News around our schools
BARNBY & NORTH COVE
At the beginning of our new academic year all classes have focussed on establishing classroom and school wide routines. We have been revisiting our Golden Rules of be ready, be safe, be respectful. As classes change new friendships develop and create new opportunities to learn and grow together.
In Chestnut Class we have looked at the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We have identified which rights enshrined therein are most relevant to us in the school environment and what our corresponding responsibilities are to ensure that our classmates and other friends at school get to enjoy those rights too.
In the Early years we have been getting to know each other and learning about each others’ unique families. We have had discussions around what we want our class family to look like and how we want to feel when we are together. We have chosen rules for our classroom and all agreed we want a kind, supportive and positive space where we all feel important and amazing. We want to help our friends whenever they need it and know that this sometimes looks different for others because we are all unique. I have already been impressed by how thoughtful and kind the children are to one another and they are taking pride in all their perseverance, independence and risk taking. Not only are they taking pride in their own ‘wins’ they are also actively using the vocabulary we have introduced to put forward other members of their class family that they are proud of daily. Our growth mindset learning has taught us that we need to face challenges with perseverance and sometimes a little help from our friends if we want our brains to grow big and strong.
We have also started collaborating on our outside area! As we wait for the building work at Barnby to be completed we have worked together to make the most of our outside area. We have discussed what resources are best for our learning, what our outside area could be missing and voted on what we want our secret garden area to be used as. We have looked for resources together, discussed ways in which we can raise funds, spoken to the builders to ask them for donated building materials, which we have added to our construction area, and have even started digging our outdoor sandpit!
We are excited for our year ahead together, making mistakes, growing in confidence and blossoming individually and together as a class family.
The Broads
I am delighted to be able to let you all know that ‘The Broads’ our specialist unit for Cognition and Learning has opened and we are in our first half term of providing a supportive and personalised curriculum for our wonderful children. We have a small team of adults which all bring a different skillset which enables us to deliver play-based learning and continuous provision for our cohort. Our team includes Eve Forster who is one of our class teachers, Niamh Carlin who is our HLTA and Amy Jackson who is a 1 to 1 teaching assistant.
We have decided to adopt a thematic curriculum approach which means the children work within a specific theme each term, but we integrate a range of subjects together so that they can link their learning across the subjects and build a greater depth of understanding. This term’s thematic topic is ‘All about me’ and the subjects that are included are History, Geography, Science, Art and Design and Technology. In History we are looking at understanding the past and present and what that means for us. We have looked at our own families as well as looking at what schools and toys were like in the past and what they are like now. In Geography, we have been looking at where we live, and we will move onto discussing where our new school is and the local surrounding area. In Science we have been finding out about what is inside our human bodies and have so far focused on naming parts of our bodies and recognising, naming and creating different bones. In Art we have been creating self-portraits using different formats. We have used collage and pencil so far.
It has been an absolute joy working out how each individual child learns and then creating strategies and learning tasks that will help them to succeed in small step progressions. Our focus is to give our children the opportunity to succeed, feel proud and to build a sense of belonging in our classroom and in our school.
Claire Tilley, Lead Teacher ‘The Broads’
glebeland
Glebeland school has demonstrated many characteristics within the 'personal development' theme.
During our Friday outdoor learning sessions, all classes came together to collaborate and build the strongest dens using outdoor materials. The children had to be resourceful as they built and tested the structure of their dens.
The children also came together for some team building exercises, including code-breaking, which involved having to take lots of risks to find clues and solve puzzles.
The competitive nature of these tasks has encouraged determination and resilience. We can't wait to see more!
HELMINGHAM
Collaborative
The children in Foxes Class at Helmingham collaborated during their Forest Schools lesson. They built dams and dens together.
Hedgehogs
On our Outdoor Learning afternoon walk after lots of rain we found a stream had formed on the edge of the woods. The children were very resourceful, working collaboratively to pull a groundsheet they found along the stream to a small hill - ideal for a slide! It was hard to climb the hill but the children were very determined and resilient to make a slide. Using roots and branches they climbed the hill. It definitely took risk takers to go down the slide hitting the bottom with a splash! Hedgehogs enjoyed splashing in the stream and looking at how they could adjust the water flow to go in a different direction or stopping the flow altogether. Budding Engineers we think!
