A carnival of words and music
Hands-on, brakes off education The importance of learning by doing
B The King’s St Alban’s
Aquathlon
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upils in Years 3 to 6 were delighted to participate in the King’s St Alban’s Aquathlon in July this year. The energetic event included a swim in the pool, followed by a run beside the River Severn or around the school site. The event, which was held over a two-week period, saw the children competing for their House, running a range of distances according to their age. Each year group produced a brilliant race, creating a fantastic atmosphere around the school and a great deal of excitement amongst the children. We had a number of close finishes, with the children pushing each other to the very end and, in the case of the Year 5 group, a photo-finish to determine the winner. We were so proud of the children and how hard they pushed themselves to compete to the very end. Congratulations to Thomas House for taking the overall win.
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Winter 2021
ksw.org.uk
ack in May, Years 3 and 4 were spellbound as Camille Saint Saën’s story played out in a carnival of words and music. The children listened with rapt attention and very much enjoyed the story of Camille’s Farm, which was told using words and music. With the story narrated by Chris Jaeger, director of Worcester Competitive Arts Festival, and illustrated by Shulah Oliver on violin and viola and Janine Parsons at the piano, we heard of runaway donkeys (or ‘personages with long ears’ as they prefer to be known!), slow tortoises, glistening fish and a plodding elephant, amongst many, many others. There were many enthusiastic cuckoos in the audience too. It was particularly wonderful for the children to see Miss Oliver, who teaches violin to a number of them, demonstrate the extraordinary range of pitch, dynamics and techniques of string instruments – from the flittering high harmonics on the violin in the Aquarium to the rich sonority of the viola in The Swan. A great big thank you to all involved for inspiring our young musicians.
For the team at King’s Hawford it’s also been a successful way of helping children to develop key life skills. Pupils are taken out onto the canal in one of the school’s fleet of Katakanus from the age of seven and children as young as three are using mallets and saws during their Forest School sessions. The health benefits of learning in this way are clear. Spending periods of time outside gives an instant feeling of well-being, whilst the physical movement boosts energy levels. It’s also the perfect antidote to today’s digital world, where children are spending greater periods of time interacting with a screen. Initial reports have shown that the children are happy, in fact significantly above the benchmark in their assessments, and the academic achievements continue both across the board and in terms of individual pupil achievement.
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estled in 23 acres of the beautiful Worcestershire countryside, King’s Hawford is something of a pioneer when it comes to outdoor learning. With countless success stories to tell, perhaps the most notable being the prestigious LotC (Learning outside the Classroom) Gold Award, which only 35 schools in the UK
have received, children arrive with a natural curiosity and leave with an insatiable appetite to learn. King’s Hawford has always been a place where children spend time in the great outdoors, but it’s how that time is intertwined with the curriculum that seems to be proving so successful. Jennie Phillips, Head at King’s Hawford explains, “Children learn by doing, so our role is to set out the theory and then create exciting opportunities for individuals to apply what they’ve learnt.” Whether it’s time spent in the purpose-built outdoor classroom, the magical Forest School, or just out and about on a nature walk, every child is encouraged to get involved. “Quite simply, we encourage the children to have a go,” Jennie continues, “Not only are they more engaged, but they develop the confidence to try new things. #ShapedByKings
King’s Hawford
King’s St Alban’s
Floreat Magazine
Whether inside or out, learning is practical and interactive – we saw coloured counters used to learn the column method in maths, video clips and punchy questions used to explore special places in Judaism and children making an electronic game in science. The Good Schools Guide 2021 Jennie adds, “We take a very creative approach to teaching and learning, one that is greatly inspired by our love for the great outdoors. The results come in abundance because the children are truly inspired and engaged, and taught by a team of highly intuitive teachers.”
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