Primary
Academies
Dartford Primary Academy
This term we have been busy inquiring into our learning with Year R undertaking field research by walking in their local area. Year 2 have met with Thomas Farriner to investigate the Great Fire of London. Year 3 have undertaken more field work investigating Lesnes Abbey and fossil hunting, Year 4 have explored the Mayans with mask making and fantastic workshops. Both Year 1 and 6 have dressed as Victorians to explore their time in history and the differences in the way we live! Lots of staff and children dressed in Victorian attire too!
Determined Persistent Achievers is our motto - with a vision to change the world. Starting with their local community, this term has seen our academy grow in strength and really challenge what we do everyday. Having their voice heard is ensuring our children have the opportunity to understand democracy and their rights whilst making a difference in their own communities.
Our sporting activities have seen football competitions, training with Dartford Football Club and success at the LAT swimming gala. We have been trained in aerobic dance by an external coach to help open up as many different opportunities for our children as possible.
We had the privilege of representing our school at The Leigh Academy Remembrance Day service and meeting with veterans to understand the importance and significance of Remembrance Day. We are incredibly proud of the children who took part.
We have warmly invited our parents in for SEN information coffee events and shared an update on the local offer and services to help support their children. We have also started our Pride assemblies where parents can come in and share the special moments with their children.
We ended this term with a range of special Christmas performances including poetry recitals, carol services, the Nativity performed and sung in French. Every event finished off with a parent-children sing off - naturally our children won!
We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work of our Friends association in the Christmas Disco, Christmas bazaars and the Panto - on behalf of our community - thank you.
Hartley Primary Academy
It’s been a busy couple of terms at Hartley and our children have been very busy raising money and collecting donations for various charities. In October we collected donations for the local food bank during our Harvest celebrations and some of the children delivered the 165kg of food to The Community Cupboard in West Kingsdown, dressed as rock stars for our TT Rockstars Day!
As part of our Harvest celebrations we also raised £168.25 for The Red Cross Pakistan Flood Appeal. Also in Term 1 we raised £420 at our Macmillan coffee morning and £305.97 on Jeans for Genes Day, and this term Children in Need Day raised £354.11 and Elf Day (for The Alzheimer's Society) raised £357.30 (and counting!)
In addition to being fantastic fundraisers, our pupils are also doing amazingly well with their sports. Our swim team came 2nd overall in the LAT swimming gala, with a 1st place in the backstroke! Our boys’ and girls’ football teams both had huge success in Term 1, with our boys winning the annual ‘Early Season 7s’ tournament in Gravesham, winning the Ford Shield and our girls coming 2nd in their tournament a week later.
We have had a few trips and visits this year already: Reception have been on a walk to the War Memorial to look at the poppy display photo, as well as taking a second walk to the post office to buy stamps and post their Christmas cards. Year 1 went to The Orchard Theatre to see The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Year 5 went to Lullingstone Roman Villa.
And finally… Hartley wouldn’t be Hartley without an abundance of outdoor learning! Over the last two terms every year group has been busy working and learning outdoors, as well as some year groups enjoying Forest School and some cooking on the fire or making hot chocolate. The cold weather doesn’t stop us!
Cherry Orchard Primary Academy
At the end of September we took part in International Languages Day with children and staff wearing clothes traditional to or representative of, the country of their first language. There were opportunities for children and staff to share stories and songs in their home language and the school kitchen provided a variety of small, tapas style dishes to represent some of the many countries our community represents. Year groups were challenged to research specific continents across the world, then choose a country from that continent to explore further and redesign that country's original flag in their own way.
Throughout October, we celebrated Black History Month with each year group finding out about a range of people from Africa and the Caribbean, including a successful artist, as well as an influential person in Black history.
At the end of term we held a special assembly to showcase the fantastic learning that took place and their own pieces of art based on the style of their celebrated artist. On the final day of term we also joined in with the national initiative ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ with all staff and pupils wearing an item of red.
