Latest News

Year 4 -Forest School:
The weather had cheered up for the Year 4 Forest School session, so the children were excited to enjoy a session of pond dipping.
They were most excited by the number of newts they were able to catch but were also fascinated by the dragonfly nymph, a top predator in the pond. They learnt all about its life cycle and how, just like a caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, a brown dragonfly nymph will climb out of the pond and turn itself into a beautiful dragonfly. On sunny, calm days we see quite a lot of dragonflies flying around the pond—an indicator that the pond is a healthy one.
As always, they also enjoyed some time playing in Forest School.
Well done, Kenya Class—a great session! ... See MoreSee Less

Forest - Year 2:
This week, despite the overcast and at times rainy weather, the Year 2 children all enjoyed a session of pond dipping.
There was great excitement when the children caught newts—something that some of them had never seen before. They were able to relate their learning about habitats earlier in the term to this new habitat and learn to identify which creatures were carnivores and which were herbivores.
They were fascinated to find out about the dragonfly nymph that lives in the pond for two years before turning into a beautiful dragonfly.
As always, they also had plenty of time to enjoy a play in the forest area. ... See MoreSee Less

Year 5- Forest School:
This week in Forest School, the Year 5 children took part in a range of different activities.
Brazil Class took part in a building challenge, where they had to build a platform to hold logs using string and bamboo canes. This proved much harder than they thought, and despite lots of perseverance, only one group managed to complete the challenge!
Peru Class planted up the plant pots they had made from plastic bottles with fuchsias and begonias. Some of the children also took on the task of clearing out some growing boxes that are outside the Year 5 window. In them, they found some tiny wild strawberries and some old daffodil bulbs.
The children also had plenty of time to enjoy their favourite activities, including playing with the sand, role-playing hotel management, and creating recipes in the mud kitchen! ... See MoreSee Less

Year 1- Forest School:
This week the Year 1 children went pond dipping to learn all about what lives in the school pond.
There was lots of excitement over the number of newts that they managed to catch, as well as fascination over the dragonfly nymphs that look really fierce but turn into lovely dragonflies after spending two years in the pond.
They learnt that newts are amphibians and can live in both air and water, and watched them swimming to the surface for air. This supported the learning they were doing in class about animal groups.
The children also had some fun playing in the Forest School and taking part in all their favourite activities. ... See MoreSee Less

Year 3 Forest School
There was great excitement in Forest School for Year 3 this week as they were doing pond dipping.
All the children were keen to have a go and try to catch something with their nets.
They were all fascinated by the newts that they caught, but they also found some worms, water mites, and water snails.
They saw some dragonflies and damselflies, and also found a dragonfly nymph, which was very fierce-looking.
They learnt about the life cycle of a dragonfly and about the food chains in the pond.
The children also spent time in Forest School, where some of them helped Mrs Howes to plant some marigolds and water the raised beds.
What a busy session! ... See MoreSee Less

Reception – Forest School:
The children in the Reception classes enjoyed the shade of the Forest School this afternoon. They built some excellent bug hotels, dug a large hole, played hide and seek, and spent time with their friends.
The children had a lovely afternoon exploring outdoors. ... See MoreSee Less

Year 1 – Forest School:
Wow, what a great morning it was for the Year 1 children during their Forest School sessions this week!

First, they enjoyed a barefoot sensory trail featuring water, sand, stepping stones, and pebbles. They were very excited to take off their shoes and socks and walk around in their bare feet! It was a great sensory experience — especially for some children who find new and different textures challenging — but they all took part and enjoyed themselves.

In Forest School, they had lots of fun with all their favourite activities. Despite the warm weather, the children were very active, although some preferred to quietly play with the water from the sensory trail. ... See MoreSee Less

Nursery-Teddy Bear's Picnic:
Over the last two weeks, the nursery children have been reading 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt.' The children came up with three different endings, as they said the bear was lonely and just wanted a friend. They drew their own story maps to tell the new versions of the story.

This led to a discussion about what bears might like to eat, so the children created a menu and decided to have a Teddy Bear's Picnic. Today, they helped make honey sandwiches, cut apples and strawberries, and slice the carrot muffins they had baked yesterday.

The children had lots of fun enjoying their picnic in the garden. ... See MoreSee Less