JUNIOR SCHOOL YEARBOOK 2023-2024 by claremontfancourt

Junior School

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

PRE-NURSERY

OVERVIEW

What an exciting year we had in Duckling class! We began the first term by learning to sing and do the actions for many different nursery rhymes, before exploring all the colours of autumn in our forest school. A highlight for many of our class was when we were able to get up close and behind the steering wheels of a variety of vehicles used in the school. Courtesy of our facilities team we explored a tractor, a John Deere lifting truck and a ride-on lawn mower – and even got to beep the horns!

As spring became summer we spent lots of time in the garden planting and tending to daffodils, peas and other produce before ending the year stuffing and naming our very own soft toy ducklings to take on a teddy bears picnic. We are all so proud of the progress our children made throughout the year.

NURSERY

OVERVIEW

What a lovely year of fun and learning in nursery. It all began with a focus on our homes and families, as well as making new friends and getting to explore our school environment. Later in the term we learnt more about different celebrations, colour mixing and signs of autumn as we discovered all there was to know about pumpkins, Diwali and Christmas! In the spring term we used green-screen technology to enhance our topic on space, making it look like the children had been on their very own adventures to the moon which sparked some wonderful, imaginative language and play. As we moved onto our ‘creepy crawlies’ topic, we were joined by some wriggly guests in the form of five tiny caterpillars and the children were very excited to see the lifecycle of a butterfly happening in front of their very eyes. The creature-theme continued in the summer term as we embarked on an exploration of the jungle and learnt about the many different animals that call it home. It was wonderful to see the children’s knowledge about the beautiful world around them grow and as a final celebration of this topic we showcased all that we had learnt in an assembly for the parents. The children have all been superstars and have embraced their year in nursery with enthusiasm and wonder.

RECEPTION

OVERVIEW

There have been so many highlights this year in reception, from our Little City workshop to den building and hot chocolate in forest school. But we know one particularly special moment for the children (and teachers!) in the spring term, was the arrival of our duck eggs. We were lucky enough to see four eggs hatch and had the pleasure of giving them their first swim. The ducklings inspired our work in writing and maths, we made tally charts to record their growth and wrote duckling diaries to track their growth. We have been embracing our Talk4Writing units this year from Handa’s Surprise and tasting different exotic fruits to the Little Red Hen where we baked our own bread and even made our own butter too! We also enjoyed a fantastic trip to Godstone Farm where the children even got to see a pair of twin kids (baby goats) being born in the nursery barn which was a really wonderful moment.

YEAR 1

OVERVIEW

Over the last year, the children in year 1 have made lots of wonderful memories and had a busy year of learning, exploration and fun. From travelling back in time through a Great Fire of London workshop and visit to Milestones Museum where they played with toys from Victorian times, to visiting a local church, the children have found that there are opportunities to learn and create everywhere we look. During the spring term, their curiosity and eagerness to learn flourished through their study of the challenges affecting our world. Their discovery that many beautiful animals around the world are in trouble truly captured their imagination and led to persuasive posters and letters to Greenpeace and the King. This passion for learning has been woven through their entire year and led to many successes and achievements. The staff have been very proud and happy to have been a part of the children’s journey through year 1.

YEAR 2

OVERVIEW

September seems so far back when we reflect and ponder all that year 2 have achieved this academic year. Our new cohort of young leaders quickly stepped up and we were overwhelmed by the positivity and enthusiasm of all the children who made speeches to be elected house captain.

The children loved embracing new topics – Guy Fawkes is always fascinating and we were impressed by how well our year 2 pupils grasped the complexities of right and wrong when thinking about this important historical event. Before we knew it, Christmas show rehearsals were underway and Mrs Francisco, with extremely talented and excited year 2 pupils, led the cast in a rousing performance. In the summer term we began to prepare for our next steps – even our trip to Kidzania (which was every bit as incredible as we hoped) encouraged us to think about what we want from our futures. It was with fondness (and much joyful singing) that we celebrated our year gone by, our progress made, friendships nurtured and lessons learnt. With happy hearts we saw our year 2 pupils throw their house graduation hats, into the wind, off the mansion steps at the end of their graduation ceremony!

