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Lace Hill Academy singers take to stage as part of Young Voices choir

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 15:49:00 GMT

Pupils from Lace Hill Academy joined thousands of voices at a national singing event. A total of 28 singers from the school joined more than 5,000 others at the Young Voices event at Birmingham's Resort World Arena. The students from across Years 4, 5 and 6 spent eight months practicing a total of 31 songs to perform collectively at the event to an audience of 10,000 people. Lucy Blakeley, Year 2 class teacher, who championed Lace Hill Academy attending the event, said: "This was an incredible experience for the children, one that they will never forget. “The atmosphere was electric, and all the parents had a wonderful time watching and hearing their children perform." Year 4 pupil, Theo Moore said he had an incredible time at the event. He added: "This was the most exciting thing I have ever done!" The children were joined by a host of acts including beatboxing world champions, singer and former Britain’s Got Talent runner up Connie Talbot, singer Urban Spice and band The Overtones. This year’s concert was the 25 ^th anniversary of Young Voices and Lace Hill Academy were delighted to share in the celebrations. The Young Voices movement first began in 1997 with concerts in Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham and Belfast.

Pupils sing their hearts out with own version of national anthem for the jubilee at George Grenville Academy

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:29:00 GMT

Children at George Grenville Academy performed a stirring rendition of the National Anthem for the jubilee complete with their own take on the iconic song.

In celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee pupils at the school were invited to enter a competition to write an alternative verse of the national anthem to be performed at the school’s jubilee party.

And the entries flooded in, with the children drawing on all their knowledge of the queen and Britain’s traditions.

Teachers at the school were incredibly impressed with the entries but one verse stood out as the winner.

Year 4 pupil Fiamma, wrote a verse which links to the Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’ with thousands of trees planted all over the country.

The words to the verse included the line ‘years past this jubilee, we’ll rest beneath her trees’ and ‘seventy years she’s seen, since she was crowned our queen, in splendour evergreen.’

The children learned and embraced the alternative version, making a video of them singing to mark the occasion.

Headteacher Emma Killick said: “We were blown away by the entries and loved reading them. We chose Fiamma’s as the winner as we really liked the link to the green canopy, a subject which is important to us all. All of the children sang their hearts out and put so much effort into making bunting and enjoying the day. It was a wonderful celebration.”

Fiamma, age nine, said “I am so happy for the Queen during this historic event. It was lovely to hear the whole school sing the verse I wrote for the National Anthem. I came up for the idea after we planted a tree together at school as part of the Green Canopy project. I am so proud.”

As well as learning and performing the alternative version of the national anthem, staff and pupils festooned the school with bunting designed and made by the pupils, featuring portraits of the Queen.

Emma Killick added: “All classes were inspired by an artist and designed portraits of the Queen in the artist's style. These were then made into bunting to be hung around the school which looked fantastic. The bunting was later donated to the local church to use for their community lunch.”

As part of the celebrations, the whole school enjoyed a picnic and the children were gifted badges from the school PTA, FROGGS, to commemorate the occasion. 

Moorland goes green to raise money for mental health

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 09:49:00 GMT

Staff and pupils at Moorland Primary School have held a special day in aid of the Mental Health Foundation.

S taff and pupils at Moorland Primary School have held a special day in aid of the Mental Health Foundation.

Teachers and students all took part in a ‘wear it green’ day as part of their regular Wellbeing Wednesdays, with families contributing a small donation towards the cause, raising a total of £60.

The school agreed a theme around the subject of loneliness, with children discussing what this means and how to combat it.

As part of the conversation, pupils spent time at their Forest Station, an outdoor green area which has a small woodland walk for children to enjoy.

The whole school talked about how connecting with nature can help support wellbeing and bring a sense of belonging.

Headteacher Angela Garner said: “Our ‘wear it green’ day was a really lovely idea and an important opportunity to talk to the pupils about mental health and come up with ways to support ourselves as well as each other, particularly through nature.

“The children and staff embraced the day and we were very happy to have raised some money to send to the Mental Health Foundation.”

The Mental Health Foundation was established in 1949 and is a leading charity for mental health. Prevention is at the heart of the charity’s aims, along with identifying sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.

