Reception children at William Leech Primary went to visit Farmer Thompson at Broxfield Farm near Alnwick who showed them the wheat and weeds growing on his farm. He explained that the roots drink the water from rain and the green leaves soak up sunshine. He doesn’t use weed killers, so they helped him by picking some weeds and made a bunch!

Farmer Thompson explained when the wheat is grown up, it gets cut and you can rub the ear at the top to get the grains out. He blew the chaff away and taught the children how to grind the grains into flour. They all had a turn. He explained that flour is used in bread and they pretended to eat a slice of toast, which was naturally delicious!

William Leech Primary welcomed parents into school this week for our Easter Music showcase, featuring performances by children and adults. Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 showcased their talents in toots and flutes as well as ukulele. Some staff even joined in by forming a beginners flute group and a band.

It was a pleasure to have parents back in school for such a celebration of the children’s learning and progress. Special thanks to staff who teach our children music lessons; Miss Butler, Mrs Glanville and Mrs Straughan.

PS, following on from last week’s update, we now have 13 healthy chicks and our butterflies all hatched in time to be released into the sunshine last weekend!

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Reception children at William Leech Primary have been very patient indeed as they have waited for just over 20 days to welcome some very special visitors to their class.

Mr Kennedy came to visit the classroom at the beginning of March, bringing eggs and explained that they would hatch in 3 weeks and would be in an incubator in the classroom to stay warm. He also explained to the children what they would need to do to look after the chicks once they hatched. The children started their countdown and were very EGGcited to arrive in school yesterday to find 6 baby chicks! By the following morning they counted 14 chicks in their incubator and are looking forward to taking the lid off so they can care for them over the next two weeks.

This is all part of their Egg Enquiry learning this half-term where they have been thinking about new life, have read a number of different story books linked to eggs and have also learned about life cycles of frogs and caterpillars. The EGGcitement isn’t over yet though, as the class are also eagerly awaiting for butterflies to emerge from their chrysalises in the next week. What an EGGxellent end to term that will be!

We’re delighted to share with you more information about our new school logo!

An investment into state-of-the-art sensory equipment is reaping rewards for children enrolled in the early years provision at a primary school in South East Northumberland.

Having seen the benefit of a sensory ‘safe space’ for its older pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to use during school hours, staff at William Leech C of E Primary School in Lynemouth – part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, set about sourcing capital to create something similar for its youngest learners.

Often referred to as ‘reset rooms’, sensory rooms are used in two different ways; to provide a safe place for children to calm and regulate their behaviour when they become overwhelmed, or as a reward space for children where they can develop their sensory needs.

Part-funded by the school itself, an additional £500 was sourced from Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust’s Endowment Fund to complete the project.

Amy Thompson, Headteacher at William Leech C of E Primary School, commented:

“Children with SEND requirements can easily become dysregulated in classroom environments. Lights, sounds and too much activity can cause what we call ‘sensory overload’ which can result in children exhibiting behaviours which might be harmful to their wellbeing.

“Several children within our two-year old and nursery provisions have sensory needs due to SEND, some of which are quite profound, so we knew that we had to do something to ensure that there was a safe space in school for them to go to should they become distressed, angry or upset. This is beneficial for the child displaying these behaviours and also allows the other children in the setting to continue with their learning.

“The new sensory suite has proved a huge success so far. We have already seen increased engagement with activities within the suite and in the main classroom following time spent in the sensory room. Over time, we hope to see a decrease in the amount of dysregulated behaviours in school altogether.”

The new early years sensory suite at William Leech Primary features blackout blinds and a blackout tent, sensory lighting and projections, weighted lap toys and sensory table top toys, as well as soft play equipment – everything that children need to help them self-regulate and relax.

Wendy Scott, Nursery Teacher at William Leech C of E Primary School, added:

“The new sensory room is brilliant. The children are engaged and fascinated. It gives the children quality time to regulate and develop skills.”

NCEAT’s primary schools have been recognised in the UK’s top 50 schools for Accelerated Reader usage.

