On 15th March 2019 our secondary staff and pupils celebrated Red Nose Day.

Cakes were made and purchased throughout the week to raise money.

On Friday, pupils were encouraged to wear something red and to make a contribution to Red Nose Day.

Ms Goodrich arranged a Danceathon in the hall. This was a fantastic opportunity to come together in a fun activity, taking into consideration our pupils’ love of music which was an excellent way to develop positive relationships between pupils and staff.

Why are positive relationships important?

‘Positive Relationships in schools are central to the wellbeing of both students and teachers and underpin an effective learning environment.’ (Roffey, S. (ed)2012 Positive Relationships:Evidence Based Practice Across the World. Springer.

‘Developing positive relationships between teachers and students has a positive, significant and long-lasting impact on the students’ lives both academically and socially.’ (E. Maison. 2017, The Importance of Positive Teacher-Student Relationships in Classrooms.)

Our KS3 pupils have been recreating the world of The Court and The Forest of Arden from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ to demonstrate their understanding of setting.

Our pupils have enthusiastically used different materials to create their ideas.

Miss Irving is very impressed with the effort that our pupils have put into this task.

On Thursday 14th March 2019, Mr Townend took some of our KS3 pupils to participate in a boxing session as part of their weekly PE lesson. The pupils all listened well and fully engaged in the activities.

Why is boxing an effect PE activity?

‘Boxing, encourages students to be physically active for sustained periods of time and improves their fitness for competitive sports. Boxing is fantastic for developing speed, stamina and strength, and is a great way to engage previously inactive youngsters. Training for the ring teaches self-discipline, commitment and concentration, building confidence and acting as a safe outlet for aggression.’ (https://www.teachsecondary.com/sport/view/lesson-plan-ks3-4-pe-boxing-for-fitness)

On 7th March 2019, a group of our KS3 secondary pupils had the opportunity to participate in kayaking and paddle board activities. The activities are designed for enquiring minds and active bodies with the emphasis of creating a passion for quality time spent outdoors, reinforcing important water safety messages and delivering relevant curriculum aims and objectives that support in-school learning.

The activities involved intellectual and physical challenges to encourage the pupils to work as a team, build on trust and develop their skills to solve problems, either individually or as a group.

Everyone had an excellent time; the pupils worked as a team and they all enjoyed making sure Mr Townend and Mrs Warren ended up in the water…on numerous occasions!

Unfortunately, we did not have a waterproof camera, therefore, we were limited to photos before the activities. When we return with our year 11 pupils next week, we are going to try to get action photos and videos…WATCH THIS SPACE!