Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Abingdon Hospital this year for our Y6 IMPS trip. Although it is not quite the same, we did manage to have a virtual session so that we could still learn something about injury prevention and first aid before we move on to secondary school. We learnt lots of useful advice which may come in handy at some point!

On the 16^th November we celebrated Odd Socks Day. Odd Socks day takes place on the first day of Anti Bullying Week each year to help raise awareness of bullying. We like to participate in John Blandy school by wearing our most outrageous Odd Socks! Can you guess whose socks these are…

Design and Technology

Shoebox trenches

 This term the children in Willow class have been learning about life in the WW1 trenches.

Their work culminated in the production of “shoe box” trenches. The children had great fun designing and making them. Most children worked with a partner and it was great to see such brilliant teamwork.

The children used a range of materials such as cardboard, wire, cocktail sticks, lollipop sticks, glue and paint. They used a range of fixing methods including strong tape and glue guns. 

WW1 Day at Hill End

Today we had a fantastic day in the sunshine at Hill End. Through role play and fun activities, we learnt about life in the trenches and increased our knowledge of local history. The highlight was creeping up on our enemies (teachers!) and trying to throw grenades into the trenches. 

Remembrance Day

Today at 11am, we had a small ceremony outside in the playground to mark Remembrance Day. Ruby read her WW1 poem, we listened to The Last Post and then we stood in silence remembering all the soldiers who lost their lives in wars.

The Truth by Ruby aged 10

As we trudged through the rain

We hear guns fire, bombs exploding,

Soldiers dying and people crying of 

deep sorrow and guilt.

"Guns ready boys", they scream.

Soldiers saying, "This is hell, we are already dead"

Cold snow up to their knees,

enemies scream, "This is the truth; it's not as it seems"

The truth has been told

Luck is so bold

"It's all a lie", they said

Nobody believes, it's inexplicable to say.

 Bikeability                                                                                   

This term the children in Willow class have completed their Bikeability cycle training programme which teaches children practical skills and gives them the understanding and expertise they need to ride their bikes on the road. It replaces the old-fashioned Cycling Proficiency courses that many of us did as children.

There are three levels of Bikeability training

The Level 1 programme is the most basic stage of Bikeability. It takes place in a safe space such as a school playground, usually in groups of up to 12 children. They’re taught to control and master their bikes away from traffic. They learn to:

• Prepare themselves and their bike for cycling.
• Get on and off their bike without help.
• Start, pedal and stop with control.
• Use gears and avoid obstacles.
• Look all around and behind, staying in control of their bike.
• Share space with pedestrians and other cyclists

Level 2 is designed to give children the skills and confidence they need to ride on local roads, of the type that are often found around schools,’ says Paul Robison, director of the Bikeability support team and chair of trustees of the Bikeability Trust. In small groups of up to six children per instructor, kids learn to deal with traffic on short journeys, such as the trip to school. They’re taught to:

• Prepare for on-road cycling.
• Start and finish an on-road journey.
• Recognise typical hazards.
• Let others know what they’re about to do, e.g. through hand signals.
• Know where to position themselves on the road.
• Pass parked vehicles and side roads

Classroom Jazz

This week in Willow Class we have been listening to and playing Jazz music. Our learning was focused around two tunes: Bacharach Anorak and Meet The Blues.

At the end of the unit of work the children demonstrated that they can describe the style indicators of the song/music, describe the structure of the song, identify the instruments they could hear and talk about the musical dimensions used in the songs.

Follow the link below to see our class Jazz performance.

Harvest Festival 

This week we have celebrated Harvest, we had a whole school assembly with Reverend Pickering which many parents were able to join via Goggle. The theme for our assembly was The Rainbow. Each class chose a colour of the rainbow and produced a range of Harvest inspired work linked to that colour. Year 6 had the job of producing work to show the whole rainbow so we made some woven rainbows. It was a challenge but we all helped each other and produced some great results. 

Visit from our local MP

On Friday 11^th September, John Blandy had a visit from our local Member of Parliament, David Johnston. He came to Willow classroom and we had the opportunity to ask lots of questions. We found out lots of interesting information about what Mr Johnston does in his role and also that he supports Liverpool FC!