A very busy week in A5 to bring to an end a very successful Autumn term for all students. We are all looking forward to spring and the return of the lighter nights and mornings and, hopefully, some warmer days. 

Students have continued to work on multiplication and division and adding groups of equal numbers in maths. Students also looked at arrays, as a visual representation of multiplication problems. One student used the Grid Method to calculate long multiplication. 

In English we did some further study of our half-term story The Barnabus Project and students followed a step-by-step guide to draw Barnabus, with some brilliant results. We also watched the video of the song, This is Me from The Greatest Showman and compared the message in both stories about being proud of who you are, no matter what you look like and to be accepting of others despite people’s differences. 

Students enjoyed a music lesson with Chad and students from A4 Class learning the yukele, joining in with body percussion and singing. Students enjoyed their last swimming session of the term having some free time in the pool and fun on the slides before their turn again in spring term. A5 did really well taking part in The Hill Top Boccia tournament and joined with a class from upstairs to play their game.  

A5 class had another visit to The Hancock Museum, and all used excellent observational skills completing a Scavenger Hunt around both floors, followed by a well-deserved treat in the café. A massive well done to all students for finding all of the artefacts and for helping each other and staff (when we couldn’t find some of them)! Great independence from young people making ham, cheese and spring onion Quesadilla’s and serving them with some salsa and sour cream in food tech lesson – totally yummy! 

In UTW we learned about King Charles III’s environmental work to help reverse climate change and protect the floral and fauna of Planet Earth. We linked learning to other leaders we have studied who are fighting and campaigning for the same issues – David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg.  

We said goodbye and a huge thank you to Mrs Faith this half-term as she started her maternity leave, and we all wish her lots of love and enjoyment when her new bundle of joy comes along. We welcomed Miss VS to A5 who will hopefully be with us until the summer.   

A huge well done to every student in A5 class for all of their hard work and progress made in the first term of the year! Bring on the next! 

We wish everyone a well-rested half term break – Miss Hayles, Mrs Hall, Miss Brown, Miss Shortland, Mr Gray, Mrs Faith and Miss VS. 

Another great week in A5! 

In English we continued work on The Barnabus Project and looked at adjectives we could use to describe characters. We also continued to look at the meaning of the story and our self esteem.  

In Maths we have been continuing work on number problems and multiplication focusing on our 2,5 and 10 times tables while following the White Rose Maths scheme. One pupil has been focusing on multiplying 3 digit numbers – fantastic! 

In UTW we have continued to learn about ‘Leaders’ and looked at environmentalists such as Greta Thunberg and the impact she has had on climate change and society.  

In Community Skills we visited the Hancock museum for the second week, where we visited the second floor and viewed exhibits about the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Greeks. Pupils particularly enjoyed the projection tunnel in the Egyptian exhibit. Pupils then enjoyed a visit to the café, developing their independent living skills. We also learned how to make a healthy fruit salad in Food Technology, which was enjoyed by all! 

A5 also enjoyed another swimming trip and trip to the café to develop our skills, and in PE we enjoyed some classroom games, including a class favourite – Keeper of the Keys! In H&W we looked at similarities and differences in likes and dislikes between pupils.  

A fantastic regulated week enjoyed by all.  

In maths this week some students were making equal groups and some were adding equal groups of numbers and one completed 2-digit multiplication and division problems up to, and including, the 12 times table. Students also worked on problems including money. 

In English we listened to a new story called, ‘The Barnabus Project’, all about a character who was classified as a failed project. Students tried to identify the message within the story and one came up with a lovely description, ‘Be happy with who you are, no matter what you look like’. Young people designed their own imperfect character and gave them appearance and personality traits.  

In UTW we learnt about the life of the inspirational leader Nelson Mandela and his lifelong fight against Apartheid and for peace and equality in South Africa and around the World. We also learnt about the geography of South Africa and the amazing diversity across the country in its landscapes, languages, habitats and wildlife.  

In ILS students did really making a chicken stir fry in celebration of Chinese New Year. A5 all enjoyed our first visit to The Hancock Museum, getting familiar with the map and ground floor. Students discussed the importance of being seen in the dark and selected materials to use in an outfit that would be visible, when discussing community safety. 

In H&W A5 class and one of A7 students enjoyed another great swimming session and treat in the cafe, practicing money and social skills. Students also took part in chair yoga following moves and improving flexibility. 

31/01/25

A great week in A5.  

Students completed maths assessment in multiplication and division.  

All enjoyed a music lesson with Chad and students from A4 class practicing the yukele, joining in with body percussion and singing. Students did really well in rebound, collaborative classroom games and swimming in H&W.  

In UTW some students learnt about The Holocaust and wrote their hopes for the future and decorated a dove – a symbol of peace and love. We also learnt about the wonderful naturalist David Attenborough and how humans are changing the biodiversity of planet Earth. Students identified 5 ways we could be kinder to our planet to try and redress the balance. We watched a film and completed some art and craft about Chinese New Year. Students learnt about the different ways people celebrate the lunar new year and how the years came to be named after 12 animals. We researched which animal represented our birth year and the associated personality traits. 