HENLEY
Determined and resilient
Reception have been working really hard on their eating etiquette during lunchtimes. They know how to use their knives and forks and are continuing to demonstrate their progression with these skills.
They also know how to sit beautifully on their chairs, saving a space for their Year Six buddy beside them. Reception have also been demonstrating how to scrape the remainder of food into the bin and put their tray away responsibly.
Barracudas have been writing their own class behaviour policy. In PSHE, we considered what we thought our behaviour in the classroom, in the school and towards each other should look like, then we collaborated together, with every member of the class putting forward an expectation each, in a class policy. The whole class are going to be responsible for making sure they behave in the manner they have agreed to.
The children in KS1 sewing club at Henley have been determined and resilient when sewing. They have practised new stitches and have been trying to thread their needles.
kirkley
Hedgehogs
This term we have been getting to know our new children and families as well as continuing to support the skills of our existing children. We have provided a range of resources and experiences to find out the children’s interests, helping the children to build bonds with staff and settle into their new environments both inside and outside.
Squirrels
The Squirrels have been exploring sensory activities based around our core texts, 'The Colour Monster' and 'We're Going on a Leaf Hunt'. We have been looking at different materials, both wet and dry and been encouraged to explore with our hands.
This term the Squirrels have had several new friends join us and they have all been settling into nursery so well. We have made sure there has been lots of reassurance, cuddles, stories and fun being had! The children have shown so much resilience during this time.
During the last few weeks, the children have been learning all about our Golden Rules and how we follow these at nursery. E.g. 'Listening Ears, 'Quiet Voices' and 'Sitting Bottoms' at group time. We have also been exploring Makaton signs starting with hello as our sign of the week
Owls
The Owls children have worked hard on their personal development this term, showing perseverance and determination when learning new skills. This has ranged from how to use scissors safely and confidently to balancing on a beam and traversing all the way along the obstacle course in the playground.
The children have worked collaboratively in adult focused sessions baking hedgehog bread and biscuits, waiting patiently for their turn and watching how the ingredients formed into a dough as they mixed it all together. We all got to eat our bread at snack time, and it was very delicious.
mendham
The academic year has started positively across the school with our Early Years and Key Stage 1 pupils embracing the outdoors. They have really enjoyed their Forest Learning tasks where the pupils have had to be resourceful in creating their own shields using materials that they could find around the outside area.
Regardless of the weather the pupils have worked enthusiastically on all their tasks – it has been an absolute joy to see their confidence grow as they work independently. We even had parents join them on our Open morning and teach them new skills!
At the other end of the school, our oldest pupils have begun their study of Life Cycles in Science looking to answer the big question ‘What came first, the chicken or the egg?’
Working collaboratively pupils have compared the life cycles of a number of different animal groups – focusing on the similarities and differences between each one. As part of this work they have to present their findings in a clear and concise way. Recently, the pupils were excited to receive some new arrivals to the classroom – caterpillars! This will really bring their learning to life!
Middleton
Middleton’s STEM learning at Alde Valley
This Autumn the Year six children at Middleton began an exciting collaborative project with other local schools and Sizewell C. To develop personally it’s important that children can learn from many different sources including a range of people, experiences and the environment. The children were lucky enough to take part in a Crumble Coding workshop delivered by SkillSupply in collaboration with Sizewell C.
The children were collected by bus and taken to Alde Valley high school for a morning of STEM learning. Sizewell C is a major new development within Suffolk and an integral part of the school's local community. The morning consisted of understanding how Sizewell C can positively impact our local area throughout the children's lifetime and the job opportunities it could offer them, it was an excellent opportunity to work with others and for children to personally develop their collaborative skills.
Children got to use Crumble coding technology, which allowed them to begin understanding electrical engineering. It was an excellent chance for them to work towards challenging goals and experiment, considering questions such as “what if?” and “let’s try that!” They used the Crumble software to create light sequences and then, after learning all the basic skills, the children created a traffic light system using their sparkles. The children learnt how to log all of this in a STEM format. The Year sixes are looking forward to teaching their classmates how to become Crumble Coders and extending their knowledge in the upcoming weeks.
