Grayrigg CE Primary School

I love our bespoke water area, loved seeing these two walking on the sponges making bubbles!!!! We’ve moved on from tap dancing, we’ve created bubble dancing! 🧽 🚰 🫧 💦

friendsofgrayrigg.enthuse.com/profile have a look at our local History project and help us fundraise to make sure John Kent’s story isn’t erased @carlisledbe.bsky.social @andywolfe.bsky.social @benniekara.bsky.social @alisonpeacock.bsky.social

The day ended with Y5&6 using their research to locate John Kent’s unmarked grave- they laid a special cobble. Watch this space for developing plans BUT I end today, moved and proud by the children’s response John’s story and their determination to make sure it is shared! @carlisledbe.bsky.social

A fab day for Y5&6 fact checking their research about the first Black Police Officer John Kent! They presented their learning to the amazing team from Anti-Racist Cumbria & Avanti West Coast & Lyndsey fromTullie House Museum who all gave up their time and made the kids feel great.

Our head spends an afternoon a week in our EYFS class. This Tiny Acorn picked up the yard brush, the head said “oh great you can sweep up all the rubbish and put it in the bin!” Within seconds she was chasing the headteacher round with the brush trying to sweep her up!!! 😂😂😂

Fab to present to #CAPH heads as part of a session focused on connection & collaboration. Reflecting on how being part of the @collegeofteaching.bsky.social rethinking the curriculum made me feel heard/seen as a small school head. Also sharing the impact of joining @pti.bsky.social on my staff!

Oak Art (LKS2): exploring pot shapes using their new toy- a potter’s wheel. Once they can create a pot, they will use natural objects to create imprints inspired by the work of South African Artist Andile Devalyne

Acorn Art (KS1) after a teams meeting with AJ Simpson (they won Great Pottery Throw-down 2022) learning about techniques they have begun to explore clay techniques creating and designing their own BLOBS! #clay #art #representation @carlisledbe.bsky.social

The junk music station is almost finished- we have three different material zones- wood, metal and plastic all of which is recycles and creates some amazing timbres. They’re learning to play together with different rhythms and keeping in time with the metronome!

Even at half term we don’t stop learning. Here’s our SLT team learning about genealogy from the amazing Dr Adam Rutherford!

We will- will be a lot smaller than your- we’re a very small school

The Mighty Oaks are busy creating something exciting. I bet @alisonpeacock.bsky.social can guess what it is! Many years ago I was inspired by Wroxham School
& finally we’ve got round to creating our own version with a Grayrigg twist- all the junk comes from local businesses especially agriculture!

Forest skill development this afternoon for our Mighty Oaks in the natural classroom, cooking on the fire (homemade pizza), splitting wood with tools and den biking/rope and tarp skills!

Genius comes out in play!!!! After building this complex challenge for the bike this Tiny Acorn did the best in the moment risk assessment- if you look he has deliberately chosen the small balance bike meaning despite being in the “tricky bit” his feet still touch the floor!

Wednesday is the Oaks forest session, they’ve been learning about knots- applying their learning to create dens, shelters and swings. Their focus knot today was the clove hitch. Alongside knots they’ve been practising their tool skills and ended the afternoon round the fire with a hot chocolate.

One of my favourite activities for developing hand eye coordination. The children are clearly too engrossed in giving them a good welly to appreciate that view! 😂

These Y1s used their designs and carefully followed the recipe to make their cupcakes. They did everything independently. I love how the team plan for progression, in the Autumn Term ingredients were pre measured, this term they are using cups and next term the with be weighing their ingredients!

The Mighty Oaks stayed after school and led a Holocaust Memorial Day Service, they chose poems, reflections and even used 10 stages to show how we might feel helpless against oppression but that we can remove its foundations and be the light that can continue to grow @carlisledbe.bsky.social

The acorns researched a variety of different habitats including rainforest, freshwater, ocean, polar, grassland, mountain and desert. Then every child built a habitat for the animal they were given using the research and whatever they wanted to create it!

In River School we learnt about conservation & the impact land management can have on our river and species in it. We planted hawthorn trees to create a wildlife corridor increasing the biodiversity within the river & planned where the bird boxes would go & the benefits this would bring to the river

We need names for our trout babies. 200 trout eggs snuggled safely in the gravel in our cold water tank. How many will survive through the alevin stage to become parrs/frys ready to be released into their natural habitat- our local beck?

Every child in the Tiny Acorns has a school mouse to look after, today some of the children decided to make them nice, warm clothes for the cold weather!!

The oaks will hatch and introduce trout to our local river. They’re paramount to helping critically endangered freshwater pearl mussels which will be reintroduced in the river to mature and reproduce. We could literally be playing a part in saving an I entire species- right on our own doorstep!!!