2025 A1 Week 6

10 October 2025

I have been extremely impressed with how Class 4 have shown repect this week and continued their endeavor of being role models to the rest of the school.

In Mathematics, we have been developing our understadning of prime, square and cube numbers. We completed an engaging activity called Eratosthenes Sieve which is an ancient algorithm for finding all prime numbers up to 100 by iteratively marking multiples of each prime as composite. The numbers you are left with are prime.

In English, we have been developing our understanding of nouns and verbs, leading to becoming experts on the subject and verb of independent clauses. Later in the week, we became more confident in applying this to our new unit based on the book 'Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species' retold by Sadiva Rabeva.

In Science we continued our investiagtions into adaptation. Our French lesson continued our work with transport. During PE on Thursday, we developed our coaching/leadership skills through delivering football sessions to different groups and evaluating them in search for areas of improvement.

Outdoor Adventures in Year 5: Our First Block of Nature-Based Learning!

We've had an absolutely fantastic start to our outdoor learning sessions in Year 5, and we wanted to share some of the wonderful activities and discoveries the children have been making! It's been a joy to see their enthusiasm, teamwork, and natural curiosity truly shine as they've connected with the world around them.

Becoming Tree Detectives!

Our very first session saw the children transform into "Tree Detectives"! After establishing our "Collecting with Respect" safety rules (only gathering what has already fallen!) we embarked on a sensory journey. We observed leaf shapes and used our detective sheets to identify the different trees. We also used our metacognitive skills to talk about difference between deciduous and evergreen. It was amazing to hear the children articulate observations and justifications, linking directly to their science learning on habitats.

Wildlife Detectives and Respectful Inquiry

Next up, Year 5s became "Wildlife Detectives," searching for clues about the animals that share our school grounds. With magnifying glasses and keen eyes, they explored, making inferences about animal behaviours from tracks, nests, and other signs. This session really reinforced the importance of "looking with our eyes, not with our hands" and respecting animal habitats. They were brilliant at explaining what they found and what it told us about our local wildlife – truly putting their scientific inquiry skills into practise!

The Art of Our Senses: Our Own Andy Goldsworthy

One of the highlights was undoubtedly our "Art of Our Senses" session, inspired by the incredible ephemeral art of Andy Goldsworthy. The children used items they'd brought in, along with natural materials found in the outdoor learning area, to create their own temporary sculptures. From spirals of colourful leaves to towers of smooth stones, their creativity and collaborative spirit shone through. This was a wonderful opportunity for close observation and using descriptive language to explain their artistic choices.

Unearthing the Secrets of Soil: Our Wormeries!

Our final session for this block was all about the unsung heroes beneath our feet: earthworms! The children became "Soil Engineers," working in teams to construct layered wormeries. They carefully added sand, soil, and damp bedding, learning about the essential role decomposers play in creating healthy soil and why worms need darkness to do their vital work. They were incredibly gentle when the worms were introduced and are now keen to monitor their progress and observe their tunnels over the coming weeks.

Our learning block ended with a time of reflection, enjoying a delicious hot chocolate and sharing our favourite memories of our outdoor learning journey so far.

Thank you for encouraging their involvement and excitement.

Miss Partington