We are so delighted to be able to share our OfSTED report from November 2019.
A huge thank you to everyone for their hard work, dedication and support. Go, Team Sleights!
Category: Discoverers Class
Goodbye, Mrs Vicar!
On 23rd September, the whole school gathered in St. John’s Church to say goodbye to Mrs Vicar (Reverend Veronica Carolan). Reverend Veronica begins her retirement after many years of faithful service and the school was so pleased to be able to mark this special occasion. The school shared songs, poems, readings and their heartfelt thoughts on Mrs Vicar. See the gallery for a snapshot of the service.
A reading buzz
We are working really hard to promote reading at Sleights. Over the last few days, we have undertaken the huge job of reorganising our whole school library. Every book is now banded, so that every child can choose from a huge range of texts that interest them. We are really excited by this!
The Discoverers were the first class to then create their own classroom book collection using the newly organised texts. The library was a brilliant hive of activity, as children debated titles and battled over blurbs. The children’s genuine interest was so lovely to see and created such a buzz.
We are really excited to now start enjoying the new classroom collection!
Mr Grason
A visit from the Islamic Diversity Centre
On Tuesday 9th April, we were really excited to be able to welcome Miriam and Amar from the Islamic Diversity Centre in Newcastle. During the day, the children enjoyed a workshop, in their classes, with Miriam and Amar to learn about the Five Pillars of Islam.
The children asked lots of really thoughtful questions and were incredibly interested and respectful of the Muslim faith. We were also pleased to be able to welcome family members to the workshops, who also shared lots of positive feedback.
Thank you to the Islamic Diversity Centre for helping our children understand and compare about faith different to our own.
Click here to see a copy of the family feedback about the workshop: Islamic Diversity Centre Workshop Evaluation (April 2019)
Chocolate Tasting
18th March 2019
As part of their Design and Technology topic Discoverers have been doing some product investigation. This afternoon involved chocolate tasting – such a difficult afternoon!!
They investigated the difference in taste between bars with a small amount of Cocoa solids compared to others with less.
Lucas & Ruby
The 85% dark chocolate was revolting compared to the 0% of the white chocolate.
Lilac
I liked tasting all of the different chocolate although I didn’t like the dark chocolate.
Noah
I was surprised that the Milkybar did not contain any Cocoa solids, only Cocoa butter.
Rachael
I liked the 85% chocolate because it was spicy but I didn’t like the 0% Milkybar.
Joshua
I like the 85% chocolate because I don’t really like milky chocolate.
Discoverers were surprised to find out that the dark chocolate was better for them.
World Book Day
Pioneers delved into a selection of new and loved wonderful texts. This week we have been enjoying Dave’s Big Breakfast Blast Off and Dave-two books about a big fat cat and his adventures. It involves animals feeding him too many beans and the inevitable happens and Dave “blasts off” . We had great fun sharing the count down together, painting pictures of Dave and making a story map together. In the afternoon we visited our reading buddies in Discoverers Class. We brought the books and they helped with the big words. To end the day, we went into our new school library to share our last story of the day. Amelia finished the day beautifully by saying that it was the best story ever because it had a happy ending. So lovely.
Happy Reading
Swimming
15th February 2019
Discoverers enjoy going swimming every Friday morning, with Pioneers, and are nearly half way through their swimming sessions.
The children were eager to get in the water in their first session but had to be split into groups first according to how well they would already swim. All of the older children swam in the big pool, which took a lot of courage for some of our less confident swimmers.
Discoverers think that the pool is quite cold which helps them to swim faster to keep warm!
The children in the deep end are trying to perfect their strokes.
The children in the middle group are working on putting their heads in the water, learning a breathing technique.
The children in the shallowest part of the big pool are doing lots of activities to develop water confidence, including their ability to float in the water without moving.
Reegan
“Swimming is really fun.”
Max
“Swimming is active and fun.”
Tom
“I’d like to learn some harder strokes.”
Ruby
“I wish we could go swimming every day.”
