BH@Home

BH@Home

During BH@Home it became apparent that our Pupil Profi le actually applies to both children and staff. The team had to react quickly, yet decisively and with an understanding that everybody was experiencing a completely unique situation in very personal ways. Barrow Hills came through this time stronger, more resilient and better prepared (for greater things) having followed the characteristics of the Profi le. The community was: Curious about exploring new possibilities and developing new strategies; Brave when meeting the new challenges presented; Scholarly in the way that we learnt and in developing our love of learning in many new mediums; Compassionate towards others in the School and in the wider world;

Generous of spirit, and in sharing our time and our gifts; Joyful in our appreciation of our families, our friendships, our School and the world; Truthful and true to ourselves in offering and accepting support from one another; Responsible in what we have said and in what we have done.

A full programme of remote learning was swiftly in place as lockdown loomed, the photos are just a handful of examples of the children embracing this new way of learning. They sung along with the music department, they ran, hopped, skipped, jumped and cycled miles with Mrs Burnett, they practised their techniques with the sports department, they had a ball with Madame Early cooking, singing and telling jokes in French. Geography@ Home encompassed ant theme parks, Science@Home saw the Wacky Scientist Competition. English and drama remotely included creative writing and talent shows with Mrs Mason, Mrs Campbell-John and Mrs Goedkoop. Forest School@Home continued under the guidance of Mrs Wilson and weekly activities ranged from yoga, to litter picking, from cookery to fi rst aid qualifi cations. Year 8 embraced a Toilet Roll Challenge and the key worker children enjoyed celebrating VE Day at school. This is far from an exhaustive list but demonstrates the creativity and forward thinking shown across the year groups from Nursery to Year 8 and all subjects as teaching and learning continued during this time.

BHArt@Home

What a year it has been for art at Barrow Hills. We are extremely proud of our Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 children who entered the King Edward’s Spring Art Show. Congratulations to Tilly (7G) who came 3rd in her category. She entered a mixed media piece titled ‘Fight or Flight’ which featured two atmospheric and action packed horses. The Kindness and Community Art Project was established in May, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced our school into lockdown. It was a new initiative that aimed to use and take advantage of art’s healing powers. The project provided an opportunity for children from both Barrow Hills and King Edward’s Witley to unite through the medium of art, generating a sense of connection and community. As part of their artwork during the summer term, children were asked to draw a portrait of their ‘helper’ or hero’. They obviously value their teachers, as some of the likenesses were uncanny! The Art Scholars Google Classroom page buzzed with activity throughout lockdown. Special thanks to Tilly (7G), Jessica (7G), Fraser (8G), NJ (7G), Sascha (8G), Isobel (8G), Heidi (5G) and Phoebe (7G) for entering some stunning extra-curricular artworks. These really did brighten lockdown for Barrow Hills.

Miss Edwards

Sport in Lockdown

The Sports Department created a Lockdown Challenge for all of our children in Nursery through to Year 8. What was the challenge? Children had to complete four sporting activities a week and the distance or number of throws differed depending on age group. Children could achieve bronze, silver or gold in each activity. Monday - go for a walk Tuesday - throw and catch a ball Wednesday - bike ride Thursday - circuits Friday - run In order for Year 8 to achieve gold they needed to walk 6km, throw a ball over 25m (50 times), cycle 13km, complete four sets of circuits and run 6km. They had to do this every week for three weeks. The teachers were overwhelmed with the response and 109 of our children achieved a medal. Well done!

Lockdown Writing

When we went into Lockdown I felt very happy that we had an extra week off school but then I felt scared about school, friends and family. The global pandemic of COVID19 was spreading around the world and people became more nervous about death rates and trying to make supermarkets safe for people to shop for food. I was very sad and lonely in Lockdown because I could not see anyone and do anything with family and go to places because they were all closed.

A few weeks into Lockdown it became clear that it was going to be a long space of time doing nothing and being cautious about keeping safe. Also, the streets were very quiet and you could hear all of the birds singing loudly. I loved going to the supermarket. It made me happy being able to see people’s faces and go out of my house for the first time in a long time.

I found online learning fun as it was good to try something new, but it was also sad because you could only see your friends on a screen. At the time, I did not have a phone so I could not communicate with my friends and family. To keep busy, I would go on long cycle rides and cook lots of yummy treats and meals. My two favourite meals that I cooked were the pizzas that I made for DT and my white bread rolls I made with my granny over facetime. I also loved doing arts and crafts such as writing poems and decorating them. I also made coasters for family and friends.

I felt very happy when Lockdown started to ease because I could start to see my family for the first time in two months. I was very happy that I could go back to school and see my friends again. At first going back to school was quite strange because we all had to wash our hands and chromebooks a lot more than usual and we had to stay two metres apart at all times. I had a lot of fun being back with my friends.

Rosie (6R) Lockdown definitely came as a surprise. I was not expecting it. I had no idea at all what we were going to do and I was quite nervous. I was also scared that the world would now have to quarantine. I didn’t know how we were going to learn. Then I was shown Google classroom. It seemed confusing at first but after my first lesson I understood. I felt quite lonely and not being able to see my friends was tough but it was lovely to meet them online or send them an email. I felt quite stuck as I was used to doing things freely but now everything was different and restricted with only one hour of exercise and only being able to leave to go and shop for food in the supermarket.

After a few weeks in quarantine I had got the hand of home learning and the new rules but I still felt a bit bored and trapped. To entertain myself, I played board games and baked cakes. We also enjoyed family movie nights and played party games which gave us something to look forward to in the week. I couldn’t see my family and grandparents so it was fun to facetime them to catch up and to write them letters which they really seemed to like. We saved our exercise until the evening and we went on a walk at night so we could see the sun set over the forest. It was quiet and calm. It felt strange in the supermarket, not being able to just walk in normally and having to do things in a certain way.

When Lockdown started to ease and everything was thinking of opening, it was great driving past my favourite shops and seeing opening dates posted on the windows. Then I heard school was opening. I was excited and happy to see the school and my friends but I was nervous and confused as to how it would work. So many ideas and questions were whizzing through my head! It was exciting. I loved reading all the rules and talking to my friends about it. When the day arrived, I couldn’t wait to get there and I got ready super fast. I was very happy that this pandemic was hopefully nearly over…

Overall, it was a relief to be back at school. I managed to get through Lockdown and I did not want to go through that again. Spending time with my family and friends got me through this tricky time.

Matilda (6G)