There will be two more collaborative sessions throughout the year with the partner schools and Sizewell C which will allow the children a chance to consider what they would like to get out of the STEM learning and to draw out experiences which they decide could be useful for their own futures. The most important aspect of the experience is that children really were able to enjoy a new learning experience and really develop a love of learning for its own sake.
reedham
A celebration of personal development!
We have been up to all sorts since returning to school this autumn. It has been fantastic to receive the support from colleagues from our family of schools across Consortium Trust. We have been made to feel so welcome from the beginning of our journey as an associate school this time last year to becoming a fully-fledged member. Thank you to all the team across the trust for making us feel part of your community - we are looking forward to all the adventures and opportunities being part of something big will bring!
Our First London Trip - What an amazing day!
Despite the length of the coach journey – everybody had a fantastic day. It was wonderful to see that children were resilient and patient and took the delays in their stride. We are so incredibly proud of them all for their brilliant behaviour both on the coach and in London. Thank you to all the parents for patiently waiting for our arrival and their understanding. A huge thank you to all the PFA members who joined us on the day to support the children and staff and for organising emergency tea at the services. This was one of those times where having such an amazing parent community really helps! Thank you to all our staff for their patience and the extra time they gave up – we are incredibly lucky to have been able to run this trip and will remember it fondly!
Feeling Good! We aim to help all our children to develop and grow to be the best version of themselves. We know how important it is to support and encourage children to feel good about themselves and have good selfesteem. Our PSHE focus across the school this half term has been ‘Be Yourself’. This unit is inspired by the idea that it is important to have confidence to be yourself. It aims to enable children to identify their strengths and achievements as well as help them to recognise different emotions they experience. In this unit, children will also explore how to express their thoughts and feelings respectfully and how to be assertive when in uncomfortable situations. The children had opportunities to explore the influence of the media in how we view ourselves and analyse the reality of these messages. The children explored how to make things right when we make mistakes, both in person or online, and the importance of learning from these.
In assemblies, we have been focusing on learning about our new school rules. We adopted Consortium’s behaviour policy in September 24 and have supported the children to use the more simple rules.
● Be Ready ● Be Respectful ● Be safe
We have been using stories to share examples of the rules in assembly and singing some of our favourite songs about rules. Children have also been taking part in our whole school approach to support the Zones of Regulation to help us all to become better at regulating and recognising our emotions and feelings.
Otters and Owls have been working on their bucket lists with Miss Spaul. We looked at this as a class to build community and a sense of belonging and achieving together. The children also thought about and created their own bucket list for this year. We have already started ticking some off - we even watched a black and white movie on the coach trip to London.
Being Crafty
We are really lucky to have lots of volunteers who help us to make our curriculum offer rich and broad and balance. We are able to provide more opportunities to help our children be creative and take part in activities they may not do outside of school. Our local Women’s Institute have been coming in since last year on Wednesdays to help small groups of children craft. Here is this half terms’ work!
Mental health activities across the school The children had the option to take part in activities around the school. These included: football, chess, a beanbag movie watch and popcorn, arts and crafts, uno, colouring, writing a story.
Rendlesham
What a fantastic start here in Key Stage One at Rendlesham! We have had golden eggs hatching in our Discovery Centre and sightings of Dragon’s in each classroom. The children have soaked up every new piece of learning and have enjoyed the exciting start to the term!
As we have embarked on a new part of the children’s primary journey, we have begun to develop our stamina for writing and focusing on the presentation of our daily work. The children have developed the skill of being resilient and this has shone through their independent work! All children have begun to understand that it’s ok if things are tricky, and as long as we keep trying our best, we will succeed. The children have told us ‘resilience is that you never give up!’. Here are some examples of what our writing has looked like before and after conversations about being resilient and always trying our best!
We’ve also really enjoyed being collaborative as a class and working together to learn how to trap a dragon. We have used Pie Corbett's text and learnt the set of instructions in a Talk for Writing style together, where we collaborate and imitate the original instructions. The children then wanted to continue this journey further and have independently innovated and adapted the instructions to catch a variety of different items, animals and even people! We can’t wait to see what we will learn next here in Key Stage One!
