This week has been filled with excitement, adventure, and celebration across our school community! It has been made better with the sunnier days too! 

At the start of the week, we waved off our wonderful Year 5 children as they embarked on their much-anticipated school journey. For many, this was their first time away from home for an extended period, and as they boarded the coach on Monday, there was a wonderful mix of excitement and nervous anticipation.

Since arriving at Grosvenor Hall in Ashford, the children have thrown themselves into a week of adventure, laughter, and new experiences. They have taken part in activities such as jungle vines, archery, bushcraft, laser tag, and buggy building—just to name a few! Along the way, they have built resilience, teamwork, coordination, and patience, while also growing in confidence and independence. It has been a joy to see them forge new friendships and embrace every challenge with enthusiasm. The children have shared nothing but positive feedback, and we couldn’t be prouder of them! We’ve included some photos in this newsletter, but you can find even more pictures and videos on Twitter @RockliffeManor—be sure to take a look!

Monday was also a fantastic and busy day back at school, ending with our highly anticipated Science Fair. Children from Reception to Year 4 proudly showcased their learning from Science Week, filling the hall with excitement and enthusiasm. It was inspiring to see them confidently explaining their discoveries and experiments. A huge thank you to everyone who supported this event—we truly appreciate your encouragement and involvement! Science is certainly a favourite subject at Rockliffe Manor at the moment, with many children expressing pride in their achievements and a genuine passion for the subject. Beyond developing their academic knowledge and skills, they are nurturing their curiosity, creativity, and love for discovery—qualities that will serve them well in all areas of life!

This has also been a special week for celebrating Rockliffe Manor. On Wednesday, we had the privilege of welcoming trust leaders and headteachers from across the Inspire Partnership to visit our school, hear about our journey, and see Rockliffe in action. Our visitors were absolutely blown away by what they saw—the children’s deep focus and pride in their learning, the calm and positive atmosphere, the outstanding behaviour, the inspiring displays, and even our fantastic sensory circuit! These were just a few of the things that left a lasting impression. We have always known how special Rockliffe Manor is, but it was truly heartwarming to see it recognised and celebrated on such a large scale. A huge thank you to our wonderful children, staff, and families for making our school such an incredible place to learn and grow!

Finally, Friday brought a celebration of generosity, joy, and community spirit for Red Nose Day! The children, dressed in red, fully embraced the opportunity to support this important cause. Throughout the day, they demonstrated our core values of kindness, responsibility, and collaboration—giving to those in need, taking responsibility for making a positive difference, and working together to maximise their impact. It was inspiring to see how effortlessly they connected the act of giving to our shared values, fostering a culture of empathy, compassion, and social responsibility within our school. A huge thank you to everyone who took part—you made a real difference!

As always, thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

With very best wishes, Mrs Cook and the Rockliffe Manor team.

Let’s take a look at some of the learning that has happened this week…

Nursery have been learning all about how firefighters help us and our community. They now know three important fire safety rules: don’t play with fire, stop, drop and roll, and crawl down low. They have also learned that 999 is the number to call in an emergency. It has been wonderful to see them bringing their learning to life through role play, putting out (pretend) fires and working together as a team. We were hoping that today the fire brigade was going to be visiting, but unfortunately they were called out to an emergency. We hope to rearrange this, to give the children the exciting opportunity to see a fire engine up close, spray water, and ask lots of questions. Fingers crossed we can make this happen! 

Reception have been making the most of the spring sunshine this week! They’ve been spotting bees buzzing around the outdoor area and are looking forward to building a bee hotel to help their new garden visitors. It has been wonderful to see them collaborating so beautifully outdoors—hunting for mini beasts, dressing up and performing in the music area, and getting creative with large-scale mark-making using chalk and paint brushes dipped in water.

Year 1 have been busy sequencing key events from their core text, Up. After watching a clip from the film, they discussed what happened and applied time adverbials to help retell the story. They have also begun exploring suspense writing, using repetition and punctuation to build tension—exciting work!

Year 2 have been loving their Geography lessons this half term! They have explored the equator and how it affects a country’s climate, impressing Miss Roper with their knowledge of the seven continents and five oceans. In Maths, they have been learning to measure mass in grams and have particularly enjoyed reasoning about different weights and measurements.

Year 3 have been tackling equivalent fractions in Maths, using number lines and bar models to support their understanding. Quinn showcased her learning brilliantly by shading her bar models and identifying equal fractions—even completing an Explain It sticker challenge! In English, they have been exploring Hidden Figures, learning how to use prepositions to add detail to their writing. Ishi demonstrated this beautifully when writing about the moon landings and the launch of Sputnik, the first Russian satellite. They also had a fantastic trip to the library, where they enjoyed listening to a story and borrowing science topic books and graphic novels.

Year 4 have been working hard on their times tables practice, using engaging methods such as oracy-based games, singing, timed quizzes, and choral counting. In Geography, they explored the stages of a volcanic eruption, with a special focus on Pompeii in 79AD—a topic that sparked great discussions! Jacob was particularly intrigued to learn that Mount Vesuvius is still active today.

Year 5 had an amazing time on their school journey this week! The photos on X (Twitter) show them tackling a range of adventurous activities that tested their resilience and stamina—what an unforgettable experience! Meanwhile, the children who remained at school also had a wonderful time, getting creative with art, enjoying the park, and even having a pyjama day—all smiles all around!

Year 6 have shown incredible creativity in their writing this week. They planned and wrote their own alternative endings to The Landlady, producing some fantastic and imaginative stories. Mrs Aliaj and Mrs Redhead had a wonderful Thursday afternoon reading through their work, feeling incredibly proud of how far the children have come in their writing journey.