Striving to achieve the most we can. Throughout the year, we provide an exciting and varied curriculum which enables pupils to develop key reading, writing and mathematical skills as well as promoting a love of learning and developing essential life skills including problem solving, self-awareness and social skills, managing feelings, empathy, reasoning and creative thinking.
Teaching is also undertaken outside the classroom during carefully planned visits/activities which allow the pupils to demonstrate their confidence in a range of situations. This helps learners to consolidate and apply their skills to different contexts; therefore, extending their learning.
Week Commencing 28/06/2021
Oak class had such an exciting week. We have been working at The Bridge helping VIY to build tables and benches for the cafe.
It was great to see all our design ideas come to life. Students used a range of skills in order to correctly assemble and build the main tables for the cafe and the benches for the decked area outside. They all listened to and followed the safety instructions when using the different tools.
On Wednesday, the cafe name was revealed and to our surprise, our name was the chosen winner!! The chosen name is “The Copper Pipe”. The students and staff were all very happy to have won the competition and we were presented with a cheque for £50 from Maxine from the Cambeth Community Project.
We are all looking forward to September when the cafe will open, especially knowing that our students were not only involved in the design stages but built the tables and came up with the name. Well done Oak class for all their hard work and determination.
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Week Commencing 21/06/2021
This week all students in Oak class have been on their Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
The Bronze cohort went on Monday for 1 night and the Silver followed on Wednesday for 2 nights. They have all camped at Walesby Forest and were able to set up their own tents and equipment. They helped cook the meals for camp and some were even happy to wash up!! Going on the expedition has given them the chance to have an adventure, work as a team and act on their own initiative. We are so proud of all the students for the dedication they have shown throughout the programme and hope they all decide to move onto the next level of the award. We will add the photos of the Silver group next week when they return.
The students that were in school have been completing their work on money in maths and writing assessments in English. All students passed both their reading and writing practice paper which was an amazing achievement.
We have been baking on Thursday and students were able to follow recipes, weigh ingredients and design their own buns.
Student of the week – This week every student in Oak class has been awarded student of the week for successfully completing their D of E expedition. Well done to all of you!!
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Week Commencing 14/06/2021
We had an exciting week this week as we got to see The Bridge college for the first time. Students were invited along to watch the drone filming that was taking place. The company that was filming spoke to the students about the different job opportunities in media and film and talked about the routes in which they took in order to gain the relevant qualifications and experience. They showed us the different pieces of equipment they use when filming including a high-tech drone. Bradley brought his own drone along and impressed the professionals with his own piloting skills. We got to watch the drone flying and it was a great experience.
This week students continued with their community project, picking litter in a local area of Doncaster. All the students worked well as a team and were able to collect over 10 bags of litter!
On Wednesday students explored the local area where The Bridge is located and went to Wheatley Hall shopping centre. They were all able to practice their money skills by buying items in one of the shops there.
We have been busy towards to the end of the week getting all of the D of E equipment ready for our expeditions next week. All the students are very excited about spending a few nights away from home and using all their practical skills such as Trangia cooking and map reading. Good luck to everyone who is taking part in the expeditions, you can do it!! More updates and photos to follow next week.
Student of the week: This week Bradley has been awarded student of the week for demonstrating his drone flying skills to the media company that was filming at The Bridge. He asked relevant questions and showed interest when they were presenting. Well done Bradley!!
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Week commencing 07/06/2021
Students have started our new topic in Maths this week which is all about money. We looked at identifying different coins and notes and their value. Students started looking at making the same amount using different coins. Some students were able to start adding amounts and working out the correct change.
We went out on Wednesday into town to as part of our travel training program. Students were able to go into a shop and buy something using their own money. They practised identifying coins and using them to make up small amounts to pay for items. It was great to see how confident they all were, especially when it came down to interacting with unfamiliar others and asking for help.