In October some children from KS2 were given a fantastic opportunity to take part in an event at The London Golf Club. This was a charity organised event to encourage children who may not ordinarily have the chance to try golf, a chance to experience the sport. Eight children were chosen across KS2 and they all thoroughly enjoyed their day.
Year R classroom window display on artist Aaron Douglas
Year 2 made their own collages using coloured scrap paper, focusing on shapes based on the work of Alma Thomas
Year 3 created a self portrait based on the portrait of Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley
Oaks Primary Academy
To continue to develop our engagement in the arts at Oaks, we have welcomed a number of visitors to engage and inspire our children. The Hobgoblin Theatre Company performed Thompson’s War to Key Stage 2 and Jack and the Beanstalk to Key Stage 1 before delivering performing arts workshops. This gave the children fantastic opportunities to express themselves creatively through drama and performance, communicating using their bodies - not just spoken words.
Children in Reception up to Year 4 took part in a glow art workshop led by GlowArts. The children’s work will be displayed along the ‘Glow Illumination Trail’ at Cobtree Manor Park between the 1st and 31st December - look out for giant UV glow worms climbing trees!
In Year 6, we were fortunate enough to be visited by Mr Alvin Shaw, a magistrate from the Maidstone Magistrates Court. Year 6 gained vital knowledge on the justice system as a whole and the consequences for making the wrong choices in life. They were incredibly enthused by Mr Shaw with many now wanting to work in the justice system in future careers. To build further links with our local community, Mr Imam Usmani and his son - who is a pupil at Oaks - delivered an assembly to share their Islamic faith. The school enjoyed learning about mosques, traditions and prayer, in turn building our global awareness!
As ever, sport continues to play a huge part in our lives at Oaks and Modules 1 and 2 have been no different. Charlton Athletic have worked with Years 3 and 4 on the Joy of Moving Program where children have learnt the importance of healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and the importance of exercise. Additionally, Maidstone FC’s Stones Trust have visited Key Stage 1 to teach football skills as well as speed, agility and coordination. Additionally, Year 6 engaged with the Stones Trust by participating in their Mini World Cup tournament at the Gallagher Stadium. Our team, which represented Croatia, took part alongside 36 other schools. The Year 5 and 6 football team continue to link with Tiger Primary School; their weekly combined training sessions are enjoyed greatly by all. Finally, our Year 6 swimmers joined 14 other LAT schools at this year’s swimming gala. The team gave it their all, finishing 6th place in total with many reaching the final of their individual events. What a fantastic event!
Since September, as a whole school, we have also commemorated a number of events. To mark the Queen’s passing, classes produced cards, letters and pieces of writing which were left at the gates of Buckingham Palace for the Royal Family. To celebrate the harvest, we attended an Autumn service at St Martin’s Church to reflect on the food which we have - classes shared their knowledge of how the festival is celebrated all around the world!
In November, classes participated in a range of cross curricular art lessons to celebrate Maths Week. This culminated in a TTRS Battle Royale assembly where class champions faced their teachers and we crowned our first ever Oaks TTRS champion!
Molehill Primary Academy
This term we have been, once again, incredibly proud of our whole school community. Our pupils' behaviour is exemplary and there is a supportive and collaborative partnership between pupils across the school. Examples of this can be seen during lesson time when they are helping each other to problem solve; kindness demonstrated in the corridors when holding doors open for one another; or on the playground when our Peer Mediators support younger pupils to develop fantastic friendships with one another.
Parent Events
We have been immensely pleased to welcome a significant number of new prospective parents to our Open Events this term. They left our school after making comments such as 'I'm so impressed,' 'This is such a lovely school' and 'you must be so proud'. In a short space of time they had also recognised that it is truly the pupils and the staff who make Molehill such a wonderful place to learn.
We are always committed to ensuring that there are a range of events that parents can attend to enhance their engagement with their children's learning. At the end of the last module parents joined us for our 'Fabulous Finish'. It was exceptionally well attended and we loved seeing how much pupils enjoyed sharing their learning. Our focus was reading, its importance, and how parents can help us to ensure that this continues to be a priority at home as well as at school. Earlier this module, we held an additional phonics workshop for all our EYFS and KS1 parents. The aim of the session was to support parents' understanding of how we teach phonics and early reading.
