Our Curriculum in Action in 2025/26!

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   In Reception we have been learning about travel and journeys. Last week we were learning about space travel and the children were given a mission to design and make their own space rockets as part of their home learning. This photo is just a sample of some of the amazing rockets and space ships that were made! We are just waiting to hear from NASA about when we can launch them into space…  

  This week Conker class have been reading the story 'Elmer and the Rainbow.' The children enjoyed making their own patchwork elephants and used lots of different colours. Some children cut out small pieces of tissue paper and others used paint; carefully ensuring they did not mix the colours and make everything brown! During a session with the older children, we asked the question 'is patchwork Elmer the same or different from the other elephants?' The children really enjoyed the discussion and came to the conclusion that all the elephants were the same but were wearing different clothes.   

 As part of our topic about journeys and transport we have been creating our own paper plate boats using the art technique of collage. The children used pritt sticks to decorate the boats and sails with tissue squares along with a choice of different stickers. We also used a sentence stem to describe where our boats would travel to. Where would your boat travel to?  

 This week Conker class started our new topic 'How Many Colours in a Rainbow?' We went on a colour hunt around the building and the children were amazed by how many different colours there were. One child said 'I did not realise how many different blues there are.' They counted at least 5 different shades! When we came back to class we decided to see how many different blues we could make by adding a little bit of white each time. The children then wanted to see how many different colours they could make by adding colours together. We made some lovely colours together but also found out that adding too many colours at once quite often makes brown! 

    This week in English, we have been learning about the features of a letter. We talked about what makes a good letter and practised writing our own. 

In Maths, we have been exploring capacity and volume. The children compared different objects and containers to see how much they can hold. 

In Art, we have been learning about  colours and we used LEGO bricks to create fun printed patterns.

Well done, Year 1, for another great week of learning! 

   We have been reading  'The Bog Baby' written by Jeanne Willis. The children created their own bog baby and have started to write their own narrative in the same style. They are great! 

In Maths, we have been learning all about money. We have been using plastic money to make different amounts and pretending to buy items in order to calculate how much their purchases will cost and how much change they will receive. 

Our topic this half term is Animals and Human Life cycles. We have been learning about life cycles and  created our own life cycle wheels of a hen, a frog and a butterfly.

In Art, we have continued with colour mixing and have also been exploring how to create texture using cotton buds, sponges, plastic forks, tin foil and lollipop sticks.

  We have had a great week filled with lots of learning! In English, the children have been describing a character from a story, thinking carefully about their appearance and personality. In Maths, we have been working with numbers from 20 to 50, practising counting, recognising, and using them in different activities. In Science, our focus has been on the human body—the children have been learning to label different body parts and discussing how we use our senses to explore the world around us.

Well done to everyone for their hard work this week!

 This week in Year 2 we have been learning about primary and secondary colours. 

First, we placed a piece of card in a tray. 

Then, we wet the paper using a paint brush. 

Next, we dipped our paint brush into water and then the paint.

After that, we squeezed the end of the brush to release the paint onto the paper.

Finally, we moved the tray around so the paints would mix together.

(Year 2 wrote this together!) 

  Year 6 have been learning about Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution. In English, we have been reading a book called On the Origin of Species by Sabina Radeva. It is all about how Charles Darwin put together the theory that all living things have adapted to better suit their environments. We wrote a discovery narrative about Darwin exploring Uruguay and observing iguanas. We think he might have thought they looked like little dragons! After this, we are going to write an explanation text about Galapagos Tortoises and how they have adapted to their specific environments. In Science we have been looking at how and why adaptations are made. This week we experimented with being Cocos Finches and tried to "peck" rice grains with different beaks (fingers, pegs and tweezers). After this, we can definitely see the advantage of a specially adapted beak! It was really hard to "peck" the rice up! Next week we are looking forward to how woolly mammoths (originally a tropical mammal like the elephant) evolved to survive the ice age...

  Year 5 had a fantastic trip to the Tower of London. We took part in a workshop called The Queens Behind Henry where we learnt more about Henry VIII's wives rather than just the "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" rhyme. 

For example, did you know that Catherine of Aragon was actually the first ever female ambassador and Anne Boleyn could read and write in five languages? Some of us also had the chance to role play as historical figures. We also enjoyed learning about other aspects of the Tower of London, including seeing the Crown Jewels and the Royal Menagerie: polar bears, lions and elephants used to live at the Tower until they were rehomed to London Zoo in the 1830s.  

 Year 6 were lucky enough to have an artist called Tania visit from the Courtauld Gallery come and visit us. She showed us some of the impressionist art that is in the gallery and got us to think about the time of day and season these landscapes were painted in. She also asked us to focus on colour. Tania brought with her a huge suitcase of specialist watercolour paper, so we were able to create watercolour paintings like real artists. Tania divided the impressionist paintings up into pieces and gave everyone a section. She asked us to start with one colour at a time and build up the painting like this. it felt funny at first, but we trusted her and over the session we could see the paintings come to life. At the end, Tania asked us to put the photocopies of the original art together and then we put together the individual pieces we created. It was amazing to see our work come to life! We greatly enjoyed working with a professional artist and she highly recommends we all visit the gallery to see the collection. The Courtauld Gallery is well worth a visit as it has many famous works of art by internationally renowned artists. 

Welcome back! Last term, Year 5 had a fantastic end to the year, followed by a well-earned rest. This week has started positively, and we hope this great attitude continues throughout the rest of the term.

In English, we have begun reading a new class text, The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle. The children are already enjoying exploring the story and its intriguing characters.

In Maths, we are continuing our work on fractions, building on prior knowledge and developing confidence with more challenging concepts.

In History, we have started learning about the Tudors in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Tower of London. The children have shown great interest and enthusiasm in this topic.

In Science, we are learning about materials, focusing on their properties and changes. This week, we explored the scientific concept of hardness, investigating and comparing the hardness of different materials.