Mia B
“I like to get dressed quickly to win the tokens.”
Scarlett F
“I don’t like getting in at the beginning because it’s cold.”
Chocolate Day! February 2019
This week began with a launch day to our new writing topic, investigating “How is chocolate made?” The whole school worked in mixed groups during the day to complete a range of activities based on making chocolate. We want our children to be able to write with real purpose and using experiences, so what better way to learn about making chocolate than by doing it!
Mrs Hann worked outside with the children on Monday, down in the forest. The groups worked hard to create their own mud chocolate creations, adding different textures and objects to give some added crunch to their recipes! The children hunted around the forest for interesting and unusual objects to add in. It was excellent to see all children of all ages supporting each other in this task.
To help our day be a success, we kindly received a donation of chocolate and materials for making our own lollies from Alex at Crofts Chocolates in Scarborough. With Mrs Roe, the children had the very exciting task of using this donation to make their own chocolate lollies. When I visited, each lolly was heaped with sweets and marshmallows, which made them look really delicious!
Mrs Walker and Mrs Exelby led the baking efforts on Monday. During the day, each child had the opportunity to create their own chocolate creations. Working together to carefully add the ingredients, mix them together and prepare them for baking was something that everyone enjoyed. If you were able to join us for the café in the hall during the afternoon, I am sure you will agree that they looked delicious!
Finally, with Miss Stubbs, the children created their own packaging for their chocolate lollies. After looking carefully at the designs of well-known chocolate brands, the children then came up with their own designs. It was fun to see how the children were using these brands to influence their own, with many adapting well-known chocolate names and designs.
At the end of the day, it was great to be able to invite so many families into school to see the children’s efforts from the day and read their stories in our chocolate café. The event was incredibly well attended, with it being said that the cake sale was “like a fair day!” This overwhelming support is amazing. Thank you to everyone!
Reading
This week, the children have been enjoying sharing their Chocolate Cake stories. Over the last couple of weeks, the whole school has been inspired by Michael Rosen’s Chocolate Cake poem and have been creating their own versions of the text. Children have also enjoyed writing for purpose and publishing their stories.
On Thursday afternoon, the Pioneers and Discoverers had a wonderful time sharing and enjoying each other’s stories. It was a special time for everyone.
Chocolate Cake
1st February 2019
What better way to help use our senses to describe than to be able to see, hear, smell, taste and touch a yummy chocolate cake. Here are some of the children’s expanded noun phrases – I hope they paint a picture in your mind of the cake the children saw. We would add a picture but the cake seems to have disappeared… inside some hungry tummies!!
Rachael
The soft, brown sponge with icing oozing like slime.
Scarlett F
The brown, chocolaty icing neatly spread across the top like ice on a car.
Reegan
The chocolaty, squidgy sponge with icing on the top.
Scarlett K
The big, gooey cake with Maltesers like little footballs on a football pitch.
Lucas
The gooey, oozing icing with chocolate chunks on top like a beach.
Declan
The lovely, gooey caramel with chocolate on the outside.
Noah
The gooey, squishy icing with two layers of sponge.
Forest Fractions
18th January 2019
The children in Discoverers have enjoyed their first forest school session of the new year, taking their learning outside into the environment. They collected lots of dry twigs, which will be used to light fires next session, and found a given fractions of their pile. Writing their answers using natural resources was more tricky than the fractions!
Happy Holidays
21st December 2018
Wow, what a busy few weeks! The children in Discoverers have been busy learning their parts for the Christmas performance before joining with the rest of the school to take part in two fantastic performances to parents. They definitely did a brilliant job.
They have also been very busy writing lots of letters, starting with the man on the moon, which is why you may have heard your children singing the John Lewis version of the R.E.M. song, Man on the Moon. They have then written letters to someone special to them.
In Mathematics they have been very busy with some difficult work on division but hopefully all children will now be confident sharing out those Christmas chocolates fairly.
What a Welcome!
