Reception

Boughton Heath Academy

Chronicle
The boys made a rocket together.

We made wanted posters.

In the doctors surgery.

Our David Hockney inspired painting using twigs.

Counting numbers to 30.

Worm Charming.

This term Reception have been finding out about People Who Help Us. We have found out about the
Police, doctors and nurses and the postal service and their jobs. We are looking forward to a visit from
our local PCO next term. We have been writing posters for the gang in Cops and Robbers by Alan
Ahlberg and we posted the letters for the Jolly Postman in our maths sessions.
Forest school has been a great success this term despite some really cold weather! We have been
working hard to provide a variety of activities that will keep us all warm, including making an obstacle
course, hunting for words and doing activities with a timer to speed things up. We have created some
art work looking at trees in winter and we also looked at the work of artist David Hockney. We then
made our own masterpieces using paint and twigs to produce our art work.

The children enjoyed learning about Chinese New Year in our Knowledge and Understanding Focus
Week. We looked at the traditions followed in Chinese New Year and compared them to those
celebrated in our own families. Andrew brought in his own special celebration clothes and was proud to
show them to the class by wearing them. On the Friday we celebrated with our own Chinese New Year
Party where we learnt Dragon and Lion Dances and tried some Chinese foods.

Autu

WE BELIEVE TANGIBLE EXPERIENCES SHOULD DRIVE LEARNING.

Issue: 3

Principal's Report 2014

Welcome to our Spring Term Chronicle!

Boughton Heath Academy has been open for a whole term! Spring has gone
by in the blink of an eye and as you can imagine a lot of work has been
undertaken behind the scenes to begin building our Multi Academy Trust. We
have been writing policies, action plans and procedures that will better enable
all three schools to work together and benefit from such vast resources.
The Principals of all three schools have been linking staff together to ensure that
great ideas are shared and preparing for our global event in September; 11 by
11. During the day, we will be finalising the eleven experiences we want all
Cheshire Academies Trust children to have by eleven years old. We will have
inspirational speakers who will talk about creating collaborative systems across
organisations and getting to meet our CAT school colleagues and governors. I am very excited to be a
part of such a drive to improve Boughton Heath even further. Our academic results continue to
be significantly above the national average but going beyond that we wish to give the opportunity for
children to take part in fundamental experiences before they leave our school. We will be writing to
parents in the summer term to seek views and opinions on 20-25 experiences that would be worthwhile
to the children. These will then be considered alongside staff and governor views so please write back
with your views.

On a different note, our Alice in Wonderland exhibition was hugely successful. I did not, in my
wildest dreams, believe the exhibition would generate such a range of artwork, sculpture and writing.
What the children and teachers created in two weeks was awe inspiring. I know from the comments
from parents that they too were very proud of the work the children had produced. My thanks go to all
of the teachers and volunteers who helped us.
As you can see from the front page, the children have had a number of outstanding experiences
this term. From visiting a synagogue to going on their residential visits, the range of tangible
experiences have really enhanced the learning in each class. Teachers are working very hard behind
the scenes to provide outstanding teaching and learning for the children in our care. I am sure you will
have noticed this during Share the Learning mornings.
Furthermore, I am really pleased to tell parents and stakeholders about the renovation work in
Reception which will take place over Easter. As a consequence of academising we have been able to
access money (18,000) to completely change the outdoor play space as well as paint and decorate the
classroom area. This will make such a difference for the children in Reception and give them the
outstanding learning environment they deserve.
As always at this school, it is a TEAM effort and I would like to thank the governors and trustees for
their hard work behind the scenes in supporting staff through our first term as an academy. I am
pleased that in this issue the governors have written their own separate piece which gives an insight
into their duties and also explains how they support the school.
I wish everyone a restful Easter break and look forward to the summer term where we will once again
be trying to raise the bar even further. My message to everyone is that we will continue to improve
what we do on a daily basis even further. If any parent has feedback on how they believe we can do
anything even better then please contact me directly and I will be happy to listen.
Many thanks,
Steve Ellis
Principal

