Year 8 Team

The Year 8 team hit the ground running in 2021 and began the year with an action-packed camp to Hanmer Springs in the second week of Term 1. We spent three fun-filled days mountain biking, tree climbing, and orienteering among other exciting activities. The weather was superb, and the sun shone brightly throughout our stay. The camp was a great opportunity for teachers and students to get to know one another at the beginning of the year and was a great temporary substitute for our traditional camp at Castle Hill. Teachers were also able to identify students who showed strong leadership qualities and sound problemsolving skills as students tried to combat the various challenges set before them. The last day was spent at the thermal pools and this provided a relaxing end to a very busy and productive three days.

The Senior Literacy programme continued to go from strength to strength in 2021. The consistent and sustained use of the online Reading Plus program, together with group-based instructional reading programmes in each class, have resulted in improved reading outcomes across the syndicate. Regular novel study units have also helped to maintain good independent reading habits among Year 8 students, and the use of Education Perfect has assisted teachers to target specific areas of learning. Continued assistance from our outstanding Learning Support team have also helped to raise achievement and regular benchmark testing enabled teachers to target areas of need effectively and quickly. Regular writing moderation meetings enabled the Year 8 Syndicate to achieve more consistency across the year group and the use of devices, Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Teams, allowed for more collaboration between teachers and students alike.

Year 8 Mathematics interchange was very successful, and we were again lucky to have the services of Mrs Pettit as an additional teacher. Smaller class sizes and targeted group teaching greatly improved student outcomes and the regularity of Mathematics lessons also helped to raise achievement and student confidence. The use of MathsBuddy and Education Perfect continue to be an excellent way for students to reinforce the learning presented to them by their teachers, and a strong focus on problemsolving throughout the year has seen students frequently collaborate to achieve shared outcomes. Regular practice and testing of multiplication and division basic facts within Mathematics classes have also had a positive impact across the year group.

The ICT Department can again be commended for their ongoing commitment to assisting Year 8 teachers to implement elements of the Digital Technologies curriculum. Year 8 students will benefit hugely from the introduction they have had to computational thinking this year. Microsoft Teams and OneNote were used successfully across the syndicate and will continue to be used to enhance the learning experience of students as they transition into Year 9.

The Year 8 Syndicate were very wellprepared for lockdown learning and managed the enforced lockdown, due to COVID-19, with great professionalism and energy. Many lessons were learnt

during 2020 and the learning from home programme was already in place before the country re-entered Level 4. Regular faceto-face meetings using Microsoft Teams allowed teachers to continue working with students in much the same way as happens while at school. Teachers focused strongly on student well-being and worked hard to provide a challenging but achievable programme for each individual learner. The use of ‘breakout rooms’ within Microsoft Teams allowed students to connect with each other regularly and the benefits of maintaining these connections were evident when students eventually returned to school.

The Travellers programme ran successfully between Terms 2 and 4 and has been a great way to assist the well-being of several Year 8 students. Continued promotion of growth mindsets across classrooms have encouraged positive attitudes to learning across the syndicate and helped students recover quickly from setbacks. The implementation of StAC-UP as a way of managing behaviour and restorative practice to solve problems and/ or disagreements has been successful for the Year 8 Syndicate and have helped to improve relationships across the school.

Student leadership opportunities were popular within the syndicate, with over 60 per cent of the year group holding leadership roles. Prefects and sacristans led by example and the continuation of our peer mediation system provided opportunities for some Year 8 students to practice skills in real-life situations. House and Sport Captains fulfilled several duties throughout the year and their enthusiasm and commitment to their roles was hugely commendable. The Year 8 Transition programme to Year 9 went well mainly due to improved lines of communication between the Preparatory School and Middle School. It ensured our students felt good about the end of Year 8 and what will no doubt be a smooth transition into the Secondary School in 2022.

The Year 8 group of 2021 was superb. They met challenges with great enthusiasm and maintained their good humour, and importantly, their kindness and respect throughout the year. It was a great privilege to be a part of the Year 8 team and an even greater honour to be able to lead such an outstanding group of young people. I wish each child all the very best for the future and congratulate them all for the completion of Preparatory School.

Morgan Sheppard

Year 8 Team Leader