Written by our Key Stage 1 team - Darcy, Ben and Lily
riverwalk
In EYFS , Elephants class have made a wonderful start to the Autumn term. They have enjoyed getting to know their new friends, exploring all the fun activities that have been put out for them and familiarising themselves with regular classroom routines.
We have all liked making the most of the outside area in the lovely autumn sunshine. We have especially enjoyed watching the trees leaves changing colour, holding them up to the light to see the beautiful yellow and orange colours appearing. As we try to go outside as much as possible, please could you make sure your child has some named welly boots and a waterproof coat or puddle suit in school.
Our topic this term is 'There's nobody else just like me' and we have already made a start, exploring our favourite foods in cooking and painting using our hands and feet. We have also enjoyed dressing up and looking at our reflections in mirrors.
In Middle School, Zebras has settled into the daily routines really well and some lovely new friendships are forming. We have had lots of fun painting in a variety of ways in Art and making Pizza Muffins in Cooking and the children have been working really hard in their daily Phonics sessions. A highlight so far was a visit from Choccy the therapy dog, the children were very excited to see her.
In Upper School, Raise have welcomed students after the summer break and everyone is ready to hit the academic year.
So far, our boys have done a great job, tidying the raised garden by clipping and disposing of weeds, cooking vegetable stir-fry, practising fine motor skills in mark making, fast and slow in music and much more.
st Edmund's
What a great start to the year at St Edmunds!
Our Year 3 and 4 pupils have really set to the task of replicating the work of Robert Delaunay in Art. They worked independently in creating circular designs and selecting the colour scheme for their work. Pupils continually reflected on their work and then improved their work by adding more circles and different shades of colour. Their artistic creations were amazing!
Our youngest pupils in our Nursery, where we are now welcoming 2-year-olds, have begun their Drawing Club work. Staff have all received training in this initiative and the children have really grasped the opportunity to work independently and develop their creative and imaginative skills in drawing characters of their own. We have been really impressed how well they have all settled into our school already!
Year 5 and 6 pupils have been awarded their Pupil Responsibility roles and are already leading whole school assemblies. Our Diversity Champions discussed Black History Month with the school and the theme this year of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ and what that means to all of us. We look forward to seeing how they all develop their roles throughout this Academic Year.
southwold
Early Minds Training at Southwold
To start the new academic year, pupils at Southwold school were lucky enough to take part in some mental health and wellbeing training delivered by Suffolk Mind. Understanding how to personally take care of our own wellbeing is a vital skill for our modern world and the students were really engaged in the experience.
During the session the children discussed a range of self-care strategies such as healthy eating and the importance of sleep. Children discussed a range of ways to include calm time in their routines such as reading and drawing. Children were able to think of their own strengths and preferences to tailor their calming strategies to meet their own needs.
The children were also taught slow breathing exercises as a resource they could draw on to help them if they experience feelings of sadness, anger, frustration or overwhelm. They were asked to complete four wellbeing activities to help them recognise their own personal skills for self-care. Children were asked to draw people they can talk to, a puzzle of things they liked, they also made a dragon with a cup to practice dragon breathing and did some additional activities in a take homework booklet.
It’s important for children to know how to apply these strategies and draw on personal resources throughout their lives as well as learning journeys to help them during challenges, new learning or uncertainty. It was a great opportunity for children to develop personally by being proactive in working out which strategies work best for them. By participating in the training and learning new skills the children were able to consider ways to manage setbacks and to help them feel optimistic about-facing new challenges.
warren school
This half term at Warren School our young people have been working hard to develop their Personal Development.
Collaborator - This half term the book we are exploring in English is Birds of a Feather by Kate Read and many classes are enjoying her book Boo! A Fishy Mystery. We were lucky enough to welcome local Author Kate Read to school on 1st October, unfortunately she couldn’t be here in person due to an injury, but we had an hour of her company online on Zoom. All classes watched the Zoom call where Kate told us about how she became an Author and Illustrator and where she gets her inspiration from. Kate then read us her book Boo! A Fishy Mystery where we were all mesmerized by the incredible illustrations.
Kate then did a draw along and taught us how to draw scenes and characters from the book Boo! we had listened to. We have some very talented artists as you can see below!
