Agents of Change
The end of the half-term is upon us, and despite weary legs and alarm clocks being turned to snooze, the children still brought their A Game this week – A for Agency. A core part of our Primary Years Programme (PYP) curriculum is that through their half-termly inquiry, the children decide an action that will perhaps better themselves, their family, their local community or even on a bigger scale. On Monday, children from Year 5 presented to the rest of Key Stage 2 their action inspired by their inquiry unit on: ‘materials can experience changes that offer both opportunities and challenges for society and the environment’.
They began by looking back at history, specifically when the discovery of metal changed the way humans were able to live and what opportunities this presented to humans. As the pupils researched modern-day materials and the overuse of plastic, having investigated the advantages plastic has brought about, they quickly discovered that although we put things in the ‘recycling’, the majority of these items still end up in landfills across the world.
This learning coincided with the pupils being told they were about to receive new school desks and how a different design may improve their learning environment. Although they were happy at the news and felt lucky to be able to get new desks, they really didn’t want their old desks to go into a skip and end up in a landfill in the UK or another country. Having looked into a number of charitable organisations, they made contact with the company Waste to Wonder, who take old furniture and donates it to schools across the world that are in need.
Linda Glover from Waste to Wonder, came in to talk to Year 5 last Friday about how she is taking their desks and giving them to a school in Gambia, which is very exciting. But this was just the first spark and ignited a passion in the children to do even more.
Yesterday I was delighted to welcome four Year 5 pupils into my office to pitch their ideas to myself and Mr Partridge, Deputy Head Academic. They want to raise funds for schools that cannot afford to maintain their buildings or purchase furniture, they want to send stationery, toys and play equipment, they want to make sure that we never thoughtlessly throw away old furniture that could have a new lease of life somewhere else and they want to protect our environment. As a Headteacher, these are the moments I dream of. When our young people want to stand up for helping others, not for any recognition or reward, but because they know in their hearts it is the right thing to do. Of course they convinced myself and Mr Partridge and we are committed to working with the children and the Year 5 team of teachers, to find more ways to make a bigger difference. Watch this space…
This week we have spotlighted Black History Month through a celebration of the diversity in our School community. With different activities every day and two special pupil-led assemblies today, there have been many opportunities to learn from each other. We pride ourselves in being openly inclusive and enjoy the myriad of cultures, faiths and personalities that make up our beautiful school.
To support their PYP inquiry, ‘Stories engage their audience and communicate meaning.’ Year 1 pupils had a wonderful trip to Brentwood Library. They walked sensibly through the Senior School and were warmly welcomed by the librarian, Tori. She explained how the library is organised and helped us explore both fiction and non-fiction books. The children then spent time reading different books and were able to draw and write about the books they had chosen. They ended their visit with a lovely story before walking back to school.
Today was also a big day of agency for Year 2 as our young learners went outside planting trees, turning their classroom lessons into real-world action.
Their current PYP central idea focuses on the impact of people’s choices on the environment. To bring this to life – and in celebration of Black History Month – they have drawn deep inspiration from Professor Wangari Maathai.
Maathai founded Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, which successfully planted over 40 million trees to fight deforestation. Taking a cue from her incredible work, the children have decided to make their own difference.
Each Year 2 class planted a beech tree. This is their choice for positive change, a chance to improve our School grounds and contribute to a healthier environment. We’re so proud of their initiative and eagerness to be environmental stewards.
Year 5 children concluded their PYP Outdoor Inquiry in the forest with a highly successful final week of agency, showcasing the practical skills they’d developed. Continuing their work on den-building, the primary focus this week was on engineering their structures for resilience against the elements. Using tarpaulins and ropes, the young builders concentrated on making their shelters waterproof.
The true test came when water was poured over the completed dens, and to the delight of all, every single group’s creation held strong, remaining completely dry inside. This fantastic achievement marks a successful culmination of their outdoor learning and a testament to their teamwork and ingenuity.
This week I presented Sky in Year 6 with a Head’s Award for his brilliant sketches of people. In his art lesson, pupils were challenged to demonstrate great control with their pencils, utilising light and dark (tone) and creating the illusion of depth (perspective), drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci. The class had already been practising sketching and different ways of shading. Sky’s work stood out because it showed such careful detail and skill.
Have a wonderful couple of autumnal weeks, happy Diwali to all those celebrating this weekend and on Monday.
Best wishes,
Alice Goodfellow