Year 6

Year 6 have been centring their curriculum around our History Topic, of War, this term, with a focus
upon the First World War. Our thinking began with the question; Why War? The children were able to
generate a large number of reasons why conflicts occur around the world. With the centenary of WW1,
the children investigated the reasons for the outbreak of the war and the consequences of alliances and
their obligations. A thoroughly enjoyable visit to the Imperial War Museum allowed the children the
opportunity to handle actual artefacts, ask further questions and draw their own conclusions. Linking
with our science topic of electricity, the children investigated the different ways in which troops would
be able to communicate

important information
across the battle field. They investigated the use of semaphore as a visual form of communication
which they decided was quite risky as you would have yourself in the line of fire!
They then investigated the use of Morse code as an electrical method of

communication. The
children were tasked to
communicate to each
other, designing a circuit
and switch with which
they can control the flow
of electricity. This term we had an art T-rex day, again following our war topic, focussing on the use of
acrylic paint techniques, and using of different paper media and effects of inks and acrylic colours.
Firstly the children backed their first canvas with a bold colour, upon which they began to add layer
upon layer, bringing the painting forwards finishing with a bold silhouette of a lone soldier. Their
second piece involved putting layers of
different textures, print and colour of paper
onto an outline of an image from the First
World War. The next step is to add layers of
light and dark inks to highlight specific
aspects of the image, finally completing the
effect using a light wash of watered acrylic. Fitting in
well with part of our Science curriculum on light, the
solar eclipse provided the class with the opportunity to
design and make pin-hole projectors, which the children
were incredibly keen to try out on the day and they
worked! Always trying new and different ways to
approach our revision of
Mathematics topics, the children were tasked
with recording the dimensions of the various
objects (including the bikes!) around the class.
They then needed to convert the different
measurements through either multiplication or
division, then set word based problems to
solve.

Year 5

Reception

This term we have been

thinking about whether Anglo
Saxon times were really the
Dark Ages. After learning what
the term the Dark Ages meant
we tried to experience what life
may have been like then. In
order for the Anglo Saxons to
have access to fruit all year, it
had to be preserved over the
winter months. We investigated
which preservative would be
the best for the job by
attempting to preserve apples
using a range of food sources
and Anglo Saxon freezer bags.
After two weeks, the bags were
opened and the results studied.
We chose to open the bags outside to preserve the sweet smell of our classroom and all groups chose salt
water as their perfect preserve.

This term we investigated the process of

Wattle and Daub by making our own Anglo
Saxon houses. After each group decided on
the best shape design for their house, we
spent the morning constructing the wattle. The
groups started by arranging their uprights in
the ground and making them secure. Sticks
were then woven through the uprights to
make the wattle. After dinner, a combination
of soil, straw, clay and a special ingredient of
pigs blood... (!) was mixed to make the daub.
This was applied onto the wattle and pushed
into the gaps to make a smooth waterproof
coating which, according to historical evidence,
could last for 700 years!

We based some of our art this term on the Saxon hoard and
some of the coins that were found. We started by studying the
coins and the children each decided on the image that they would
like to reproduce using a collage technique. The image was
loosely drawn before a number of different paper and card stocks
were applied to give it a third dimension from the page. Finally,
some tissue paper and Staffordshire maps were applied to add
texture. Once dry, the papers were inked using many layers, and
limited colours, to build an image of depth and character.

A note from the Governing body.