Determined & Resilient - Class 1 have settled well back into class, and we welcomed two new pupils to our class. We have started a new topic which will take us around the world. We engaged well in our new sensory story and loved exploring the props for the different countries. We have been playing instruments and joining in with Daisy's Music Therapy and enjoyed being back at the Gym. It has been a busy start to the year, and we are getting back into the routine of school.
Risk Taker - Class 3 has enjoyed exploring Early Years and developing relationships with other children and staff. We have been learning about ourselves and expressing likes and dislikes. We have also been exploring the beach and waves as part of learning about our world topic. Class 3 have also enjoyed our weekly music session.
winterton
Starfish Class Embrace Nature School Adventures
This half term, Starfish Class has been enjoying weekly nature school sessions! Our budding explorers have been immersing themselves in the beauty of the outdoors, engaging with the natural world in ways that spark curiosity, creativity, and personal growth.
So far, the children have discovered and discussed natural treasures, ranging from unique stones to vibrant autumn leaves.
One of the highlights has been exploring nature's colour palette. Using paint swatches, the children have matched shades they found in their surroundings. This activity not only deepens their connection to the environment but also nurtures creativity and attention to detail.
Our young cloud-watchers have also taken time to lay back and marvel at the sky, learning to slow down and appreciate the changing forms and patterns above. This simple activity fosters mindfulness, encouraging children to be present and cultivate a sense of calm.
Through these sessions, the Starfish Class is not just learning about nature but also developing essential life skills. Time outdoors enhances problem-solving, boosts self-confidence, and supports emotional well-being, proving that nature is a powerful classroom in itself. We can't wait to see where the rest of the term takes us!
Seal Class have been working hard to develop their independence skills and teamwork this half term. They have embraced various classroom responsibilities, taking on different jobs that help keep the learning environment organised. Through these roles, the children have become excellent role models, setting a positive example for the younger pupils. In problem-solving and group tasks, they have shown great maturity by assigning different roles to each member, allowing them to work together effectively. Furthermore, they are challenging themselves, particularly in their writing, where they have been focusing on developing perseverance and resilience when faced with difficult tasks. This new-found confidence in tackling challenges is helping Seal Class grow not just academically, but socially and emotionally. Their dedication to working both independently and as a team is setting a great foundation for their future learning.
Personal development has been a focus in Shark class, across the curriculum, since we have arrived back in school in September.
In history, we have been learning about the workhouse and identifying positive and negative aspects of life as a poor Victorian. To culminate this learning, the children took part in a debate deciding if the workhouse should be abolished or not. They challenged themselves to write and present speeches to the class and refute arguments in the moment during our debate.
In maths, children have worked with resilience to learn and master new methods for addition and subtraction. They have supported themselves in their learning by using concrete and pictorial representations and working together to solve problems. Older Sharks have applied their learning to solve missing number problems.
Our art topic this term is focused on Gaudi and the children have been developing their observational drawing skills. They've worked with focus and dedication to be critical and consider how they can improve their sketches.
yOXFORD & PEASENHALL
Bikeability at Yoxford
A huge part of personal development is learning new skills and some children in Year 6 at Yoxford and Peasenhall primary school were very excited to take part in a bikeability workshop this Autumn term. Children relished the opportunity to work towards the goal of learning to safely and competently ride their bikes in the local environment.
The first task children undertook was being personally responsible for ensuring their bike was roadworthy and that they had a safe and well-fitting helmet. They learnt how to carry out a basic bicycle safety check under the guidance of their instructor. Children began by honestly reviewing their own personal strengths and weaknesses in relation to their cycling ability. This was an excellent opportunity for the children to take responsibility for identifying how they could improve and seeking out a starting point in collaboration with their peers and instructor.
Throughout the workshops children learnt how to use two working brakes effectively as well as how to ride with one hand off the handlebars whilst maintaining full control. Children were taught how to conduct a shoulder check and when and how to signal. They were asked to demonstrate that they were able to understand basic road positioning as well as knowing who has priority at junctions.
Children felt a huge sense of personal achievement at the end of their training.
Frankie said it has really improved my biking because I used to be really bad at riding and sacred to ride but now I am really confident riding.” Evie said “you have to be respectful when riding your bike so it developed my learning characteristics.”
