We are incredibly please with the progress that all Silver Class children are continuing to make with their counting skills. The aim is for all class members to be able to count confidently from one to twenty. We are working on many different activities to help us reach this objective. Singing is always important!

The Silver Class children have been enjoying singing the Five Little Ducks song on the class whiteboard to help us with our counting. We have been taking it in turns to count down from five to one as each little duck disappears. This is also a very visual activity, with encouragement from all staff to use the relevant Communication in Print signs and actions.

We are also able to provide plenty of one-on-one tuition to help the children with their counting. Each class member is able to work alongside an adult during our daily table activities. We have activities timetabled that are focussed specifically on the help that each pupil might need. This includes sequencing numbers on the number line, or counting backwards from ten to one.

Orange Class have been busy exploring our local community around Turney School. We are keen for the children to feel comfortable and safe in this environment. This can be achieved if we are familiar with some of the locations that are close by, and if the children are given regular opportunities to visit these.

One of the local features that we are visiting weekly in Orange Class is the Turney School allotment. The children have planted some sunflower seeds. We are now looking after these by watering them each week and keeping them free of weeds. The children are observing any growth, as well as keeping a regular video diary. Other activities at the allotment include general tidying up of our own patch, and making sure that the ground remains moist. You can watch some of our Orange Class gardeners taking care of their responsibilities in the video above.

To help the children understand where the allotments are in relation to other nearby locations we have produced some maps of our local area. These include facilities such as bus stops, zebra crossings, shops, churches and Brockwell Park. We have asked the children to think about where each feature on the map needs to be placed in relation to other items.

Elsewhere around Orange Class and the children have been continuing to make progress with our current class topic all about the country of Kenya. We are reading a non-fiction book that has provided the children with many facts about the country. We have learnt that Kenya is not a rich country. Many of the children play with homemade toys. Orange Class have used a series of recyclable materials to make their own toys to play with.

Finally in Orange Class and we simply love the tai dye materials that we have been making! The children have been experimenting with this technique during art lessons to produce some stunning patterns.

Green Class have started to read a new class book that will become our main focus for the remainder of the summer term. The children are greatly enjoying Room on the Broom, a book by Julia Donaldson that tells the story of a kind witch and her cat who invites a number of other animals to join them whilst traveling on her broomstick. We have started this work by understanding a little more about each of the new characters that we are reading about.

Related to this work is the current Green Class focus on Jolly Phonics. We are spending a great amount of time throughout the summer term in helping the pupils to improve their various levels of phonic work. Word blending has been one of our main areas for improvement. This refers to how different letters can make a new sound when connected together. We are keen for the Green Class pupils to identify as many of these as possible.

Our Healthy science topic also continues. Green Class have been looking at how a healthy diet is important for us to grow. We have looked at sandwiches and suitable fillings for a healthy meal. This work had a practical element to it with some sandwich making sessions taking place in Green Class.

Finally we are all looking forward to continuing our swimming sessions at the nearby Brockwell Lido.

Yellow Class have been working on their clock reading skills during our recent maths work lessons. We have used the structure of various events during our own day to help the children to relate to various times. Examples include waking up, having breakfast, going to school, eating lunch, washing in the evening and then finally going to bed.

We asked each child at what time of the day they carry out these activities. We then drew these times on a series of analogue clock faces on our worksheets. We then helped the Yellow Class children to write a sentence to explain at what time of the day each event takes place: I wake up at 7 ‘O clock. You can watch a short video explaining this work above.

Class 1M have been continuing their work based around time and clocks during our recent maths lessons. We started this work by looking at an analogue clock. We asked the pupils to identify that this type of clock contains a short hour hand and a long minute hand.

Our maths work then moved on to consider some of the new words or phrases that are associated with telling the time. Class 1M have become familiar with terms such as ‘O clock or half past.

We then showed a series of analogue clocks on the class whiteboard. Our task was to identify the correct time from a couple of choices, using our knowledge of what to look for with the hour and minute hands.

The confidence in Class 1M improved greatly and so we then introduced the pupils to the idea of a digital clock. We explained how both an analogue and digital clock could both be telling the same time. We played another game on the class whiteboard, this time matching up the two types of clock that are both displaying a similar time.