Stone Age Workshop
This module, Fox, Badger and Hedgehog classes were absolutely delighted to take part in a Stone Age workshop. They learnt about how humans developed tools from stone which allowed them to survive; they went on a deer hunt; discovered more about climate change, such as the end of the last Ice Age, and explored why metal gradually replaced stone for use in making tools.
Lego Stem Workshop
We hosted the Lego Discovery Day where children from Oaks Academy and our Year 5 children took part in an afternoon of exploring the Lego Spike Kit. We were very fortunate to have a member from GeTech come into school and deliver the STEM Lego Discovery workshop. The children used the Lego to make Spike the robot and programmed him using the Scratch-based software to move. They worked as a team and used problem solving skills to get Spike to move forwards, backwards and create shapes.
Choir Visit to Ashley Gardens Residential Care Home
We have been really delighted to be able to return to our community partnership with Ashley Gardens, after two years of not being able to visit the residents due to covid restrictions. On Monday 12th December the Molehill Choir entertained the residents and their carers to the Christmas songs that they have been eagerly practising. This is always a fabulous event and a very real opportunity for our children to demonstrate PYP action by making a significant difference to the lives of others whilst establishing connections with our wider community.
Swimming Gala
Huge congratulations to our exceptional swimmers who competed in the Leigh Academy Trust Primary Swimming Gala on Tuesday 22nd November. We saw some incredible results. The swimming team placed fourth overall out of the fifteen schools that took part. We also shone for our individual performances, with Todor winning the freestyle in his race and Izzy placing fourth in the backstroke. What a heroic effort from the Molehill pupils in their first swimming gala: we're so proud of all you achieved!
Athlete Visit
On Friday 25th November we welcomed Jessica Fleisher, former Great British Champion kickboxer to deliver a series of fitness circuits to the entire school followed by a motivational assembly as part of our sponsored fitness event. She spoke passionately about her journey and how starting small was the secret to her success. It was fun, high-energy and inspiring to all. We will not forget the inspiring words chanted by the school alongside Jess: 'Dream Big, Start Small, and Never Give Up'. Words of encouragement for not just sport but all areas of their lives.
Tree Tops Primary Academy
This has been an eventful term for Tree Tops. We have been very proud of our pupils and the way in which they have displayed continued positive attitudes towards their learning and personal development. We have seen high numbers of children achieving their reading badges and many children being commended for outstanding learner profile attributes.
Football Tournament
Our football team, consisting of Year 5 and 6 pupils, attended a Football Tournament at Greenfields Primary school. They competed against other schools in Maidstone. The pupils worked hard as a team and displayed wonderful camaraderie. Their sportsmanship was exceptional. The team continues to develop their skill and stamina and have come far in a short space of time.
We are proud of their achievements, their enthusiasm and their commitment to becoming the best they can be.
Year 1 and Year 2 Pantomime Trips
Both year groups enjoyed their trips to the theatre to see Sleeping Beauty. Year 1 went to The Hazlitt theatre in Maidstone and Year 2 to The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Their behaviour on the coach journey, when walking to the theatre and during the show was exemplary. Year 1 received a very flattering comment from a member of the public who emailed the school as he was so impressed with the behaviour he saw.
He stated, 'I would just like to say it was a pleasure to see how well behaved all your students were during the show, and how much they all enjoyed the panto. Your teaching and support staff should be very happy with them all and obviously it's a great reflection on them and all your other staff'. We could not be more proud of our pupils.
Children in Need
As part of our support for the incredible charity Children in Need, our children and staff dressed up in Pudsey colours, wearing bright yellow, colour dots and teddy bear ears, to raise an amazing £340 for the charity. Our talented Year 2 and Year 3 pupils also made Pudsey biscuits, which were sold at the tuck shop, with the money raised going towards our grand total. We are so proud of our children here at Tree Tops, for all the enthusiasm and generosity that they displayed on the days leading up to and during the official day of Children in Need.
