Out of the Blue - Spring 2015

Lower School Production Peter Pan PAGES 4 & 5

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The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722

Comic Relief Blue Coat sees Red! PAGE 8

Head First Reviewing the events of the Spring Term just finished it is hard to believe that so much can have been achieved by so many in so short a time! Yet, that is how it is – and the features below present a kaleidoscope of activity, from Buttons Nursery right through to Year 6. There has been something for everyone, from 11+ exams to Discos, from Matches and Tournaments to Recitals, from History Workshops and Architect and Lego Days to River Fieldwork – and a healthy measure of Maths and English besides! One of the key moments was our participation in the first of three “Festival of Voices” concerts organised in celebration of the 300th Anniversary of St Philip’s Cathedral. It was in 1722, a mere seven years after the building of St Philip’s, that the Rector and his parishioners undertook to provide a Charity School ‘for the purpose of maintaining poor children, teaching them to read and write, and instructing them in the knowledge of the Christian religion’.

We owe much to our founding fathers – and in 2022 we shall have the opportunity to look back with gratitude as we celebrate our own Tercentenary!

Alan Browning, Headmaster

Term Round-up The New Year is traditionally the time for resolutions; however, one thing that will never change is the extraordinary range and tremendous quality of life on offer at Blue Coat. Academically our Year 6 students have stepped up to the mark, with the vast majority left to reflect on a choice of several schools. Their hard work and application have certainly paid off, and are testament not only to their own endeavours, but to those of a dedicated staff who, along with our highly supportive parents, have combined to ensure that this term has certainly lived up to a variety of hopes and expectations.

Not to be outdone, Year 5 dressed in Victorian garb to travel back to the 19th century, while Year 6 spent a day sampling life as Ancient Greeks. Year 5 even found time for some Geography river fieldwork, and our senior pupils got to grips with Hamlet, courtesy of the Young Shakespeare Company.

The sports department has been hugely busy this Spring, with numerous sides taking advantage of the fair weather to gain match fitness. Netball and soccer were the predominate activities in Prep, though our runners, swimmers and gymnasts continued to shine in

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Almost all ages benefited from a plethora of visits. Handa’s Surprise thrilled those in Buttons, Transition and Reception, while Year 2 learned about The Great Fire of London. Year 3 travelled to the Barber Institute, and also to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where they found themselves absorbed in the magical world of The BFG. When on home soil they were joined by Year 2 in experiencing an African Drumming workshop. Meanwhile Year 4 flexed their creative muscles at the Architect and Lego Day before learning that history was anything but horrible as the Tudors arrived with a fanfare.

The U11 girls made it through to the IAPS National Netball Finals at Roedean School, Brighton and even managed some leisure time at the seaside.

their respective festivals. The younger end of the sporting spectrum was represented by U8 tag rugby teams, who threw themselves into what was, for many, a new experience. A multitude of clubs and organisations also gave children of all ages the opportunity to take part in a huge variety of sports during break times, after school and at weekends.

Behind the scenes the Association of Friends have been highly industrious, fundraising and assisting throughout the campus. The May Ball is now in the diary, and planning for our Summer Fete is well under way. The Friends’ annual Quiz Night took place in February: regrettably, members of the teaching team were once more left scratching their heads as to how defeat was somehow snatched from the jaws of victory.

In the Spotlight We caught up with our Buttons Nursery Manager, Ms Gill Harris, to find out a little bit about working with the youngest children on the campus.

Q. How long have you been at The Blue Coat School?

A. 12 years. I started in Buttons Nursery in June 2003.

Q. What do you enjoy best about your job?

A. No two days are ever the same. You never know quite what is going to happen next when you work with 2-3 year olds.

Q. Which activity do the Buttons Nursery children enjoy the most?

A. Any activity that involves music, whether it be singing, dancing or playing musical instruments.

Q. Which lunch do the Buttons Nursery children like best?

A. The children don’t have a favourite lunch as they are all still experiencing foods that are new to them. But they all love garlic bread - and would probably eat it with every meal if they could!

Q. What is the best thing about Buttons Nursery?

A. It is lovely to see the children grow and develop to become independent and ready for the move to Pre-Prep.

Q. What would your ideal day in Buttons Nursery be?

A. A good day is when everything goes to plan and the children have an enjoyable time.

On the cusp of Half-Term, with the stage lights in place, the costumes secured and grease paint applied, Peter Pan burst forth as a musical extravaganza that warmed the hearts of the proud parents of those in Lower School. It was an extraordinary feat – one that typified the Blue Coat family pulling together and collectively giving of its best.

Indeed, public performances are part of the School’s life blood – as demonstrated by a multitude of recitals that began in Year 1 and continued through every year up the school.

