Young Tribune

But good things have happened too. We now have a beautiful building which I cannot wait to see when we go out as a family in October. The staff and children have all been working hard and our academic results are outstanding. Absolutely amazing when you consider the amount of schooling the children missed. The Kenyan president decided that the best way for the children to catch up on their 8 months of missed schooling was to cram the curriculum into a shorter

time and reduce the holidays. I’m just so grateful for our dedicated teachers who have continued under these extraordinary conditions and succeeded. As before the mean score for the class was B- in their Kenyan Certificate of Primary education when the government considers a C to be a good grade.

One thing I really cannot wait to see is our new school hall. We now have a space large enough to accommodate all of our children at the same time and also to organise events. I wish I could have been at the cultural day that two classes

worked on together. Food, craft, singing, dancing etc. All the things that children in an urban area would not know about their own culture. As the photographs show, the parents are so involved and enthusiastic. Our children are getting a very good, all round education which will make a big difference to their lives.

The one thing we really are short of is space outside the school. We have attempted to buy or rent small plots close to the school but to no avail. There is a small plot just behind the school which is used by a church on Sundays. Their services go on for a looong time! They don’t need the land during the week and of course we don’t need our toilets at the weekend. You’ve guessed it, an admirable solution for everyone.

Our big worry for the future is of course the feeding programme. Many of our children only eat what they receive in school although we continue to feed 29 families during the school holidays. At this moment in time there is no issue but you can be sure that when grain shortage occurs because of the war in Ukraine the hardest hit will be those at the bottom of the heap.

Pictured left: Geoff with Harry the senior elder of Mgongeni. He is one of our Kenyan trustees If you would like to help or learn more about Mustard Seed please check out the website

Our pre-schoolers have certainly had a fun-packed few months. With life getting back to normal we’ve been able go on trips, had plenty of interesting visitors and welcomed parents back into the setting to share in their children’s learning journeys.

We took the children to see a theatre adaptation of the hugely popular children’s book the Gruffalo! It was our first trip in over two years- due to Covid. We went to the Cube in Corby on a coach. The children were so excited and so wellbehaved! We had a wonderful day and can’t wait to plan more days out.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to bring baby chicks back in the preschool this year. The eggs arrived in their incubators and within a few days started to hatch. It’s an amazing opportunity for the children to watch a real live chick emerge from its egg. When the chicks were big enough all the children got the opportunity to hold one on their laps. They were so gentle and totally fell in love with them!

With the money raised from our charity raffle we were able to buy a lovely wooden shepherd’s hut for the garden that we’ve turned into a cosy little reading nook. Complete with bookcase and cushions it’s the perfect spot for the children to chill out and look at books.

Much like the rest of the country we celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee in style! We read the book Peppa’s Royal Party and talked about the Jubilee. The children had a tea party and used their senses to explore the smells and colours. They created jubilee sticks, winding red, white, and blue wool around twigs. They also used leaves, petals, and herbs to make nature pictures. These fun activities all helped to improve their scissor, pouring, scooping, sticking and winding skills.

We’ve been getting active this term with Poppy from Love to Dance teaching us some fab dance moves and Richard from Roar Stars getting the children interested in sports through games. The children had to use ice cream cones. They confidently asked one another “which flavour would you like?” and then swapped over. This helped to improve their sharing and taking turns! We also took the children to John Clare Primary School’s sport’s day to watch the fun. They even got to do their own race at the end. They were all cheered on by the older children and parents and all got stickers for their fabulous efforts. As ever our forest school has been helping our children connect with the natural world around them. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and talked about healthy food. The children painted wood for their caterpillars and there were lots of conversations about the different types of caterpillars; green, brown, hairy, and spikey ones! After creating holes in some leaves, they threaded them onto some pipe cleaners to make decorations.

We read Monsters Love Colours and looked at how different colours are made. We used colour charts to match colours in the environment. The children found flowers that were pink, purple, and yellow. They found leaves that were green and red, brown bark and yellow lichen. They even made some coloured tea; they mixed blue and yellow water to make green, then they added their own extras to see if the colours changed. They shared, took turns, poured, scooped, and worked well together.

We’re inviting parents and careers to come into the preschool for a special treat! We’re holding our own teddy bears’ picnic. It’s a lovely opportunity for us to welcome families back into the Playhouse and a chance for parents to meet each other. Plus it’s a great excuse to bring your favourite soft toy out for the day.