We've now completed our first term since our conversion to an Academy
and I wanted to share some of the progress we have made. Firstly my
thanks to all our parents who took time to consult with us during the
consultation process, I'm happy to say the conversion process has
happened very smoothly with positive impact on the school.
We are excited about the forthcoming changes to our Early Years
Foundation area, which has been possible by releasing academy funding.
The new improved internal and external area will be amazing for our
children.
I am happy to see that the collaboration between the schools we wanted has started to happen,
sharing of best practice and ways of working will help us to constantly improve our standards and
outcomes for our children.
Our Governing body meets 3 times each term, once at the Curriculum and Admissions meeting, once at
the Finance Staffing and Premises meeting and once for the full governing body meeting. At each of
these meetings our job is to look at school strategy and progress, check key performance indicators
agreed and ensure we are challenging the running of the school to ensure positive outcomes. We also
make decisions on how our income is prioritised and spent.
We have reconstituted our governing body members in the following way:
4 parent governors
Sinead Blythin
Richard NuttVice chair Governing body
Bev Shakeshaft
Morgan Jones

4 Co-opted Governors
Joanne LucyChair Governing body
Keith Scargill
Dawn Greaves
Harry Crook
4 Staff Governors
Steve Ellis Principal
Andy Lucas Vice Principal
Alison Spreckley
Sally Levi

All members of the governing body give their time freely for the continued benefit of the school and are
unpaid for these duties. You can contact the governing body at any time via the school office or by
emailing the Principal, Steve Ellis.
Best wishes
Joanne Lucy
Chair Governors Boughton Heath Academy

Year One

The term all kicked off with a fall down the

rabbit hole and we have been enjoying Alice and her Adventures ever since along
with a few other small book characters
like The Minpins and The Borrowers.
Can we shrink....?
As part of our Alice in Wonderland topic we
looked at whether we could shrink. We created
our own shrinking potion out of a variety of liquids...we measured the ingredients and wrote
down the recipe.
In maths we measured ourselves before drinking
the potion and after to see if we shrank! During
our Philosophy for children sessions we discussed this. We came up
with lots of suggestions...
"Old people can shrink because they lose muscle." Charlie

"I don't think you can shrink because you can't make a magic potion."
Jasmine

How do we get home?

In Literacy we have been learning about the author Jill Murphy. We
have been reading and acting out the story On the Way Home. We
drew maps of our own route home and wrote our own mini
parts of the book.
How does Claire's knee get
better?
In the story Claire hurts her
knee. We wanted to discover
how it got better, so we learnt
about the blood!
We made the blood out of
cheerio's, marshmallows and
prunes! We learnt about how
the red blood cells, white
blood cells and platelets help
the knee to heal. Then we wrote explanations of how the blood helped to
heal the knee.
Where has Alice been?
In our Geography lessons we have been learning
about maps. We have been looking around the
classroom for mini Alice - she has been on all sorts
of adventures!
We learnt about birds eye view to help us create a
plan of our classroom and explore where Alice had
been on her adventures. Then we looked at where
Alice might go nextThe whole school grounds!
We used google maps to help us view the school
grounds from a birds-eye view and made messy
maps using a range of objects we found. We have
learnt about human and physical features of the
school grounds and are now practising our compass skills to find the Minpins treasure!

Year 4

During our Alice in Wonderland topic, we

focused on the Mad Hatters tea party
scene from the book. We decided to host
our own tea party for our Year one
buddies. Firstly, we produced a tally chart
and graph to see which type of biscuits
were the most popular. Then we
designed our biscuits in the style of Alice
in Wonderland, also thinking about what
would appeal to our year one buddy. In
literacy we wrote our recipes using time
connectives and imperative verbs. Next,
we looked at working out how much the
biscuits would cost to make by adding
how much each ingredient would cost altogether. In groups of five, we baked and decorated our cakes
putting into practise our skills of using
measuring scales accurately. Finally, we
hosted our tea party and evaluated our
biscuits! They were a great success!
We had lots of fun on our residential in
January! We started off the trip with
orienteering where we used maps to help
us find different letters which in the end
spelt out different words. We learnt about
compass points, map symbols and how to
read a map accurately. After lunch, we
went on a very long walk where we
spotted lots of different habitats and
traces of where animals had been. We
also collected lots of different natural
materials for our journey string that we
created later that night in our books. The next day we did den building and bush craft which was all
about learning how to survive in the wild. We learnt how to make our own dens using only things that
could be found in the wild and we also made our
own fires using flint and steel. The following day
was all about creating our own nature journals in
the style of the book Where my wellies take me.
We produced some amazing books using a variety
of art skills! We are very proud of them.
During the spring term we have been learning
how to play different brass instruments, for
example, the trumpet and cornet. Here is a
picture of us at our brass concert we held for our
parents. We played a variety of songs that we
learnt over the term, these being Mary had a little
lamb, hot cross buns and Eddies blues.