The Chapel Choir can never be accused of resting on their laurels and, weekly services aside, contributed to the Tercentenary Service at St Martin’s in the Bullring and to Mozart’s exquisite Requiem, which they performed in Chapel with the Choral Society. As the term progressed thoughts naturally turned towards the Pre-Prep and Prep Easter celebrations, which took place on consecutive days in the final week. Few would argue with the thought that this has been another period in the life of the School when we have had much about which to rejoice, and even more for which to give thanks.

Q. Which Theme Day do the Buttons Nursery children like best?

A. The children really enjoy the Barnardo’s Big Toddle as they love dressing up and being on the big field.

Q. What was your favourite subject when you were at school?

A. Home Economics. I enjoyed ‘experimenting’ with cooking and learning to use a sewing machine.

Q. What is your favourite food?

A. A nice hot curry followed by chocolate.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A. Anything fun with my friends.

Q. If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go and why?

A. Thailand is the one place I would visit. My daughter went to live out there last year and will probably be there for another two years, so it would be lovely to see her.

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Year 2 created some lovely floral designs for their Mothering Sunday cards.

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Lower School Production Peter Pan All children, except one, grow up.

As the darkness is broken by a fairy light and a face appears at the window, if you think of a happy thought and aim for the second star on the right – soon you will reach Neverland. Or rather, Neverland was brought to us by the amazing team of Year 3 and 4 children in their Lower School Production of Peter Pan. The lights twinkled, the dancers sparkled, the cast shone and the music blazed in what was to be the first musical production in the school’s newly refurbished auditorium.

Organising such a young and large cast had its challenges but, under the direction of Mrs Jennings, Mrs Roberts and Mr Nicklin, the children pulled off a performance which exceeded their years by far.

The principals, and in particular Henry Trevis, Maya Ahmed and Rohan Narayan-Hull, executed their lines in a most realistic and mature manner; while Gibson Wilkie was fantastic in his portrayal of Smee – the only non-conformist in Hook’s whole crew!

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Meanwhile, just short of eighty Year 3s practised and practised their dances until they reached perfection - and the energy coming from them on the night was almost palpable.

Musical Notes The Spring Term has brought exciting challenges to our musicians with the Morning Recital and Concert programme giving over 130 children across Pre-Prep and Prep the opportunity to perform to their peers and parents. It is a real joy to see and hear the young players improve and develop as the months go by.

We congratulate Bronagh Lee who passed her Grade 8 violin examination with Distinction at the end of the Autumn Term. It is rare for Prep-aged children to reach Grade 6 standard or above on their instrument, so this is a truly exceptional achievement for a Year 6 pupil, and serves as a real inspiration to our young musicians.

Peter Pan was a deliberately challenging play, with Edwardian language and notions which required some mature thinking to understand, but with some careful adaptation, the children did not let us down. We are so proud of all they achieved: they certainly set the bar high.

We were honoured to join in with the Tercentenary Celebrations of St Philip’s Cathedral at the end of February. As the Cathedral celebrates 300 years of worship in the City, the Chapel Choir and members of Year 6 told the story of the birth of The Blue Coat School through words and music. We received many compliments in respect of the children’s singing and acting: they were a real credit to the School.

Members of Birmingham’s fantastic Gospel Central group came to lead the worship in Chapel towards the end of term. Denise and Colin from the band came and rehearsed the Chapel Choir, and the children had great fun learning a new style of music, performing it with passion and energy.

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Then, on the final weekend of term, the Chapel Choir and Choral Society combined to perform Mozart’s majestic Requiem, joined by professional soloists from Birmingham’s internationally-renowned choir ‘Ex Cathedra’, and accompanied by an orchestra of professional musicians and Old Scholars. The packed audience in Chapel thrilled to the soaring notes of Mozart’s finest choral work.

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Hooray for youth, joy and the boy who wouldn’t grow up!

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Classroom Connection Buttons, Transition and Reception Just before Half-Term the youngest children at the school were treated to a performance of Handa’s Surprise, based on the book by Eileen Browne. The Little Angel Theatre Company came with very colourful props and costumes, and used a clever combination of singing, acting and puppetry to entertain the children. The children from Buttons, Transition and Reception all enjoyed watching the story of a little girl called Handa, who set out on an eventful journey to take a basket of various fruits as

a present to her friend Akeyo. The children watched the action unfold with great interest before joining in enthusiastically with some dancing at the end.

Year 2 The pupils in Year 2 have thoroughly enjoyed their Art topic about painting. Cross-curricular themes have included Captain James Cook in History, Geography work on Australia, and Space in both Science and History. The children have made the connection between Art and everyday life, and have looked at the work of several artists, including those from different cultures. They have learnt about pattern and colour through their Aboriginal-style paintings and employed varieties of texture and shades of light and dark when creating their winter landscapes, stormy seas and night skies.

