Issue 20

We are now into the third year for our House Singing competition and this year we were excited to have extra voices as Year 1 and Year 2 have become part of the House system. 

Each house chose a song and then spent many weeks rehearsing adding moves, harmony and working on their diction and tuning. The day arrived and the 3 judges, Mrs Davis, Mrs Brennan and Mrs Siriwardene took their seats in anticipation. Mrs Siriwardene said that they would be looking for, “clear lyrics, good dynamics, harmony and enthusiasm!” 

Astley began the competition, lit just by candlelight, with a beautiful rendition of Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay.  Their singing was beautiful and the verses were interspersed with stamping, clapping and waving (with a drum) all in sync which was very impressive. Poltimore followed with a wonderful version of A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman. They had great dynamics and tuning with a beautiful atmospheric ending. Richardson finished the competition with a rousing performance of Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake. There were costumes, wigs, some groovy dancing and it certainly made everyone smile. 

The judges deliberated long and hard, as it was a very tough decision. However, the winners were Astley. Congratulations to all the children and their heads of houses who worked really hard on their performances to give us all a wonderfully uplifting morning of singing. 

From Year 1 children at Chandlings perform termly recitals before a friendly audience of parents and staff. Such experiences build a positive relationship with music, fostering a relaxed and enjoyable learning atmosphere. Informal performances encourage self-expression, reduce performance anxiety, and nurture a love for music that lasts a lifetime. By the time they reach Year 6 their performances are full of confidence and they really enjoy themselves. 

On Wednesday 22nd November, Year 4 went on their trip to The Story Museum in Oxford. They started their adventure in The Whispering Wood - an indoor forest where every tree has a story to tell and a secret to reveal! The children enjoyed a traditional story from our guide, Lucy, before they made their way to The Enchanted Library. Here, they were able to delve inside the pages of some of the most celebrated children's stories and allow their imaginations to run wild! 

Every year there is a different exhibition for the children to explore and this year's is named 'Brilli-ant'. It is an immersive exhibition which takes you inside the world of an ant hill to find out what happened next after Aesop's Fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper. Brilli-ANT is designed to give children practical ways to tackle climate change in an engaging and thought-provoking way. 

Following this, the children were swept away on board the fantastical Story Craft to fly through a thousand years of Oxford’s story history, from ancient myths and legends to classics of children’s literature enjoyed across the world.

After lunch, the pupils were treated to a guided walking tour around Oxford where they discovered more about the rich literary history of our beautiful city. 

Inspired by Picasso's cubist portraits, the children in Reception created self portraits by playing with scale.  This was hugely popular with the year group and they all had a giggle creating them.