We’re delighted that we’ll soon be able to welcome students back in to school so, as we move into the penultimate week of remote learning, let’s see what learning has been happening in homes around the county along with classrooms in school.

Starting with Key Stage 3 and, on a musical theme, Year 7 took a break from beat box ‘zipping’ and learnt to read pitch notation, testing what they could remember in a massive Kahoot quiz. Keeping active, in PE they took part in a Zumba session. Aristotle and Virtue Ethics was the focus in RE where this week they asked the question, ‘Is Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) a good role model for today? The overwhelming answer was “Yes”. The question being answered in Maths was ‘What is a fraction?’ Live lessons in DT had students looking at smart materials and in English, Year 7 were starting to study the adventure genre and writing stories based around a fictional construct. In celebration of International Mother Language Day on Sunday 21st February, in MFL, students are learning all about the world’s minority, endangered and extinct languages. They had a go at practising greetings and numbers in Ugandan.

Year 8 Geographers, following the theme of creative coasts, have produced some amazing work creating coastal features using a medium of their choice. These have ranged from wooden caves, arches, stacks and stumps to models of spits and animations to show the formation of landforms.

In Art and Design, Year 8 have been focusing on mindfulness by creating a variety of patterns that will adorn their jointed animal puppets. In RE, Y8 (and Year 9) have been exploring Human Rights and the role and uses of wealth from secular and Buddhist perspectives. Meanwhile in Maths, they’ve been finding treasures on a coordinate grid and moving on to plotting linear graphs. In English students are learning about people with big ideas and how they convey those through great persuasive writing and speaking.

Years 8 and 9, in MFL this week, have been enjoying some off-screen time and embarking on a European Food Challenge. Here’s the first entry of chocolate eclairs from Olivia in Year 8.

Looking at food from a different angle, in Art, students have been looking at photorealistic artist Sarah Graham and have been producing some artist responses. In MFL, before half-term, the Year 9’s did a nature walk in French and Spanish and took some amazing pictures on their travels. Have a look at Abi’s.

Year 9 Spaniards also showed off their creative side by writing Love poems for their Valentine loves.  In Maths, students have been looking at number properties with a particular focus on the highest common factor and lowest common multiple in problem solving before moving on to index laws. And, if you fancy some weekend reading, perhaps you’d like to join Year 9 who, in English, are reading S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders.

At Key Stage 4, it’s coursework all the way for Health and Social care students where they are completing Component 2, demonstrating care values and also, in Food Preparation where students are putting the finishing touches to their coursework. In GCSE Art and Design, students have been bringing together their project based on Disguise and, having completed their design ideas are now experimenting with biro mark making. In GCSE RE, students have been evaluating the extent to which sexism has been eradicated from modern British society and the morality of divorce from Christian and secular perspectives whilst in Core RE, Year 10 students have been developing an understanding of Buddhist perspectives in relation to religious freedom in a multi-faith society.

In other core subjects, Mathematicians in Year 11 have been working with scatter graphs and frequency polygons and how they are used in real life to predict trends and inform business choices whilst other students are looking at standard index form, converting numbers and using standard index form numbers in calculations. Year 10 have been drawing straight line graphs from a table of values. In English, Year 10 have been learning about how writers convey a message or arguments whilst Year 11 are revising ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’! Year 11 Scientists have been learning about Fleming’s left-hand rule and the right-hand grip rule when using motors.

Of great current relevance, in Year 12 CEFS, students have been looking at financial planning and informed choices. Year 12 Psychologists have been learning about conducting experiments in Psychology and have begun planning their own. Historians in Year 12 have been Britain studying the Liberal Reforms from 1906-1914 along with looking at literary works that were on the Catholic Index. Year 12 Geographers have started a new topic about Ecosystems under Stress which will include looking at how ecosystems function and their relationship to human activities.

Year 13 Mathematicians have been using numerical methods to solve equations whilst Year 13 Biologists have been looking at receptors and reflex arcs which will lead into homeostasis of internal systems along with genetics including codominance and epistasis. In Psychology, students have been revisiting research methods whilst in English Literature students have been analysing key characters in Hamlet. Year 13 Geographers have just finished looking at the importance of water to life and, this week, have started to look at the significance of carbon stores at a variety of scales along with beginning to explore globalisation. Year 13 Historians are looking at the introduction of the welfare state 1945-1951 whilst also finishing their NEA. In virtual form time, Year 12 and 13 had to put their brains together for Mrs Rainbow’s ‘Yorkshire Quiz’.

So, all in all, another productive week of learning with thanks to you for all that you are doing to support this.

Have a lovely weekend!