This week, Year 5 and 6 took their learning outside as part of a Forest School Maths session to kick off their new unit on Time — and what better way to begin than by using nature itself as a teacher?

With some clever hints from Mr. Barnett, the children explored how people used to tell time long before digital or even mechanical clocks existed. Inspired by this, they set to work creating their own clocks using natural materials found around the school grounds.

The highlight of the session was experimenting with how the sun can be used to track time. This led to the creation of several inventive sun dials, along with some wonderfully creative number placements and clock face designs.

It was a fantastic example of outdoor learning, blending maths, history, science, and creativity, and helping pupils see time in a whole new light — quite literally!

Well done, Year 5 and 6!

Year 7 have been getting hands-on in Science this week as they explored the topic of forces through practical investigation.

Using Newton meters and a range of different masses, pupils measured the force required to lift various objects. Through this, they developed a deeper understanding of how weight and gravity interact, and how force is measured in Newtons.

It was a fantastic opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting, reinforcing key scientific concepts while building confidence with equipment and teamwork.

Well done, Year 7, for your focused investigation and thoughtful observations!

This week, pupils from Year 5/6 and Year 8 came together for a unique cross-curricular project that combined English, ICT, and Music in a truly creative way.

Year 5 and 6 have been developing their writing skills by exploring how to express emotion through the technique of “Show, Not Tell” — using description, action, and dialogue to reveal how a character feels, rather than simply stating it.

Meanwhile, Year 8 have been learning how to use GarageBand as part of their Digital Design unit in ICT, exploring how music can be used to convey mood and emotion.

In this exciting collaborative lesson, pupils worked in mixed-year groups to create original soundtracks that reflect a character’s emotions within a story. The result was an inspiring blend of creative writing and expressive sound design, showcasing empathy, imagination, and technical skill.

This cross-year project not only brought subjects to life, but also strengthened collaboration across year groups — with fantastic results. Well done to all involved!

It’s been an exciting and insightful week for the Lower Juniors as they continued their cross-curricular learning journey through History and Computing.

In History, pupils delved deeper into the Stone Age, with a special focus on the fascinating mystery of Stonehenge. The class explored a range of theories about what this iconic prehistoric site may have been used for — from a calendar to a burial site or even an ancient music venue! Through thoughtful discussion, children reflected on how much easier it is to understand history with written records and how remarkable it is that archaeologists can piece together the past from artefacts alone.

Using Apple Keynote, the children created their own timelines of Stonehenge, developing both their historical understanding and digital presentation skills. The class showed real curiosity and critical thinking during their conversations — fantastic work!

Over in Computing, pupils have been learning how sprites work in video games. As part of their project, they created posters featuring Mario in his original form from Donkey Kong. One standout moment came from Aria, who extended the task by designing a Mario sprite in Minecraft style — an impressive and creative twist!

It’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm for both ancient history and modern technology — well done, Lower Juniors!

In P.E. this week, Year 5 and 6 have been putting their creativity and teamwork to the test with an exciting challenge — designing their own games to develop key physical skills.

Using only a tennis ball, skipping rope, cones, and bibs, pupils were tasked with creating games that help improve catching, throwing, and movement skills. Working in small groups, they demonstrated fantastic communication and collaboration, discussing ideas, adapting rules, and testing out their creations together.

The result? A brilliant variety of fun, energetic games that were not only enjoyable to play but also great for building physical confidence and coordination. It was wonderful to see such innovation, leadership, and team spirit in action.

Well done to all of Year 5 and 6 for rising to the challenge — we may have some future coaches and sports leaders in the making!

As part of their topic on Properties and Uses of Metals, Year 8 have been carrying out hands-on investigations to explore how catalysts speed up chemical reactions.

In a recent experiment, pupils reacted zinc metal with acid, observing the production of hydrogen gas bubbles as a result. To test the effect of a catalyst, they then added copper, and were fascinated to see a noticeable increase in bubbles, showing that the reaction was happening more quickly.

This exciting practical helped students understand the role of catalysts in speeding up reactions without being used up themselves — a key concept in chemistry.

Building on this, Year 8 have also set up an experiment to observe the conditions needed for metals to rust. After making predictions, they placed iron nails in different environments, and will observe the results next week as part of their study on corrosion.

We look forward to more discoveries as Year 8 continue to explore the world of metals in action!

In the lead-up to their upcoming performance, The Tudor Dynasty, Year 5 and 6 have been bringing history to life in a fun and imaginative way.

To deepen their understanding of the period and support their drama work, pupils have been learning all about Henry VIII and his six wives in History lessons. But this wasn’t your usual textbook approach — instead, students used technology to research each of the wives and then created persuasive "dating profiles" for Henry to browse through!

Using slides packed with clever writing, historical facts, and a dash of humour, pupils explored the personalities, backgrounds, and fates of each queen. It was a fantastic way to blend historical research, digital literacy, and creativity, all while building knowledge to enrich their performance work.

Well done to Year 5 and 6 for embracing such a unique learning opportunity — we can’t wait to see your Tudor talents on stage!

This week, Year 8 have been exploring the science of colour as part of their topic on light. Using prisms, they investigated how to create a spectrum and explained how white light can be split into different colours. Pupils also carried out investigations using coloured filters, helping them understand why objects appear coloured. A bright and engaging week of practical science!