Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery

Following as inspirational visit by Dr. David Hemery at the end of the Summer Term 2014, Ian Rose visited the school as part of the 'Be the best you can be!' Programme.  He shared his story about how he became partially sighted and how he has, and is, working hard to be the best he can be.  Children from every year group spent time with Ian in their classrooms and saw some of his paralympic Judo medals. #EPIC!

Becky Jane, a Reading Footballer also training with England, visited school to inspire the children with her experiences.  Becky also works for West Berkshire Council, encouraging healthy living and Walking to school.  She took the School Council Representative on a walk in the area to research a Walking Zone around school.  In the Summer term, some of the Year Six girls went to the Madjeski Stadium and watched Becky play.

Gill Lewis visited school as part of an event for the Education Library Service.  Other local schools came too to share Gill's writing strategies, practises and stories.  Very exciting!

Local authour, Barbara Townsend, visited the Lower Juniors to share her stories including The Savernake Belly Oak.

Paul Wooton visited children in Y4-6 to explain why he became an author after being a local head teacher.  He explained how he got his ideas and read some of his stories to the children.

Children in every year group have been taking part in cookery in our Curriculum Kitchen, learning how to cook every day meals over a six week programme.  Four Y6 chilren also designed, practised and the executed a three course meal at Trinity School as part of the local partnership of school's Master Chef competition.

All the children have art sessions with our Art Technician for a short programme linked to their topics.  From the Nursery to Y6, the children gain new skills and work with different mediums to create some amazing pieces of art. e.g.  Nursery Christmas Cards, Infants Resist Scenes, Lower Junior Tudor Portraits and Upper Junior Element Prints.

We are very lucky to have our own kiln at Robert Sandilands, so the children in all phases of school learn to work with clay.

The school's sports teams have been busy! Events have included LJ football games, Junior Indoor Five aside competitions for boys and girls, Junior Football games and the Junior Cross Country Championships.  Y5 Fencers competed against other local schools, as did the Y6 Archery Team.  6 of our swimmers made the Gala Finals too.

Sports Day was very successful with Berkeley House winning the Half Way Trophy and the overall Sports Day Cup.  Congratulations to all for a very sporting and competitive day with all pupils trying to be the best they could be!

Children in Y3 and Y5 are being taught instruments with a visiting teacher from Trinity school.  For a year, Y3 are learning the recorder and Y5, the clarinet.

The school choir were invited to perform at the Corn Exchange as part of The Salvation Army's Christmas Concert.  This event happens every year involving a different local school; it was lovely to be invited back to perform our own Christmass songs, as well as hymns with their Regional brass band.  A very proud evening!

The Spring Concert was a great success with children from Y2 to Y6 playing their instruments to a friendly audience!  The choir also performed a range of songs Joseph and his technicoloured dreamcoat.  Two past pupils also came back to perform for us, showing how their musical talents have developed since they left Robert Sandilands; hugely inspiring!

Each year, Robert Sandilands supports a local, national or international charity.  This year, as part of our Harvest Celebrations, we created Christmas Boxes to send overseas as part of The Samaritan's Purse project.  We sent 41 boxes! Wow!

We also support Gene for Jeans Day and the Poppy Appeal, as well as Bags for School for our Library and events in support of FORS.

During the weeks before the General Election, the Junior children learned about the leaders of the main political parties and their policies.  On election day, they went to the polls!  Ever junior child visited our polling station and cast their vote in the booth, then posted their ballot paper in the box. The results were very interesting and caused great discussion about what could happen for real! 

Children are taken beyond the classroom to enrich their learning, visit different environments and experience the changing seasons.

Opportunities beyond the school site have included bug hunting in Speen Woods, canal walking along the Kennet and Avon, Thatcham Discovery Centre visits, supermarket shopping trips, pet shop visits, Christmas and Easter church sessions, potato planting and harvesting activites, as well as many further outdoor sessions within the school grounds.

Children have also been taken on school trips, for example, Y5 and 6 Houses of Parliament and London Sights, Y3 and 4 Hampton Court and KS1 Bracknell Discovery Centre and Cotswold Wildlife Park, to name but a few....  and there are more to come!

On the last day of the Sumemr Term, the school and community celebrated the school year.  Progress and House Awards were given across the school and trophies for Friendship, Art, Dance, Academic Excellence, Academic Progress, Endeavour and Citizenship were awarded.  We said goodbye t our current Year Six children, members of staff who are leaving us and children and their families who are also moving on.  Enjoy the summer!