Reception

The boys made a rocket together. In the doctors surgery. Counting numbers to 30.

We made wanted posters. Our David Hockney inspired painting using twigs. Worm Charming.

This term Reception have been finding out about People Who Help Us. We have found out about the Police, doctors and nurses and the postal service and their jobs. We are looking forward to a visit from our local PCO next term. We have been writing posters for the gang in Cops and Robbers by Alan Ahlberg and we posted the letters for the Jolly Postman in our maths sessions. Forest school has been a great success this term despite some really cold weather! We have been working hard to provide a variety of activities that will keep us all warm, including making an obstacle course, hunting for words and doing activities with a timer to speed things up. We have created some art work looking at trees in winter and we also looked at the work of artist David Hockney. We then made our own masterpieces using paint and twigs to produce our art work.

The children enjoyed learning about Chinese New Year in our Knowledge and Understanding Focus Week. We looked at the traditions followed in Chinese New Year and compared them to those celebrated in our own families. Andrew brought in his own special celebration clothes and was proud to show them to the class by wearing them. On the Friday we celebrated with our own Chinese New Year Party where we learnt Dragon and Lion Dances and tried some Chinese foods.

Autumn

Issue: 3

Boughton Heath Academy

Chronicle

WE BELIEVE TANGIBLE EXPERIENCES SHOULD DRIVE LEARNING.

Principal's Report 2014

Welcome to our Spring Term Chronicle! Boughton Heath Academy has been open for a whole term! Spring has gone by in the blink of an eye and as you can imagine a lot of work has been undertaken behind the scenes to begin building our Multi Academy Trust. We have been writing policies, action plans and procedures that will better enable all three schools to work together and benefit from such vast resources. The Principals of all three schools have been linking staff together to ensure that great ideas are shared and preparing for our global event in September; ‘11 by 11’. During the day, we will be finalising the eleven experiences we want all Cheshire Academies Trust children to have by eleven years old. We will have inspirational speakers who will talk about creating collaborative systems across organisations and getting to meet our CAT school colleagues and governors. I am very excited to be a part of such a drive to improve Boughton Heath even further. Our academic results continue to be significantly above the national average but going beyond that we wish to give the opportunity for children to take part in fundamental experiences before they leave our school. We will be writing to parents in the summer term to seek views and opinions on 20-25 experiences that would be worthwhile to the children. These will then be considered alongside staff and governor views so please write back with your views. On a different note, our Alice in Wonderland exhibition was hugely successful. I did not, in my wildest dreams, believe the exhibition would generate such a range of artwork, sculpture and writing. What the children and teachers created in two weeks was awe inspiring. I know from the comments from parents that they too were very proud of the work the children had produced. My thanks go to all of the teachers and volunteers who helped us. As you can see from the front page, the children have had a number of outstanding experiences this term. From visiting a synagogue to going on their residential visits, the range of tangible experiences have really enhanced the learning in each class. Teachers are working very hard behind the scenes to provide outstanding teaching and learning for the children in our care. I am sure you will have noticed this during ‘Share the Learning’ mornings. Furthermore, I am really pleased to tell parents and stakeholders about the renovation work in Reception which will take place over Easter. As a consequence of academising we have been able to access money (£18,000) to completely change the outdoor play space as well as paint and decorate the classroom area. This will make such a difference for the children in Reception and give them the outstanding learning environment they deserve. As always at this school, it is a TEAM effort and I would like to thank the governors and trustees for their hard work behind the scenes in supporting staff through our first term as an academy. I am pleased that in this issue the governors have written their own separate piece which gives an insight into their duties and also explains how they support the school. I wish everyone a restful Easter break and look forward to the summer term where we will once again be trying to raise the bar even further. My message to everyone is that we will continue to improve what we do on a daily basis even further. If any parent has feedback on how they believe we can do anything even better then please contact me directly and I will be happy to listen. Many thanks, Steve Ellis Principal

Year 6

Year 6 have been centring their curriculum around our History Topic, of ‘War’, this term, with a focus

upon the First World War. Our thinking began with the question; ‘Why War?’ The children were able to

generate a large number of reasons why conflicts occur around the world. With the centenary of WW1,

the children investigated the reasons for the outbreak of the war and the consequences of alliances and

their obligations. A thoroughly enjoyable visit to the Imperial War Museum allowed the children the

opportunity to handle actual artefacts, ask further questions and draw their own conclusions. Linking

with our science topic of electricity, the children investigated the different ways in which troops would

be able to communicate

important information

across the battle field. They investigated the use of semaphore as a visual form of communication –

which they decided was quite risky as you would have yourself in the ‘line of fire’!

They then investigated the use of Morse code as an electrical method of

communication. The

children were tasked to

communicate to each

other, designing a circuit

and switch with which

they can control the flow

of electricity. This term we had an art T-rex day, again following our war topic, focussing on the use of

acrylic paint techniques, and using of different paper media and effects of inks and acrylic colours.