Moorland Primary School pupils go gardening to help community

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 09:26:00 GMT

Children at Moorland Primary School rolled out the wheelbarrows for a spot of outdoor work this spring.

Year three pupils headed out to a local field in Beanhill and w orked hard to transform an area of the green space.

The project was supported by Woughton Community Council and saw the pupils pull on their gardening gloves to build a mulch and woodchip path, edged with salvaged tree branches.

The work took a whole day and was part of the school’s Wellbeing Wednesday programme of events.

The day out gave the pupils an opportunity to plant raised beds, all with the aim of creating an accessible community garden for nearby families and organisations.

Year three teacher Miss Gargan said: “This was such a great project, in partnership with Woughton Community Council and we all had a brilliant day. The children learnt lots about how to plant flowers and why community spaces are important. It was also good for their wellbeing to be outdoors.

“The pupils were really proud of the end results, which was great to see.”

Moorland Primary pupils picnic in the park for jubilee

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:40:00 GMT

Staff and pupils at Moorland Primary School hosted an outdoor community party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The whole school headed outside to the local Capron Field and enjoyed a day of family activities, food and fun to celebrate the national event.

Families and members of the community were invited along to the gathering, with each class organising a special performance for their families to watch.

Staff at the school also prepared a host of activities for students to enjoy as part of the day, including face painting, flag and crown making and a tombola stall.

Sporting games were also on offer, such as a beat the goalie, country dancing and even an energetic Zumba session.

Headteacher Angela Garner said the outdoor party was a great end to the term and a wonderful way to celebrate the Queen.

She added: “Thank you to all our wonderful families for helping us make the Queen’s Jubilee celebration party such a huge success. It was a special and memorable day and one that we will never forget. It was a lovely occasion which included lots of the community. The pupils really enjoyed it and the staff worked so hard to make it a success. We’re very grateful to everyone who contributed.”

As part of the party, Kingston and Daventry Tesco stores donated food and drink and the supermarket also provided a ‘selfie’ frame of the Queen for partygoers to have their photo taken with. Local councillor Brian Hepburn and community development worker Kevin Vickers were also thanked by the school for their support.

Attendees were also able to enjoy the Year 5’s royal gallery exhibition, which included artwork representing a host of recognisable British people who have made their mark on the world over the past seven decades.

George Grenville joins local schools for dance festival

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 09:16:00 GMT

Pupils from four local primary schools recently came together to take part in the first primary dance festival since the pandemic.

Students from George Grenville Academy, Buckingham Primary School, St James and St John and Great Horwood danced in front of an audience and a judging panel as part of the competition. The event was held at George Grenville Academy, which is part of Campfire Education Trust, and had two separate themes. Younger children, aged five to seven, based their performances on the theme of ‘once upon a time’ with dances being performed using traditional tales and stories from Aladdin. Older pupils, aged nine to 11, created theirs around the theme of musicals and various dances from The Lion King, Hairspray and Matilda were enjoyed by all. The dances were judged by teachers from the Royal Latin drama department, Ben Coleman and Amy Jones, who said: “We were incredibly impressed with the standard, energy and enthusiasm of all the performers at the Dance Festival. “We loved seeing the variety of dances that were created and the clear passion for performing that each dancer exuded. “We cannot wait to see you all on stage again in the future" Elle Brown, PE Coordinator at George Grenville Academy, said: “It was such a pleasure to host this event and see children and parents from different schools join together to celebrate dance after being separated for so long as a community.

“We hope this will become an annual event.”

Pupils celebrate the magic of storytelling at special library event

Thu, 26 May 2022 12:55:00 GMT

Schoolchildren in Buckingham brought stories to life this spring at a special library event to celebrate their local area.

Year 5 pupils from George Grenville Academy took part in the storytelling day at Buckingham Library, led by storyteller and founder of local company Red Phoenix Stories, Terrie Howey, alongside a host of organisations.

The theme of the event was the history of Buckingham and students had the chance to work with Terrie in preparation for the big day.

Pupils carried out their own research on the town and took walks to well-known landmarks to get inspiration for their stories, before letting their imaginations run wild and being guided through the process of how to create their own magical tales.

The children all got the chance to perform their stories to a panel of judges and the most well-developed stories were chosen and performed on the day in front of an audience of parents, pupils, teachers and residents at Buckingham Library.

