Academic

Computing

It was great to be back at school for the Autumn Term. We covered Office applications, and reminded pupils of e-Safety and the slightly neglected skill of touch-typing. We also continued to encourage independent learning and thinking in Computing.

During the Spring Term, working remotely, we worked on Coding. Luckily, we were able to use Scratch 3 online, which worked on almost all platforms. I’m also very grateful to the parents for the help they gave their children. We finished the term with a Scratch coding competition, and had some very imaginative and fun entries.

The Summer Term has rushed by, and while younger years worked on their projects using a range of applications, Year 6 enjoyed using Sketchup, a 3D modelling program. Year 7 and 8 worked on Photoshop, Photopea and Wick Editor. Pivot has been popular among all years.

We have gradually been able to return to using the Computer Suites for more lessons and Mr Layton has been delighted to get the Year 1 and Year 2 Pre-prep children into the suites this term.

JG

e-Safety

This academic year, e-Safety has continued to stay at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The January lockdown meant we were once again back at our screens and, for many, left to our own devices. As a School, we have continued to try to educate not just children, but our staff and parents too.

During lessons, the Pre-prep and lower KS2 children have continued to cover e-Safety during Computing lessons. Using resource programs such as Gooseberry Planet and Google’s Interland, we have been able to freshen up our approach to the way we teach e-Safety, keeping as up to date as we possibly can, while continuing to revisit tried and tested resources.

We also took part in this year’s Safer Internet Day in February which focused on exploring reliability in an online world.

In the past, we have welcomed external speakers to cover different topics and this year was no different. Last year’s speaker, Andy Robertson, published his book in early 2021 and parents were given access to a free e-copy of ‘Taming Gaming’, a ‘recipe book’ of different games to help parents navigate the world of online games.

In the Summer Term, we were also visited by School Beat Officer, PC Mark Weedon, from Gloucestershire Constabulary. He was able to visit the School and talk to children from Years 5 – 8 about a number of different areas including how to make themselves more secure online, how to report issues and who to talk to when things go wrong.

As we turn our attention to the next academic year, we will continue to look for ways to keep up to date with the most recent apps and online content, as well as seeking ways to engage the children in such an important area. We shall continue to provide help for parents to tackle online issues, and we hope to resume our programme of guest speakers and experts to help in guiding children through the minefield that is the internet.

TL

Science

It was enormous relief to start the year back in our Science labs and be able to tuck in to some crucial, hands-on practical work with some very enthusiastic children.

Just a few of the many lesson highlights would be the Year 4 ‘body parachute’ races and ‘The Great Jelly Baby Drop.’ The children were investigating air resistance and had to construct their own parachutes to safely guide their jelly babies to the ground. Sadly, we are not sure how many jelly babies made it to the end of the lesson… Year 6 had great fun dissecting chicken wings and the Year 7 children were able to carry out numerous investigations using the Bunsen Burners while they learned about heating different substances. Of course, we are also so happy about the incredible success of all of our Year 8s in their Common Entrance examinations.

The school pond has also been widely utilised in Science this year and the children have loved going pond dipping. The pond looks brilliant and healthy, rich with aquatic life. It is always a nice excuse to slip out of the classroom with the children on a hot and sunny day.

As always, our STEAM days were an enormous success. This year our Year 6s investigated how water temperature affects the rate at which bath bombs dissolve, and went on to make their own sweet-smelling bath bombs. Our Year 7s had great fun conducting a biscuit dunking investigation – all very serious work.

The fantastic Science team have held down the fort this year and we are all looking forward to next year with great anticipation!

JLB

Design, Technology and Engineering

Through some adaptions to our curriculum, the amount of work we have been able to accomplish in Design, Technology and Engineering this year has been amazing.

During the Autumn Term, children across all year groups were able to utilise their practical making skills, producing a range of outcomes from cam toys to hand grabbers, fleece travel pillows to tie-dye festival t-shirts.

Whilst at home during the start of the Spring Term, we focused on building the children’s theory knowledge of the projects they had worked on before Christmas. They learned about where our textile materials come from, and how cotton, fleece and manmade materials like nylon are manufactured. We encouraged children to search their homes to find these materials and to see first-hand how these materials are used in everyday clothing and household items.

During the online learning period, children looked at mechanisms and searched to find cranks, levers and gears in their homes. This was a good lesson because they are all easily found, but rarely noticed even though they help us perform some of the simplest jobs more efficiently.

We continued to push the children’s creativity and artistic talent by making them sketch, draw and render designs. We also asked them to start producing more formal drawings ready for production. The home learning curriculum allowed children to build on their general DT knowledge, and gave them the opportunity to think about the bigger picture and how DT links to their everyday life and homes.

When we returned to School before Easter, the focus returned to practical making skills. It has been evident that the children have really enjoyed their time back in the workshop. They have been brilliantly creative and produced some fantastic work including glass jewellery, hand sewn bags for life, model alarm rooms and soldered electronic mood lamps.

During the Summer Term, we ran two STEAM days, one for Year 6 and another for Year 7. Both days involved taking children off timetable for the day, encouraging them to use their Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths (STEAM) skills to problem solve a range of aspects linked to the production of either bath bombs or biscuits.

My lasting memory of this year will be the amazing feeling of being back in the workshop, watching children enjoy making things and being creative once more. Earlier this year, I heard the news that two Old Beaudesertians have gained places to study Engineering, one to Oxford and one to Cambridge. I would like to think somewhere in their past I was able to inspire them into the world of engineering, and that many of our current children will follow suit in the future.

LW

CAPI, YEAR 5, BAG FOR LIFE YEAR 6 STEAM DAY, BATH BOMB PACKAGING

YEAR 7 STEAM DAY, BISCUIT BOX DESIGNS

RUFUS B, YEAR 5, HANDY GRABBER

KITTY AND GENEVIEVE, YEAR 5, BAGS FOR LIFE

LIBBY, YEAR 6, BEE CAM TOY FRED D-P, YEAR 8, PILLOW

CHARLOTTE, YEAR 6, GLASS COASTER RUFUS E, YEAR 8, SCHOLARSHIP TANK PROJECT

ESME H, YEAR 7, TIE-DYE T-SHIRT

Recycled dress wins competition

This year Isla C in Year 7 won a local sustainability competition with a dress she designed and created out of PPE.

Her ball gown wowed the judges of the ‘Close to Home: Our Environment’ competition, organised by Cirencester Environmental Action Group. The competition challenged entrants to submit a project they had completed in the last year which has helped the environment in some way. Isla was awarded first place in the Under 16s category for the gown she had created, made entirely from medical waste. The undergarment and skirt of the dress was made from bubble wrap and plastic gloves, and the bodice was fashioned out of masks. As a Type 1 diabetic, Isla also made a tiara for the outfit using needles from her insulin injections.

As the winner of her category, Isla has won a bee keeping experience and a day with a 3D printing expert. Well done, Isla, for representing the department so brilliantly outside of school.

LW