This week in reception we have been busy learning our story of Baby Mouse. The children have done a great job at using the story map and actions to orally retell the story word for word. In maths, we have been looking at shapes with 4 sides and their properties. We have been lucky enough to get some new resources in the classroom and the children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring these and reminding each other how to take care of them. 

This week in Science, Year 1 have been investigating which material is best for cleaning up a spill. The children explored a range of everyday materials and discussed which ones were the most absorbent. We realised that even though tissue is absorbent, it was not the best material to clean a spill because it wasn’t strong enough! The class enjoyed predicting, testing and comparing results, and used fantastic scientific language as they talked about absorbency and why some materials worked better than others.

This week in Year 2/3, we had a fantastic time in Geography exploring the question: "What are the physical features found in different parts of Europe?" The children were incredibly engaged! They used Google Earth to search for and identify key geographical features such as glaciers, fjords, rivers, and lakes, which gave them the exciting feeling of a real-life exploration. Furthermore, we developed essential map skills by looking closely at the atlas and learning how to interpret the different symbols and colours on physical and political maps.

This week, Year 4 had a very productive time across all subjects! In Maths, the children mastered calculating the area of rectilinear shapes and practiced comparing and ordering them based on size. Our Science focus was the human digestive system, where the children created a wonderful creative explanation of the passage of food through the body.We traced the journey of an apple from mouth to intestines to understand exactly how we process what we eat. Finally, in History, we learned about the powerful gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt and capped off the topic by creating Top Trumps using the cards they designed about the different deities.

This week, the Year 5 children were excited to visit the Science Museum in London. They had a fabulous day, engaging with many different galleries, including Exploring Space, Making the Modern World, the Energy Hall, and, of course, the amazing Wonderlab. The children even enjoyed their coach journeys in and out of London, identifying some famous landmarks and entertaining the adults with their singing. It was a brilliant trip all around, and the Year 5 team would like to thank all of the children for being so well-behaved. 

Year 6 has had a fascinating week diving into the world of Ancient Greek myths, setting the stage for their upcoming focus on the origins of democracy. It has been wonderful to see the children so ready to engage with how these ancient ideas still shape our world today. To bring this history to life, they also explored the intricate patterns found on traditional Greek pottery during their art lessons, using these classic designs to inspire their own creativity.

The team reviewed a selection of safeguarding scenarios as part of our regular training. We also reviewed our pedagogy and the contents of our humanities lessons in preparation for the School Review taking place next week.