On Wednesday afternoon we attended a First aid session in school. Students learnt to carry out CPR and deal with choking. They also learnt how to deal with head injuries, burns, breaks, bleeding, asthma attacks and allergic reactions. Everyone was able to answer questions on who to call in an emergency and Jake was able to talk about what a defibrillator was and when to use it.
Student of the week: This week Jake has been awarded the student of the week for his knowledge shown during the First Aid session. He was able to identify most issues and state how to deal with them correctly and safely. He was also able to discuss what a defibrillator was and knew why and when to use one. Well done, Jake!!
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Week Commencing 24/05/21
Students have started their community project this week by helping to tidy up an area of Doncaster. They were all very enthusiastic and hardworking and listened to instructions from the Community Project Lead. We managed to collect over 10 large bags of rubbish!
During our travel training session, we went into Doncaster town centre and students practised using their communication and money skills to order a drink and a snack. They all really enjoyed the experience and are planning their next trip for after the half term break.
During the sports session students enjoyed playing dodge ball and participating in an assault course. They were able to help, praise and encourage others in their learning and perform a range of skills with some control and consistency.
Student of the week: This week a special mention goes to Lacey. She worked extremely hard on the community project when collecting litter and was able to use her own initiative to complete the task successfully. Well done Lacey, you were amazing!!
Have a lovely half term holiday everyone.
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Week Commencing 17/05/21
Last week students completed an application form to apply for various jobs with Cambeth Community Project. They were all successful in securing an interview. The interviews went really well, and all of the students were able to answer the questions appropriately. Some students dressed up in shirts and trousers which was very pleasing to see. We had the exciting news this week that all students had secured a job, either in the cafe, at the farm or dog walking. We are so proud of them all. Well done Oak class!
In Maths’s, some students moved onto telling the time to quarter past and quarter to and also reading timetables and extracting information. Students have started to read the time in class on the analogue clock and say when it is time for break and dinner.
During the travel training sessions, we have been looking at the geographics of the town centre and working on “what if” situations if problems arise. Students have moved on from the market area to the Hight Street and Frenchgate Centre. They were able to familiarise themselves with help points and where the different shops were.
Student of the week: Isabelle was able to enter the Frenchgate Centre and go into a shop to help a member of staff to buy something. Well done, Isabelle, we are so proud of you, you are doing amazing!! ?
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Week commencing 10/05/2021
Another busy and exciting week in Oak class. We had some great news that all the students passed their Sports Leaders qualification. Tom from Active Fusion came in to congratulate the students and present them with their certificates. We are so proud of them all, they worked really hard and most overcame the fear of leading from the front and delivered their own sports session.
During the D of E session some students went for a walk with their rucksacks to practice elements of their walking expedition. They were all able to follow a route and even had time to stop and make a cup of tea on the Trangia’s.
The students have all completed another set of sample assessments again this week and the results were better than the previous attempt. They have all taken on board the feedback which was pleasing to see. Reading is the strongest area with all students passing this paper.
Student of the week: Adam is the student of the week for taking on board all of the feedback from his previous assessment paper and trying really hard in his exams. He not only improved all of his scores, but he also scored 100% in his reading exam. Well done, Adam, you have been amazing!!
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Week Commencing 03/05/2021
We had an exciting day last Friday when Cambeth Community Project came in for a design workshop. We were tasked with designing a new cafe on the theme of industry and students were able to research the local area and create their own mood boards. We have also entered the competition to name the cafe and we are hopeful our name will be the overall winner and we receive the prize of £50!! All the students enjoyed the session and came up with some great ideas. To top it off we had a company filming the session, however, this did not phase the students at all.
We have been out on the school minibus for the first time this week and the students were able to go into town as part of their travel training offer. We have been looking at dealing with problems when out and about and students were able to locate help points and phone boxes and went through scenarios of what to do in certain situations.
Student of the Week: This week goes to Jake for passing both his Maths and English mock papers with very high scores. Well done, Jake, amazing work!! ?
