Welcome to 3C's class blog. Here you will see regular updates from our class giving you an insight into the work we get up to.
19/01/26
In English this week we have been linking Varmints to environmental waste. We discussed why the irresponsible actions of humans can impact on the environment. We looked at how polluting the land, rivers and oceans can harm animals. Some students investigated animals that are in danger of extinction and wrote a piece of work based around that animal. Ms. Dove was very impressed with the effort students made. In Maths we looked at strategies for solving addition and subtraction word problems. In science we experimented with looking at our reflection in a mirror and drawing what we saw then compared our reflection with our self by looking in the bathroom mirror. In PSHE we discussed what might affect us having a poor night’s sleep. Most students were surprised they were not getting enough sleep to help them navigate a day. In Drama 3C have completed their first look at the first 2 acts of the story of Hamlet, running through the final scene, taking on the parts of characters and considering the characters' actions. They are demonstrating understanding of the characters' emotions and have even given some compelling expression to the moment. Mrs. Pearson is very proud of the whole group. In ILS there should be no excuses for the young people washing their own clothes as we have been practicing using a washing machine and an airer. In Food Tec it was sausage rolls all round, well long!
Finally, well done to all the young people who attended the swimming gala. To come back with a medal is great but to win the gala and be given the trophy was amazing!
12/01/26
In English this week we have continued discussing the contents of Varmints. We found out the meaning of the words irritating and obnoxious and discussed what annoyed us. School was a popular answer! In Maths we worked hard on converting between mms and cms. We need to work a little bit more on metres. In history we looked at an Anglo-Saxon dwelling. In Geography we started a topic about farming in the UK. We looked at what you might find on a farm. We also found out what animal produces which product. This linked nicely into PSHE which this term is around healthy eating. We drew items on a plate to see if what we are eating is part of a balanced diet. Mr. Pallas tested everyone’s stamina in P.E. using the ‘beep test.’ Some people could move quicker that others. In Science we looked at different ways of creating light and darkness. In Drama this week his week 3C have been completing their personality quiz and are all ready to start looking at the results.
05/01/26
Happy New Year.
We hope you have all had a restful and fun break. Miss Elwin has been very busy this week making sure that 3C ‘hit the ground running.’ Ms. Dove is off poorly with flu and a tummy bug that has been experienced by many in school already. She is hoping to be back on Monday.
This week 3C have completed baselines in English, PSHE, History and Geography. In Maths we are doing a topic based around using measurement in mm, cm and m. Some students needed support in knowing how to use a ruler. In English our topic is based around the book Varmints by Helen Ward. It is a haunting, evocative dark tale with striking, surreal illustrations which tells a mysterious tale of a threatened natural world, and a hopeful new start. Alongside this story we will focus on dictionary work and continue to improve our reading and comprehension skills through the RWI programme. In ILS we hope to get into the locality to practice crossing the road safely but obviously that will be weather permitting. As part of ILS this term students will be learning about how they can wash, iron and put their own clothes away rather than relying on another adult to do it for them. In PSHE there will be links with healthy eating and how advertisements can influence our choice of what to eat. In Science our topic is ‘Light.’ Students will learn about different light sources, such as natural like the sun or artificial like a lamp and how light can be both visible by the human eye and invisible such as infrared, UV, and X-rays.
And finally, from Mrs. Pearson - 3C have made an excellent start to our work on a scripted drama this week. They have started character exploration by exploring the character they know best in the world: themselves! They have all been very honest and brave in identifying weaknesses and strengths in their personalities. Well done!
08/12/25
We are on the countdown to Christmas but the work still needed to be done much to the disappointment of the young people.
In English we wrote some excellent descriptions of the settings of Robin Robin and a Christmas Market. To prepare we had a virtual tour of a London Christmas market. This helped the students to write about what they could see and hear. In Math’s our focus was on halves and quarters of amounts. In PSHE we used some scenario cards based on kindness and commented on things we can do to be kind to others. I Science it was all about the Water Cycle. Some students could remember aspects of the water cycle from when they were in Year 6 Primary. In Drama we have perfected our stage voices. In P.E. Mr. Pallas focused on fun activities.
Just a reminder that Tuesday is Holmside Park fun day and Wednesday is Christmas lunch and Christmas jumper day.
Also, we break up on Friday to return on Monday 5th January 202
01/12/25
We were still on a high for winning the bid to go to Holmside Park on 16.12.25. Everyone has returned their forms in time, so thank-you.
This week in English we have been recalling lines from the poem ‘Twas the night before Christmas. We sequenced the poem using illustrations. All students are improving with spellings. We are challenged with ten spellings each week that come from the common word’s students ask for when writing. Practicing these words can, and often is, cross-curricular. Reading has also improved. Mrs. Williams assessed the whole group and some students are now moving onto group rather than 1:1 reading. In Math’s we started the topic of fractions. Students became familiar with both the words and symbols associated with half and quarter. In PSHE we continued working on strategies we could use to either support ourselves or a friend who was being bullied. Next week we will be looking at cyber-bulling. In science we looked at wonderful water and all the different states water can be. In P.E. it was team games. It is good to see all students joining in, but please remind your young person to dress appropriately or bring kit to change into.
Finally, the excitement is building. Next Wednesday (10.12.25.) 6th form are holding a coffee morning and raffle. If you would like your child to attend the cost is £1 for a drink and a cake. Raffle tickets start from £1. You should have received a letter about the Newcastle United raffle being run by the Friends of Hill Top which is £10 a ticket. Two more weeks to go and counting!
