Month: September 2025

Independence and Focus

Scott Grason-Taylor

The Pioneers are settled in to their classroom and the learning is theirs. They know where everything is and are confident to ask if there is anything they need. 

They write and read and cut and stick. They build and explore, making comparisons and combine their selection of loose parts. At times the classroom is noisy but if you wait a few moments you will notice the change when the play focus changes and there is quiet and concentration. At the busiest times, it is so wonderful to look around and listen to the groups of play and learning. Learning is not tidy!

Happy Learning

 

Map Making

Scott Grason-Taylor

Friday afternoon was really exciting. We looked at Google Earth and spotted the road and the river. We discussed the things to see in Sleights and then got going with some building. Even Sid the Cat had a go on the whiteboard! His paws caused a problem however.
We moved the furniture back and filled the space with boxes and tiles and sheets. The focus was fabulous and everyone explored in different ways. It was a pleasure to stand back and watch all of the interaction and decisions.
We discussed chimneys and how many were on different buildings. We discussed the river Esk and going over bridges. We talked about the railway line next to the river.
Some Pioneers began drawing maps and added the word ‘map’ which was a fantastic step.
Next week we will build and photograph from above to create maps.

Enjoying the Autumn Sunshine

Scott Grason-Taylor

We have the most wonderful school site and in the autumn it is simply stunning. The Pioneers got out and about to check on the acorns on our oak tree in the forest. We collected bags of forest treasure and had a story on the field. There were lots of brambles and nettles to tackle and this was tricky. Managing to find your boots when there are 25 pairs to choose from is quite a skill!

Untitled

Scott Grason-Taylor

The Adventurers have been working hard in all areas of the curriculum this week.
In English, the children have continued to think about how they can make an impact with their actions and have applied their ideas into sentences that use subordinating conjunctions and fronted adverbials. Their writing has been a joy to read. They have also planned and began to write their poster text and are looking forward to completing these next week. In history, Adventurers have been learning about the different time periods in the Stone Age. After carrying out a reading activity, they worked together to sort facts into the correct time period before showcasing what they had learned with some great written responses. On Thursday, Adventurers had their first music sessions. The children were extremely excited to play their instruments for the first time and had a brilliant first lesson.

Happy Learning

Scott Grason-Taylor

We welcomed the Pioneers into their classroom this week and everything was ready. They have filled the space with curiosity and questions. They have moved everything to combine dominoes and train track, buttons and magnets, dough and acorns. They have been dressing up, singing and dancing, writing and building. 

The days have found a rhythm and the Pioneers are learning the routines. They managed lunch and outside playtime, collective worship and our end of week disco which was quite something. We talked about how important it is to be part of a team and they certainly played this out in their actions this week.

Happy Learning