The storytellers donned costumes to add to the drama and music also played a part, with the pupils performing a special song they had written about the legend of St Rumbold.

The song was accompanied by flute music performed by local musician and employee at the University of Buckingham Heidi Stopps, with extra flute by Charles Liu, a second year Medical Student from the university.

And the wonder of words didn’t stop there, with a poem read aloud by former Bard of Buckingham Dean Jones, and a performance of a specially commissioned story by Terrie Howey.

To help bring their stories to life, the students were also able to see a display of photos depicting life in historic Buckingham.

Dean Jones, who is also Trustee of the Friends of the Library and helped to organise the event said:

“After two years of lockdowns and isolation, it was great to see primary school pupils and residents from across the community come together in the library, to celebrate the stories and the history of our town. The library is the perfect location for this kind of cross generational community activity. It was lovely to watch the children perform and see our more senior residents from local care homes enjoying their performances too.”

Terrie Howey said: “As a storyteller I am keenly aware of how local stories make sense of the world around us, connecting people and places by shaping our identities through our relationship to our landscapes and heritage. It was amazing to hear how the children developed a sense of age and heritage of Buckingham, which they did not have before.”

Emma Killick, Headteacher at George Grenville Academy said, “We were so privileged to be part of this local event. Terrie’s inspired storytelling instilled a deeper confidence in our pupils that I have not previously seen. Watching them perform was extremely moving.”

The event closed with a final word from Chair of Friends of the Library, Roger Edwards. Roger said “It was such a pleasure to see and hear the children perform and it served to confirm just what talented young people there are in Buckingham. It was great to see the library being used in this way - our library is such an important asset for the community and to see it coming back to life after the last couple of years is brilliant.”

It is hoped that the event will become a regular fixture and continue and be expanded to include other schools in the future.

Moorland Primary pupils create Jubilee gallery

Thu, 26 May 2022 12:03:00 GMT

Pupils at Moorland Primary School have been finding out about influential people to help celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

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Lace Hill delighted to confirm appointment of new headteacher

Thu, 26 May 2022 09:59:00 GMT

Lace Hill Academy is delighted to formally announce that a new, permanent headteacher has been appointed.

Sarah Jones first joined the Buckingham school in September 2021 as acting head and this month impressed an interview panel with her passion, vision and ideas for the school to secure the position. Sarah tells us how it feels to have been appointed to the role and why the sky’s the limit for Lace Hill Academy. “When I came to the school as acting headteacher in September 2021, I could never have imagined I’d have the privilege of taking on this role permanently,” says Sarah. “It has been an exciting, rewarding whirlwind and I feel incredibly lucky to say I am the headteacher of such a wonderful school. “I feel I have grown so much and that as a team, we have already achieved a lot together since September.” Mrs Jones says that becoming a headteacher wasn’t necessarily always in her career plan – but the idea planted itself the very first time she came to Lace Hill. “I have enjoyed all my roles in teaching and loved my previous job, so never set my sights on a headship, and always said if that were to happen, it would have to be the right school. “I had worked at Lace Hill in a different capacity previously, helping in the special needs department and had often said that if the opportunity ever came up to be a head anywhere, I would love it to be here. And so it did – and it feels like such a special match. “As a team we’ve mapped out an exciting journey for where we’d like the school to go – this is already an amazing community and I believe as a school we can go right to the top.” Teamwork is key for Mrs Jones and she says it’s the community of staff, pupils and parents that makes the school so special. “The whole community has been so supportive, and I could not do this role without them,” she explains. “Yes, it can be a hard, but I can honestly say there has never been a day where I have not felt we’ve achieved something positive. “It’s all about the team, from the staff to the pupils and the parents. “Lace Hill is a special community where the children are the heart of everything we do - they are testament to our values of resilience, respect and integrity. “I am so excited for the many plans we have, in particular developing the curriculum to tie in more closely to our vision and values.”

Campfire Education Trust CEO Sarah Mitchell said: “Campfire Education Trust and the Local Governing Board are delighted to have appointed Mrs Jones as the permanent headteacher of Lace Hill. Her positive leadership approach has benefited the school community significantly and the strong relationships built so far provide the foundations from which to continue to strengthen the school further. We are looking forward to working closely in partnership with Sarah and her term to continue the rapid journey of school improvement so that we secure the best outcomes and quality of education for the pupils at Lace Hill.”

