IB and Careers News

IB News

The new academic year at Leigh Academy Dartford has begun with incredible energy and enthusiasm, marked by some fantastic inquiries happening across the academy. Though we’re only two terms in, they’ve been action-packed, offering countless opportunities for our learners to grow and thrive. Throughout their learning journeys, our students have been engaging deeply with the ten learner profile attributes. These important traits have also been celebrated in our assemblies, storytelling sessions, and explorations of diverse cultures, all reinforcing our school’s motto: Choose to Be Kind. We’ve seen our children embrace kindness, care, and respect in everything they do.

An essential element of every unit of inquiry is taking action—putting knowledge into practice. Our students have risen to the challenge wonderfully! A special shoutout goes to Year 6, who demonstrated true initiative and compassion by raising funds for the charity Barnardo’s. They crafted their own Christmas decorations and sold them, raising an impressive £36—an inspiring effort that truly reflects the spirit of giving and the legacy of Dr. Barnardo. This money will go towards providing food vouchers for children this Christmas!

Moreover, the Year 1 children have shown incredible thoughtfulness and creativity by writing heartfelt Christmas cards for residents at a local care home. This wonderful gesture demonstrated their ability to be caring individuals, spreading joy and kindness within their community. The children also showcased their thinker skills by considering how their words could bring happiness to others, and their communicator attributes shone as they expressed their festive wishes through beautifully written messages. Their actions are a shining example of how the learner profiles guide our students to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

As we approach the festive season, we encourage you to stay connected with us through ClassDojo. Share your child’s home learning experiences and let us know about the special ways your family celebrates during this joyous time.

Looking ahead to the next term, we’re excited to focus on two new learner profile attributes. Keep an eye out for some engaging home activities and challenges related to these attributes!

If your child takes action or contributes to something meaningful, we’d love to hear about it—please share those wonderful moments with us on ClassDojo.

Wishing you a happy and restful holiday season,

Miss Bhaker 

Careers Related Learning

What an exciting first term we have had for careers! Since September, the children have had the chance to experience lots of different careers. This began with our transdisciplinary theme- Who We Are- before leading into module two’s theme of Where We Are in Place and Time. These have both provided lots of opportunities for the children to investigate a wide variety of careers. For example, the children in reception have been restaurant owners, in year 1, the children explored being museum curators and year 2 enjoyed learning about being builders and architects.

Across the academy at KS2, children have become dieticians making healthy snacks, dentists by creating their own models of the mouth with teeth, criminal lawyers and forensic investigators. For this topic, the children were even lucky enough to have a video call with an actual criminal lawyer. The children in year 6 have enjoyed being biographers and sculpture artists. The children in year 6 also all enjoyed a trip to The Leigh UTC for a session with one of their specialist teachers and each made a moving toy to bring home.

It has been a hugely successful term where each child across the academy has widened their career capital and we are excited to share all of the exciting things coming up with you soon. Have a fabulous, restful holiday and we look forward to seeing you in 2025 for more exciting career events!