Swimming Gala
We would like to congratulate our brilliant Year 5 and Year 6 swimmers, who competed in the Leigh Academy Trust Primary Swimming Gala on Tuesday 22nd November. They all swam with determination and commitment, with them placing 3rd in their relay heat. Our swimmers were incredibly proud of their achievements and felt honoured to have taken part in the event. This was their first swimming gala, and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments.
Langley Park Primary Academy
New Play Equipment
During the summer, the academy was a hive of activity with many exciting updates being made both inside and out. The most exciting of which was our new play equipment. In the main play area for the school we had our existing jungle gym extended with a climbing wall and further complemented with the installation of a basket swing and a sunken trampoline. All of which have been very well received by our children. Further to this, our EYFS children have also benefited from a small-scale version of the jungle gym and climbing area being installed in their already spectacular outdoor space. This has been fundamental in supporting the physical development of the children, which, as we know, has huge gains for their gross and fine motor skills.
Year 5 Raise Money
On Friday 14th October, Year 5 held a fundraiser for 'Maidstone-Homeless Care.' This was the action from their learning into the development of human rights from the Magna Carta, to the present day. The children noticed that even in Britain, not everyone received the rights they were entitled to - particularly Article 22 - Everyone has the right to a home and enough money to live on. It was decided that Year 5 wanted to raise money for a local homeless Charity 'Maidstone-Homeless Care' as it particularly focuses on young people (16-24) who need additional support. They created toffee apples, cinder toffee, popcorn and chocolate apples that they sold to the other pupils in school. They managed to raise £300!
World Values Day
On Thursday 20th October, we celebrated World Values Day and have enjoyed celebrating many of the cultures that make our school community so diverse. We had support from many parents who also shared with us different features of their cultures. We had parents helping us learn all about the Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Italian and Canadian cultures. We were even spoiled with a traditional Hungarian dance performed in our celebration assembly by one of our families.
Year 1 Meet a Guide Dog
As part of Year 1’s action from their learning, Paul from the British Guide Dog Association came to visit both classes. He explained to the children that he has no sight and was losing his hearing so relies upon his dog to help him with everyday things. The children were surprised by how clever his dog was and how he used his dog to see. They were also able to draw comparisons between the guide dog and Willow, our dog mentor, in the ways that they help people. This was a great learning experience as the children now have a better understanding that everyone is different.
Ready, Steady, Cook!
We are really fortunate at Langley Park to have a purpose built DT room that has a number of ovens and cooking spaces that we are able to use with our children and they have certainly been used a lot since the start of the new academic year. The staff have been very skillful in weaving in many opportunities to make use of this space which has helped give the children’s learning purpose and context.
Restart a Heart Workshop
Year 6 pupils took part in a 'Restart a Heart' workshop this week. This was to teach the children firstly how to stay safe, and secondly how to correctly perform CPR to someone. Pupils were also shown how to use a defibrillator and how to put someone into the recovery position, which they will be practising during their PE sessions.
Langley Legend
During the half term break, one of our Year 5 pupils, Tommy, and his family, volunteered at a local school in Thailand. The school is for Burmese children and is located within a tsunami tower, having previously been situated on an open field.
Tommy and his family brought presents for the children, spent time playing games and making paper planes, and taught the children some very basic English words and phrases. The children were grateful for everything; on the day that Tommy and his family volunteered there were 55 children at the school, who shared one cup of water to drink between them all.
It is clear that it was an amazing cultural experience for everyone involved. Well done to Tommy, and his family, for their volunteering efforts. To make a difference to the lives of young people, if only for a day, is an incredible and immeasurable act of kindness.
Paddock Wood Primary Academy
Our Autumn Term started with opening our stunning refurbished EYFS building and outside area. We have continued to develop these spaces over the course of the term and all our visitors have commented on the wonderful new learning space for our youngest learners.
We’ve also been thoroughly immersed in our inquiries across the term:
EYFS have explored Diwali and what this means for Hindus. They spent time with Mrs Foster, who was able to share how her family celebrates this special festival and the children then made Diwali lamps.