21st November 2018
The children in Discoverers have made Mrs Walker feel very welcome and they have been busy getting to know each other. She also had pleasure in meeting many of the parents this week at the meetings after school to share information about what Discoverers have been doing in school.
Discoverers have been busy writing letters about the school including all the exciting things that happen and the fantastic family atmosphere. They are now busy typing up their letters so that they can be put on display.
Book Reviews
22nd October 2018
After enjoying reading and then writing our own Minpin adventures, Discoverers decided to review Roald Dahl’s novel. Below are our reviews. We are really proud of them and hope other children find them helpful when deciding whether or not to read The Minpins!
Amelia’s review
The tall, mighty, towering and terrifying trees stand like a house in the distance. The Minpin book made me a bit sad and emotional. I would recommend The Minpins because it is exciting. I really liked it when Billy met Minpins and all the amazing adventures. By Amelia
Amelie’s review
At Sleights, we have the book the Minpins and it is a very good. The book just gives you excitement and when Spiller ran after Billy it gave me butterflies. The book is very exciting and we think it is the best book in the school. The Minpin book made me feel excited and magical. In the Minpin story, you will meet lots of characters, but the main character is a little boy called Billy. Billy is a boy who lives with his Mum and Dad. By Amelie
Autumn’s review
The Minpins book made me feel happy excited and it made me shiver like my tummy was shaking. It felt weird. My hand was shaking. The happy bit was when Billy made friends with the Minpins. And he found a nice lake. It made me shiver because of the orange monster and when he was walking there could have been other fires. The monster bit was scary. By Autumn
Leila’s review
At Sleights school, we have a terrific, exciting and amazing forest. At the bottom of the huge playing field, it was old and big just like in the story.
Plot Billy went to the forest of Sin, and he met a lot of good friends, about a million. My favourite part of the story is when Billy fought the Gruncher .
Character Don Mini is important, clever and he likes helping other Minpins .Billy is kind and likes making new friends.
Setting In the middle of the dark gloomy forest live the Minpins. The Minpins live a very tall and mighty tree.
How did the book make me feel? The book made me feel happy, emotional and good. By Leila
Corey’s review
When I saw the book I thought it would be really good, but it was even better. I really liked the book and I really want it at my house Roald Dahl is really good at writing interesting books.
Plot Billy flew with Swan as fast as lightening and a bullet mixed together over the deep lake to home!
Characters Meet Billy! He is the main character. He is the most popular character in the story. There is many other characters.
Meet Swan. He is Billy’s secret aeroplane. His last adventure was to America. By Corey
Declan’s review
The front cover of the book reminded me of our forest at Sleights School. I like the Minpin book because Billy is a young boy, just like me.There are many characters in the book. My favourite is Billy. He had lots of adventures on his journey.
When the Spitler chased Billy it was quite scary. I would recommend this book to a friend and I would give this book ***** By Declan
Freddy’s review
Billy escaped into the forest and he finds the Minpins. They are small people. There are also monsters in the forest. Don Mini is in charge of the Minpins and he is proud of his home. Billy is a small boy. By Freddy
Hollie’s review
The book made me feel excited, comfortable and scared, but nervous when the fire came. I would share this book with others. It was really exciting when Billy went in to the forest and met lots of other characters. The Minpins were my favourite characters. The best part of the book for me was when Billy met the Minpins. By Hollie
Review
I like this book because the forest is like ours at Sleights. We thought the forest on the front cover of the Minpins because it looks like a big adventure to the forest and a boy who is lost in it. We thought that it might be really good because it’s by Roald Dahl. We thought it looked exciting, mysterious and very funny.
Plot Billy was bored and he traveled to the gloomy forest and he met the Minpins. He went on Swan to have a massive adventure and see the world beyond.
Characters Billy is the main character and is a little boy. Along the way, he met good, bad and weird people. Billy’s Mum is tall. Billy goes into the forest and meets Minpins. He meets a special Minpin called Don Mini. He is special because he is the leader of the tree. Swan was waiting for Billy, so he could go on his back. They went into the forest and destroyed the monster.
