Space, trenches, Hamlet, native Americans and French cafes - what a term!

Just like the spring flowers, our Upper School children continue to show us all the ways they are blossoming and blooming as they complete their amazing Spring Term.

Year 5 have been exploring the wonders of the universe and realms yet unknown in their ‘Mission Control’ topic, learning about distances in space with toilet paper scale models; completing a STEM space workshop and discovering more about the Space Race and what life would be like on Mars.

They also embarked on many new adventures of their own. They started Spanish and learned a whole new numbers system with binary in computing! One particular highlight of the term has been our practical science sessions, especially investigating chemical colour changes with bunsen burners.

In English, they have been developing their inferential skills with multiple text genres, analysing the imagery in ‘The Highwayman’ narrative poem and using sources to research the infamous Titanic. There has been some truly wonderful writing produced with newspaper reports, diary entries, postcards home and, most recently, reports about the mystical world and creatures of Pandora.

Both Upper School year groups were treated to an incredible afternoon of Shakespeare by the Young Shakespeare Company, who truly brought ‘Hamlet’ to life. The following weeks, cries of “to be or not to be…” were heard down the corridors and in the Classics Garden as the children analysed the soliloquies and characters, wrote their own monologues and acted short sections of the play themselves.

Year 6 had a fantastic start to the new term, with many of the children completing their entrance examinations. We are so proud of each and every one of them, who have all been offered their places now, and some with scholarship call-backs too. Their new topic of ‘Come fly with me America’ saw Year 6 exploring the landscapes, states and landmarks of America as well as investigating its discovery, history and life for native Americans. This culminated in a fantastic native American afternoon in the woods, where the children were given tribes, voted chiefs, created headdresses and tribal dances, and even cooked a traditional stew to enjoy.

As well as their Shakespeare work, Year 6 have also been developing their suspense writing skills with some horror writing; Mr Willson and Mrs Hesford were both incredibly impressed (and slightly scared!) by the amazing writing that was produced in this genre. They also explored African tales, writing, performing and bringing their own tales to life in a brilliant afternoon around the fire, with hot chocolate.

Following a French cafe-style get-together, where we chatted over croissants, chocolat chaud and baguettes with Brie, the excitement for the upcoming residential was palpable. We hope they have the most wonderful time on their special trip. As part of their visit, Year 6 will be spending some time at the Somme visiting cemeteries, battlefields and war museums.

They have re-ignited their WW1 topic with some epic immersive experiences. We were very grateful to Mr Howard Tilney (an ex-parent) sharing his expert knowledge and WW1 artefacts with us. The children then had an afternoon in the trenches under the command of Captain Willson and Sergeant Hesford, experiencing life as a WW1 soldier. We dug more lines of the trenches, worked in a field hospital and cooked a traditional WW1 stew before being ordered ‘over the top’. A truly memorable, poignant time, which I know the children will use to continue to reflect on in years to come.

In Maths, the children have been exploring the real-life importance of their mathematics skills with some baking and even mock-tail making using ratios, quantities and calculations! They have also been breaking cipher codes in computing and gaining a better understanding of the potential dangers of the online world, learning about brute force hacking.

This safety awareness continued with their visit to the Warning Zone. Year 6 had an incredible day learning about keeping safe online through an interactive fairground experience and then exploring a series of ‘scenario’ rooms and areas to learn about keeping safe in the world.

What a fantastic, learning-rich, exciting term! We wish you all a wonderful, relaxing Easter break enjoying the spring sunshine and look forward to welcoming you back for the Summer Term soon.

Mrs Hesford

Upper School Lead