Year 5 Easter Orienteering Challenge
Egg-cellent Orienteering Adventures for Year 5! Before we hopped off for the half-term break, our Year 5 pupils took to the great outdoors for a high-energy Easter Orienteering challenge! Working in pairs within their classes, the children were armed with maps of the school grounds and a mission to complete. With the timer set to 25 minutes, it was a race against the clock to navigate the playgrounds and the field to locate our hidden Easter questions. To keep things fair and fast-paced, we used a staggered start; pairs began at different stations—some starting at 18 and looping back to 1—ensuring everyone had space to sharpen their navigation skills. Our keen-eyed explorers had to follow the course in strict orienteering order, hunt down the eggs, and tackle the Blue KS2 questions found on the back of each one. It wasn't just about speed! Accuracy was key, as staff marked the answer sheets back in the classroom to find our top navigators. The Grand Prize: Our winning pairs, who found and correctly answered the most questions, hopped home with a giant chocolate Easter egg! Because everyone showed such fantastic teamwork and stamina, every single child enjoyed a delicious chocolate krispie cake for taking part.
Year 5 English - Blending Action, Dialogue and Description in a Sentence
Word Detectives: Unlocking the Opening Chapters Our budding linguists took on the role of Word Detectives this week, diving deep into the atmospheric opening of our new class novel, Goodnight Mister Tom. In a fast-paced, 12-minute challenge, students were tasked with more than just memorising definitions; they had to uncover the hidden "personality" of the author’s language. Working in teams, each table was assigned a specific keyword from the text—ranging from the stoic robust to the startled bewildered. Using dictionaries as their primary tools, the groups worked to define their word before "detecting" its specific mood. Is the word adamant a grumpy one? Does clad feel neutral or formal? The final challenge required high-level creativity and precision. Students had to craft a "Three-Way Blend" sentence, seamlessly weaving their assigned word into a single line that combined Action, Dialogue, and Description.
Reception- EAD- Going To The Shops
There’s a lovely buzz in the Reception classroom at the moment, especially around the role-play shop, which has quickly become a real hub for working and playing together. The children are developing their social skills so naturally through this, and it’s clear how much they’re enjoying it. There’s a real sense of excitement as they take on the roles of shoppers and shopkeepers, chatting away as they “buy” and “sell” items. Whether they’re scanning wooden food or deciding how much a plastic pear should cost, their conversations are becoming more detailed and confident, helping to move their play along. The till and pretend money have been a big hit too, giving them a chance to explore early maths in a hands-on way as they count coins and make sure everything is “paid for” before leaving. Just as importantly, they’re learning to take turns, listen to each other, and work together, showing real care and understanding in their interactions. It’s been a joy to watch their confidence grow as they turn a small area of the classroom into a busy little shop full of chatter and teamwork.
Reception- Maths- What Time Is It Mr Wolf?
The Reception class enjoyed a lively game of “What Time Is It, Mr Wolf?”, which gave them a fun and purposeful way to practise counting beyond ten. As the “Wolf” called out times like thirteen or fifteen, the children counted aloud together, taking one careful step for each number. This combination of speaking, listening and movement really helps to strengthen their understanding of number order and one-to-one counting. Moving across the space while working through the “teen” numbers made the learning feel exciting and meaningful. It was great to see their confidence grow as they became more comfortable counting larger numbers in such a playful and engaging way.
Online Safety - App and Play Stores
With millions of apps available and children accessing them from an increasingly young age, app stores can present a range of risks. From malware and copycat apps to inappropriate content and persuasive in-app purchases, this Wake Up Wednesday guide highlights how easily young users can encounter issues – even when using official platforms. It also offers clear, practical advice to help parents and educators manage these risks. From setting up parental controls and checking app credibility to having open conversations about safe usage, the guide supports adults in building children’s awareness, encouraging safer choices and promoting more balanced, responsible app use
Year 3 - English - The Enchanted Wood
Magic is in the Air in Year 3! Hold onto your hats, because we’ve just stepped into the magical world of The Enchanted Wood! We are officially beginning our brand-new English unit inspired by Enid Blyton’s classic. This week, we’ve been busy imagining what it would be like to climb the Faraway Tree, meet Moon-Face and Silky, and discover which strange lands are swirling around at the very top!