Year 3

Year 2

Spring Term in Year 3!

Conway Centre
This years residential to the Conway Centre
in Anglesey was absolutely fantastic. From
the moment we stepped off the coach the
children showed outstanding behaviour,
attitude and excitement towards every
activity. Day one was action packed with
rock climbing, low ropes, walks, campfires
and marshmallows. On day two, the
children showed fantastic skills canoeing
down the Menai strait as well as excellent
team building in the nightline. The children
showcased excellent communication skills in
both, encouraging and helping those children who showed a few more
nerves. Throughout the residential the children's independence,
patience and maturity noticeably grew. I can honestly say I have
never been so proud of children representing our school on a
residential. The children absolutely loved the experience and now
have memories they can treasure forever!

On 28th January Year Two went

on a trip to Nantwich Museum.
The visit explored The Great
Fire of Nantwich which had
many similarities to The Great
Fire of London. We began with
a walking tour of the town
where we found evidence of
why The Great Fire of Nantwich
spread so much. We also
learnt about the different types
of Tudor buildings and how
they were built. In the Museum we looked at Tudor artefacts, including a fire appliance. The children had a go at
writing using ink and a quill and also dressed up in Tudor
costumes. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and have produced work covering all of the areas of our
Learning Wheel, including fantastic observational drawings and writing comparing the Great Fire of Nantwich to the Great Fire of London.

Was everything in the Stone

Age made of Stone?
To kick start our Stone Age topic
we had a visit from a caveman.
He showed the children objects
from the Stone Age and the
children we able to handle these.
This enabled them to ask
questions about the objects:
Where were they from? What were they used for? How were they made? The children have learnt
about people in 10,000 BC, discovered how long ago this was on a timeline and the importance of fire.
Within science, the children have studied rocks. They sorted them into groups, classified them and
discovered what different types of rocks can be used for.

This term, Year Two have been finding out about Judaism. To enhance their learning they visited Manchester Jewish Museum. The museum is housed in a real synagogue which allowed the children to see
what happens when Jewish people visit. They also looked at the special symbols of the Jewish faith. The
children learnt about Shabbat and The Passover. This experience really allowed us to see the world
through the eyes of a Jewish person and appreciate their faith and values. Back at school the children
shared their knowledge and produced some excellent non-fiction writing.

Design and Technology day

As part of our Alice in Wonderland topic, the children created rotating stages in a T-Rex (Tangible Real
Experience) design and technology day. Throughout the day, children were given clear, step by step
instructions which they needed to follow to create their stage. The children used a variety of skills from
cutting, bending, measuring and assembling. To finish, the children decorated their stages to showcase
their own styles.
On Friday 20th March Mrs ODonnell, a specialist Design Technology teacher, came to work with Year Two.
In the morning the children all made a Synagogue. We used cardboard and had to make lots of glue
tabs. For some parts, like measuring and folding, we needed to work with our classmates to make sure
we were accurate. Our task over the Easter holidays is to add windows, doors, symbols and even paint it!
Making a Tudor galleon was our task for the afternoon. Half a milk carton gave us our base. Then we
added a poop deck, masts and sails. We all had so much fun and have learnt many skills which we can
apply to further model making.