Firstly the children backed their first canvas with a bold colour, upon which they began to add layer

upon layer, bringing the painting ‘forwards’ finishing with a bold silhouette of a lone soldier. Their

second piece involved putting layers of

different textures, print and colour of paper

onto an outline of an image from the First

World War. The next step is to add layers of

light and dark inks to highlight specific

aspects of the image, finally completing the

effect using a light ‘wash’ of watered acrylic. Fitting in

well with part of our Science curriculum on light, the

solar eclipse provided the class with the opportunity to

design and make ‘pin-hole projectors’, which the children

were incredibly keen to try out on the day – and they

worked! Always trying new and different ways to

approach our revision of

Mathematics topics, the children were tasked

with recording the dimensions of the various

objects (including the bikes!) around the class.

They then needed to convert the different

measurements through either multiplication or

division, then set word based problems to

solve.

Year 5

This term we have been

thinking about whether Anglo

Saxon times were really the

Dark Ages. After learning what

the term the Dark Ages meant

we tried to experience what life

may have been like then. In

order for the Anglo Saxons to

have access to fruit all year, it

had to be preserved over the

winter months. We investigated

which preservative would be

the best for the job by

attempting to preserve apples

using a range of food sources

and Anglo Saxon freezer bags.

After two weeks, the bags were

opened and the results studied.

We chose to open the bags outside to preserve the sweet smell of our classroom and all groups chose salt

water as their perfect preserve.

This term we investigated the process of

Wattle and Daub by making our own Anglo

Saxon houses. After each group decided on

the best shape design for their house, we

spent the morning constructing the wattle. The

groups started by arranging their uprights in

the ground and making them secure. Sticks

were then woven through the uprights to

make the wattle. After dinner, a combination

of soil, straw, clay and a special ingredient of

pig’s blood... (!) was mixed to make the daub.

This was applied onto the wattle and pushed

into the gaps to make a smooth waterproof

coating which, according to historical evidence,

could last for 700 years!

We based some of our art this term on the Saxon hoard and

some of the coins that were found. We started by studying the

coins and the children each decided on the image that they would

like to reproduce using a collage technique. The image was

loosely drawn before a number of different paper and card stocks

were applied to give it a third dimension from the page. Finally,

some tissue paper and Staffordshire maps were applied to add

texture. Once dry, the papers were inked using many layers, and

limited colours, to build an image of depth and character.

Reception

A note from the Governing body. We've now completed our first term since our conversion to an Academy and I wanted to share some of the progress we have made. Firstly my thanks to all our parents who took time to consult with us during the consultation process, I'm happy to say the conversion process has happened very smoothly with positive impact on the school. We are excited about the forthcoming changes to our Early Years Foundation area, which has been possible by releasing academy funding. The new improved internal and external area will be amazing for our children. I am happy to see that the collaboration between the schools we wanted has started to happen, sharing of best practice and ways of working will help us to constantly improve our standards and outcomes for our children. Our Governing body meets 3 times each term, once at the Curriculum and Admissions meeting, once at the Finance Staffing and Premises meeting and once for the full governing body meeting. At each of these meetings our job is to look at school strategy and progress, check key performance indicators agreed and ensure we are challenging the running of the school to ensure positive outcomes. We also make decisions on how our income is prioritised and spent. We have reconstituted our governing body members in the following way: 4 parent governors Sinead Blythin Richard Nutt—Vice chair Governing body Bev Shakeshaft Morgan Jones 4 Co-opted Governors Joanne Lucy—Chair Governing body Keith Scargill Dawn Greaves Harry Crook 4 Staff Governors Steve Ellis– Principal Andy Lucas– Vice Principal Alison Spreckley Sally Levi All members of the governing body give their time freely for the continued benefit of the school and are unpaid for these duties. You can contact the governing body at any time via the school office or by emailing the Principal, Steve Ellis. Best wishes Joanne Lucy Chair Governors Boughton Heath Academy

Year One

The term all kicked off with a fall down the rabbit hole and we have been enjoying Al-ice and her Adventures ever since… along with a few other small book characters like The Minpins and The Borrowers. Can we shrink....? As part of our Alice in Wonderland topic we looked at whether we could shrink. We created our own shrinking potion out of a variety of liq-uids...we measured the ingredients and wrote down the recipe. In maths we measured ourselves before drinking the potion and after to see if we shrank! During our Philosophy for children sessions we discussed this. We came up with lots of suggestions... "Old people can shrink because they lose muscle." Charlie "I don't think you can shrink because you can't make a magic potion." Jasmine How do we get home? In Literacy we have been learning about the author Jill Murphy. We have been reading and acting out the story On the Way Home. We drew maps of our own route home and wrote our own mini

parts of the book. How does Claire's knee get better? In the story Claire hurts her knee. We wanted to discover how it got better, so we learnt about the blood! We made the blood out of cheerio's, marshmallows and prunes! We learnt about how the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets help the knee to heal. Then we wrote explanations of how the blood helped to heal the knee.

Where has Alice been? In our Geography lessons we have been learning about maps. We have been looking around the classroom for mini Alice - she has been on all sorts of adventures! We learnt about birds eye view to help us create a plan of our classroom and explore where Alice had been on her adventures. Then we looked at where Alice might go next…The whole school grounds! We used google maps to help us view the school grounds from a birds-eye view and made messy maps using a range of objects we found. We have learnt about human and physical features of the school grounds and are now practising our com-pass skills to find the Minpins treasure!