Year 1 - PSHE - Similar and Different
In our SCARF P.S.H.E. sessions this week, we’ve been exploring the wonderful things that make us "us." The focus was all about similarities and differences, helping the children understand that while we have plenty in common, it’s our unique traits that make our class so special. We spent time looking at how we are similar—like being in the same year group or sharing a love for playtime—but also celebrated the things that make us stand out, from our different heritages and languages to our unique talents and interests.
Nursery/Pre-school- P.S.H.E-Me And My Friends
This week in P.S.H.E: Me and my friends Our focus this week has been all about "Me and My Friends," and we’ve had a lovely time exploring what makes us unique. We started by sharing the story of Elmer the Elephant. The children really connected with the idea that Elmer looks different from the rest of the herd and enjoyed chatting about how being different is something to celebrate. It was great to hear them discussing their favourite colours with one another and finding out what they have in common with their peers. Getting stuck into provision The children had plenty of chances to get creative with the theme during their play: Colouring: Lots of brilliant patchwork Elmers were brought to life using the children’s favourite colours. Playdough: We saw some fantastic fine motor skills in action as the children sculpted their very own versions of Elmer. It has been a brilliant week of building friendships and learning that our differences are what make our class such a vibrant place to be.
Nursery / Pre-School - R.E - Palm Sunday, Walking In Jesus' Steps
This week, the children in Nursery and Preschool continued their exploration of the Easter story by focusing on the events of Palm Sunday. To help the children understand the journey Jesus made into Jerusalem, we participated in a sensory barefoot nature walk. The children were encouraged to take off their shoes and socks to experience the different textures of the ground, just as Jesus would have done on his biblical journey. They showed great bravery and curiosity as they stepped over crunchy leaves, prickly sticks, soft grass, and bumpy pebbles. This hands-on sensory experience allowed the children to connect physically with the story, prompting discussions about how the ground felt and how tired Jesus’ feet might have been. As the children navigated the path, we retold the story of Palm Sunday together. We spoke about the crowds cheering and the people laying down palm leaves to make a path. This active retelling while walking helped to solidify the children's knowledge of the sequence of events, making the story feel "real" to them through their own physical actions. It was a wonderful way to combine physical development with a deeper understanding of kindness, journeys, and the significance of the Easter season.
Year 5 English - Reading and Responding to Haikus
Year 5 are getting lyrical this week! We’ve jumped into the wonderful world of Haikus, exploring how these short, traditional Japanese poems can pack such an evocative punch. The children have loved diving into different examples to uncover their hidden meanings. We are now mastering the "golden rule" of Haiku structure: the magical 5-7-5 syllable count! (Counting on fingers has definitely been required!) We are all looking forward to channeling our inner poets later in the week to create our very own Easter-themed Haikus.
Year 5 PE - OAA: Making Maps and Following Directions
Cones, compasses, and coordinate grids! Year 5 took their Team Building PE lesson indoors this week to master the art of navigation. Working together, they created and followed complex maps using cardinal points, carefully avoiding the 'Danger Cone'! It was a brilliant lesson filled with fun, problem-solving, and fantastic teamwork. Well done, Year 5!
Year 5 RE - How Does Art Show God's Victory at Easter?
Year 5’s RE took an expressive, arty turn this week! We have been deeply engaged in studying a collection of powerful religious paintings, focusing on how artists convey the profound theme of God’s victory at Easter. The children expertly analysed the artwork, discussing how elements like colour, line, light, and shape are intentionally used to depict the emotion and impact of the resurrection. Inspired by our studies, the class then channelled their learning into creating their own stunning abstract art paintings, capturing their interpretation of the Easter victory. The results are truly remarkable and show fantastic depth of thought.
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