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IB News
The new academic year at Leigh Academy Dartford has launched with remarkable energy and a host of fantastic inquiry-based learning experiences. Just two terms in, our students have already embraced countless opportunities for growth and achievement. A core focus of our journey has been the deep engagement with the ten Learner Profile attributes. These vital traits, reinforced in assemblies, storytelling, and cultural explorations, powerfully support our school motto: Choose to Be Kind. We are incredibly proud to see our students consistently demonstrate kindness, care, and respect in their daily lives.
Putting knowledge into practice through ‘Action’ is crucial to every unit of inquiry, and our students have excelled! A special commendation goes to Year 6 for their compassion-driven project. They designed and sold their own Christmas decorations, successfully raising an impressive sum of money for the charity Barnardo’s - over £100! This wonderful effort, which provides food vouchers for children this festive season, truly embodies the spirit of giving and the legacy of Dr. Barnardo.
Furthermore, the children in Year 1 showcased remarkable thoughtfulness by crafting heartfelt Christmas cards for residents at a local care home. This gesture demonstrated their ability to be caring individuals, their thinker skills in considering the impact of their words, and their communicator attributes in expressing festive wishes. Their action is a shining example of the positive difference our learners make in the community.
We have had an exceptionally exciting first term for careers! Since September, students have actively engaged with diverse professions through our transdisciplinary themes, 'Who We Are' and 'Where We Are in Place and Time.' For example, Reception children explored being restaurant owners, Year 1 investigated becoming museum curators, and Year 2 enjoyed learning about being builders and architects. Across Key Stage 2, children have taken on roles like dieticians (making healthy snacks), dentists (creating mouth models), and criminal lawyers and forensic investigators. Our students even had the incredible opportunity to virtually connect with an actual criminal lawyer and gain first-hand insights into the legal profession.
As the festive season approaches, we invite you to stay connected via ClassDojo. Please share your child’s home learning experiences and any special family celebrations during this joyous time. Next term, we look forward to introducing a focused exploration of two new Learner Profile attributes. Keep an eye out for engaging home activities and challenges! If your child undertakes any meaningful action or contribution, please do share those wonderful moments with us on ClassDojo. Wishing you all a happy and restful holiday season. We are excited to see you in 2026 for more exciting events!
Kind regards,
Miss Bhaker
Career News
Leigh Academy Dartford was very proud to be presented the Investors in Career Award again after demonstrating an outstanding commitment to providing career based learning across the curriculum.
The children have been demonstrating their reflective skills in class by thinking about the careers they have learnt this term and considering if their career aspirations have changed through their learning. The children had an assembly where we got them thinking about how it’s possible to have multiple career ambitions so that they keep options open and how it is ok for their aspirations to change as they grow older.
In class the children have been learning lots about careers. Year 3 took a trip to Lesnes Abbey Wood where they were digging for fossils as Paleontologists. In Year 5 the children undertook their astronaut training testing their physical, memory and communication skills to see if they would make good astronauts. In Reception the children used their junk modelling to be architects and made houses to build a town. In Year 4 the children have been learning about curators and made an online museum to showcase a variety of artefacts. Finally in Year 1 they have been toy makers and engineers exploring how products are designed and made for a target audience. The children made pop art Christmas cards for a local care home.
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