Beyond the Classroom

Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

Inspiring learning, confidence and curiosity at every age

We believe education happens everywhere — not just in the classroom. Our pupils benefit from a rich programme of clubs, trips, performances and community activities that spark curiosity, build skills and create lasting memories.

Community Projects

At Northleigh we encourage our children to ask questions about the world and to harness our characteristics of Brave, Strong and Fearless to bring about positive change. This includes reflecting on our local community and taking positive action to support those in our communicty as well as improving our local environment.

Projects have included:

• Litter picking in St Peter's Road and in St Peter's church
• Singing at a care home local to the school
• Harvest Festival service to suppot the local community
• At Christmas we had a reverse advent activity where children donated items for local families via the community fridge project
• Raising money to support the Air Ambulance service
• Raising money by taking part in Children in Need
• Acts of Kindness completed by Year 5
• Raising money for the local Air Ambulance team

Forest School

We have a fantastic and extensive forest school area attached to our school field. Forest school activities are lead by our two fully trained teachers who are our Forest School Leaders. All classes have access to the forest school area throughout the year and use it to develop our school crucial characteristics as well as core skills.

 

 

Learning takes many forms in Outdoor Learning sessions. This year, we have: 

• used natural found materials to create art work in the style of Andy Goldsworthy and other artists
• sawed logs using a bow saw
• studied the life cycle of frogs 
• 'cooked' in mud kitchens
• hunted mini beasts
• taken bark rubbings and learnt about the different kinds of trees around us 
• learnt how to tie knots.
• Built dens.
• Lit fires and cooked smoores!

...among many, many other things, including lots of opportunities for team building activities and developing social skills. 

Our site has a base camp with seating area, a purpose-built fire pit with additional seating area and boasts many native British woodland species. We also have access to a pond: great for studying the life cycle of amphibians! There's a woodland glade with wooden toadstools, a bee hive (which can be seen from base camp) and various woodland paths. The whole site is safely secured with perimeter fencing. 

Our Outdoor Learning programme is an integral part of our curriculum, and offers so many benefits including: 

• increasing children's confidence
• helping children to better understand the world around them
• learning about risk taking 
• working as a team and forging relationships
• developing perseverance and resilience
• an appreciation and respect for the natural world.

All of our children benefit from Forest School or Outdoor Learning sessions at different points during the school year. Outdoor Learning sessions are run by all staff, under the guidance and support of the trained Forest School Leaders. Where our Forest School Leaders themselves run sessions, they are able to offer activities with an additional level of risk, such as using sharp tools.  

Links with Home - National Trust 50 things to do before you are 11 3/4s

new50-things-activity-list

 

Global Links

Northleigh has enjoyed 12 years of an educational relationship between with Darajani Primary School, Tanga, Tanzania, Africa. The relationship developed into a secure and close one with major educational benefits. In previous years, there have been annual staff exchange visits between both schools.

Pupils have written to each other often, and e-mails and art work have been exchanged. Cuddly animal diaries have also been exchanged between schools together with locality photographs. Artefacts reflecting aspects of each community have been sent to each other.

Northleigh has supported the refurbishment of classrooms, introduction of electricity and re-roofing of the school.

Both schools have previously run a environment project that focused on water, gardening and cooking. All work produced was exchanged between the schools. Pupils at all schools grow vegetables they go on to cook. Schools also study Fairtrade and The Equal Rights of the Child.

 

 

Actions and Activities in 2023

Now that we are able to travel freely again post Covid, in 2023 we are re-establishing visits between Northleigh and Darajani.

In June a member of staff from Darajani will visit Northleigh and work with our children. With a return visit planned for 2024.

As part of the broader work we complete to support the children in being change makers, the children have chosen to raise funds and equipment for the children of Darajani, these resources will be given the Darajani school in August 2023.

Young Leaders

Young Leaders enables children to develop their own leadership skills as well as enhancing others sporting experience in school. They will become a vital part of the play ground by inspiring others to become more active socially, physically and mentally. The Young Leaders development will be mostly through a student-centered approach where the teacher becomes the facilitator of learning rather than the leader of the activities.

Supports young people to become:

• Successful learners
• Confident individuals
• Responsible citizens
• Happy and healthy individuals

Enabling them to:

• Show a desire to improve and achieve set outcomes
• Set attainable, but desirable goals
• Identify and recognise how they contribute to pupils overall well-being and learning
• Be able to lead a series of activities for ages 6-11
• Maximise participation levels in and out of school

Throughout this scheme, pupils will be given tasks to complete following our five values: Passion, Respect, Self-Belief, Team Work and Honesty. Pupils who work hard, and complete these tasks will be rewarded with things such as a Young Leaders hoody, water bottles and possibly trips out of school

Pupil Parliament

Northleigh CE Pupil Parliament is the student voice of the school. Each class has a representative on the Pupil Parliament group with the children being voted by their peers in each class.

Our Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are voted for by the whole school following a democratic process at the end of each Summer Term with each candidate preparing and presenting their manifesto to the whole school.

Our Pupil Parliament have met with local councillors and our MP - Harriett Baldwin - has consulted with them on issues such as climate change. During UK Parliament Week, local councillors will join Y5 and Y6 to debate issues.

Class representatives regularly meet with their class, bringing their class views and ideas to raise for discussion at the Pupil Parliament meetings which meet weekly. At the meetings, the representatives focus on finding solutions aimed at improving the quality of school and local life including issues which impact the broader school community.

Our current Pupil Parliament are focussing on pupil well being and working across the classes to identify and implement ideas which will benefit all pupils in our school community.

2024-25 Class Reps

 

Reading Ambassadors

We value the views of our children about their school experiences and their learning. Each year we have a small team of Year 6 pupils who are our designated Reading Ambassadors. This is a coveted role which the children apply for.

Typically, our Reading Ambassadors are responsible for monitoring the library and keeping it organised, reading with younger children in school to promote reading for pleasure and promoting reading across school by taking part in events such as World Book Week.

Eco Council