Setting The main setting is the Forest of Sin. It’s very gloomy, dark, horrid, muddy, slimy, disgusting, deadly and sloppy. It doesn’t look nice, but up the trees, it’s like a new world of green. It’s like another world up there than it is down at the bottom of the tree where it’s horrible. It’s like a muddy world at the bottom of the tree and the really green world, so it’s bad and disgusting.
How did the book make me feel The book made me feel like I was one of the Minpins because there is so much of them. It also made me feel like the monster was real and it came out of the book. It was really interesting and I wanted to find out what the monster looks like if it’s a mixture of animals, or just one massive monster. I really hope there is a Minpins 2 and that you can find out what the monster is.
Would you share with a friend? Yes, I would recommend it with a friend because it’s very exciting and mysterious and the book is a good story. It will be very good to see what my friends would say about it, so that’s why I would recommend it with a friend. I would give it 5 stars because it’s really good, exciting, spooky and funny and it would enjoy the story if they did not know what is about and it’s really really exciting and spooky and it’s really entertaining. If you where bored then it would be perfect for you if you are bored or don’t know what to do. So five stars definitely!
Jaythan’s review
The book made me feel nervous and emotional because Billy got away from the monster.
Would you share a book with a friend? Yes I would share it with a friend. It was good fun. I give this ***** By Jaythan
Lilac’s review
I like this book because it is funny and silly. I liked it very much. It was very good!
The story starts like this… Billy is very bored, so he jumped out of the window and went into The Forest of Sin. He meets lots of characters along the way. One of my favourite characters was Swan, he took Billy on lots of adventures.
The setting for the story reminded me of our school forest. At times the book made me feel scared, especially when the Gruncher chases Billy. I would recommend this book to a friend. It is funny, scary and exciting. I give it ***** By Lilac
Mason’s review
The Minpins amazing adventure. I think the book was fun to read. It was like a mysterious magical adventure. It felt like going into our school forest. It was exciting and funny. Billy was very bored, so Billy sneaked out of the house and into to the forest. The monsters were terrifying and scary. Billy is the main character. He is a young boy.
The main setting for this story is the Forest of Sin. Don Mini and the Minpins live in the Forest of Sin. They live in the biggest tree. The Minpins book made me feel like I was in the story. It also made me feel like I was chased by the Gruncher. Yes I would recommend the Minpins to a friend because it was an exciting story. By Mason
Mia’s review
I considered the Minpins to be terrific! The front cover looked like our Forest Schools. My favourite part was when Billy escapes. Little people in the tops of trees and a small boy stood in the forest. There little people were called Minpins and they had an adventure. Billy is the main character. He is a small boy who is always good. By Mia
Review
I like this book!
Plot Billy is bored in the living room and he wants to go to the forest, so he does. Billy goes up a tree and meets the Minpins. I like it because when Billy goes in the forest and it looks just like the one at our school at the bottom of our playground.
Characters Don Mini is the leader of the tallest tree. He lives in the top of the tree while the others sleep in the bottom of the tree. Billy is the main character. He is a young boy.
Setting The main setting in this is the Forest of Sin. There are two places to live. They are up a tree and on the floor. The forest is gloomy, dark and mysterious. In the forest lives the Minpins and they are really nice and they live up a tree.
How did it make me feel? The book made me feel like I was in the book with Billy and the Minpins. When swan came to Billy’s window sill, Billy goes on and uses him as his secret aeroplane. It made me fell excited and filled with laughter.
Would you share with a friend and why? I would share with a friend because it is mysterious, exciting and it makes me happy. Also, it is funny.
Peyton’s review
The book made me feel a bit excited because I would like to find out what the Gruncher looks like and sounds like. I would share it with a friends because it is a wonderful book. Roald Dahl is one of my favourite authors. By Peyton.
