I visited the school recently in my role as a community governor. Marion Mills, the head teacher, took me first to the Foundation class where the children, about 25 of them, were in two groups. One with the teacher, another with a teaching assistant (who was taking written notes of the activity) and the remainder working/ playing on their own. A couple of children were playing outside. I was struck by the relatively low noise level; the atmosphere was calm and pleasant and the teacher was having no problem addressing her group and winning their attention.
We joined the next class where the setting was a little more formal but, again, with the children working in groups with a scattering of adults. I was introduced to the teacher who explained that her group was learning how to explain a task to others. This activity, I was told, was important for laying the foundations for reading and writing because, “children are less articulate these days”, the theory being that children are now on the receiving end of so much entertainment that they don’t feel the need or have the opportunity to develop their verbal abilities.
In the next class the children were listening to and acting out a story being read to them in German. The teacher was holding up a German language picture book as a prompt and switching fluently between English and German as necessary. The children were clearly picking up the gist of the story and were readily interpreting the story in their actions. It was pleasing to see children being introduced to a foreign language in such a natural and matter-of-fact manner.
We visited the ICT suite, which contains about twenty computers, all looking relatively modern. Next we stopped off in the new kitchen. It being a Wednesday, roast beef was on the menu, and the cook was preparing lunch for a hundred plus children, a task I would find daunting, but which she clearly took in her stride.
We moved on to the next classroom, where there were several laptops on a table and a child was busy at the keyboard of one machine with two other children pointing at the screen and making suggestions. The children were being taught how to use an apostrophe. In the next class it was clear from the work on the board that the children were working on the spelling of longer words like “exaggerate”. At this age (nine plus years old) I can quite believe that reading (and writing/spelling) skills have reached a crucial point. Finally we visited the top class where the atmosphere was calm and studious.
So, what was my impression? That the children are being taught in a safe, warm, appropriate environment by a committed group of adults who take their jobs seriously and work diligently. Blewbury and Upton should be pleased to have such a resource and proud of the children that pass through the school.
Andrew Hewson