Scarth's Celebrations 2023-24
Each Friday throughout 2023-24, Mrs Scarth is joined in her office by proud Oatlands Junior School pupils, as well as teachers and members of the local governing board, to celebrate different areas of the curriculum.
Each pupil has the opportunity to explain what they have been learning and describe their different experiences in class.
Mrs Scarth and her guests enjoy seeing the progress through pupils' work in different year groups.
Reading in Year 5 and 6 - Friday 29th September
Years 5 and 6 shared their love for reading this week, with me, Mrs Wilkinson and Dr Luke in the Library today. What struck me was their passion for literature, sharing favourite books from their Reading Passports and class stories. Reading work was beautifully presented in books and showed fantastic comprehension. I was pleased that the children shared what other authors and titles they would like to have in our Y5 and Y6 class libraries.
Reading in Year 3 and 4 - Friday 6th October
Years 3 and 4 met with me and Miss Starrett in the Library today. They spoke enthusiastically about their favourite authors and genres, sharing their recommendations very clearly. Work was beautifully presented in their Reading books, and the children proudly shared the poems they had written on National Poetry Day. I was impressed at the descriptive vocabulary choices that created wonderful imagery. Well done!
Maths - Year 5 and 6 - Friday 13th October
Memorable Maths was shared by Y5&6 pupils today and impressed Ms. Coyne, Mrs Washer and myself. Recalling and applying number knowledge to various problems both in Maths and other subjects and with such confidence, was a pleasure to see. Well done!
Maths - Year 3 and 4 - Friday 20th October
Year 3 and 4 pupils met with me, Ms. Coyne and Mrs Washer today to share their Maths work. They were able to describe how 'memorable maths' at the start of each lesson helps them to remember key facts and that they liked the challenge of harder questions. What impressed me was how confident and enthusiastic the children are about maths. They proudly shared their current work, explaining that making mistakes is a good thing because it is how they learn even more. Great determination! Well done.
Castle Head - Year 6 - 27th October
Year 6 pupils shared their written work, following the residential trip to Castle Head in the Lake District last week. What stood out straight away was the absolute pride each pupil had clearly taken in their work, which was immaculately presented. I was delighted to hear all about their outdoor adventures and wonderful memories they had described, using effective entertaining language techniques. What a treat! Well done 🙂
RE (Remembrance Day) - Friday 10th November
Miss Ramsey joined me in the Library today with pupils from each class, who shared their work on Remembrance. They were able to recall key messages that Brigadier Crossland gave, when he led the act of remembrance in assembly on Monday and reflected on the British Value of democracy. Y6 analysed WW1 poetry by Wilfred Owen, demonstrating a clear understanding of themes and imagery. Y5 shared their creative war memorial designs. Y4 used their map skills to identify how many local people served during both world wars and the location of cenotaphs. Some pupils shared their experiences of attending Sunday remembrance services. Y3 designed war medals, reflecting on animals who also served in both world wars. I was left feeling very proud that our pupils show great respect and interest in understanding how important it is to never forget.
Anti-Bullying Week (PSHE) - Year 6 - Friday 17th November
Mrs Fretwell joined me to meet with pupils from each year group to look at work completed during anti-bullying week and Children in Need day. The discussions which took place were very mature and reflective. All pupils understood the key message of 'being an upstander; not a bystander' and could give examples of what this means. It was great to hear how some pupils had organised their own fundraising outside school, to raise money for Children in Need. All the children could name various charities in this country which is funded by Children in Need and showed real empathy when talking about how this helps vulnerable children. Well done!
Computing - Year 3 and 4 - Friday 24th November
Year 3 and 4 pupils came with their iPads today to show their coding work. I was impressed that they could talk with me and Mr Morley about mistakes and how they learned from these to create accurate instructions. Great Computing work. Well done!
Computing - Year 3 and 4 - Friday 1st December
Year 5 and 6 demonstrated how to use spreadsheets and search engines to Mr Morley and Mr Hunter at Scarth Celebrations. Wonderful computing. Well done!