Rachael’s review
At Sleights we have an amazing colourful and perfect forest . We think this book was good because we could go down to the forest and bring the story to life. We all like Roald Dahl and his books especially The Minpins. I like how all the pictures have lots of detail and are very colourful . I was very interested to see this book for the first time.
Plot Billy was in the forest with the Minpins. He met a swan meanwhile his mum was wondering where he was. My favourite part of the book was when Billy was flying on swan and he had a question for swan, but he couldn’t ask him because he couldn’t speak. This was my favourite part because it was funny.
Characters In the Minpins, you will meet lots of different characters Billy (the main character) goes on an adventure and gets a twinkling , white and grand swan. Then they fly to see the Minpins and the Gruncher chases them.
Setting In the Minpins, the main setting is the Forest of Sin. In this forest there is two very different parts. One is nice and sunny. The other is gloomy and full of monsters. Where the Minpins live is high in the sky. It has lots of black , blue and raspberries. Where the Gruncher lives is messy, gloomy, slimy and full of rubbish! When any of the Minpins come down he will gobble them up! He has been waiting there for years and no one came. When a little girl or boy came, he was in for a treat!
How did the book make me feel? The Minpins made me feel curious when Billy got chased by the Gruncher because I really wanted to see the Gruncher. The book very interesting and I felt like I was up a tree hoping to get home. It was very exciting and a bit scary.
Would I share it with a friend? Why? Yes I would recommend sharing this book with a friend because it was very interesting and I think other people would enjoy it too! The story was very mysterious and amazing and it is probably one of my favourite books I have read and Roald Dahl writes lots of great book. This one is my favourite books he wrote. I am a big fan of Roald Dahl I have all of them. By Rachael
Reegan’s review
At Sleights School, we have a terrific and exciting forest at the bottom of our field. We all think it is the forest on the front cover of the Minpin’s book by Roald Dahl.
Plot Billy is bored and travels to the Forest of Sin and goes on an adventure and meets the Minpins. My favourite part of the plot was where Billy make’s the Gruncher disappear. Billy gets a secret aeroplane. This is the swan.
Characters In the Minpins, you will meet Billy, Minpins, Mum, Swan and a few scary monsters too.
The book made me feel excited, nervous, emotional and curious all at the same time. I would recommend this book to a friend and I would give it ***** By Reegan
Ruby’s review
At Sleights, we have been reading the Minpins by Roald Dahl. The teachers have chosen it because it looks like an amazing adventure.
Plot Mum was busy Billy was bored Billy entered a forest and he meets the Minpins. Billy has an amazing adventure. There are monsters, swan and a wangdoodle!
Characters In the Minpin story, you will meet lots of different Minpins and other characters, like Billy, mum and monsters.
Settings The Minpins live on the edge of the forest because the middle is full of monsters.
I would recommend the book to a friend and I give this book ***** By Ruby
Scarlet K’s book review
I thought this book would be an exciting story and yes, it was! At Sleights we have an amazing, terrifying forest at the bottom of our school field. The front cover looked just like our forest.
Plot Billy goes into the forest and meets monsters and Minpins. My favourite part of the plot was when Billy goes into the forest and gets chased by the Gruncher.
Characters Meet Billy, he is the main character. He is the most popular little boy in the story. Billy is a young little boy he lives with his mother. His private aeroplane is a swan. They go on an adventure together. Minpins work together to collected berries for the birds all summer. They are ancient and magical, but the Gruncher is mean! By Scarlet
Scarlet F’s book review
At Sleights, we have been reading a book called the Minpins and we think that the teachers chose it because the author is good at writing books and the front cover looks very interesting, the blurb was very descriptive as well. Roald Dahl is a great author and he has a really good imagination because he uses really funny and made up words like Gruncher or Spitler.
Plot Billy is bored and goes to the Forest Of Sin. There he gets chased by the Gruncher. He meets the Minpins and flies on a beautiful, graceful swan to a deep swan lake. The best bit is where the swan teases the Gruncher into going into the lake and it drowns ! That was funny. Another funny part is where the Minpins all stare at him and then start all shouting to go and see their houses .
