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Teachers from our year 6 primaries met with secondary teachers from St Gabriel’s College last week to discuss transition in English, to moderate books and learn more about each other’s work.

One observation made was how there is strong emphasis on writing skills in KS2 whilst there is strong emphasis on reading in KS3 and 4 with a 75% weighting on GCSE reading skills. Transition needs to be smoother from year 6 to year 7 to gradually introduce difficult reading skills and not lose the quality of the writing established in KS2.

For example, why did you choose to use that simile in your own creative writing? What view is the writer of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ expressing about WW2?

In BLC we are committed to working across phases to support pupils transition through school.

Thus week Hill Mead Primary kindly hosted our termly EYFS forum meeting where the topic under discussion was STEM and Outdoor Learning. Our schools shared ideas on what their children have got excited about and made some notes on powerpoint to share with colleagues.

BLC cluster meeting stem and outdoor learning 12.06.17.pptx

This morning 11 parents from the Reception class at Christ Church joined the children for their final workshop session with Fotosynthesis who have been developing the children’s literacy skills through photography. The parents worked with groups of children, taking photos and developing stories. The Fotosynthesis team encouraged the parents to think about using photographs to make up stories in a similar way at home – on a walk in the park, to the shops or indoors. Parents remarked on how creative the children were at making up their own stories – something to really build on at home.

Last week our steering group of senior leaders in our schools, met to review our activities during the year. Highlights have includes the chance to do writing moderations from year 1 through to year 6 in our schools, increasing our teachers’ confidence in their assessment and building a bank of examples which are available on this site. Another highlight was the Science Fair hosted by St Gabriel’s College. Teachers remarked how the workshops and event had made lasting positive impact on primary children’s attitudes to science. Some members of our group will be leaving at the end of term – we wish them well in their new schools.

Further examples of work judged at age related expection, with some that is judged above.

BLC writing moderations for year 3 part 2.docx

year 3 teachers from across our cluster met to moderate examples of writing from their classes. Here are some of the examples they chose for pieces of work they agreed were ‘at’ age related expectations, and a couple that they agreed were exceeding. We hope this is useful for other schools and colleagues.

BLC Writing Moderations year 3 part 1.docx

The Institute of Imagination presents ‘Lab Learn’

FREE Primary School workshops that focus on Science, Technology, Art and Design. These workshops explore the theme of ‘Metropolis’ for Key Stages 1 and 2.

BOOK NOW

18, 19, 23, 24, 25 May. Workshops run 10.00 – 14.00. KS2: Years 3, 4 and 5.

6, 7, 8, 9 June. Workshops run 10.00 – 14.00 KS1: Years 1 and 2.

The Institute of Imagination invites classes from your school to our FREE dynamic workshops at our Imagination Lab. Children will explore the topic of ‘Metropolis’ through the themes of material (water sand, plants), shape (construction and sound) and function (aerodynamics and technology).

Ideal for KS1 (years 1 & 2) and KS2 (years 3, 4 & 5) this workshop will provide interactive sessions that inspire children’s creativity as they work across the arts, sciences and digital technologies.

This programme is supported by Lambeth Council.

There are limited FREE slots available so booking early is essential. To register your interest, please fill in the online form stating your preferred dates. We will then contact you to confirm your booking and send you further visitor information.

The venue address is: Imagination Lab at The Workshop, Albert Embankment, Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7SP.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Imagination Lab Team

On Friday children from the school councils of St John’s Angell Town and Archbishop Sumner Primary schools went on a tour and workshop visit to the Houses of Parliament. As always, the trip was informative and the children participated fully in the interactive workshop ‘Campaigning and Parliament’. Here are some photos of the children from Archbishop Sumner in the workshop. We look forward to more opportunities for working together.

Last week children from across our cluster enjoyed a visit to Mayfair to vist the Royal Astronomical Society. The Royal Astronomical Society was set up in 1820 to encourage and promote the study of astronomy and solar-system science. Children enjoyed exploring the Society’s historic collection and taking part in a workshop to learn about the life and work of Caroline Herschel. Adam from Loughborough shared what he learnt: "Caroline Herschel discovered 8 comets and was a role model as she was the first woman to be paid for her scientific work".

Last month year 4 teachers from across the BLC took part in a writing moderation. Here are some of the examples they jointly judged ‘at’, ‘just below’ and ‘above’ age related expectation.

Year 4 writing moderations Feb-March 2017.docx