24/11/25
In Drama this week 3C have been learning about Aeolian harp music and using their knowledge of inter-related dimensions to describe a piece by Roger Whinfield. In English we have been gathering information for Christmas around the world. In Math’s we have been stepping things up with multiplication tables by mixing them up and adding some division problems into them. In PSHE we worked in groups to read scenario cards about different challenges young people can face. We then decided as a group whether they were problems that could be resolved by an individual or whether it would be a good idea to ask for adult support.
Over the last few weeks we have been working on a very special project. We have been putting information together to present to the Key Fund. The Key Fund allow young people to present their work to bid for funding for special treats. We decided a few weeks ago that we would like to improve our motional wellbeing by taking a visit to Holmside Park. We wrote about how this visit would help our emotional wellbeing and how it would support us with making new friends. We designed and made several banners, worked out the route, did really hard sums to work out how much money we would need for everyone to have a good time. In other words, we worked hard. We then had to put a presentation together and read out loud to the panel.
After all of the above and a tense wait we found out ………
WE WON!
So, all being well we will go to Holmside Park on the 16.12.25.
17/11/25
Did you know Father Christmas is called different names in different countries? Well 3C do as they have been investigating Father Christmas and what his role is in different countries around the world. In Math’s it has been the turn of the 4 and 8 times tables. These were a little tricky for some students, so they may need to practice these at home. In science we looked at melting. We used Maltesers to see how long it took for a Malteser to melt in our mouth. Some had to try this experiment several times to ‘check their results were accurate!’ In PSHE we had a discussion on whether something was rude, mean or bullying. In Geography we looked at maps of the area around our school for features such as buildings, places of interest and land use. In Drama 3C have been exploring how our thoughts and feelings can affect the way we react to situations. They have been looking at how different personalities can go into the same situation and react differently. They have experimented with physical theatre techniques to discover more about their own friendship skills.
10/11/25
In English this week we have been looking at how Christmas was celebrated 100 years ago. We were able to watch a video from Beamish museum where the storyteller talked about hanging a ‘kissing bow’ on the front door of their house. We learnt that Christmas involved some traditions like hanging up stockings, something some of 3C still do in their homes at Christmas. In Math’s we were doing activities around the 2, 5, and 10 times tables and using what we learnt to solve division problems. In Science we sorted pictures into solid, liquid and gases. IN PSHE we looked at emotive language to link it to bullying and discrimination. In Drama we liked our work to the poem ‘’Twas the night before Christmas.”
As it was Michael Rosen day on Thursday we decided to write some poems based around Michael Rosen’s poem called ‘I know someone.’ We passed our results to Mrs. Williams to add to her collection of great work.
03/11/25
This week in 3C the focus has been to familiarize students with their targets for the term and tie up loose ends on projects started in Autumn term 1.
In English we are starting a poetry module based on ‘Twas the night before Christmas. The aim is that students will understand the context of the poem, character and setting, as well as develop their understanding of poetry, rhythm and rhyme. In Math’s there are three topics: multiplication tables, fractions and measuring length. In PSHE our focus this term is emotional wellbeing, bullying and discrimination. Students will firstly understand what emotional wellbeing. In Science we are starting a new topic based on states of matter, understanding the properties of solids, liquids and gases. In ILS we are going to focus on keeping ourselves safe in the community.
29/9/25
A huge thank-you goes to Miss Elwin this week for holding the fort whilst Ms. Dove was not in school.
In English this week students used the internet and library books to find information about a creature. The focus was on finding and writing a list of important features and writing a few sentences about what food their creature likes to eat and where they live. In Maths we worked on Mymaths tasks linked to addition using practical equipment as support. Students were introduced to formal methods of subtraction using partitioning as a starting point.
In Science students sorted different creatures in their different habitats. In History students labelled a picture of a Roman soldier. In P.S.H.E. students looked at internet safety as a result of things they have seen online and heard on the programme Newsround. In ILS students looked at who they need to contact if they need support. In Drama 3C have been exploring emotional states - in self and as a character - and different strategies for self-regulation, identifying how our bodies feel when they are calm and selecting strategies that are most effective for them.
22/9/25
In English we have been working on simple reading comprehension tasks in groups. Read, Write Inc. is going well and all students are trying their best to improve their understanding of spelling patterns. Students have spent time in our school library looking at non-fiction books on topics they want to explore further.
In Maths we have started formal methods in addition using ten rods and ones. Students have learnt how to use a number square to 100. They have learnt the symbols for greater than, less than and equal to and used their knowledge to problem solve.
In Science we looked at what are inherited features and what are environmental. Students compared how they look to members of their family. They also did a sorting activity looking at images of young people and tried to match the siblings.
PSHE…….it’s the birds and bees time! Using the programme ‘Operation Ouch,’ we sensitively started discussing sex. A topic we will be visiting a few times over the next few weeks. Whilst some young people felt ‘it wasn’t for them,’ most behaved in a very positive way and had lots of questions.
In R.E. we continue to explore Christianity. In History students learnt about why the Roman’s built roads and how they explored Britain by linking important towns.
15/09/25
This week 3C have been exploring how our thoughts and feelings can affect the way we react to situations. They have been looking at how different personalities can go into the same situation and react differently. They have experimented with physical theatre techniques to discover more about their own friendship skills.
They are starting to understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction to support work going forward on non-chronological report writing. Everyone has picked up with their understanding of reading out aloud with an adult supporting them. In Maths they are working on number bonds, greater than and less than a given number.
In science we have looked at inheritance and variation linked to family members. Most students understood that their birth parent played a part in how they look and how their peers have similarities and differences to them. P.S.H.E. has been around what is meant by consent in all forms of relationships. Next week we will be talking about contraception and how consent fits into loving relationships.
We have started the topic of the Romans. Already we have learnt how and why the Romans invaded Britain.
