Pupils have been loving our brand-new school with all of its advanced facilities. They were extremely busy at the end of last year with different events including Children in Need, where they took part in a range of activities to support the charity including a cake decorating competition where they used icing, marshmallows, chocolate, and sprinkles to design their own cakes. A judge then chose the best decorated cakes, and the winner won a prize – although the best part was definitely getting to taste their creations at the end! They also completed a range of arts and crafts tasks including designing Pudsey’s bandana, completing Pudsey puzzles, and designing their own Children in Need t-shirt.
Pupils enjoyed learning all about Diwali – the Hindu festival of lights, and made their own tealight candle holders using clay to create different designs and patterns. Once dried, the holders were decorated with lots of colours and patterns, before finally adding their own tealight.
As it was their first Christmas in the new school, everyone really enjoyed making decorations to get the place festive ready. They hung handmade baubles and decorations on the Christmas tree, and all around the school. The pupils completed an assembly learning all about Christingles and their purpose, before having a go at making their own using oranges, candles, dolly mixture, and raisins.
In English, everyone did a great job writing their own Christmas stories before reading them aloud to the rest of the group. The pupils were then lucky enough to have their very own private video call with Santa, who read a personalised letter to each of them. They got the chance to ask Santa lots of questions and tell him what they would like for Christmas. Everyone was relieved to hear that they were all on the nice list!
One of our pupils had the excellent idea of raising funds for Woodgreen Pets Charity as her chosen Christmas activity by collecting toiletries and clothes to donate to their local charity shop. She also made dog biscuits which she sold to staff, and then donated all earnings to the charity.
On the last day of term, the school hosted its annual Christmas lunch which was delicious and enjoyed by all. All leftovers were given to Peterborough Soup Kitchen. In the afternoon, the pupils enjoyed making their own gingerbread houses, playing bingo, and taking part in a Christmas quiz. Before they went home, each pupil was awarded a certificate for their achievements that term, and were all given a chocolate Santa sleigh to take with them.
Everyone is now working on fulfilling their New Year’s Resolutions, including leading a healthy lifestyle. They received a visit from Sports Coach Sanket to learn about Sports Leadership qualifications, which aim to help young people develop their leadership skills, whilst helping themselves and others stay physically active. They discussed what makes a good leader and the traits needed to be successful. They then participated in various sporting activities, and took turns leading their own short session to the rest of the group.
The pupils have been learning about Roman-inspired food as part of the History theme for this half-term. They then got to make their own dishes with lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, and feta cheese, which were all served alongside pitta bread and eaten whilst listening to classical music!
They have also been developing their life skills by helping to gather some of the school’s laundry, and taking it to be washed at the launderette. It is great to see the pupils learning to become more independent, and developing new skills in preparation for adult life.