John Temple Deeping Rangers Clarets U10 coach

Deeping Rangers Clarets U10s recently took part in the Young Mucker Rat Race at Burghley House, with the intention of raising funds for the team through sponsorship. However, a few of the boys, who had been learning about the Ukraine conflict, put it to the collective that it would be a great gesture to donate half of the money raised to a Ukrainian charity. Through the Village Tribune magazine I had become aware of the work of Richard Astle and his ‘Helping Ukraine Surgeons’ effort, and it was decided that this would be the ideal charity for us to support. We’ve been in contact with Richard (who is currently on his way back from Poland) and have learned of his current efforts to support a summer camp for Ukrainian refugee children in Poland. For £240 we can sponsor a child to go to this camp, and as it happens, we’ve raised enough to fund 2 children now. Richard is returning on Thursday and hopefully we will arrange to meet with him to discuss the donation, hand over a big novelty cheque, and take a few photos! The boys have all worked really hard to raise the money and the ‘rat race’ itself was a great bonding experience for the lads which then inspired them to win the cup at our Deeping Rangers ‘Neil Olson Memorial’ tournament two weeks ago.

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Superhero

Northborough School Andrea Jackson (Deputy Headteacher) Raptor Foundatiion

Butterfly

We were very proud to have been part of the community Jubilee events at Northborough School, naming and training some corgis for their parachute jump off Northborough Church.

The classes really enjoyed having their own pet in school for a week. We were also delighted to share an assembly in school to raise the jubilee flag, and listen to children telling us some facts about Her Majesty the Queen’s incredible reign. One of our on-going projects has been to work with PECT to develop our out door area. You may have seen some of the work we have completed: making a nature corridor across our field by planting 180 trees, making bird and bat boxes for our extensive orchard area and by growing produce to eat with our lunch, for example. This year we are focussing on sustainability and finding ways to make sure we are doing all we can to support our environment.

In May, six of our Planet Protectors came with me to the PECT ECO awards. Along with the other schools that attended, we presented the work we have carried out in school. We also completed some fun activities to enhance our eco knowledge. We were lucky enough to win two big awards: the sponsors’ award for our work in school, and the hosts award for the enthusiasm of the children who attended. Heidi Latronico Ferris from PECT said: “Your school was voted for by the Railworld Staff, based on the knowledge and enthusiasm of the students present. There were so impressed, that they knew you had to be their winner, so well done.” Well done to Amelie, Ayla, Megan, Emma, Elicia and Grace who were BRILLIANT – but well done also to everyone who has contributed at home or school to our eco efforts.

We have been as busy as ever in class with Foundation Class holding their annual Ugly Bug Ball. They enjoy the same feast

as ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and release butterflies they have raised in class. Year 1 had a Super Hero day – they are always super but looked even more so in their snazzy out fits. Year 2 had a visit from the ‘Raptor Foundation’ in conjunction with their topic about nocturnal animals. It is magical to have an owl fly silently over your head. All classes are making memories that will not quickly be forgotten. We are looking forward to sports’ days and SOKE sports events, book shares with parents, Year 6 leavers events, residentials to Hill Tops Y5 and Caythorpe Y6, and day trips to Grimsthorpe Y1, Hamerton Zoo Y2 and The Sea Life Centre Y3. Wow! Busy, busy, busy! Most of all we are looking forward to welcoming the new families who will be joining us in September. We can’t wait to start our journey with you this half term. For more information please contact office@northborough.peterborough.sch.uk

Steve Davies School Governor

A very welcome email arrived in January to confirm the award of the UNICEF GOLD RIGHTS SCHOOL AWARD…to the absolute relief and delight of project leader and teacher Laura Green after a rigorous inspection in December.

The award was the culmination of two years’ work which spanned the difficult Covid period, which was testing enough for the staff. The project was driven in a real sense by all staff, who took ownership in each class. The project was fully supported by all members of leadership, helping as much as they could. The award is granted to schools ‘that show commitment to promoting children’s rights and encouraging adults and so on to respect the rights of others UNICEF, was full originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, now officially United Nations Children's Fund,[a] is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.[2][3] The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories.[4] UNICEF's activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters

The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the child is an international human rights treaty about the protection of children. Every country apart from USA have signed so every child in every country should have equal rights bar USA. Initial impressions were that this was just another project! In short, how could such a small school contribute materially to such apparent lofty objectives? The stated objective seemed confusing and a little academic. Not at all. The detailed and varied work staggered me. The other key advantages arising came from the scale of the project in terms of numbers of pupils who were involved. The pupils came from five different age groups and the participants developed their written and team skills. They became more assertive (in a nice way!). They learned a lot about a country with a very different culture - even raising aspirations about future foreign travel. The children understood that their voice is important and also how it needs to be heard.

Some children from Years 1-5 were appointed Ambassadors after a written application process. The theory of asking different years to work together seemed to be crucial and all groups from different years learned together from the project. Younger children showed maturity improvements whilst older counterparts gained some leadership experience. These are vital ‘life’ qualities which have all too often been ignored. Many large corporations have been obliged to spend ‘fortunes’ on educating staff team and communication skills!