Accelerated Reader is an online platform which supports pupils’ reading skills. When they first start using the platform, pupils complete a STAR reading test which gives them a level based on their reading ability and advises on the books they should be reading. This allows teachers to ensure that pupils are challenged with an appropriate text and develops their reading fluency.

Once they have finished reading their book, they can then complete a comprehension quiz to assess whether they have understood what they have read. This gives teachers valuable information about pupils reading ages and also reading comprehension ability.

Prior to the summer holidays, the primary schools within the Trust had a big push on reading for pleasure, encouraging pupils to read at home with parents and carers. This push has seen pupils carry out over 28,537 Accelerated Reader quizzes online since August – that’s 28,537 books read across Bishop’s, Grace Darling, James Knott, Thomas Bewick and William Leech C of E Primary Schools!

Jack Christophers, Director of Literacy, commented:

“We’re absolutely blown away by what our pupils have achieved through Accelerated Reader. The statistics speak for themselves – our pupils have put in an amazing amount of effort and we’re extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

To find out more about reading in the primary curriculum, visit our reading corner!

As Coronavirus restrictions across most of the UK continue to ease, a Northumberland farm has opened its doors for its first educational visits since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

Broxfield Farm, a working cattle and wheat farm based near Alnwick in Northumberland, welcomed Reception pupils from Bishop’s Primary School as part of a ‘Farm Discovery’ programme organised through national education charity, The Country Trust.

Designed to help children from urban areas to gain access to the countryside and learn more about the important role that agriculture plays in our food supply chain, the visits offer a unique way for children to learn about nature, the food they eat and how the countryside works – at a level tailored to their own age and understanding.

Over the course of two days, pupils from Bishop’s Primary School’s Josephine Butler and William Leech Campuses respectively descended on Broxfield Farm, where David Thompson and his family have tended the land for more than 200 years.

The pupils, aged 4-5, spent the days learning about food and farming and the connection between the two. They enjoyed a ride through the fields on a purpose-built passenger trailer, tried their hand at feeding some of the Aberdeen Angus suckler cows, including Pip and Dallas the bulls, milled their own flour from grains of wheat and enjoyed a nature trail through the ‘enchanted forest’ which surrounds the farmland.

Vicky Dewar, Deputy Director of Early Years at Bishop’s Primary School, commented:

“Due to Covid restrictions, our youngest learners have missed out on so much. Under normal circumstances, our early years curriculum at Bishop’s Primary is packed full with day trips and experiences for the children to enjoy as part of their learning, so it was wonderful to be able to finally get back to some kind of ‘normal’ and take our Reception pupils out on their first ever educational visit to the farm.

“For some of our children, this visit was their first experience of the countryside. Getting to see farm animals up close and just enjoy all of the open space is so important for their personal development and wellbeing, especially after so long in lockdown. We’re incredibly grateful to Farmer David for having us and to The Country Trust for making it possible.”

David Thompson has been heavily involved with the charity for over 20 years and hosts many visits to Broxfield each year. He said:

“It’s been great to welcome school trips back to the farm again. Over the years, I’ve worked with schools from all across the North East, hosting visits for pupils from Reception age, right up to Year 6. With each age group, the activities remain largely the same, the ‘pitch’ is what varies. With the little ones, it’s about helping them to explore the countryside safely and teaching them about the things which live and grow on a farm, whereas with older children, you can get into more detail about environmental concerns and the idea of food traceability.

“I was so impressed with the pupils from Bishop’s Primary School. For being so young, they were so engaged and attentive and asked some great questions. On both days that the pupils visited, new calves had just been born, which was a real bonus – to be able to show the children hours-old animals. They were amazed that the baby cows could already walk! A great time was had by all and I look forward to welcoming more pupils throughout the summer.”

Bishop’s Primary School operates as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (NCEAT), a multi-academy Trust for pupils aged 2-19.

For more information about The Country Trust, visit www.countrytrust.org.uk.