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Week Commencing 26/04/2021
Students have experienced their first Functional Skills practice assessment exam session this week. We set up the classroom like a real exam session and students were able to complete both their English and Maths papers. This has enabled the students to experience what it would be like in a real exam and the rules and regulations that are required. We have also been able to see what areas each student needs to work on this half term.
Our Acorn Cafe is going from strength to strength. Our new JB breakfast wrap is so popular that we are having to make around 25 every week! The students are starting to work in different areas of the cafe and using their initiatives when problems arise which is pleasing to see.
We have been continuing with our Innovation Challenge art project on what Doncaster means to us and some students have been able to draw and paint their own pictures of the different areas in Doncaster.
During our Prince’s Trust lesson, students have been completing their Healthy Eating unit. Last week they planned and designed a healthy meal and this week they prepared and cooked that meal. All the students worked really hard and used a variety of skills.
Student of the week: McKenzie is student of the week for his work ethic in the cafe. He was able to work independently to complete a variety of tasks. Well done McKenzie!
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Week commencing 19/04/2021
Students have been extending their knowledge of time. We have started to learn about working out the elapsed time and converting time from 12 to 24 hours. Some students have been looking at timetables and extracting information.
We have continued working on writing this week and looking at expanded noun phrases to describe the noun with an adjective. We also looked at the correct use of capitals letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks and the types of different sentences such as statements and commands. A special mention needs to go to Isabelle for writing some excellent expanded noun phrases.
We have been busy in the outdoor learning area again finishing off our bug hotels. We had a surprise visitor this week, a pigeon!! He followed us during our lesson and upon inspection he was injured, we managed to spot a number on his leg ring and rang the owner to come and collect him.
During the D of E lesson students were learning about basic first aid and what to do in an emergency. They enjoyed practicing putting bandages on each other and were really good at stating if certain scenarios warranted calling 999.
Student of week: This week goes to Kacper. He was able to remember and use some alternative adjectives in his writing and produced some excellent English work. Well done, Kacper!! ?
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Week commencing 12/04/21
It has been lovely to finally have all the students back in Oak class. We have enjoyed our morning communication sessions finding out what everyone has been up to during the Easter holidays.
We started a new topic in Maths this week. We have been learning about time. Students were introduced to new terminology such as AM and PM and started to tell the time and draw hands on a clock. Some students were able to use their knowledge of how long a minute and hour is to work out problems involving time.
We have been concentrating on writing this week and making sure students are using correct letter formation, punctuation and grammar when writing their sentences. Students have produced some excellent work and a special mention needs to go to Kelsey for using some amazing adjectives in her work.
We have been busy in the outdoor learning area continuing with the paths and building a new bug hotel. During the D of E lesson some students were able to pitch their own tents which was a massive achievement. We have started crocheting at break time and Kelsey was able to make a hat, she is now looking at more intricate designs, watch this space!!
Student of week: This week goes to Lacey!! She has returned to school after such a long period of working from home and it is like she has never been away. Her positive attitude and work ethic has been second to none. She has produced some excellent independent work in Maths and was able to correctly identify all of the times given to her. During her D of E session, she listened to instructions carefully and was able to help others. Well done Lacey, you have worked really hard and we are so proud of you.
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Week commencing 22nd March 2021:
We have a had a fab end to the Spring Term. The students really enjoyed the Red Nose Day activity last Friday when they were able to throw wet sponges at some of the teachers (not sure the teachers were as happy about it! ?)
In Math’s this week students have been consolidating their knowledge of graphs and charts and reading and displaying data. We are starting our new topic next term which is money and time and hopefully we will be able to use these skills out and about in the local area.
Students have been completing a variety of written assessments in English and have been practicing writing sentences and using adjectives and conjunctions.
Students have been learning to cook on a Trangia during their D of E lesson. They are now able to independently put them together correctly and cook a basic meal.
We had a live Teams session with Maxine from the Community Cafe where she spoke about a variety of opportunities for our young people to be able to volunteer in different job roles. These job roles included working in the cafe, dog walking and gardening and floristry. We are all really excited to get started in the summer term and show them what we can do.