We finished off our current maths work by playing a game of Beat the Clock, and then singing the Tick Tock song that we have been learning over recent weeks. This involves plenty of actions, all helping us to tell the time.

Class 1G are coming towards the end of the current science topic looking at plants and how they grow. All pupils are now able to identify the different parts found in plants, as well as understanding how each part plays a role in helping the plants to grow.

We have also looked at the conditions that are needed for plants to grow – water and plenty of sunlight. We have also introduced the idea of the life cycle of plants. This is scientific explanation that shows a seed develop into a seedling, and then an adult plant. Class 1G have been completing a life cycle diagram together on the class whiteboard.

Our science table work in Class 1G has been able to provide each pupil with a learning exercise that matches their own personal needs. Some pupils have been labeling the different part of the life cycle; others have been writing sentences to explain what happens as plants grow from seeds into large plants.

Class 3J have produced some stunning pieces of artwork as part of our recent study of Pop Art. The pupils have been looking at the work of artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. We have held class discussions about how Pop Art looks different to other more traditional forms of artwork that we are all familiar with. Class 3J identified that there is a strong use of bold colours, as well as containing some ideas also found in cartoon designs. We also discussed the idea that Pop Art can often contain a powerful message.

We then asked the pupils to view in greater detail some of the more famous pieces of Pop Art that are available. Using these as a stimulus for their own ideas, each class 3J member has produced their own piece of Pop Art. The pupils chose their own colours, thinking about how this style of work is most effective when there is a strong variety of primary colours. We are proud to present a selection of the Class 3J Pop Art work in the gallery below.

Our geography work in Class 10A has recently involved looking at the changing structures of modern day cities. We have held a class discussion looking at how inner cities contain tall buildings in the centre of the city, and then smaller residential housing around the edges of the suburbs. To help demonstrate this Class 10A have built their own model of a city centre. We thought carefully where to place the tall buildings, and then to work our way out with smaller housing around the edges of the city.

We have linked this work to our own experiences of living in London. We encouraged the pupils to think about what type of buildings they can see around them where they live. Using this information we should then be able to explain which part of the city where we personally live.

Most class members decided that they can see some tall buildings around their homes and close to Turney School, but not as many as we can see in other parts of London. We were therefore able to conclude that we don’t live in the very centre of London, but somewhere in-between the city and the suburbs.

Class 3J have been continuing to explore different foods from around the world during our recent Food Technology sessions. Our main topic for this term involves looking at food from other cultures, and then assessing how they differ in taste, depending on each region.

There is a very practical element to this work. Past Food Tech dishes that we have prepared have included Chinese spring rolls, Moroccan couscous and a curried pasta salad from India. Our attention turned towards Italy for a recent session as Class 3J designed and then baked an Italian chicken vegetable pizza.

The pupils started this exercise by making the pizza dough themselves. We followed carefully the instructions, making sure that we measured the exact amount of each ingredient required for the pizza base. Once the dough was ready, we then cooked the chicken pieces that would become the main ingredient.

To help add a little variety to our dish, a number of vegetable toppings were also added. These included peppers, spring onions, mushrooms and courgettes. The pupils remembered to cut the vegetables to a similar size. We didn’t want some to cook through more than others.

Finally we placed the pizzas in the oven, and cooked for them for the required time. Class 3J then self-evaluated this exercise by offering an honest opinion as to how the food tasted. We also compared the taste to some of the food that we have been baking from other cultures around the world. You can watch a short video above explaining our Food Tech work in Class 3J.

24th May – local police visiting Yellow Class to talk about Stranger Danger.

24th May – Class 1M visiting the school allotment.

24th May – end of term.

3rd June – Pupils return for teaching.

10th June – Class 10 work experience week – three pupils at Clapham College.

12th June – Yellow Class assembly.

13th June – Class 3J assembly.

14th June – Class 11 Leaver’s Assembly, 2:30pm. All family, friends and carers of Class 11 pupils welcome.

20th June – school dental inspection.

25th June – Sports Morning at Dulwich College.

27th June – Class 2S assembly.

9th July – School Open Afternoon – please contact the school office to express an interest.

11th July – Class 1M assembly.

28th July – last day of term.

