. Through reading the sources of the time and through thoughtful discussion in class, the pupils gained a mature understanding of this emotive topic. A constructive session demonstrated the children’s ability to analyse through the use of sources as well as understanding a complicated and brutal element of history with empathy.

Alex Walker, Year 7 History Teacher

Our Year 8 rugby players secured two fine wins against Parkside on Wednesday. Five tries from the irrepressible Jack H and further scores from Igor S and Jaime B saw the U13A team secure a superb 35-20 win, while Caelan M (2), Jack H (2) and Torrance H all crossed the whitewash for the U13B team en route to a battling 25-10 victory. Both teams showed real grit and determination on a bitterly cold day, giving their all for their teammates, and their togetherness and tenacity paid huge dividends.

Oliver Hamilton, U13 Rugby Coach