Year 4

During our Alice in Wonderland topic, we

focused on the Mad Hatter’s tea party

scene from the book. We decided to host

our own tea party for our Year one

buddies. Firstly, we produced a tally chart

and graph to see which type of biscuits

were the most popular. Then we

designed our biscuits in the style of Alice

in Wonderland, also thinking about what

would appeal to our year one buddy. In

literacy we wrote our recipes using time

connectives and imperative verbs. Next,

we looked at working out how much the

biscuits would cost to make by adding

how much each ingredient would cost altogether. In groups of five, we baked and decorated our cakes

putting into practise our skills of using

measuring scales accurately. Finally, we

hosted our tea party and evaluated our

biscuits! They were a great success!

We had lots of fun on our residential in

January! We started off the trip with

orienteering where we used maps to help

us find different letters which in the end

spelt out different words. We learnt about

compass points, map symbols and how to

read a map accurately. After lunch, we

went on a very long walk where we

spotted lots of different habitats and

traces of where animals had been. We

also collected lots of different natural

materials for our journey string that we

created later that night in our books. The next day we did den building and bush craft which was all

about learning how to survive in the wild. We learnt how to make our own dens using only things that

could be found in the wild and we also made our

own fires using flint and steel. The following day

was all about creating our own nature journals in

the style of the book “Where my wellies take me”.

We produced some amazing books using a variety

of art skills! We are very proud of them.

During the spring term we have been learning

how to play different brass instruments, for

example, the trumpet and cornet. Here is a

picture of us at our brass concert we held for our

parents. We played a variety of songs that we

learnt over the term, these being Mary had a little

lamb, hot cross buns and Eddies blues.

Year 3

Spring Term in Year 3!

Conway Centre

This years residential to the Conway Centre

in Anglesey was absolutely fantastic. From

the moment we stepped off the coach the

children showed outstanding behaviour,

attitude and excitement towards every

activity. Day one was action packed with

rock climbing, low ropes, walks, campfires

and marshmallows. On day two, the

children showed fantastic skills canoeing

down the Menai strait as well as excellent

team building in the nightline. The children

showcased excellent communication skills in

both, encouraging and helping those children who showed a few more

nerves. Throughout the residential the children's independence,

patience and maturity noticeably grew. I can honestly say I have

never been so proud of children representing our school on a

residential. The children absolutely loved the experience and now

have memories they can treasure forever!

Was everything in the Stone

Age made of Stone?

To kick start our Stone Age topic

we had a visit from a caveman.

He showed the children objects

from the Stone Age and the

children we able to handle these.

This enabled them to ask

questions about the objects:

Where were they from? What were they used for? How were they made? The children have learnt

about people in 10,000 BC, discovered how long ago this was on a timeline and the importance of fire.

Within science, the children have studied rocks. They sorted them into groups, classified them and

discovered what different types of rocks can be used for.

Design and Technology day

As part of our Alice in Wonderland topic, the children created rotating stages in a T-Rex (Tangible Real

Experience) design and technology day. Throughout the day, children were given clear, step by step

instructions which they needed to follow to create their stage. The children used a variety of skills from

cutting, bending, measuring and assembling. To finish, the children decorated their stages to showcase

their own styles.

Year 2

On 28th January Year Two went

on a trip to Nantwich Museum.

The visit explored ‘The Great

Fire of Nantwich’ which had

many similarities to The Great

Fire of London. We began with

a walking tour of the town

where we found evidence of

why The Great Fire of Nantwich

spread so much. We also

learnt about the different types

of Tudor buildings and how

they were built. In the Museum we looked at Tudor arte-

facts, including a fire appliance. The children had a go at

writing using ink and a quill and also dressed up in Tudor

costumes. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and have produced work covering all of the areas of our

Learning Wheel, including fantastic observational drawings and writing comparing the Great Fire of Nant-

wich to the Great Fire of London.

This term, Year Two have been finding out about Judaism. To enhance their learning they visited Man-

chester Jewish Museum. The museum is housed in a real synagogue which allowed the children to see

what happens when Jewish people visit. They also looked at the special symbols of the Jewish faith. The

children learnt about Shabbat and The Passover. This experience really allowed us to see the world

through the eyes of a Jewish person and appreciate their faith and values. Back at school the children

shared their knowledge and produced some excellent non-fiction writing.

On Friday 20th March Mrs O’Donnell, a specialist Design Technology teacher, came to work with Year Two.

In the morning the children all made a Synagogue. We used cardboard and had to make lots of glue

tabs. For some parts, like measuring and folding, we needed to work with our classmates to make sure

we were accurate. Our task over the Easter holidays is to add windows, doors, symbols and even paint it!

Making a Tudor galleon was our task for the afternoon. Half a milk carton gave us our base. Then we

added a poop deck, masts and sails. We all had so much fun and have learnt many skills which we can

apply to further model making.