YEAR 3

OVERVIEW

In September, we were delighted to welcome the year 3 children into Stable Court. Showing energy and enthusiasm from day one, we were so impressed with how quickly all of the pupils settled. The autumn term saw the children work hard to adapt to new classrooms, routines and expectations and we were extremely buoyed by their steadfastness. Throughout the year, alongside some marvellous mathematics and engaging creative writing, we have also covered a wide and varying range of topics. From the Romans to the Blue Planet, the children embraced their learning and approached challenges with pleasing positivity. Through numerous outings, the children had opportunities to develop their resilience, confidence and growing independence, something they relished. Their impeccable behaviour on trips to places such as Legoland and Nower Wood, was a pleasure to observe.

OVERVIEW

What a fantastic year we had in year 4! We dove into a wide range of fascinating topics, from the daring Vikings and intrepid explorers to the wonders of Ancient Egypt. Science sparked the children’s curiosity as we explored habitats, sound, states of matter, and electricity. Our showstopping performances of Sherlock and Cinders were unforgettable highlights. As was the PGL residential. In English, we journeyed through captivating stories like Arthur and the Golden Rope, Ice Palace and Until I Met Dudley, inspiring the children to become imaginative writers and thoughtful readers. In maths, they tackled challenges with enthusiasm, becoming confident problem-solvers. Throughout the year, the children were exemplary, fun, and inquisitive learners, talented poets, supportive friends, and a joy to teach. We truly had a ball!

YEAR 5

OVERVIEW

Year 5 had an action-packed year which began by welcoming many new starters to the year group in September, all of whom settled quickly into life at Claremont thanks to the warm welcome they received. As part of our autumn term history topic on the Victorians, the year group enjoyed a visit to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke. Here they participated in interactive workshops, including an authentic Victorian school experience involving the 3Rs led by a rather strict teacher! Moving into the spring term, pupils engaged in their World War II topic, a highlight of which was creating their own air raid shelter models, which were both spectacular and unique. The term ended with a sense of relief and pride as the pupils completed their senior school entrance assessment by demonstrating their best effort. As we moved into the summer term, excitement and anticipation built as the children headed off on their residential trip to Simonsbath on the Somerset/ Devon border. Here, a whole host of adventurous activities were enjoyed, including a stream walk, mountain biking and a day trip to Lynmouth complete with ice cream.

YEAR 6

OVERVIEW

Year 6 pupils finished off their time in the junior school in fine fashion. The autumn term saw them begin with a day of activities to help develop their resilience, finishing at Pizza Express! They have served their fellow junior school pupils throughout the year, hosting events as house captains, a valuable act of service by the oldest children in the school. In the spring term it was bon voyage and off to France, for an unforgettable week. Well done everyone for remembering your passports! We visited World War I battlefields which is always a highlight, although a very serious experience for the pupils. The sea life at Nausicaa was stunning - the stingrays being a real highlight and who could forget feeding the young goats milk from a bottle on the cheese farm. The year 6 pupils have helped out at numerous charity events, in particular the stalls they designed and then manned one lunchtime in the summer term. The production of Peter Pan was absolutely amazing - what a show they put on for us all! Their singing, dancing and acting had the audiences at each performance applauding for more. What an excellent way to round off their time in the junior school.

WHAT IS THE JUNIOR SCHOOL PORTFOLIO?

The junior school portfolio is a celebration of each child’s personal learning journey. It is designed to place value on the aspects of life which have true value: preparing to live a happy and fulfilled life, within a stable and caring community, and with respect and love for the world around us. It allows every child to understand the contributions that they make are important and celebrated, as well as to encourage them to see the opportunity to always do a little bit more.

A readiness to bring a love of learning, ambition and conviction to every lesson; to be a discerning learner who has the courage to ask good questions.

Inspiring joy and appreciation in art, music and performance; every pupil has the opportunity to grow in self-belief and confidence through these shared experiences.