Reception have been working hard in their gymnastics lessons. In particular, the children have been learning to listen to instructions, listen to each other and communicate effectively, giving them a better understanding of the task ahead. This week, the children worked in pairs on their balance; considering the role each would play in creating a series of poses which they had to hold for three seconds and which would be assessed by their peers. It was wonderful to see the children working so well together, discussing their work and performing with confidence.

Jess Oecken, Head of Pre-prep Sport

As part of their current topic on bees, Year 1 have been tasked with making a bee from recyclable materials in art. Armed with a good understanding of the words ‘recycling’ and ‘re-using’, the children used tin cans for the body and pipe cleaners for the antennae while discussing the benefits to the environment of using materials more than once.

In the coming weeks. Year 1 will have the chance to use techniques learned in previous lessons demonstrating to them the importance of recalling instructions. The children will use treasury tags, split pins and masking tape to add features and final touches to their creations.

Kim Martin, Year 1 Art & DT Teacher

Inspired by Helen Ward’s book The Dragon Machine, which Year 2 have learnt off by heart this half term, the children were given the chance to write their very own story this week in literacy. After some detailed planning, the children worked with great care and attention to detail in order to produce their best writing of the term so far. The teachers were in awe of the rich vocabulary and imagination used by the children as they wrote stories about everything from tigers to koalas, incorporating interesting sentences and impressive adjectives along the way.

Olivia Shepherd, Year 2 Class Teacher

During their weekly forest school session, Year 3 rose to the challenge of using nature to help reinforce their subtraction skills. Building on what they previously learned inside the classroom, the children collected sticks, leaves, stones and moss in pairs to represent hundreds, tens and ones then took away a three-digit number from the total, proving that sound maths knowledge can be applied anywhere.

Rosie Statham, Head of Lower Prep

In topic, Year 5 have been exploring six-figure grid references to pinpoint specific locations on a map. Having the ability to identify and work through complex problems helped the children as they figured out how to gauge the six-figure references without guidelines, as OS maps do not have guidelines. Using rulers to measure and estimating were two techniques used. Working in teams and competing against each other to identify which landmarks tallied up with which grid references, Year 5 transferred their understanding into their written work and took on board feedback from their teacher and, just as importantly, their peers.

Ed Elgood, Year 5 Class Teacher

This week, Year 6 began rehearsing scene four from Alice in Wonderland, where Alice meets the Sassy Flowers and the Cool Caterpillar. The objective was to stage the scene while singing, dancing and acting, ensuring the story was being clearly delivered. The children showed great determination to get their words and choreography correct, continuing to try when things went a little astray and encouraging others to keep trying too. Year 6 are one week closer to their performance and they worked really well together to achieve what they wanted from this particular scene.

Sarah Baird, Head of Drama

Year 7 have spent this term problem solving the small matter of the start of the universe. They have studied the Bible creation story, Hindu creation stories, and looked at scientific explanations. Pupils in 7A brought it all together this week by using their power of persuasion to write a newspaper article from the 1800s in support of either the Church or Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. From Dangerous Darwin to The Brilliant Bible, their creativity was in full flow as they took to their surfaces to put their arguments across to the world.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PRE

One of the many topics covered in the Year 8 science curriculum is plants and photosynthesis. This module allows the children to undertake exciting experiments, including observing stomata under the microscope which the children relished. After discussing how gas exchange in plants takes place, the children worked in pairs using nail polish, clear tape and microscope slides to observe closely the tiny openings present on the epidermis of leaves. The children approached the task with real zeal, worked effectively together and gained a stronger understanding of this branch of science.

Oliver Hamilton, Head of Science