Engaging Learning
Every day, in every school across our Trust, children are engaged in wonderful learning activities that teach a rich and broad curriculum and promote positive personal development.
Here is just a handful of examples from this year.
Inspiring Reading and Writing
Temple Learning Academy is the very first school in the UK to have a Story Cube. Thanks to a generous donation from the Holroyd Foundation, Temple Learning Academy was able to invest in its very own Story Cube, created by Short Edition, who specialise in making reading and writing accessible to all. This new edition to the library is inspiring young writers and even our colleagues to embrace reading and writing for pleasure.
Looking Around Corners
As part of a science topic on light, Year 6 pupils from Templenewsam Halton Primary School looked to answer the question, ‘can we see around corners’? They researched into submarine periscopes and how they are used to see in different directions. The childen made their own periscopes to look over tables and around corners. The answer is, yes, you can see around corners!
Science Competition
Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils at Temple Moor High School took part in a Design and Technology Competition. Each group was set a technology problem to solve. The children demonstrated fantastic teamwork, practising their communication skills, as well as problem solving and learning from mistakes to modify their design. The day was a great success, and the Design Department were so impressed with all their efforts and outcomes.
Language Development
Whitkirk Primary School prioritises the development of spoken language skills to enhance overall academic achievement. This year, the focus has the integral connection between oracy and writing, providing colleagues with training and mentoring to emphasise these skills. As a result, significant improvements in writing proficiency have been observed throughout the school, leading to higher attainment levels at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. This commitment to fostering a robust foundation in communication not only boosts writing outcomes but also enriches our pupils' overall learning experience. Pupils’ learning achievements and writing are celebrated and published across the school, creating a vibrant culture of pride and motivation in their accomplishments.
Learning Culture Programmes
This year, Crawshaw Academy has introduced Learning Culture Programmes to all year groups. These focus on encouraging students to embrace school life both within and outside the curriculum. There are a series of challenges set to complete throughout the year including being involved in raising money for charity, delivering a presentation to an audience, achieving a target of positive points per half term, and displaying all 8 of our Crawshaw Characteristics. This has enhanced the whole student experience and has given students a real focus throughout the year, with great anticipation for the end of term to find out which students have managed to meet all criteria every half term.
Inspiring Job Roles
The Early Years pupils at Austhorpe Primary School have been very lucky to have lots of visitors this year, linking to their ‘real life superheroes’ topic. The children learnt about the job roles prior to the visitors coming to school, which meant they were able to ask questions to deepen their knowledge. This year they have learnt about doctors, the police force, firefighters, paramedics, farmers and the army.
Sand Therapy
Rossett Acre Primary School use Sand Therapy as part of their nurture support, creating a unique environment which allows children, with the support of an adult, to share and express emotional experiences, anxieties and perceptions that they find difficult to put into words. Sand therapy all stems from the basic fact that ‘we don’t just think in words, we think in images’ - so the sand tray allows a pupil to access thoughts in their core state which their brain naturally stores and process them.
STEM Workshops
Year 9 pupils at Temple Moor High School took part in range of workshops and activities promoting careers in Construction, Women in Construction and STEM. Multiple organisations came into school and experts talked about career options, including apprenticeships, and ran mini workshops. The children learned about first aid, confined spaces, gas detection, Pasma towers and even got to drive a digger! The pupils were enthusiastic and fully engage in the learning opportunity.
Student Elections
Crawshaw Academy ran a full hustings and polling station to elect their Head Students for 2024-25. Students nominated by colleagues were invited to campaign which included creating a promotional video for students, posters and plasma screen displays, badges and any other means of promoting themselves. It was a closely fought campaign and Crawshaw Academy now has 6 fantastic students who make up the new Student Leadership Team.
Women in Manufacturing
Leeds Manufacturing Festival’s Women in Manufacturing event, held in May at Crawshaw Academy, was designed to provide inspiration and insight into the industry, bringing 160 girls from across the school together with a panel of nine women working in a range of professional roles in West Yorkshire manufacturing businesses.
Physics Development Programme
Our Red Kite Alliance has secured a partnership with Ogden Trust, a charitable trust that exists to promote the teaching and learning of physics. They provide a portfolio of free physics professional development programmes to support teachers from early years through to KS5, as well as supporting schools to work in partnerships so they can enhance their physics provision and opportunities for all learners.
Forest Schools
Our primary school children benefit from our partnership with Forest School which recognises that success is gained through grit and determination and is reached after effort and improvement. Our school grounds provide a wonderful space in which learners happily learn to collaborate and support one another, can be at one with nature and learn to appreciate the natural environment and take part in healthy learning activities. They provide a wide range of different learning opportunities appropriate to the needs of all our children and promote the inclusion of every child. Research shows that learning in outdoor natural environments is beneficial to participants’ mental health and well-being, so our Forest school sessions form a vital part of our nurturing ethos and provide enrichment for everybody, as learners are encouraged to experience different challenges and work to their own strengths and needs.
Your Vote Matters
On Election Day, students at Temple Moor High School took part in a mock general election. Manifestos were created by students, and then they took part in the democratic process, allowing them to experience the excitement and responsibility of voting. They also learnt how their voting choices impact the communities they live in, an experience they will be able to take into the future for when it's their time to vote.
Progression Day
Harrogate Grammar School welcomed Alumni speakers to its Year 12 Progression Day. It is always so lovely to welcome ex students back to our schools and they did a great job talking to our Sixth Formers about their career journeys since leaving Harrogate Grammar School.