Characters Minpins are tiny people that live in tops of tees and collect their own food and own water from leaves and bushes . You will find out why they live in tops of trees later in the review. Don Mini is a Minpin. He is very important and very old fashioned. He is very wrinkly and is the leader of the biggest Minpin tree. Billy is a little boy and is a bit cheeky. He wears a blue t- shirt and dark blue shorts. His brown hair is fair and dark. Swan has beautiful, white feathers that shimmer in the sun light. He takes Billy for adventures.
Setting The main setting is in the Forest of Sin. It is a dark, gloomy, place, but there are 2 lovely areas. The lake is a relaxing place. The other place is actually at the top of the mighty trees. The bad place is where the monsters live. That is in the middle of the terrifying, horrifying , gloomy and slimy forest .
How did this book make you feel? The Minpin book made me feel excited and it made me want to read more. In my opinion, I think it will make you feel happy, good and all sorts of things. It also made me like I was in the book as well. If I had been chased by the Gruncher , I would do the same as Billy.
Would you share with a friend and why? Yes I would share because it is an exciting book and it will interest you 5/5 by Scarlet
Zack’s Review
The Minpins book is really exciting. The book is by Roald Dahl, one of my favourite authors. When I read the book I felt happy, nervous and worried. There was little boy called Billy. He went into the Forest of Sin and met a Gruncher. In the story there is a light side and a dark side. Billy meets the Minpins and Don Mini.Sometimes I wish that I was in it because I love it so much! by Zack
Lucas’ Review
At Sleights School, we had an amazing time reading this book. At first, we didn’t think that it was going to be a good book, but we thought that because we have an extraordinary and mysterious forest at the end of our field. We thought we could have gone down there for the day and have an experience of the story.
Plot Billy went to the forest and meat the Minpins before he was going to get eaten by a monster. My favourite part of the plot was before he got eaten by a really, really, really big monster because it was exciting and breath taking.
Characters In the Minpins you will meet good, bad and mysterious characters along the way. The Minpins are minuscule. They live in hollow trees (in the Forest of Sin). In the bottom of the hollow trees the Minpins have suction boots. Don Mini is important, clever and the leader of the biggest Minpin tree, he is very grand. The terrifying, bloodsucking, toothplucking, stonechucking, Spittler tried to eat Billy and the Minpins.
Setting The main setting for this exciting story is the Forest of Sin. In the forest, there are nice and bad places for creatures to live. In the middle of the mysterious forest, it is dark, gloomy, slippery and disgusting. That is where the horrible monsters live. In the tops of the trees is where it is calm and relaxing. The hundred and thousand Minpins live harmlessly there. The reason they live there is so the monsters cannot eat them or hurt them. The trees that they live in are scary and hollow to keep the monsters out.
How did the book make you feel? The Minpins made me feel happy, excited and terrified all at the same time! It felt funny. This was because it made me think that I was in the book with Billy. It was like having a front row seat at the cinema, but I did think that you should have been able to see the monsters in the pictures. I love it when Billy met the Minpins.
Would you share with a friend? I would recommend the Minpins for a friend because it was an interesting, mysterious and exciting story I rate this book a 3 star.*** By Lucas
Mapping the Minpins
10th October 2018
We have been working really hard over the last few weeks to study the Minpins. The Minpins is a book by Roald Dahl. This week, we have been writing our own Minpin adventure. We have used story maps to help us. This is when we draw pictures of the different parts of our writing. We then use these pictures to write a story.
Today, with Mr Grason, we have been writing and editing the opening to our own Minpin adventure. Our writing has been so impressive! We can’t wait to read our finished stories.
Forest School session
Discoverers spent a morning in the woods building a new village for the Minpins after a disaster struck the Minpin Forest.
We worked together to build houses, shops and hotels for the Minpins to live and work in, using only natural materials from the woodland floor.
We had lots of fun and we are going to use these ideas to support our descriptive writing.
