Parish Magazine article – November 2019 edition
With half term almost upon us, we can now look back on a very busy and successful start to the new school year. We have already managed to fit in educational visits for years 1, 2, 3 and 4 and, of course, the much anticipated week-long residential for years 5 and 6. Year Rs are also looking forward to their own outing to Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm, to support their current topic work.
In September, years 3 and 4 visited Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, to delve deeper into their history topic of The Stone Age. Against the spectacular backdrop of this world renowned arboretum, the children’s first task was to walk out a giant timeline, to establish how far back the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages were. They then immersed themselves, quite literally, in to The Stone Age, with a fascinating introduction to archaeology. Armed with trowels, the children set to work, in a purpose-built trench, to uncover artefacts from different periods. After carefully washing their finds, they were able to use their history skills to place them on the timeline.
In the afternoon, the children were split into groups, to experience Stone Age life at close quarters, through a range of bushcraft activities. These included; making heat and sparks from flint knapping; roasting apples over an open fire; creating cave drawings and making a bracelet from materials they found in the wood.
The children all thoroughly enjoyed their day and came away with a much more in-depth appreciation of this fascinating history topic.
On the same day, years 1 and 2 visited Southampton’s SeaCity Museum, to help bring their class work on The Titanic story, to life. The museum staff led a series of excellent, hand-on workshops, where the children tried lots of different activities, to help broaden their understanding of life on board the ship and the tragic disaster that unfurled.
A dressing-up session enabled the children to really appreciate how life on board The Titanic was very different, depending on which class you were travelling in. The children also explored different areas of the ship, through a series of smell cubes. They were quickly able to deduce which room was the gymnasium! They also learnt about the various sinking points of the ship through a scientific experiment, using ice cube trays. One of the highlights of the day and possibly their most challenging workshop, involved the children working together to agree which passengers would earn a place in the lifeboat. There was certainly plenty of interesting discussion and debate during this activity!
All the children thoroughly enjoyed their day at SeaCity, where the history of The Titanic was cleverly brought to life, through these imaginative and creative workshops.
Thank you to both Claire McGilvray and Claire Croft for organising these excellent visits and accompanying the children, along with our other members of staff. Thanks also must go to our parent helpers, without whom these events wouldn’t be possible.
The following week, years 5 and 6 set off for their action-packed residential trip at PGL, Osmington Bay, set in the heart of the Jurassic Coast. The coach pulled into the car park, just as the extreme weather set in for the week, but this did little to quell the children’s enthusiasm and excitement.
After a hearty evening meal, a good night’s sleep, followed by a delicious cooked breakfast, the activities began in earnest. The children were split into three groups and were given the opportunity to experience a wide range of challenging, adrenaline-filled activities, over the course of week. These included abseiling, rock climbing, tunnelling, giant swing, fencing, air rifle shooting, BMX bikes as well as a rather bracing beach walk.
Many of the activities required nerves of steel and a great deal of grit and determination. During the week, there were numerous personal achievements; excellent displays of team work and a many fears, successfully conquered.
Our residential trips, which we run annually for our most senior pupils, are an incredibly valuable experience and, for many, it is their first time away from home. They not only help to build up self-esteem and confidence, but they also teach children other valuable life skills, such as resilience and risk-taking within a safe environment.
Throughout the trip, the children were a credit to Amport School and we can be very proud of their achievements. Thank you to Claire Mathias, Vicki Howell and Emily Young for all their amazing organisation.
During the weeks ahead, the children will be busy preparing for our Christmas festivities, including the Key Stage One nativity play and Senior Citizens tea party. This will take place on Tuesday 10th December and we look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible, to this increasingly popular event in our school calendar.
Bernadette Fleet