Pupils take part in traditional Maypole dancing

Wed, 25 May 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Pupils at Bourton Meadow Academy brought local traditions back to life with a special dance performance this May.

A total of 90 Year 4 students gathered to take part in Maypole dancing in the town centre on May 3. The performance marked the traditional church May Day celebrations and the pupils were trained in their routine by PE teachers at the school. Traditional dances The Barber’s Pole, Gypsy Tent and Chrysanthemum were performed by the pupils. School sports coach Debbie Dearlove said: "All credit must go to the children for learning the dances and performing them in front of the public. This is a tradition that we must not lose”. Town councillor Robin Stuchbury said: “It was a privilege to be there with the Buckingham town mayor, councillors and members of the public against the backdrop of St Peter & St Paul Church to watch the children taking part in this tradition.” In addition to the Maypole dancing, children from year two performed the country dance, I want to be near you, outside the church.

The performances were so well received that the dancers will be taking the show on the road after being requested to perform at a local old people’s home.

Spring Lane sports stars shine bright

Wed, 25 May 2022 15:53:00 GMT

It’s been goals galore this year at Spring Lane Primary School with many amazing sporting achievements.

The Spring Lane Stars boys and girls football teams have shown some fantastic skills and dedication since the teams were formed earlier this year. Both teams have fired in dozens of goals and both remain unbeaten, with the girls winning their final game 5-0 and the boys’ team also claiming victory in their last match, with a 7-1 stunner against Barry Primary School. The school has shown great support to the teams and enjoyed cheering them on from the side lines, with everyone looking forward to hosting more competitive football matches next year.

And it wasn’t just the footballers who put on an impressive display.

The Spring Lane Stars rounders team also displayed their sporting talent by topping the table at a local sports tournament.

The Year 5 girls team won the Northampton sports tournament beating four other teams to first place spot.

Spring Lane Headteacher Peter Hynes said: “What a year it’s been for our sports teams. We are all very proud of the way the pupils have represented Spring Lane and delighted to have seen so many winning performances.

“Well done to everyone involved, we’re all looking forward to taking part in more sport next year.”

Pupils raise hundreds in support of Ukraine

Tue, 17 May 2022 09:18:00 GMT

Schoolchildren in Buckingham have been doing their bit to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine by taking part in a special awareness day.

Pupils and staff at George Grenville Academy held a day of fundraising and other events in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for the victims of the war in Ukraine. Raising money was a big focus and the children donated to come to school in non-uniform, with many of them wearing the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. The fundraising efforts were a great success with staff, pupils and their families raising £434.50 in total. As part of the day, students were also encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings about what is happening in Ukraine and think of ways that others can help. A special assembly was held, giving information and a chance for the pupils to be part of group reflection. The nursery pupils also joined in on the day, decorating Ukrainian flags during their creative play. Deputy headteacher Caroline Ryan, who organised the event, said: “It was an important event at George Grenville Academy – not just raising vital funds for the DEC Ukraine appeal, but also to raise some awareness among our children about what is going on.

“Through events like this, the children are able to see themselves as part of a wider community.”

Spring flowers inspire budding artists

Mon, 16 May 2022 15:42:00 GMT

This spring, pupils at George Grenville Academy were inspired to create floral works of art.

The Year 1 children were excited to see all sorts of flowers popping up around school as the season got underway – so they decided to celebrate this by painting pictures. The students enthusiastically put paint to paper, to create an array of eye-catching designs just perfect for the time of year. The creations were so pretty that the children were invited to local shop Meadow Row Florist to share their artwork with owner Helen Smith. The pictures were put up on display in the windows of the shop to be admired by passers-by and customers.

The children were also excited to use their artwork to create special Mother’s Day cards and florist Helen also kindly presented three lucky children with beautiful flower arrangements to give to someone special. Jessica Fowler, Year 1 teacher and art coordinator, said: "The children had been noticing the changes that spring had brought to our school so we decided that a painting of the flowers around our school grounds would make the perfect Mother's Day card. “We spent time studying the flowers, looking at the shapes and patterns and then used our watercolour skills, that we have been developing this year, to paint them. “We are so grateful to Meadow Row Florist for inviting us to display the children's work."