Year 1 and Year 5 took part in drama workshops to help them engage with their learning. Both year groups then used these experiences to inform their understanding and to help generate further discussion. Year 3 visited Dover Museum and the Bronze Age Boat Exhibition and children were able to learn about when this was found and how the archaeologists then used this find to research and conserve this prehistoric wooden boat.
Year 4 have been learning about Roman life particularly as a slave and have produced some wonderful diary entries, using their historical knowledge. Our Year 6s have been learning about evolution, from Charles Darwin to their own family trees and the children have then used agency to create their own record of their learning.
Finally our Year 2s were able to host a tea party, as part of their action, to say thank you to our kitchen and catering staff for all they do for us everyday.
Our sports teams continue to do us proud. Not only do we have regular fixtures, we also manage to come away with our heads held high that we have represented our academy and demonstrated great sportsmanship. In November our swimming team competed in the LAT Swimming Gala and came 1st - we are so proud of all our teams.
To celebrate all members of our academy we have a regular feature on our weekly newsletter called Proud@PWPA where we celebrate co-curricular learning and achievements. This term we have featured our choir, our Y6’s Remembrance Day parade, Bertie (Y3) and his Mudlarking, lots of footballers, dancers, martial artists and some staff members too - like Mrs Bottle who was able to teach a colleague to create a wonderful floral tribute. This weekly celebration helps us stay connected with our families and to reinforce that we are learning all the time.
It’s been a wonderful Autumn term and we’re looking forward to seeing what 2023 brings.
Horsmonden Primary Academy
IB World School Status
In September, we were thrilled that our dedication and hard work towards becoming an IB World School was recognised by the IB. Following a rigorous 2 day verification visit, the IB confirmed our beliefs and awarded us IB World School Status. The whole staff team was committed to achieving this accolade and the news was an excellent start to the new academic year.
Projects
The completion of 3 major refurbishment projects was also cause for celebration in the Autumn term. The EYFS and Year 1 classrooms were fully redecorated and are now light and bright, but most of all, they’re having a hugely positive impact on teaching and learning. Children in EYFS and Year 1 both have classrooms that are well designed, purposeful and engaging.
The star of the show has to be our newly refurbished EYFS outdoor area though. It looks superb! The area is now spacious, engaging, well resourced and promotes learning and independence.
Since the start of the year, we have shown many visitors and prospective parents around who have all commented on what an amazing space it is! The youngest children of Horsmonden Primary Academy are very lucky indeed!
Another project that was completed this term is our new entrance. We now have large, glass doors that lead into a spacious porch area with a wide, open hatch to speak to the office team through. It has made such a difference to the overall look of the entrance, as well as making it a secure but inviting area for visitors.
Community
At Horsmonden, our community is very important to us. There are many annual traditions that involve the local community each year and this one is no exception.
In October children created Harvest Hampers at home to form part of our Harvest assembly, led by our local Reverend. Children then toured the village with the help of parents and teachers to deliver the hampers to the elderly residents. It is always such a heartwarming time of the year. The children love donating their hampers and they are always gratefully received.
On Remembrance Day the whole school gathered together at the Horsmonden War Memorial where we were joined by parents and members of the village for our Remembrance Service. Year 6 children wrote thoughtful poems in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in conflict and read them confidently and respectfully to the crowd. It was a beautiful service led by local church leaders, where the children shone brightly and represented Horsmonden brilliantly.
Further opportunities for parents to share school experiences with their children at Horsmonden this term have included the Parent Partnership and Coffee Mornings.
The Parent Partnership afternoon invited parents into school for the afternoon to share in their child’s learning, meet their teacher and see their progress in books so far. It was very well attended and the children loved showing their parents their work.
The Coffee Mornings offer parents the opportunity to have a coffee and a biscuit with the Senior Leadership Team 6 times a year for parents to share their views and suggestions for Horsmonden.
Working with parents and the community is a key part of what we do at Horsmonden and it supports our aim of encouraging lifelong learning and recognising the strength of collaboration.
