Key Stage 2

This term, our Reception and Year 5 children embarked on a cosmic journey through their topic and science lessons by delving into the wonders of space! We were thrilled to welcome a mobile planetarium show to our school, transforming our hall into a gateway to the Universe.

The planetarium show was an engaging and immersive experience that brought the mysteries of the skies and the thrill of space exploration right to our students.

For our Reception pupils, the show took them on an exciting tour of the planets, shared tales of brave astronauts, and showcased the sheer power of rockets. "I loved flying past the planets! It felt like I was in a spaceship," said Emma from Reception. Miss Smith added, "It was wonderful to see the children’s eyes light up with curiosity and excitement. The show truly ignited their interest in the world and Universe around them."

Our Year 5 students had an equally awe-inspiring experience. The show provided them with a greater understanding and appreciation of our position in the Universe. From introducing the sheer scale of the Universe to demonstrating how the Moon moves through its phases, the presenters made complex concepts easy to grasp. Milan from Year 5 exclaimed, "I never knew the Universe was so huge! The part about the Moon phases was really cool." If time allowed, Year 5 students also got to ask their burning space-related questions.

Mr Lillie was particularly impressed, noting, "The WonderDome experience was truly awe-inspiring. It sparked a desire in the students to learn more about space, and it was fantastic to see their enthusiasm."

We’re so proud of our budding astronomers in Reception and Year 5. This cosmic adventure has undoubtedly sparked a lasting interest in the wonders of space. Well done, everyone!

Year 3 have had a busy term! We have been incredible mathematicians learning about fractions, finding equivalent fractions, adding, and subtracting fractions and solving fraction word problems. We have been learning to tell the time and looking at duration of time.

In science, we have been amazing scientists learning about light and used our observation skills to recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object.

We have been excellent Geographers learning about climate zones, there was a lot of knowledge to learn, and we have been super impressed with their understanding. To end this exciting unit of work we worked in groups and acted out being a meteorologist broadcasting the daily weather conditions. The children did an amazing job using key language from our geography lessons. Ask your child about the climate zones, and which climate zone the UK is in, you will be impressed!

In our English lessons, we have looked at many different genres of writing, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. We have produced some fabulous and creative writing using expanded noun phrases, interesting word choices, similes, metaphors, personification and ‘show don’t tell’ techniques.

In Art we have been creating abstract sculptures and have made our fabulous art designs using a variety of modelling materials.

We are incredibly proud of all the children and their amazing learning!

This half term we channelled our inner spies when delving ourselves into the world of Alex Rider - the schoolboy spy. We created our own gadgets, designed our own spy and villain and then wrote a story based around stopping a plot to blow up Buckingham Palace.

In Maths, we started the half term looking at tackling the tricky topic of angles where we learnt to measure, draw and categorise angles. Next, we tackled the topic of position and movement where we looked at being able to describe how shapes had been translated and reflected. We have finished this half term with the topic of measurement, where we have been converting between different units.

In Science, we have been looking at the changes that happen from being a newborn all the way up to growing old. When we asked the children to guess what age is classified as old, we were inundated with a range of different responses. The best by far was from Harry in 5L who guessed 28. We were also very lucky to have a visit from the 'Wonderdome' which coincided with our previous topic of space, the children were able to see close up what the planets look like and were all very willing to share their knowledge with the visitor.

In Art, we have been exploring creating a range of different portraits using a range of different medias - check out some of our favourites.

We cant believe we only have half a term left before they are in year 6! Lets have a great last half term.

Thank you so much to Carly Telford for finding the time to visit us today! She was an inspirational guest who visited some of our (very lucky) Year 5 & 6 pupils. They got to take part in a workshop full of skill based activities, Q&As and even finished with a nail biting penalty shoot out at the end! Carly spoke to the children about the importance of never giving up and how important it is that girls shouldn’t ever be afraid to get stuck in within the sport!

Last week we had our annual STEM week, which was a great success (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)!

On Monday we had a whole school focus on Engineering: we were tasked with becoming architects and engineers to create and make a British Landmark in groups with only spaghetti and marshmallows. Once completed we then had to evaluate our creations considering whether we had met our brief.

On Tuesday, we became forensic scientists when a series of crimes hit Aragon. We had to analyse all the clues and then deduce who the perpetrator was.

On Wednesday Years 1 to 3 were lucky enough to have a visit from the Happy Puzzle Company who challenged them with a series of mathematical puzzles. In KS2, we made the most of the newly installed Orienteering course to tackle a series of mathematical themed challenges.

On Thursday, we became robotics engineers and games designers as we turned our focus to technology.

A huge thanks goes out to the visitors who came in to deliver various talks to the children about their jobs within STEM:

• Joanne Emmanuel - Clinical Researcher
• Emily Roach - Engineer
• Gemma Fromage-Crawford - Pharmacist
• Simon Brown - Chair of the WLT
• Jamie Bailey - Software Engineer
• Jim Miles - Chief Officer, Merchant Navy
• Kat O'Sullivan - Buyer for Sainsburys
• Dr Marina Lomberg - Sustainable Gas Engineer
• Louis Jearum - Civil Engineer
• Bill O'Sullivan - Sales Director for Freeways
• Dr Ullman - Midwife/Nurse
• Deanne Everitt - Civil Engineer
• Jan Mayoran - Finance Officer WLT

What another amazing term year 3 have had! We have been incredible mathematicians adding and subtracting money, solving word problems using different representations. We calculated the change needed when paying for a variety of items using notes and coins.

In science we have been learning about ‘Forces and Magnets’ comparing how things move on different surfaces. We observed how magnets attract or repel and grouped together a variety of everyday magnetic materials.

As part our RE learning, we visited Emmanuel Church where we learnt all about The Easter Story through interactive activities.

In our English lessons, we have looked at many different genres of writing, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. We have produced some fabulous and creative writing using expanded noun phrases, interesting word choices, similes, metaphors, personification and ‘show don’t tell’ techniques. Ask your child about these and maybe they can show you some of these techniques. You will be impressed!

In Design Technology, we learnt about the different features of a castle and designed and made our own. We had to think carefully about how we were going to ensure it was strong and stable.

Year 3 are very excited to be zooming back 500 years to explore the wonders of the Ancient Egyptians through Virtual Reality next week.

There have been many highlights this term and the children loved showcasing to you all their learning in our class assemblies.