Summer 2023
Pupils at the Beeches Independent School enjoyed many enrichment activities last term, including a visit to the local Sikh and Hindu Temples as part of their Religious Education studies where they learned about the beliefs and practices of both religions, and had the opportunity to ask questions.
The inaugural Beeches Independent School Poetry Café was a huge triumph, with parents and carers gathering in the garden to celebrate the end of a successful term’s learning, and listen to our pupils recite their own handwritten poems.
The King’s Coronation generated huge excitement, and provided the pupils a chance to learn about the history of coronations and the Royal Family. They all wrote their own letters to the King, and made posters about the big lunch. In Period 3, they used a hexagon to write out their British values and made their own silhouette.
In the PE, our pupils visited Central Park to play football, badminton, go on the swings, climbing frames, and look at all the different species of birds in the park.
The pupils really enjoyed reading in the garden whilst enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. In English they have been reading Harry Potter and were given the chance to explore the Warner Bros. Studio in London. The visit deepened their love for reading and enabled them to see the books come to life. They also visited the park to collect sticks to make a Stick Man like the book.
In Art, they created various patterns in clay using different pieces of equipment, and drew scenes from books such as Mrs Armitage on Wheels.
In Science, pupils conducted experiments to test the friction of their shoes with Newton-metres on different surfaces and with different weights. They also investigated the capacity of different containers, made a compass for their Forces and Magnets topic, and tested air resistance by making a spinner of three different sizes and checking what the average was for the spinner to hit the ground.
In Geography they took a trip to Ferry Meadows to answer their fieldwork question: “Is litter a problem?” They also studied road safety, and completed activities to embed this learning and understand the role we must play to keep ourselves safe whilst cycling, such as creating a helmet.
In History, the pupils learnt about the Normans and made their own Norman shields using junk modelling and art resources.
Pupils have been cooking up a storm in their Food Technology lessons and learning new skills like how to safely use kitchen equipment, plate dishes, use cutlery correctly, and tidy up afterwards. They learnt about nutrition, different food production techniques, safety and hygiene practices, and research and development across the world. In one Italian themed lesson, they learnt about art and language, how to make orzo, and about how mozzarella is made. They also learned about the importance of Fairtrade and what sustainability means in fishing, before having a go at making their own dishes.
At our annual Sports Day, pupils, parents, carers, and staff all participated in various games, showing great teamwork and friendly competition. We then held an awards celebration where all pupils received certificates for their hard work this year.
As we have finished the academic year, we have had the chance to reflect on the progress and achievements made by our team and pupils. The school continues to provide our pupils with opportunities to expand their knowledge, as well as open their minds to a world of opportunity. We are excited to move to our new school site in September, and look forward to creating new memories.
Spring 2023
Poetry Cafe
The inaugural Beeches Independent School Poetry Cafe was held on Wednesday 25th May. As the sun shined, parents and carers gathered in the garden to celebrate the end of a successful term’s learning.
Everyone had been working hard baking, flower arranging, and blowing up balloons to decorate the school. The pupils took orders from their guests and served homemade sausage rolls, cakes, and cookies before entertaining them with a performance of poems which they had written themselves. The pupils were superstars, and everyone had a fantastic time!
Pupils at The Beeches Independent School have been keeping busy with their studies, extra-curricular activities, and charitable initiatives. Using the money raised from their Christmas Fayre, they purchased items for the homeless community such as sleeping bags, jumpers, water bottles, tents, gloves, and hats. The pupils then delivered these to The Salvation Army to hand out to people in need.
For Red Nose Day, the school collected food donations from staff, parents, carers, and our homes, which our pupils then delivered to The Salvation Army Food Bank. The pupils also took part in a range of different Red Nose Day themed activities such as quizzes and word searches.
On World Book Day, everyone enjoyed dressing up as their favourite book characters and participating in reading activities. They’ve also been getting creative in their Art lessons with painting and making fossils.
In RE pupils have been learning about Buddhism, therefore an enrichment visit was arranged at the local Buddhist and Meditation Centre so that they could meet practicing Buddhists and experience what it is like to go into the centre. Everyone enjoyed joining in with a short meditation, listening to stories, and learning about some of the Buddhist practices. We are really pleased that all pupils were extremely engaged, respectful of the culture, and asked lots of questions.
In Food Technology our pupils have been learning how to prepare, cook, and tidy away in the kitchen. One of their latest topics was “Foods from Around the World” where they learnt about spices from Asia and were introduced to a new ingredient – ghee, which is used in many Indian dishes. The pupils had a go at cooking dishes using various techniques including special “Sunshine Chicken Kebabs”, chicken curry, and Bombay potatoes with spinach. In another lesson they learnt about Sweden’s National dish – meatballs served with garlic herb potatoes, and were taught how to make a roux to create a gravy. Once the pupils finished preparing their dishes, they plated and tasted their food together. For Easter, they got to make everyone’s favourite treat – chocolate cereal cakes with mini eggs!
In Science pupils have been conducting a range of different experiments to learn about light and shadows. They used torches, card, and mirrors to show how light reflects at the same angle.
They have also been keeping fit in PE and going on lots of fun trips, including to the local farm where they enjoyed observing all the different animals, and exploring the natural environment.
Winter 2022/23
Pupils at our Independent School have been working extremely hard over the last few months, including in Art where they learned about using different types of food to make sculptures, and in PE they took part in finger gym lessons and exercises in the park.
In Geography they practised map reading which they used to go on a walk and find objects that were placed around Peterborough. They then added the date ready for the next explorers to find!
They celebrated Children in Need by decorating and selling biscuits for charity, and watching the England football matches together.
Christmas was a time of fun and joy for all, with plenty of festive activities including Christmas Jumper Day, and trips to the garden centre to look at all the decorations. They hosted their annual dinner and Christmas Fayre where the school was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with plenty of magical decorations and treats for all to enjoy. The pupils had a fantastic time interacting with all the festive games and activities, from decorating cookies, to playing pin the nose on Rudolph! They also managed to raise over £300 for the local homeless community.
The school has also just launched their brand new range of free accredited qualifications provided by West Suffolk College which are open to all parents, carers, and staff to help them with supporting children. Some of the subjects available include:
- Understanding Autism
- Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health
- Adverse Childhood experiences
- Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties
We are excited to start rolling these courses out to help people get a better understanding of some of the key issues around young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