Eastcote Primary Academy
It has been a very busy Autumn term here at Eastcote. Year 5 and 6 have been to watch Barbarians v the All Blacks at the Tottenham Stadium. Our Art club has been running with huge success. Visits to the Tower of London, Golden Hind, Chislehurst Caves have been enjoyed by all and our football team will be representing Bexley in the Small Schools Cup!
Our Safety Committee has been teaching our Reception children how to cross the road!
We celebrated World Mental Health Day by dressing in clothes that make us happy. As a result, a dinosaur came to visit!
Peninsula East Primary Academy
Modules 1 and 2 have been a busy and exciting start to the academic year at Peninsula East. We have established our School Council for the year ahead and nominated our first ever Head Boy and Head Girl. They have been working to support a range of whole school events.
We have enjoyed many fundraising days, such as our Macmillan Coffee Morning and Back to Front Day to support SHINE.
We have also been working within our community and as part of the ‘Great Big Green Week’, Year 4 were lucky enough to go to All Saints Church to take part in some activities associated with their ‘Jewel in the Marshland Project’.
As part of the continuing work at the church, Year 4 were invited to spend the afternoon planting new additions to their sensory gardens, designing their own stained glass window and even participating in a game of ‘I Spy’ around the church grounds looking for items such as grotesques and decorative gallet stones.
The children had a fantastic time and were absolutely in awe of the building and its heritage.
High Halstow Primary Academy
We have been working very hard to further develop our curriculum and the wider opportunities for our pupils at High Halstow Primary again during the Autumn term.
Year 5 were joined by a viking in Module 1 to enhance their learning experiences and they were amazed to see some wonderful artefacts to bring their learning to life. Year 2 have taken part in an African dance workshop during Module 2 which was a great opportunity to draw their inquiry to a close.
At the start of December our pupils were fortunate to have a visit from World Gymnastics champion Courtney Tulloch. He did a demonstration for the pupils in the hall before each class were able to take part in a sponsored circuit training challenge with him. Many of our pupils received signed memorabilia from him and were really inspired to work hard to achieve their dreams after hearing all about his journey.
There has been lots to celebrate in 2022 so we are looking forward to 2023 at High Halstow Primary Academy.
The Hundred of Hoo Academy
The Hundred of Hoo Primary Academy is currently undergoing some quite significant change with building work underway to expand the school from one-form entry to two-form entry in September 2023.
The children have been rather excited to see just how the school is changing are looking forward to being involved in designing the new sensory garden which will form part of the newly established outdoor learning zone which will see the existing tipi relocated to create an environmentally-friendly area including planters, outdoor musical instruments and insect friendly plants and habitats.
Alongside this planned area, we have recently created a fantastic new forest school provision within the school grounds. Our Year R pupils have been the first cohort to benefit from this excellent chance to develop a plethora of skills outside of the classroom environment.
Given children the agency to explore and take risks in a safe yet challenging environment has helped them to grow in confidence, improve their communication and language as well as developing their physical development. We are looking forward to being able to widen this offer to pupils more widely across the school as it becomes more established.
Since the start of the year, our pupils have had the opportunity to engage in a range of co-curricular opportunities including access to a wide range of after-school clubs as well as local trips and visits. Our Year 4 class had the chance to visit Maidstone museum and created their own Greek style masks which linked to their learning on beliefs and how these have changed over time. Children from the academy also visited the local church on Remembrance Day to further develop an understanding of how we recognise the importance of how people in the past have impacted today with a particular focus on our local context.
Our Forest School Provision
The Hundred of Hoo Nursery
Often referred to as ‘practitioners’ favourite term’, the nursery has been a hive of busy activity as we undertook our preparation for Christmas. There was a real sense of awe and wonder starting to build as we prepared and celebrated with lots of art, crafts and fun times to enjoy throughout the whole nursery. We made use of the secondary site to showcase our talented children’s efforts in our annual Christmas production and our Christmas party saw children enjoying party games and food, all our children receiving a small gift.