Geography - Year 4 and 6 - Friday 8th December
Year 4 and 6 pupils shared their Geography work with me, Miss Mansfield and Mrs Washer, this afternoon. They clearly understood the subject of Geography as one pupil recalled; "it is the study of people and places". Y6 children shared their 6 figure grid reference work using Digi Maps and an OS Map, also explaining the skills they used during orienteering at Castle Head. Year 4 pupils talked about different types of maps and what they represent as well as their enthusiasm for researching European countries, using different resources. It was lovely to hear what the children enjoyed most about Geography and suggestions for how it could be made even better - we all liked the idea of a weather station in the Nature Area. Well done!
History - Year 3 and 5 - Friday 15th December
Pupils from Years 3 & 5 joined Mrs Stockton and I this afternoon, to share their History work. The children's enthusiasm and interest in History brought a smile to our faces, as they talked about the Stone Age and the Vikings. Y3 could name the different historical periods and put them into chronological order. Y5 talked about how the trip to Jorvik helped them to understand and know even more about the Vikings. All pupils clearly took pride in their learning, as their History books were immaculately presented. Well done!
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 Modern Foreign Languages (French) - Monday 22nd January
Pupils from all year groups joined Mrs Shacklock, Mrs Hind and Mr Morley in the school library to talk all about everything they have been learning in French. Year 3 were able to use the greeting they had learned: "Bonjour!", "Ca va?" Year 4 have started to learn the months of the year and numbers up to thirty-one. Year 5 were able to use adjectives, including colours, to describe nouns: "le cheval brun". Year 6 could describe parts of the body, including features on the face: "J'ai les yeux bleu". Well done to all the children who took part in our celebration of French.
Years 3 and 4 Science - Friday 26th January
Pupils from Years 3 and 4 joined Miss Allenby and I to share their Science work, this afternoon. We were astounded by how brilliantly the children described their learning and love for Science using key scientific vocabulary! Year 3 could name all the food groups and explained why their favourite meals were healthy or unhealthy. Then moved onto their learning about the human body and could recall the name of strongest muscle and explain why they thought the skull was the most important bone in the body. Year 4 described their careful observations and measurements taken during materials investigations and could explain if it was a reversible or irreversible change. Such budding scientists who could all share what job they would like to do when they are older, from medical research into cures for illnesses to inventing a toothpaste for elephants! A lovely end to the week. Well done!
Art and Design Technology in Year 3 and 4 - Tuesday 5th March
Year 3 and 4 children enjoyed discussing their Art and DT with Mrs Alderson and Mr Morley at Scarth Celebration. Year 3 talked about Kandinsky using lines, colours and patterns. They are also designing fairy house designs suitable for the woods at Stockeld Park. Year 4 explained their print making and how they could use the patterns repeatedly. Inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they have designed chocolate truffle after market research and taste testing.
PE in Year 3 and 4 - Wednesday 28th February
Years 3 and 4 children joined Miss Bakes and Mr Morley for Scarth Celebration to talk about PE. Children talked about their favourite activities and the exciting visitors and visits we’ve had in school, including players from Harrogate Town Football Club, martial arts instructors, tennis coaches and badminton at Harrogate Racket Centre.
Children were able to talk about the skills they have developed in gymnastics, martial arts, football, netball and hockey. They also described how they had been able to build on skills they had learnt in previous years.
Music in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Friday15th March
Mrs Scarth and Mrs Ritchie enjoyed hearing all about all the different aspects of music in the curriculum. Children really enjoy singing and playing different musical instruments, including keyboards and violins.
Children were able to talk about the instruments they learn to play with Encore, as well as those children who are lucky enough to learn instruments outside school.
All children enjoy hearing music being played every Wednesday in Singing Assemblies.
Writing in Year 3 and 4 - Friday 11th April
This week, Mrs. Wilkinson, Dr Luke and I had the pleasure of seeing fantastic pieces of writing from our Year 3 and 4 pupils. We were impressed by the use of alliteration and metaphors, to enhance their descriptions. The children were proud of their independent editing, which made their writing even better, especially improvements in spelling. It was lovely to hear how much they enjoy writing and see themselves as writers. Well done!