6 Brick Maths challenge

30th November 2023Cathryn Henderson

In order to develop prepositional language, spatial awareness and reasoning, the children were encouraged to explore their 6 bricks. They closed their eyes and selected a colour.

They were encouraged to talk about the colour, and used mathematical vocabulary to explore similarities and differences between their brick and the brick chosen by their peers.

They built a tower, exploring the position of the different colours within their build. They were then challenged to remember a 2 and 3 colour sequence, building a matching 2 and 3 colour tower.

We were amazed how observant they were and how well they made comparisons between the different towers built.

Thurston 2023

27th June 2023Cathryn Henderson
Thurston 2023
What an adventure! We have recently visited Thurston Outdoor Education Centre for a 5 day residential. We challenged ourselves, we showed resilience, we tested our geography skills and most of all…we had fun!

YEWDALE – Miss Sparks https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uQ6P1kX3N2KbHQvKSRWWEjgq7Pq15PM6?usp=drive_link

GRIZEDALE – Miss Bowens
LANGDALE – Mrs Reay
ESKDALE – Miss Robinson

Year 1 Summer Learning

18th May 2023Cathryn Henderson

Wow! What an amazing week of learning year 1 are having! We visited the Laing gallery to learn all about printing techniques, we have been solving word problems in maths through anchor tasks and acting out the story of Handa’s surprise to help us plan for story writing. Amazing work year 1 well done!

Artsmark Silver Award

24th January 2023Cathryn Henderson

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved an Artsmark Silver Award!

Our Statement of Commitment and Statement of Impact have been assessed and we’re pleased to share this feedback from our assessors with you:

‘It was positive to read about the wide range of arts and cultural experiences pupils have had access to such as annual theatre visits, trips to the Baltic, Great North Museum, Durham Cathedral, Laing Art gallery, Sunderland Winter Gardens and South Shields Customs House. Following the COVID restrictions it is really good to hear your choirs are back to full strength and able to take part in performance opportunities including, the Big Sing, ‘Different voices in Harmony,’ where pupils visit venues including the SAGE and Customs House. A specialist has led Art and DT planning, leading to a significant increase in lessons being deemed outstanding across all year groups. Art was also showcased as a school strength in the OFSTED inspection of 2022. Unfortunately, during COVID connection with your local music hub was severed, which left your students without a valued area of the curriculum. However, you counteracted this by providing remote learning opportunities to continue to immerse the pupils in the arts curriculum, whilst funding a music trolly with a full set of keyboards and glockenspiels to allow class teachers to provide instrumental lessons to their classes. Teachers now have access to the Charanga platform to support music lessons. During COVID you also adapted your Christmas performances to be shown on DVD and invited parents, outside of the school, to hear your Christmas Carol service. Since restrictions lifted events such as ‘Cultural Week’, ‘Craft Fayres’ and ‘Enterprise Week’ have been reinstated and involve musicians and the local community by extending the route and advertising the Cultural Parade to involve members of the community. These events appear to be very successful and help to keep the Arts in high profile. It was positive to read how you make links between the Arts and possible career paths, with pupils regularly relating their learning to possible jobs they could acquire when they leave school. Perhaps you may also want to consider the diversity of role models pupils explore to enhance this area. It will be interesting to see how your after schools clubs develop as opportunities expand for pupils. You have identified appropriate areas for development in your Statement of Impact, and you may also want to consider building a bank of case studies which could be shared with schools locally or regionally to support their engagement with the Arts.’

Congratulations on your Artsmark Silver Award!

Silver Artsmark

 

Year 2 Loving Art

24th September 2021Cathryn Henderson

Year 2 children have loved their art topic all about Jackson Pollock. We practised being action painters and practised using different skills to create abstract art.