Summer School 2025

Pupils attended a two-day summer school on 19 & 20 August as part of their transition into Year 7. The program was designed to help them familiarise themselves with the school environment, meet new classmates, and build confidence ahead of the new academic year.

During their time at school, pupils had the opportunity to explore key areas, including classrooms and the Year 7 dining and social spaces. They spent time eating and socialising in the designated Year 7 area, helping them to feel more comfortable in their new surroundings.

Over the two days, pupils took part in ten engaging workshops. Each session was carefully planned to include a fun, interactive element while also encouraging teamwork and relationship-building. These activities helped pupils get to know one another and begin forming positive connections with their peers.

During their PE lessons, pupils engaged in badminton to focus on grip technique, core skills, and introductory gameplay, with communication being a key area of development. Pupils particularly enjoyed the competitive aspect, and for some, there was a real sense of achievement in consistently managing to get the shuttle over the net.

For Geography, we looked at the theme of the Olympics, looking at the different host nations and their flags and capital cities. Then we described the location of France/Paris (last host nation),  finishing with locating the host nations on a world map using an atlas. 

In Maths pupils did a theme park treasure hunt round the maths room then cracked on with some harder puzzles involving Caesar ciphers, the milk crate problem and the Konigsberg bridge problem.

The English lesson focused on ‘guides’. We defined the word 'guide' as a class, realising that it could be both a noun and a verb, and then went on to establish what kind of information we would like to see in a guide to something and how we could make it interesting. We also looked at the layout of a guide and the features. In our case it was a guide to someone!

Each student created a guide to themselves, not only with basic information but also likes and dislikes as well as a story or fact about themselves that made them unique.  Everyone seemed to enjoy finding out about their peers and especially that Mrs Brindle really does not like slugs!

In Science they set out investigating sand and the sea - imagining we were at the beach.  We carried out three small experiments where we tested the buoyancy of salt water, filtered sandy water and looked at different types of sand under the microscope.  Pupils visited two of the different science classrooms and used a variety of equipment they will be using in their science lessons. Mrs Potter said it was a pleasure to meet all our new starters.

Budding young artists at Summer School took inspiration from celebrated environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy in Art. Using leaves, flowers, twigs and other natural objects, the pupils created striking outdoor artworks that celebrated both creativity and the beauty of the natural world. Their imaginative pieces showcased not only artistic skill but also teamwork and a fresh appreciation for the environment around them.

In Drama, we delved into the world of Musical Theatre – and what a performance they gave! Every student rose to the challenge of learning a lively piece of choreography from Matilda the Musical, carefully counting the beats of the music and exploring how movement can bring a character to life.

We are so proud of the energy, creativity, and teamwork they showed. A huge well done to everyone who took part – especially those who pushed themselves beyond their comfort zone. 

In Music we worked completely without pitched instruments and learnt the difference between pulse, rhythm and metre through practical work as soloists, in groups and as a class.  In using Body, African and Samba percussion we could refine our sense of rhythm and, during our final polyrhythm performance, we all worked hard to maintain our own part accurately whilst not being put off by what everybody else was playing. 

Equally, we enjoyed some brave members of the classes leading the rest of us in call and response exercises so a special 'well done' to them as well.

Pupils took part in Food Preparation & Nutrition which involved a variety of different fruits as we tried to make a kebab that included as many of our 5-a-Day as possible. Students were given the opportunity to try new fruits such as kiwi, pineapple and cantaloupe melon alongside some more firm favourites like strawberries and grapes. Fruit kebabs were assembled to include various colourful fruits and then drizzled with a generous helping of chocolate (not one of our 5-a-Day!).

A highlight of the programme was a session delivered by Compass Bloom, who led a thoughtful discussion around the transition from primary to secondary school. Pupils were encouraged to share any worries or questions they had, and were given practical advice and reassurance to help ease any anxieties.

Overall, the summer school was a great success, providing pupils with a positive and supportive introduction to secondary school life.

Summer School for New Intake next year is likely to be Tuesday, 18th and Wednesday, 19th August 2026.

Slideshow, please scroll>>