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Last night teachers taking part in the Black Georgians project got the first glimpse of the exhibition at Black Cultural Archives which is the inspiration of the project with year 5 classes. This project has been generously funded by Clore Literature and Poetry Awards and Ernest Cook Trust. There were about 15,000 black people in UK in Georgian times, across all levels of society. The exhibition shows what we know of some of them – fragments of information from which we can start up investigations into their lives. Our project will include visits to the exhibition, poetry and creative writing workshops, cartoon drawing workshops and a final display of work in December. Teachers last night had a go at cartoon drawing with cartoonist Steve Marchant, and were shown some of the Georgian history on our doorstep in Clapham where 18 black boys and 4 black girls from Sierra Leone were educated at the African Academy. Their stories capture some of the diverse stories of black Georgians of the time – some sons of princes, some sons and daughters of emancipated slaves, some of families in Sierra Leone that sold others to the slave trade. This is a year 5 project that runs from now until December. The exhibition is on a Black Cultural Archives in Windrush Square until next year and is well worth a visit.

On Wednesday evening, our EYFS forum members met to spend some time outside for a change, discovering the wealth of learning opportunities in the local park for young children’s learning. This was part of an introduction to Natural Thinkers, Lambeth’s programme developed from Forest Schools, delivered by Assistant Head of Jessop Primary Dougal Morton. We collected objects in the park to make bookmarks, learnt how to make a safe fire to enjoy with very young children and how to whittle elder wood to make beads and pendants, all activities that can be done with very young children. Thanks to all the staff who attended and to Dougal for leading.

More fun activities for families in and around London this weekend

Low Cost no cost flyer no 136 October 2015.docx

Low Cost no cost flyer no 135 October 2015.docx

The kitchen space at Christ Church Primary saw a full house of senior leaders from BLC at this week’s steering group meeting. Discussion and action planning centred around a working party looking at quality assuring our assessment for learning, and at developing a reading programme between secondary and primary schools aimed at developing a passion for reading. The group also heard about the apprentices offered to schools through Youthforce and had an update on our SHINE on Saturday programme from new Project Manager Zoe Nation. Every steering group meeting now includes a learning walk around the host school: in Christ Church Primary’s case this includes a visit to their fabulous outdoor learning spaces and roof garden complete with ducks and chickens. Thanks to all participants for their active participation in the meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for 12th November.

Low Cost no cost flyer no 134 September 2015.docx

Our joint project with Windmill cluster, delivered by photography workshop leaders from Fotosynthesis, began last night with teacher INSET for the staff leading the 8 classes involved this term. The teachers together with volunteers who will support the children in the classroom, devised maths trails in groups, to find and photograph shapes and objects around the school. In a similar way, children will be asked to do this as part of the project, building their maths knowledge and being able to relate it to real life examples. The children will be given expert guidance from the Fotosythesis team in how looking at an object through the lens, can give it a new perspective (observing objects from above, from an angle etc). Children get underway with the work later this term. One teacher commented: "Very exciting! The children will love it. Lots of measuring opportunities."
"(The project) could be adapted for lots of different areas of the curriculum. Great for language and problem solving.Also good for PSE/social skills."
Many thanks to all the teachers who took part.

Activities for families to enjoy this weekend.

Low Cost no cost flyer no 133 September 2015.docx

The BLC has had a busy start to the new year, beginning with excellent news regarding Ofsted inspection results for some of our schools that were visited in the last few weeks of the summer term: Stockwell Primary and Children’s Centre and Effra Nursery and Early Years Centre were both rated ‘Good’ and Hill Mead Primary as ‘Outstanding’. This week the Heads of the cluster have met and are starting to visit each other’s settings in smaller working party group, with a view to sharing a greater understanding of what is creating the best learning cultures in our schools. We have 2 cross-cluster projects this term focussing on using Photography to support Maths learning in KS2 and a project in partnership with the Black Cultural Archives exploring Georgian history and the lives of black people in Georgian London, through poetry writing and art. These projects have been generously funded by Walcot Foundation, Clore Poetry and Literature Awards and Ernest Cook Trust. This term, teachers across the cluster will continue to work in subject area groups, on defined topics and tasks. Their findings will appear on the blog in due course. We look forward to a productive year of working together.

Ebony Horse Club is not just about riding this summer. From 6 to 19 August, the club will have a mobile climbing wall offering young people the chance to try this exciting and confidence-building activity for FREE! The wall will be in Wyck Gardens (SW9 7JD) from 10am to 2.30pm every day and there are book-able slots for individuals and groups. If you want to find out more – or to book a session, you can call 020 7738 3478.

ClimbingWallPosterFinal (4).pdf