Orange Class have been busy exploring our local community around Turney School. We are keen for the children to feel comfortable and safe in this environment. This can be achieved if we are familiar with some of the locations that are close by, and if the children are given regular opportunities to visit these.

One of the local features that we are visiting weekly in Orange Class is the Turney School allotment. The children have planted some sunflower seeds. We are now looking after these by watering them each week and keeping them free of weeds. The children are observing any growth, as well as keeping a regular video diary. Other activities at the allotment include general tidying up of our own patch, and making sure that the ground remains moist. You can watch some of our Orange Class gardeners taking care of their responsibilities in the video above.

To help the children understand where the allotments are in relation to other nearby locations we have produced some maps of our local area. These include facilities such as bus stops, zebra crossings, shops, churches and Brockwell Park. We have asked the children to think about where each feature on the map needs to be placed in relation to other items.

Elsewhere around Orange Class and the children have been continuing to make progress with our current class topic all about the country of Kenya. We are reading a non-fiction book that has provided the children with many facts about the country. We have learnt that Kenya is not a rich country. Many of the children play with homemade toys. Orange Class have used a series of recyclable materials to make their own toys to play with.

Finally in Orange Class and we simply love the tai dye materials that we have been making! The children have been experimenting with this technique during art lessons to produce some stunning patterns.

We are incredibly please with the progress that all Silver Class children are continuing to make with their counting skills. The aim is for all class members to be able to count confidently from one to twenty. We are working on many different activities to help us reach this objective. Singing is always important!

The Silver Class children have been enjoying singing the Five Little Ducks song on the class whiteboard to help us with our counting. We have been taking it in turns to count down from five to one as each little duck disappears. This is also a very visual activity, with encouragement from all staff to use the relevant Communication in Print signs and actions.

We are also able to provide plenty of one-on-one tuition to help the children with their counting. Each class member is able to work alongside an adult during our daily table activities. We have activities timetabled that are focussed specifically on the help that each pupil might need. This includes sequencing numbers on the number line, or counting backwards from ten to one.

We have many great activities to look forward to in Orange Class throughout the new summer term. In science lessons the pupils will be looking at healthy plant growth. We have started to plan our weekly trips to the nearby allotments and to think about what we might want to grow. Orange Class will be planting, watering and weeding around the allotments. We will be monitoring the growth of the plants via a video diary that we are hopeful of producing. We will also share the results on the school website.

Orange Class will be starting an exciting new topic in literacy, learning all about the country of Kenya. To help us with this task we will be making the most of the Turney School library and the reference books that we have about Kenya. In particular, the children will be exploring the geography of the country, looking at mountains, waters and whereabouts different people live. This will lead towards a look at the Masai tribe, the native group of people in Kenya.

Our artwork in Orange Class will continue with the Kenyan theme. We will be introducing the children to the idea of shadow drawing. Having created a stunning Kenyan backdrop, we will then be placing some silhouettes on our pictures of some of the animals found in the country.

We are also keen for the Orange Class pupils to learn more about Turney School as they prepare to possibly enter new classes in the new school year. We will be looking at the school environment, and learning how to identify where we can find the school canteen, the playground or the toilets on a school map. You can watch an early example of this in the video above – one of our Orange Class pupils provides a guided tour around our classroom at Turney School.

Green Class have started the new summer term with many different activities planned across the curriculum. Our Science work will look at healthy eating and why it is so important for our growth. We will be designing a healthy sandwich that will contain ingredients that are unique to our personal taste, as well as being incredibly healthy to eat. The pupils will take part in plenty of sorting activities around this topic. We want to be able to distinguish foods or fruit not only by their colour, but also ingredients that might belong to a similar food group.

We have started reading the Three Billy Goats Gruff as one of our main literacy books for this term. This is a fantastic story in being able to offer plenty of role-play opportunities during our drama lessons. We will be extending this activity to help tell the Three Billy Goats Gruff story to our other friends around the school during a forthcoming Green Class assembly.

Finally we are all looking forward to our weekly visits to the nearby Brockwell Park. Green Class will be walking to Brockwell every Friday to help us keep fit, as well as to explore the community in which we live. We are hopeful of taking plenty of photographs and observing what is changing in the park during our regular visits.