Visitors in school
Magistrates Visit
As an end to our Crime and Punishment history topic, we welcomed Brian and Lisa from the Magistrates Court.
Magistrates from North Yorkshire visited our Year 6 pupils to talk to them about their role and help them to understand more about the Courts and the criminal justice system. A fun and interactive workshop, the children worked together to look at a case study involving a teenage boy: the key message was to understand the importance of 'thinking before you act'. They learnt about the aims and objectives of sentencing and had the opportunity to put this into practice by taking on the role of a Magistrate to decide the outcome of the case. As well as the knowledge gained, the session developed key skills in listening, critical thinking, group work and presenting.
Planetarium Visit
As an introduction to our Year 5 science topic: Earth and Space, we welcomed Richard Lake from the Pole Star Planetarium.
The planetarium is an inflatable dome in which specialist projectors are used to create a 360°, hemispherical image of the night sky. The experience is enhanced by film and music and is led by Richard Lake, a qualified teacher and former RAF Education and Training Officer. His own primary teacher triggered his love of the Cosmos. Richard's aim is to convey the beauty and strangeness of the space beyond our small planet.
Each group spent an hour in the planetarium, visiting planets, landing on the moon and exploring space and the beyond.
Harrogate Cricket Board Coaching
Years 3 and 5 were lucky enough welcome to school Owen from Harrogate Cricket board, who delivered two weeks of cricket coaching. We honed rapid reactions in our warm up game of ‘head, shoulders, knees and ball’ then put these into practice as we bowled and played one-handed and juggle catch, before taking on the teachers in a batting battle! The sessions supported our development not only of cricketing skills but teamwork, resilience and perseverance as well!
British Science Week
In keeping with this year’s British Science Week theme of ‘Connections’, we have been lucky to be visited in school by working scientists from our very own community.
Year 3 were joined by Mrs Moran, a speech and language therapist working in the NHS who shared with us her expertise in assistive technology. We practised using the Megabee assisted writing tablet to spell our names, selected different body parts to operate a multi-functional remote control and discovered how an eye gaze can control an iPad. It was inspiring to see the life-changing potential of our science learning!
Year 4 and the Badgers class met Dr Vinall-Collier, who works as a health psychologist at the University of Leeds’ School of Dentistry. We got the chance to recap our learning about digestion and healthy eating as well as ask questions about oral hygiene and effective tooth care.
Mr Wilkinson visited Year 6 and the Foxes to speak about renewable energy resources – in particular, the advent of nuclear power in which his grandad played a key role! We had the opportunity to look at some of the 25 patents attributed to Mr Wilkinson’s family, some of which have only recently been declassified!
Anglo-Saxon Visit
The Year 5’s were incredibly lucky to have a visit from John, an Anglo-Saxon specialist, and take part in an artefact handling workshop. As part of the workshop the children viewed many different artefacts, such as candle holders, chain mail, butter churners and jewellery. The children even got to see how the Anglo-Saxons would have dressed and try on some of the clothes!
A special thank you to our guest visitor Lauren Doherty, who came into school on 22 November 2022 to speak to all our pupils in assembly.
Following a lifechanging road traffic accident, which left her seriously ill and paralysed from the neck down, Lauren gives talks to schools to share the dangers of the road. At Oatlands Junior School, we invite Lauren into school to share her story during Road Safety Week. This assembly promotes our 'Embedding Safe Behaviours' curriculum thread and is a memorable experience for the children, highlighting the importance of safety.