Pupils' posters send powerful message to bullies

Tue, 10 May 2022 15:57:00 GMT

Schoolchildren in Northampton recently put their art and designs skills to effective use to create anti-bullying messages.

The pupils at Lumbertubs Primary School were given the chance to design their own posters to show the importance of standing up against bullying. The event was part of an Anti-Bullying Day initiative organised by the school, to help encourage the children to talk about bullying and ways to discourage it. The school says it takes a proactive approach to the subject, using the phrases ‘stop’, ‘it’s OK to speak up’ and ‘be kind’ when encouraging conversation around the topic. Headteacher Ceri Cook said creating the posters was a great way to engage the children in wider conversation about kindness. “All of our children understand the importance of speaking up about bullying, it’s something we take very seriously and we’re very proud of the students’ attitude around kindness, supporting each other and not being afraid to speak up.” As part of the special day, Mrs Cook and deputy headteacher Miss Harbottle chose a selection of their favourite posters to be displayed around the school. Mrs Cook added: “It was a really great day, with lots of learning and positive conversation. We loved seeing the children’s posters and choosing the winning entries to be used on the walls in school. Well done to everyone who took part.” The powerful posters spell out ways for children to understand the type of behaviour that is unkind and tips on seeking help, such as reporting the behaviour to an adult. The winning entries were designed by Elijah, 11, David, 10, Anastasia, nine, Abbi, seven, and six-year-old Alexandra. Runners up were Gabbi, nine, Maxim, eight, Henry, eight, and six-year-old Adil.

Gabbi said: “I enjoyed creating the poster because you could be creative and give a positive message to everybody to not bully at the same time.”

Cracking Easter bonnet competition impresses local MP

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:01:00 GMT

Schoolchildren really cracked it when it came to creating Easter bonnets at the end of the spring school term.

Pupils at Lace Hill Academy in Buckingham made a total of 85 imaginative hats, featuring all the usual Easter characters from fluffy chicks to cute bunnies and many dozens of egg-themed creations. The hats were created as entries for the school’s Easter Bonnet competition, which was held to help raise money towards buying sunshades for the school playground. The day was made extra special for the school with a visit from Conservative MP for Buckingham, Greg Smith. Mr Smith was impressed with the students’ creativity and presented the top three winners with their prizes of Easter eggs.

On his Facebook page, he said: “A real pleasure today to award the top three prizes for the Easter Bonnet competition at Lace Hill Academy in Buckingham.

“Some absolutely fantastic bonnets by the children, all in aid of the school’s fundraising to purchase shade sails for the playground and sports field, where children donated £2 each to enter.

“Congratulations to all involved and a big well done to the winners for such outstanding entries.”

Three pupils took the tops spots with first place awarded to Shane Manning, six, second place to Joshua Kemp, nine, and third place going to six-year-old Kara Brooke. Year 4 teacher, Rachel Moroney who helped organise the competition, said: “We were delighted to welcome Greg Smith MP to the school and thank him for taking time to come along. The children really enjoyed meeting him. “The standard of entries was incredible, and we are so proud of all the children who took part. It was very tricky to pick overall winners and everyone who entered should be really pleased with their creations. “We’re working hard to raise funds to install vital sun sails in the playground to give the pupils shade on hot days, so it was great to have so many entries to the competition.”

Appeal to help keep Lace Hill pupils safe in the sun

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:31:00 GMT

Staff and pupils at Lace Hill Academy in Buckingham are appealing for help to buy essential playground equipment to keep students safe in the sun.

Teachers at the school say the outside area suffers from a lack of shade in summer and that on hot days, the children are often forced back indoors when the sun is too strong. But this summer, the school is determined to fix the problem by installing sun shade sails in the playground. The sun sails, used widely in schools across the UK and as standard in much hotter countries, cost around £9,000 and teachers and pupils have been coming up with fundraising ideas. The school is appealing to parents and the local community to help them raise the cash needed by signing up to initiatives such as Easy Fundraising and Your School Lottery, where users simply sign up and can choose the school as their cause. As part of the fundraising efforts, the school has held an Easter Bonnet competition for the children with prizes being awarded by local MP Chris Smith at a special awards event on April 1.