All of our children have enjoyed the change of seasons and we have been out and about on nature walks where we have been collecting a range of natural treasures to bring back to the setting to use in our play and craft activities. We have been learning that we need to wrap up warm and how to put our own coats, gloves and hats on. Opportunities for the investigation of the natural world outside allows our children to use and extend their vocabulary and be active learners.
Marden Primary Academy
It has been a busy start to the year at Marden, with visits from both International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Pre-Authorisation and Challenge Partners. Becoming an IB World School is the next step as we passed the pre-authorisation visit with flying colours; we are looking to achieve this status by the end of the academic year.
Challenge Partners was an external review over three days from leaders from within Leigh Academies Trust and external leaders too. We are incredibly pleased with the progress we have made, particularly with SEND which highlighted no ‘Even Better Ifs’.
We have been busy hosting a number of EYFS open days ready for applications for 2023-24. These are more important than ever as we are now recruiting for 60 places in September as opposed to 40! This is an important step in becoming a full two form entry school in the near future.
On Thursday 10th November, KS2 visited the church to take part in a service of Remembrance. The children were able to share some of the fantastic war-inspired work that they had created during the week. We heard diary entries and letters home from the trenches and war poetry. Well done to all the children who so confidently shared their work.
On Friday 11th November parents and carers were invited to our Poppy Walk where they were able to view all of the fantastic written work and pieces of art that had been produced. It makes us so proud to see what the children are able to achieve and a special thanks must go to our teachers and support staff for all of their hard work too.
Bearsted Primary Academy
Royal Opera House Dance Workshops
Year 2 have had great fun taking part in a series of dance live-lessons across modules one and two. In this series of workshops, they have learned how they can express themselves through movement and have collaborated with The Royal Opera House to choreograph and perform a sequence to Alice in Wonderland. They have also looked at ways to express their feelings through art, using different mediums to evoke specific feelings within the audience. The children were then prompted to think about how to look after their bodies, as this can also impact how they feel both physically and emotionally.
Year 4 - Virtual Reality Headsets
Continuing the theme of immersive experiences for our children, Year 4 have been getting to grips with the VR headsets in Module 2 in preparation for using them as part of their Science and Inquiry learning. They have thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands on this technology and exploring the virtual world around them. Particular attention was taken to ensure no-one fell over!
Invicta Court Care Home
We are continuing to build networks with our local community and in particular, nearby Invicta Court Care Home. We visited them in December and sang a host of Christmas carols and songs which spread festive joy, fun and laughter to their residents. We also welcomed Invicta Court into our school to watch our seasonal performances and get the celebrations started.
We are looking forward to collaborating with the local innovation centre sharing more singing which we very much enjoy. As a new academy it is always a pleasure to explore our local community and get ourselves ‘out there’.
BPA Children in Need 2022
For Children in Need, our children and staff raised over £200 by coming into the academy dressed up in spotty clothing, wearing bright yellow, colour dots and teddy bear ears. Our children then spent some of the day learning about the foundation and purpose of Children in Need.
Our pupils were able to explore where their donations to this remarkable charity end up and the importance of continuing to support charities even more so in this difficult time.
Reception Admissions Open Events
We have been blown away with the interest that Bearsted Primary Academy has received through our recent open events for the reception intake 2023-2024. We have welcomed around 200 people through our doors to the academy to experience, witness and hear about what BPA can offer their child. We have been privileged to share our academy with so many people and never shy away from an opportunity to talk about the learning and aspirations at Bearsted Primary Academy.
Year 1 - Family Trees
Year 1 has been investigating their family trees and they have reflected on the similarities and differences between them. They have also looked at how they are connected to each other, in ways that they previously hadn’t thought about. They enjoyed finding connections such as children who have siblings, children who still have great-grandparents and children who have family living in other countries. This work has really helped us develop an internationally minded approach to the world around us.
Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
On the 11th November, we came together as an academy to hold our own memorial service for members of the armed forces both present and past. Our classes spent time understanding the significance of Remembrance Day. Our classes made their own poppies as a sign of respect and these were laid out at our memorial service on our MUGA. They then formed a communal display in our hall for the remainder of Module 2.
