Nursery to Year Six Highlights

Kindergarten pupils have been busy developing their mathematical skills this week as they continued their work on matching. Building on last week’s learning, the children focused on matching common 2D shapes. They confidently identified circles, squares, triangles and rectangles, discussing their properties using mathematical vocabulary. The pupils also became shape detectives, spotting examples of familiar 2D shapes in real-life objects around them. Finally they practised sorting shapes and created collections containing shapes with the same properties. 

Meanwhile, Nursery pupils continued their exciting exploration of the five senses, with this week’s focus on the sense of hearing. The pupils enjoyed listening to Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and thinking carefully about the different sounds in the story. They then had great fun making their own sound shakers, exploring how different materials can create a variety of interesting noises. 

This week in Reception, we have been exploring a wide range of feelings and emotions. The girls have enjoyed talking about how they feel, using our emotions mirror and thinking about the different things that can make us feel happy, calm, excited, worried or sad. We have also been expressing our emotions creatively by painting different feelings and discussing the colours, expressions and ideas we associate with them. The girls have been encouraged to talk about their own experiences and to recognise that everybody can feel differently at different times. As part of our Literacy learning, the girls have also begun writing about the things that make them happy, sharing some lovely ideas about the people, places and activities that are special to them. It has been wonderful to see the girls becoming increasingly confident in recognising, naming and talking about their emotions throughout the week. 

This half term, Year One have been developing their geography skills by learning all about maps and how they help us find our way around different places. We put our map-reading skills to the test with an exciting map hunt around school! Working carefully together, we followed a map and searched for different locations and objects marked on it. Each time we found one, we ticked it off our list before moving on to our next destination. Back in the classroom, we became map experts! We labelled the different places we had visited and then described the route we had taken to our friends. We used geographical language to explain where we had been and the directions we had followed. Year One thoroughly enjoyed becoming map explorers and showed fantastic teamwork, observation and map-reading skills along the way!  

Year Two have been thoroughly enjoying exploring the wonderful story The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark as an inspirational stimulus for their English, Science and PSHE learning. The girls have become fascinated by Plop, the baby barn owl, as they followed his adventures, explored the key events in the story and thought carefully about the different characters and emotions he experiences. In English, the girls have been developing their descriptive writing skills, choosing ambitious vocabulary and carefully selected adjectives to bring Plop to life. They have thought deeply about his appearance, personality, thoughts and feelings, considering how these change throughout the story. It has been wonderful to see the girls using their imaginations and making thoughtful choices about the language they use. 

The story has also provided fantastic opportunities to link our learning across the curriculum. In Science, the girls have been exploring our senses, with a particular focus on sight and hearing. They have been considering how being in the dark can change the way we use and experience our senses, encouraging them to think like young scientists and ask lots of interesting questions. Through PSHE, the girls have also been able to explore emotions, fears and the importance of understanding that something which may seem frightening at first can become less scary as we learn more about it. What a fabulous book to inspire such rich and varied learning! Well done, Year Two, for your curiosity, creativity and thoughtful contributions — you have certainly been hooting with excitement! 

Year Four have are enjoying an exciting new term of Games and PE, developing their skills, confidence and teamwork through a wide range of activities. The children are moving to the rhythm in dance, creating energetic routines while developing coordination and creativity. On the hockey pitch, they are practising dribbling, passing and working together as a team. Netball has been another highlight, with pupils starting to develop their passing, shooting and defending skills while learning the importance of communication and fair play. Football has also provided plenty of excitement, as the children are enjoying improving their ball control, passing and teamwork. Throughout the first weeks, Year Four have shown enthusiasm, resilience and a willingness to support one another. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow each lesson as they embrace new challenges and celebrate each other's successes.

Whirr, clank, beep, buzz! Year Five have certainly been making plenty of noise this week as they explored the exciting world of onomatopoeia through poetry! The girls began by thinking about robots and the important role they play in factories and other workplaces. They discussed some of the many jobs that robots can carry out and considered why they can be so useful. This led to some thoughtful conversations about the advantages and disadvantages of using robots, with the girls considering ideas such as speed, accuracy and safety, as well as whether there are some jobs that are better suited to people. With plenty of ideas to inspire them, the girls then turned their attention to poetry. They explored how onomatopoeia can bring writing to life by using words that imitate the sounds they describe. Imagining a busy factory filled with robots provided the perfect opportunity to experiment with words such as clang, whirr, buzz, crash and beep. 

Working collaboratively in small groups, the girls created their own robot and factory-themed poems. They thought carefully about their choice of vocabulary, rhythm and repetition, as well as how they could use sound effects to help their audience imagine the hustle and bustle of a working factory. Once their poems were complete, it was time to bring them to life! Each group rehearsed and performed their poem, adding actions, expression and movement to make their performances even more engaging. It was wonderful to see the girls working together, sharing ideas and growing in confidence as performers. A fantastic combination of creative writing, teamwork and performance – Year Five certainly showed that poetry can make some noise! 

Our Year Six children have been developing their speaking, listening and enquiry skills through their Ignite presentations. The children have selected a geographical or historical topic that interests them, such as the moon landing, WW1 or the History of Formula 1 before researching and preparing a two-minute talk to share with the group. Pupils have explored a range of sources to gather information and carefully organised their ideas into clear presentations. They practised speaking confidently and using appropriate vocabulary while presenting their findings to an audience. This project supports the Primary National Curriculum for History and Geography, encouraging children to deepen their understanding of events, physical features and natural processes around the world. Throughout the process, children also developed important skills in research, communication, presentation and self-confidence.