No shade

Year 4 class teacher Rachel Moroney said: “I joined the school at the height of summer last year and was struck by the fact that there is absolutely no shade whatsoever in our playground. If it’s too hot the children simply have to come indoors to shade and that’s no fun. “Summer is the time to be outside and we’d really love to install the sun shades.” Staff say children across the school often feel frustrated when summer playtimes have to happen indoors and that all years are excited to be fundraising for the shades. Pihu Painuly, six, said: "It's really annoying to have to play inside when the sun is shining and it's nice and hot. It makes me feel sad." Dexter Cordy, nine, added: "We really need these sun shades and it would be so good to raise enough money to buy them. My classmates and I are thinking up lots of cool ideas, but any help from anyone would be amazing!"

Community support

Acting headteacher Sarah Jones said: “We do need help to raise money to buy and install these and would appeal to everyone in the community to sign up to the easy fundraising website which lets you shop at all the usual places you buy from, at no extra cost, but then donates to your chosen cause. “We would welcome any ideas for ways to raise money for the school and will support any local fundraising ideas. “The sun sails would be a wonderful addition to the school and the pupils would benefit hugely from extra time outdoors, whether it’s at playtime with their friends or doing more outdoor learning in the summer months.” The school is urging anyone who can help, to sign up to the below websites and choose Lace Hill Academy as their cause. www.easyfundraising.org.uk

www.yourschoollottery.co.uk

A week in the life of Moorland Primary School

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 18:17:00 GMT

Monday, February 28th

A busy start to the week with a whole day visit from Sarah Warboys, Trust School Performance Director, and Carol Bull, Trust Lead Sendco. We work hard to continually review our strengths and areas to develop and we were delighted that both visitors acknowledged lots of positive developments in our learning and teaching. We were very surprised when an astronaut arrived in EYFS this morning! Our youngest children have been learning lots about space and rockets over the last few weeks and were very excited to find out how astronauts eat and sleep.

Tuesday, March 1st

A small group of lucky Moorland pupils spend time each week at Ride High; a fantastic charity that transforms the lives of children by giving them the opportunity to learn to ride and care for horses.

Wednesday, March 2nd

Wednesdays are always very unique at Moorland! We really value our “Wellbeing Wednesdays” where we dedicate our day to our “five Cs”. A day for “Complete wellbeing, Communication, Creativity, Cultural capital and Community”. This week nursery enjoyed a visit from PCSO Colin Cooper, lots of year groups joined in with Zumba and yoga sessions and our Year 6 community readers spent the afternoon with the “recycled teenagers” for an afternoon of fun at the Moorlands Family centre.

Thursday, March 3rd

We were delighted to be visited by Chris Dukes one of our Campfire Education Trustees. The staff and pupils were dressed up for World Book Day so it was definitely a memorable visit for Chris. He said: “Thank you for hosting my visit to Moorland Primary school which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is very evident that you have created an excellent nurturing and learning environment within the school.”

Friday, March 4th

Friday is always a fabulous celebration of our week’s learning. During our Moorland Marvels assembly this week we launched our new “Marvel Market”. This is an attendance initiative where pupils earn “Marvel pounds” for being Attendance Heroes. We also awarded our “Remarkable Reader” prizes where pupils who truly love to read are awarded a special book. For pupils who have read at least four times per week over half a term were also treated to a special pizza party at lunchtime. We are so proud that so many of our children and families are enjoying reading together at home

A big thankyou to our children, families and staff. Together we raised £333 for the Ukraine Charity fund.

Saturday, March 5th

Saturdays at Moorland are as busy as weekdays! We are lucky to have a friendly, hard working group of individuals who come along as part of their community payback and help us make our school grounds a better place to learn and play. This week they have been painting and making planters for the playground and putting up some fencing for us. We really are grateful to the probation team for inviting us to be part of this wonderful community project.

World Book Day lights up schools across the Trust

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 11:54:00 GMT

Wow! World Book Day certainly captured the imagination of the pupils and staff across our schools.

It was magnificent to see such an array of characters as students and teachers at all our academies really pulled out the stops for the national celebration of books and reading. We saw so many characters turn up for a day of learning, from Willy Wonka to Witches and Mr. Bump to Gangsta Granny – it was incredibly inspiring to see the creativity and effort on show.

