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A huge thank you goes to St Gabriel’s College and all the primary schools who took part in the Science Fair last week. This year was the biggest so far, with year 5 pupils from 8 primary schools taking part. Over the term they have worked with the Science Department staff at St Gabriels and students from year 9 to come up with scientific questions to investigate and present at the fair. All the presentations were of a very high standard. The judges, Kings College, London University medical ambassadors, chose a presentation on flight as the winning team, from Stockwell Primary School. Thanks to all the staff and students who made this an exciting learning event.

On Monday the teachers participating in our Paul Hamlyn Foundation project Confident Creators, met and discussed their progress in embedding the arts and supporting growth mindset in their pupils. It has been a wonderfully creative term with teachers leading a range of lessons with their classes in Music, Drama and Art, supported by our team of artists from Pegasus Opera and visual artist Liz Atkin. Teachers have commented how they have grown in confidence in delivering the arts in their classrooms, being a facilitator for the creative process. They have been doing case studies during the term and have seen children become enthusiastic writers, where before they were very reluctant, some very shy children speaking and participating in activities in front of the whole class and children improving in their skills of collaborating and reflecting on their learning. We looks forward to moving the project forward next term. Thanks to everyone involved in delivery of this project and to the children for their inspirational work.

Yesterday showed what a range of activities our schools are engaging with together across our cluster. As part of our Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded programme Confident Creators, St John’s Angell Town Primary teachers were leading Music sessions with their classes, supported by Pegasus Opera music facilitator and artist Aga Serugo Lugo. Just after lunch 44 girls in upper KS2 congregated at the Powerleague all weather pitches at Black Prince Trust to train and play girls football, coached by a member of staff from Archbishop Sumner Primary. Later in the afternoon SENCOs from 7 of our primary schools met together with the Lead Educational Psychologist from Lambeth Children’s Services, who supported them through any process queries they are currently having. As a cluster we work together to support the health, well being and curriculum enrichment in our community of schools.

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Following our reviews, planning and training sessions at the start of term, our artist practitioners have started their school visits where they are supporting class teachers to deliver the arts to their classes. It has been noticeable how teachers have quickly taken on their new art forms this term, having worked with different art forms last term. Topics have ranged from using Music to write songs on the Vikings and the Romans, creating drama stories about the Great Fire of London, creating a soundscape of an African market, making Abstract Art inspired by Paul Klee and Sonia Delaunay and creating Egyptian neck pieces. Our schools are committed to supporting their teachers to nurture children’s creativity and use the Arts across the curriculum.

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On Tuesday evening members of our EYFS forum visited the Work and Play Scrapstore in Tooting to use their fantastic resources, meet the team there and get inspirational ideas for things to make with recycled materials. The Scrapstore is a charity that takes materials that would otherwise go to landfill and offers a scheme whereby community groups and schools can have them to use. The team of volunteers at Scrapstore sort through vast amounts of paper, wood, materials, glue, paint, craft materials, plastics – a myriad of things to inspire projects in schools. We are pleased to be members of this fantastic resource bank.

On Wednesday last week, school councils from Jessop, Stockwell, St Saviour’s and The Michael Tippett school came together for a morning of debate, action planning and presenting, facilitated by Team London volunteers working on the WE London project. Many thanks to Jessop Primary for hosting this lively event. To start the morning, students from The Michael Tippett School presented their work last term as Eco Warriers. Members of the school council at Michael Tippett have become experts in how to sort and recycle in school and they do checks within school to make sure it is done correctly. We hope they will be able to train other school councils to spread their knowledge and good work. The whole group then looked at ways they could make a difference to tackle Homelessness and Food Poverty. Children came up with slogans for their campaigns. Students at St Saviour’s had already written to the Mayor to ask for free Oyster cards for the homeless and those in need to help them access the facilities at Brixton Soup Kitchen. Children discussed how they could raise awareness, fundraise and lobby politicians to make a difference. Next term we hope some of our schools can take part in WE London’s global campaign to get better water in parts of the world who need it. Thanks to everyone who took part, their enthusiastic staff, Jessop primary and Team London.

This week St Gabriel’s College hosted the first workshop for year 5 BLC primary school pupils in preparation for our annual Science Fair, due to take place on 27th March. Pupils from St John Divine, Loughborough, St Saviour’s and Christ Church SW9 worked with year 9s and the Science staff at St Gabriel’s in their fully equiped labs in the college’s new building. Over the course of 4 workshops the children will come up with their own experiments, test them and prepare to present them at the fair. More children will take part after half term.