We practiced peeling and grating when we made Carrot Cake in Food Tech and learnt about the importance of wearing bright clothes in order to be visible when out in the dark in ILS. We investigated different materials to see which would be the best to use for high visibility clothing. We visited The Discovery Museum with all students completing a Scavenger Hunt finding specific exhibits. Young people enjoyed a second visit to the Café and four students enjoyed sharing toys and playing together, which was so lovely to see. A real ‘Wow Moment’ in A5! 

We read another two of Aesop’s Fables, ‘The Wind and the Sun’ and ‘The Boy who cried Wolf’ and identified features of the story and the morals within and recalled morals from the 3 other stories we have studied. 

24/01/25

A great week in A5 this week with students all working hard with some lovely social skills.   

In Maths students studied properties of 3D shapes and sorted them into groups with similar features and one student worked on angles. Students learnt the greater than, less than and equals to signs and also played some turn-taking maths games.  

In English we identified features of three familiar Aesop’s Fables and identified the morals within the stories. 

In UTW we learnt about Emmaline Pankhurst and the Suffrogette Movement and one student created a timeline, some matched captions to photos and one used their observational skills to analyse photos. 

We had a third visit to The Discovery Museum and visited the café for the first time, giving students the opportunity to practice social interaction and money skills with library staff. We’ve also been practicing road crossing skills at a Pelican Crossing and learning about all the different types of pedestrian crossings. Students also looked at dangers, risks and hazards in the community and how to avoid them. Students did really well making a delicious Carrot and Coriander soup and most really enjoyed a bowl with some bread. We also enjoyed a chilly walk at Herrington Park due to swimming being cancelled. 

In H&W young pupil all joined in a class game called, “The Keeper of the Keys” and all did so well using skills to try and steal the keys away from the Keeper. Everyone enjoyed a good laugh with such a great classroom atmosphere. Students also enjoyed a visit to The Movement Room and most joined in a session of Chair Yoga. Young people enjoyed a music session with Chad learning how to play the Yukele and enjoyed joining in with guided movement and body percussion. 

17/01/25

We are all so proud of students in A5 Class this week – not only for their hard work academically but also for positive attitudes, personal regulation, kindness and for joining in together socially and having fun. 

In maths we continued further study of properties of 3D shapes and 1 student was also identifying and calculating angles. 

In English we looked at Aesop’s Fables ‘The Fox and the Goat’ and identified the moral of the story being ‘look before you leap….think carefully before you make a decision’ and we enjoyed an animated version of the ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ and the moral being, ‘Slow and steady wins the race….quiet determination and not giving up can help you overcome the odds’. Students included adjectives within character descriptions. 

In UTW we learnt about the remarkable life and achievements of Queen Elizabeth II. We were all impressed by one of A5 pupil’s commenting, “I admire her – she did so much for our country and gave her life to the country”. We also learnt about Sir Winston Churchill and that he was Prime Minister during WW2 and that he was only one of the 13 Prime Ministers in office during Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years reign. 

In ILS we looked at possible dangers in the community and how to avoid risk. We practiced peeling apples and most managed this independently. Students also learned the rubbing in method to make apple crumble. We visited The Discovery Museum for the second time and this week we explored the ‘History of the River Tyne’ and ‘Science’ exhibits. We’re looking forward to a visit to the café at the Museum next week. We also had great fun at Herrington Park with some trying play equipment for the first time and lovely social interaction.  

In Health and Wellbeing (H&W) most young peopled joined in a class game being brave enough to be blind folded and use their listening skills to identify challenge coming their way. Such good fun with lots of laughs. We also relaxed whilst watching a Yoga Class in preparation for joining in next week. 

A great first week back in A5 starting 2025 with students and staff sharing new year resolutions for positive change for the year ahead. 

In English we read one of Aesop’s Fables called the Golden Egg and identified the moral within the story of ‘being happy and thankful for what you have and not being greedy’.  We also learned that ‘arrogance can be overcome by quiet determination – slow and steady can win the race’, the moral within the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. 

In Maths we have been studying the properties of 3D shapes counting faces, edges and vertices and matching 2D nets to their 3D shape partner. 

In UTW we began to learn about ‘Leaders’ (our topic for this half-term) and differentiated between a Leader, teacher and follower.  Students talked about who leads and cares for them within their family and the different staff roles at Hill Top School.  We then looked at leaders of different types within society such as Barack Obama, Emmeline Pankhurst, The Dalai Lama, Queen Elizabeth II and why having leaders to follow is important. 

In ILS we revisited the rules of crossing the road safely when talking about staying safe in the community.  Students enjoyed our first visit to The Discovery Museum looking at the exhibit of The History of the North East.  A5 also learned about coping strategies to support feelings of anxiety and tips on how to improve concentration.  Students practiced peeling and chopping skills when they made chips in the Airfryer and most agreed they were really tasty. 

Students enjoyed the first swimming session of the year with some lovely social interaction between pupils.  They bought a treat in the cafe for a well-deserved reward and practiced money exchange and interaction with café staff.  A big well done to all students.