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Georgie Dee, Head of Year 11, The Grammar School at Leeds As our GCSE students returned to school after the Easter break, Mrs Dee, Head of Year 11 gave an assembly to help students prepare and plan for the final few weeks of revision. Recognising that everyone\u2019s holiday revision may not have gone as planned, she provided advice for those who were on track and those who needed a bit more direction. On track? Some students returning to school after the holidays will feel their revision went as planned. They were able to follow a revision timetable, tick off the Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Dr Kathy Weston is the founder of www.tooledupeducation.com and the parent of two teens. The Grammar School at Leeds partners with Tooled Up Education to give parents and colleagues access to hundreds of resources on all aspects of parenting, family life and education. Supporting children and young people through what can feel like a small academic marathon requires stamina, not just on the part of the young people facing the exams, but also on the part of their family! It requires us to think more holistically in terms of family support. How can we help them feel organised and in Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Year 7 and 8 science clubs were hosted in the education centre at Veolia. Pupils learnt about reducing waste and recycling, and the Veolia energy facility. Veolia incinerates the waste from all the black bins in Leeds, which can\u2019t be recycled, to produce energy. Our budding scientists were amazed that this energy can power the equivalent of 22,000 homes. Emily W thoroughly enjoyed seeing the action, “On the trip we did a number of things from organising rubbish into its correct bin, to going into the control room to see the recovery to see recycling and recovery in action! We Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Y9 pupils enjoyed their visit to the National Space Centre earlier this term. Pupils were mesmerised by the real rocket they got to see! Charlotte H, Olivia R and Olivia C reported on the day: “The National Space Centre is an amazing facility where you can learn all about space exploration. Our personal favourite activity was the dome where we got to see the stars.” Jay J ensured us that “We’ll all remember the National Space Centre. My group heard the story of the constellation Draco – dragon in Latin – and made it to the edge of the Milky Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> The benefits of outdoor learning and natural play have been proven by educational experts over many years. Learning and playing in specialised and safe outdoor areas help children with their physical development and refining their gross and fine motor skills. As well as keeping children fit and healthy physically, outdoor learning can also be beneficial for a child\u2019s mental development, helping them to achieve an understanding of mindfulness and a sense of responsibility for protecting the planet. At The Grammar School at Leeds, outdoor learning is an important part of life and lessons, and the school is proud to offer Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Earth Week is all about learning the importance of regaining biodiversity to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It all started back in 2017 with the BBC\u2019s Blue Planet II. Suddenly environmental destruction was thrown into sharp focus and GSAL students were determined to do something about it.\u00a0 Following concerns about plastic pollution in the ocean, there was a groundswell of support to reduce the amount we were using (around 3060 plastic bottles every week). Students and staff started separating plastic bottles for recycling. Then students asked if I would meet them to talk about how they could reduce the Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> I recently observed our nursery children busily collecting and sorting natural wooden counters in our forest classroom. They were clearly having fun. More than that, though, it was clear from how the children responded to their teacher that they were learning about number, making sense of the natural world and beginning to make scientific predictions. When children are given learning opportunities to use their natural curiosity they develop in leaps and bounds. It isn\u2019t surprising, therefore, that studies consistently highlight the importance of quality nursery education in preparation for primary school and beyond. Our aim for children in Rose Court Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Anyone in education knows first-hand how difficult this last year has been as online teaching became the norm, with both teachers and pupils learning new ways of working together away from the classroom. Yet there have been unexpected benefits too. Naturally, like schools throughout the country, our first priority at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), was to make sure that we carried on teaching and learning in an environment where everyone continued to thrive. However, as we settled into a new routine of virtual lessons, we started to look at other ways to benefit from the technology we were Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> \u201cCoronacoaster \u2013 When your emotions are on a rollercoaster due to all of the news about the coronavirus\u201d Urban Dictionary definition Six months ago coronavirus was barely in our thoughts; it was something happening the other side of the world. We could never have predicted the highs and lows, the twists and turns, of the ride we were about to take on the coronacoaster. What happens now? In late March, when schools closed to most pupils and the government issued its \u2018stay at home\u2019 instruction, we found ourselves in uncertain times, with no road map to help us find the Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div> Recent reports on the benefits of intergenerational care \u2013 the practice of bringing the young and the elderly together by introducing nurseries and care homes to one another \u2013 came as no surprise to us at Rose Court. For 11 years now we have had a special relationship with our neighbours at the care home\u00a0Headingley Hall\u00a0and have seen at first hand the positive impact on everyone involved when children and the older generation socialise. The practice of intergenerational care has been growing in Japan and the US for about 20 years and is spreading throughout the world. However, according to Read More<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>","max_pages":2}