Moorland Primary School

The children at Moorland Primary school in Milton Keynes showed off a selection of their fantastic costumes, which included the Tin Man, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Hermione Grainger and a coven of spooky Witches for good measure. And pupils at this school were extra smiley on world Book Day as they were visited by Campfire Education Trustee Chris Jukes who thoroughly enjoyed his time and emailed headteacher Angela Garner to express how impressed he was. He said: “It is very evident that you have created an excellent nurturing and learning environment within the school. Listening to your thoughts and vision for the school, as well as talking to staff and pupils the school will continue to go from strength to strength building on the high expectations that you are setting.”

George Grenville Academy

Over at George Grenville Academy, World Book Day was celebrated with gusto. Many of the children took inspiration from Roald Dahl’s stories, dressing up as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda and Sophie from the BFG as well as an Oompa Loompa and Willy Wonka. Others donned Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter costumes and the staff didn’t disappoint either, with staff dressing as Mr. Bump, Gangsta Granny and even Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Children were also encouraged to take photos of themselves reading in unusual places too with quite a few finding some inventive spots to crack open a book. Headteacher Emma Killick said: “Everyone dressed up - staff and children - and we enjoyed a costume parade and favourite-book discussion in assembly. “Some children were lucky enough to visit The Buckingham University bookshop for a visit where they were able to spend their World Book Day vouchers, enjoy a story time and a tour of the uni. “Others went searching the school for the monster from their story...and they found him! “Our Year 6 children even had a cake-baking competition, with books as the theme. “Another highlight was our Extreme Reading event that took place during the half-term break...amongst other places, we have photos of children reading on planes, on horses and even behind the till in Waitrose.”

Lace Hill Academy

Meanwhile at Lace Hill Academy, the Trust also saw lots of happy World Book Day characters including a huge cuddly bear, a pilot and - yes you guessed it – a whole classroom full of Wizards!

We’re passionate about encouraging reading for pleasure here at Campfire Education Trust and we’re absolutely delighted to see that our pupils are too.

News Letter 04/03/2022

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 13:38:00 GMT

Campfire Education Trust Newsletter 04/03/2022

Buckingham pupils plant special tree to mark Queen's Jubilee

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:09:00 GMT

Children from George Grenville Academy took part in a special tree planting ceremony to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The oldest and youngest pupils at the school, in Chandos Road, Buckingham, planted the beech sapling as part of the national "Queen's Green Canopy" project. It is a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee." Staff and children gathered for the event on 17 December, and watched as the sapling was given its new home.

The whole school community will be looking after the tree – and children will measure it each year to observe how it grows as they also grow up throughout the school. Headteacher Emma Killick said: "It is so important to take part in these events. The children can learn about how to care for the world around us, and also do something they will remember in years to come to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee." She said the project would also inspire children to learn more about how we can look after our green spaces, forests and woodlands.

Spring Lane staff and pupils celebrate 'good' Ofsted rating

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:03:00 GMT

Staff and pupils at Spring Lane Primary School are celebrating after a glowing Ofsted report

Spring Lane Primary School has received a ‘good’ rating following an inspection in October by the education watchdog. It sees the school retaining its ‘good’ rating since the last inspection in 2016. The inspector said they found a friendly, inclusive school, where pupils were polite and well-mannered.

Respectful

They said children respected each other’s differences and welcomed new pupils regardless of their backgrounds. Pupils commented that in class, good behaviour is ‘famous’, and that the teachers ‘encourage and inspire us’. The report also noted there was a wide range of after-school clubs and that local community groups helped the children understand what was going on beyond the school grounds.

Pride at report

Headteacher Peter Hynes said: “We are really proud to have received such a positive report from Ofsted. It is the result of the hard work and dedication of all of staff and children, as well as the support from our wider school community. “The inspection highlights what we know about our school – that it is a warm, inclusive and friendly place where children are supported to reach their potential. “We won’t rest on our laurels though, and our next ambition is to become an outstanding school.” The report added that to improve further, the school could look at its phonics programme – an area that had already been identified by the school, and which Mr Hynes said was a priority for the teaching team.