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South Leeds Life | June 2022
Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife
12 School Life
Low Road opens EYFS playground extension by Stewart Walton
I
had the pleasure of attending Low Road Primary School to mark the new EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) Extension to the playground area on 27 May. As a very proud community representative I have passed the school gates thousands of times but had never been beyond the school gates and the big green fence surrounding the school. So when I received an invite to witness a school assembly and then attend the grand opening of the new amendments I was overjoyed and impressed by what I found. I never cease to be amazed at the community spirit within my area but to find it goes beyond the gates of Low Road Primary School impresses me a great deal. The assembly was themed around the Queen‘s Platinum
Jubilee and as you would expect from a music Federation School such as Low Road there was plenty of music. The school anthem was impressive to say the least and the enthusiasm by the teachers and the pupils was wonderful to see. I was joined by Cllr Paul Wray and we were both nearly in tears. Later we were invited to view the new EYFS improvements; mostly done by the caretaking team, Executive Headteacher Andy Gamble and Federation Headteacher Rachael Troughton who were both very keen to praise the caretakers hard work. There were new plants, flower filled borders, extensions to the children’s play areas, mud kitchens, a reading area, even a throne fit for a Queen was in place. All these made possible by a number of community contributions - it was clear to see that the children had full priority.
It was amazing to spend even an hour with these inspirational people. Inside the school there are many areas for soft play, every corner is utilised, covered in soft lights. We even passed a teacher using Google to find calm music. Beanbags a-plenty and corners used, plenty of activities for the children to use their imagination. As Hunslet TARA Chair I felt so proud to feel that this school represents so many of our children. Cllr Wray commented: “It was wonderful to visit to Low Road Primary School in Hunslet. The new play area the school has built for its pupils is amazing. The fact it was also the staff who built it equally so. I also had the pleasure of watching a school assembly and I have to say that the positive energy emanating from both staff and the children was contagious.”
Staff and guests admire the new play facilities at Low Road Primary School
School gets builder’s cash for wildlife garden expansion A
wildlife garden at a South Leeds school is set to flourish following a £1,000 donation from a housebuilder. The Stephen Longfellow Academy has created a biodiversity garden complete with a bee colony and vegetable patch and plans to expand its green space with the funds received from the Persimmon Homes Community Champions scheme. The Stephen Longfellow Academy provides primary and secondary education in Beeston
to students who are not functioning effectively in mainstream education. Ayrton Sharp, Key Stage 3 Teacher from the Academy said: “Persimmon Homes’ generous donation will enable us to expand our biodiversity garden. “We plan to encourage more wildlife to the area, creating greater opportunities to educate our students on their natural surroundings. “Our main project will be to restore our current pond. We also want to encourage more
wildlife to the garden and plan to install bird boxes, bug hotels and animal dens. “Our next goal is to coordinate trips to other nature reserves to help expand our students’ knowledge and to understand the positive impact they can make to their natural environment.” Under The Persimmon Homes Community Champions scheme, the West Yorkshire regional business provides financial support of up to £1,000 to two local charities or good causes, every month. For more information or to apply for Community Champions funding, visit www. persimmonhomes.com/charity To follow the developments of the biodiversity garden, visit stephenlongfellow.leeds.sch.uk or @TSLA_Leeds on Twitter.
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From Cockburn John Cha Academy to The Royal Ac by Jeremy Morton
D
ragos Abalasi, a Year 11 student at Cockburn John Charles Academy has had is photographic artwork accepted to be shown at The Royal Academy in London this summer. His art teacher Jessica Crawford has been entering pieces for the Royal Academy’s Young Artists’ Summer Show for several years. But with over 21,000 submissions, it seemed unlikely that anyone from Belle Isle would be chosen. Dragos’s artwork will not only be shown in the larger online exhibition, but will be physically exhibited at the gallery in Piccadilly. He and his family have also been invited to a special private showing, ahead of the exhibition opening to the public. Dragos seemed genuinely shocked when his achievement was announced in school assembly. Afterwards I asked him about his piece ‘Surface’. “It’s a photographic collage” he explained. “I spent three hours walking around the White Rose Shopping Centre looking for surfaces that were decaying, breaking down and took photos of them. Then I played around with them in Photoshop. It wasn’t really working with straight lines, so I made them wavy and it came together.” ‘Surface’ is one of his GCSE exam pieces and Dragos is hoping for a high mark. He’s also hoping to take some of the skills he’s developed into A Level studies with either Design Technology or Graphic Communication. Jessica Crawford, Subject Lead of Art, Craft and Design, commented: "We are extremely proud of Dragos and his winning submission to the Young Artist Summer Show 2022. “To be in the top 1.5% of submissions in the country is a huge achievement and a great reward for Dragos after 3 years of hard work in his GCSE Photography. “The project title was ‘texture’, and you can see in the final piece that Dragos truly encapsulated the brief, you can really feel the textures in this image. “We are looking forward to hearing all about his trip to see the exhibition in London in the summer." If you can’t get to London to see the physical exhibition, you see the online exhibition at: youngartists.royalacademy.org .uk from 19 July.
Jessica Crawford and Dragos Abalasi with his submission ‘Surface’
