Nursery to Year Six Highlights

Year Two have been busy developing their netball skills in their P.E. lessons. They have been practising their throwing and catching, including learning how to perform a chest pass accurately to a partner. The girls have also learnt an important netball rule: you cannot move around when you have the ball! They have been practising how to pivot, using one foot as their landing foot while looking for a teammate to pass to. They have also started some exciting 2-on-2 activities. They have been working with a partner to pass the ball while trying to stop the other team from intercepting it. This has encouraged them to think about where to move, when to pass and how to work together as a team. 

Year Three had a fantastic day at Lunt Roman Fort, stepping back in time to experience life as Roman soldiers. After giving a secret password to the soldiers guarding the gates, the girls entered the fort ready for a day of Roman adventures! They explored Roman defence tactics, climbed the wooden fort, examined artefacts and discovered the armour, shields and weapons used by Roman soldiers. In the museum, they enjoyed handling a range of Roman objects, including games and jewellery. After lunch, the girls entered the gyrus training ring, where they learnt to march to Latin commands, sin (left) and dex (right), before practising with swords and shields. They finished the day by putting their new skills into action in an exciting group battle! It was a wonderful day of hands-on learning and the girls behaved wonderfully throughout while gaining a fascinating insight into life in the Roman Army. 

Year Four have been getting hands-on with their learning as they explored changes of state through two particularly tasty investigations. First, the girls examined chunks of Dairy Milk chocolate and recorded observations about their properties as a solid. They then applied heat by placing the chocolate over a bain-marie and watched carefully as it melted into a liquid. Using spoons, they shaped the melted chocolate into buttons before refrigerating them so that they could cool and return to a solid state. Once the buttons were ready, the girls placed them in their mouths and observed the chocolate melting again — although resisting the temptation to swallow it straight away proved surprisingly difficult!  On another day, the girls chose either orange or summer fruit squash to make ice lollies. After pouring the diluted juice into moulds, they had to be patient while the liquid froze into a solid. Their patience was rewarded when they were able to enjoy the finished ice lollies on a warm afternoon, making the investigation especially memorable. Throughout both activities, the girls recorded their observations and used scientific vocabulary including states of matter, properties, solid, liquid, melting, freezing, heating, cooling, melting point and reversible change. A delicious way to see science in action! 

This week, Year Five have been putting their mathematical minds to work as they have explored the fascinating world of fractions! Throughout the week, the girls have been developing their understanding of a range of fraction skills. They have explored equivalent fractions, discovering how fractions can look different but still represent the same amount. They have also been practising ordering and comparing fractions, using their knowledge to decide where different fractions belong and explain their mathematical thinking. Another important focus has been fraction sequences. The girls worked brilliantly together to practise counting both forwards and backwards in different fractions, including halves, quarters, thirds and fifths. They soon discovered that spotting the pattern and keeping track of the whole numbers were important skills when working their way through a sequence. There was also an opportunity to add a little friendly competition to our Mathematics learning! Working together, the girls played a game of speed in which they were challenged to count backwards to zero using a given fraction. This required plenty of concentration, quick thinking and teamwork. The classroom was certainly full of mathematical discussion as the girls encouraged one another and checked that each step in their sequences was correct. It has been wonderful to see the girls approaching fractions with such enthusiasm and growing confidence. They have worked particularly well together, explaining their ideas, supporting one another and recognising that talking about Mathematics can be a fantastic way to develop our understanding. Another busy and successful week of learning in Year Five – we certainly haven't done things by halves! 

Year Six have had a super week in Mathematics, concentrating on ratio and proportion and putting their mathematical skills to the test! The girls have been learning how to scale quantities up and down, using their understanding to tackle some increasingly challenging reasoning problems. They have worked carefully and confidently, explaining their methods and applying their knowledge to real-life situations. Whether doubling a recipe, reducing quantities or adjusting ingredients for a larger group, Year Six are now well prepared! So, if a few unexpected guests arrive for dinner, there is no need to panic — our Year Six mathematicians know exactly how to increase the ingredients!