Nursery to Year Six Highlights

This week, Year One had a wonderful trip to the Botanical Gardens. As part of our Science learning, the girls spent time thinking carefully about how we can keep ourselves safe when using playground equipment and how the Botanics help to keep visitors safe too. The girls explored different pieces of equipment, including the swings, seesaw, wooden bridge and wobbly bridge. As they played, they thought about sensible choices such as holding on carefully, taking turns, waiting for others, moving safely around the playground and using the equipment in the correct way. They also noticed some of the ways the Botanical Gardens help to make the playground safer, including soft flooring, clear spaces around the equipment, fences and well-maintained play areas. The adults interviewed the girls in pairs so they could explain their ideas in their own words, with the girls showing a great understanding.  Afterwards, the girls enjoyed exploring the larger playground and had a fantastic time putting their safety ideas into practice.

Year Two have been diving into the world of Art and Design Technology this week as they learned how to work with clay to create their very own unique fish sculptures. The girls began by carefully planning and designing their creations, thinking about the shape, size and features that would make their fish special. Using their hands, clay tools and sculpting skills, the girls moulded and shaped the clay, showing great patience and creativity throughout the process. To make their fish even more interesting, they explored different ways of adding texture by printing and stamping a variety of patterns onto the clay using an assortment of objects. It was wonderful to see the girls experimenting with different effects and enjoying the creative process. One of the most exciting parts of the project was learning how to use slip to attach an eye to their fish. The girls were fascinated by this technique and took great care to ensure their fish were ready for the next stage. Once their sculptures had dried, the girls transformed them into beautiful works of art using a selection of bright and colourful metallic paints. The classroom was filled with excitement as each fish took on its own unique personality and shimmered with colour. The finished pieces are truly stunning and showcase the girls' creativity, perseverance and growing artistic skills. Well done, Year Two, for creating such beautiful and timeless pieces of art! 🐟🎨✨ 

On Tuesday, Year Three enjoyed an exciting trip to Lower Smite Farm. The day began with the girls exploring the area, using their senses to identify different colours, scents, sounds and textures around them. They then learnt about plant roots and discovered which types of roots are most effective at transporting water. Next, they investigated soil and its structure. As part of this activity, the girls compared soil and compost and used Lego to create models demonstrating the different structures of each. They also carried out an investigation into soil quality by making balls of soil and suspending them on water to observe the results. After lunch, the focus shifted to flowers. The girls learnt about different types of petals, searched for a variety of flowers and identified the different parts of a flower. They carefully dissected flowers to examine them more closely. To round off the day, the girls took part in a fun pollination game, pretending to be bees as they raced to transfer pollen from one flower to another.  The girls enjoyed learning outdoors and returned to school with plenty of new knowledge about plants.

Year Four pupils have been developing their newspaper journalist skills by exploring the features of newspaper articles and learning how reporters gather and present information. During their English lessons, the girls examined headlines, introductions, quotations and factual reporting. They discussed how journalists engage readers and ensure their articles are clear and informative. After studying a range of newspaper reports, the girls are now putting their new skills into practice by writing their own articles. They are working hard to create eye-catching headlines, organise information carefully and write in a formal journalistic style. 

Year Six enjoyed a visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this week, as part of their English learning. The trip provided inspiration for a unit on advertising, with pupils exploring what makes this local attraction appealing to different visitors. From tropical glasshouses and colourful gardens to peaceful green spaces and family-friendly activities, the girls considered how the Gardens might be promoted to a range of audiences. Back in the classroom, they used their findings to create persuasive leaflets and radio advertisements, applying their understanding of audience, purpose and persuasive language. The visit was a wonderful example of how real-world experiences can enrich learning and provide authentic contexts for writing.