Year 1 This Spring 1T have learnt all about money, with coin recognition, coin equivalence, totalling and change being important aspects of the topic on currency. The children enjoyed weekly visits to the outdoor learning area, which enabled them to experience an enquiry-led approach to the topic. They certainly appreciated the opportunity to work in groups and to experiment and investigate with bigger materials. The children’s enjoyment and motivation were forever present, whatever the temperature!

Year 3

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How many Year 3 pupils does it take to change a light bulb? The answer is probably one – while the remainder chatter on endlessly about it. The spotlight this term has been a topic all about Light and Shade – although the children have also studied healthy eating, and were ushered through the hallowed areas of the school catering world, which included the walk-in fridges, store rooms and food preparation areas. Enormous fun was also had exploring the properties of magnets, and examining rocks. The only disappointment was with the fossils… surely there must be some dinosaurs tucked away somewhere?

Year 4 The theme for History in Year 4 has been The Tudors and ‘Gloriana’ – a gloriously glamorous group of Elizabethan players – presented a workshop based on the memorial portrait of a wealthy and welltravelled gentleman from Oxfordshire, Sir Henry Unton. The original is now in the National Portrait Gallery, but various scenes from the painting were brought to life before our very eyes. Some children dressed up as Sir Henry, his wife Lady Dorothy and their two hardworking servants. We learned about their lives, their living conditions and, sadly, Sir Henry’s death. The children were certainly left with a wealth of new knowledge and a deeper understanding of many aspects of the life and times of our ancestors from Elizabethan England.

Year 5 The children of Year 5 extended their Geography studies by carrying out some fieldwork at Woodgate Valley. Kitted out in waterproofs and wellington boots the groups set about capturing some measurements of Bourn brook. The aim was to compare and contrast two stretches of the brook, one on a straight section and the other on a meander. The children measured the width and

depth to produce a cross-section and then carried out a velocity test to measure the speed of the water.

The children relished the opportunity to paddle about in the brook, although many had more water in their wellies than in the stream by the end! Fieldwork is an excellent way of allowing the children to see first-hand what they have been learning about in the classroom.

Year 6 Well, we might have moved on in terms of technology over the last 2500 years, but at least the Ancient Greeks didn’t have to put up with delays on the motorway! Perhaps that’s why they stuck to chariots?

squeezing olives to make oil for the lamps! All finished products were offered to the goddess Athena, who seemed very satisfied with her gifts.

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The afternoon was devoted to feasting and entertainment – provided by the citizens themselves, of course. Graceful dancers, expressive actors and well-drilled soldiers performed as the rest of Year 6 enjoyed cheese, bread and blackcurrant juice, served by most willing slaves!

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The Year 6 Greek Day proved an unqualified success and the School Hall, transformed into the Agora of Athens, buzzed with activity and gossip.

The chiton-clad citizens were able to choose from a wide range of pursuits: pottery, tile and fresco painting, mosaics, soap carving, lucky charms, wax tablets and the apothecary stall, not to mention

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World Book Day 2015 World Book Day on Thursday 5 March saw a wide range of fictional characters arriving for a day in school. Fairies, princesses and superheroes were popular choices in Buttons Nursery and in Pre-Prep, whilst the two grandmas from the Katie Morag stories vied for position in 1S! Pre-Prep children were treated to stories ably read by Year 6 pupils, and the older Pre-Prep children also made visits to the two youngest year groups to share books and stories that they had written themselves.

There was great excitement as the children in Prep headed to their classrooms for Tutor Period. Why, you might ask? Well, in honour of a day dedicated to books and reading the children were taking on their own Blue Coat Reading Challenge!

The Librarian produced quizzes for each year group, with 15-20 questions on all things bookish.

With questions ranging from “Who wrote Charlotte’s Web?” to “How many books are there in the Harry Potter series?” the quizzes undoubtedly taxed the children’s minds!

Comic Relief 2015 The school exchanged its usual “blue look” for a bright, cheerful red as we joined with thousands of other schools across the country to raise funds for Red Nose Day. We look forward to sending our contribution to those projects run by Comic Relief that transform the lives of so many children.

Key Dates for Summer Term 2015 Term begins at 8.30am on Tuesday 21 April Bank Holiday Monday 4 May

Open Morning Saturday 9 May 10 - 12.30pm Please arrive by 11.45am Half-Term Holiday begins on Monday 25 May

Term resumes on Monday 1 June Term ends at 11.45am on Friday 10 July

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The Blue Coat School, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 0HR S

The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722

Telephone 0121 410 6800

Fax 0121 454 7757

Email info@thebluecoatschool.com

Website thebluecoatschool.com

The Blue Coat School Birmingham Limited is registered in England, Registration No. 8502615 and is a Registered Charity No. 1152244