Student of the week: Kacper is our student of the week. He has produced some lovely written work and is starting to improve his letter formation and sentence structures. Well done, Kacper, we are so proud of you.
We are looking forward to everyone being back in class after the Easter break and wish everyone a lovely half term.
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Week Commencing 15/03/2021:
Oak Class have had another busy and exciting week. We were lucky to have a live Q&A session with a local business that sorts and delivers food parcels and also regenerates local areas. We are really excited to be able to work with them in the future and for the students to volunteer and experience different roles as well as helping others. More information to follow so please watch this space!!
Students have been working on their grammar this week and have learnt about adverbs in order to describe a verb. They were able to identify adverbs and the verbs they describe and use them in a sentence of their own.
In Maths we moved on from block and bar graphs to line graphs. Students collected suitable data, displayed it in a line graph and made numerical comparisons.
We are progressing well with the outdoor area and have started to design and make new sensory paths for the students using logs and tyres. Both staff and students enjoyed testing them out!! We also managed to clear and tidy the shed, so we are able to store all of equipment we need when working outside. It was nice to have a bit sunshine this week instead of the wet and cold weather we are used to.
Student of the week: Student of the week goes to Jake!! Jake has not only worked extremely hard this week, but he has been really helpful in class and offered to help not only staff but other students. Well done, Jake!
Adam made a fabulous chocolate cake on Friday and did it independently.
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08/03/2021
We have had such an amazing week welcoming back all the students that were working from home during lockdown. They have settled in well and worked really hard all week.
Students have been continuing with the topic of finding and extracting the main points of text in English this week and have been able to use key words to find information and answer comprehension questions. They are starting to use their dictionaries to check spellings and meanings of words, which is pleasing to see.
In Maths we moved on from tally charts to block and bar graphs. Students collected suitable data and recorded this using a bar chart. They also learnt about how to use the scale and axis to read and extract information and make numerical comparisons.
We had a special visitor in our one of our live Maths lessons. Lacey joined us and produced an excellent block graph using information from a tally chart. Well done, Lacey!! ?
This week in computing students were given a task search for specific information on the internet and copy this into a Word document. They used various skills such as, copy and paste special, highlight shortcuts, cropping and text wrapping a picture and saving to a USB drive.
We had another live lesson from Drax Power Station and this week we looked at the weather and why it was important to predict what the weather will be like. We then made our own rain gauges, which will be placed outside so we are able to measure the rainfall over the next 2 weeks.
Student of the week – This week the student of the week goes to Isabelle. She has returned to school and worked extremely hard in every lesson, especially in Maths and English. She has had a positive outlook and worked independently to complete a variety of tasks to a very high standard. We are so proud of you Isabelle, keep up the excellent work!! ?
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01/03/2021
The week has been careers week and we have been looking at a variety of careers and job roles. Students researched their chosen job role and created a fact sheet on the computer using their ICT skills.
In Maths we started our new topic on handling information and data. We looked at recording information using a tally chart and interpreting the results. The students were able to create their own tally charts recording information such as colour of eyes or favourite pizza toppings.
In English the focus was on reading and finding and extracting the main points using key words. Students learnt how to use a dictionary to find the meaning of words and write lists in alphabetical order.
On Thursday we were very grateful to have a visit from VIY to deliver a project day. Volunteer It Yourself combines DIY and volunteering by delivering ‘early intervention’ construction sector employability skills and careers training in schools. The one-day project focused on the trade of carpentry. It allows the students to undertake building something and completing it in one school day. We enjoyed designing and building various items for our playground area including a bench, table and planter.
Student of the week was Kalam. He has worked really hard in both Maths and English this week and completed all of his work in record time. He really enjoyed the reading tasks and was able to challenge and stretch himself by completing some higher-level work. Well done, Kalam, you’ve been amazing this week!!
Well done to the home learners this week and especially Isabelle who has been very busy both completing her Maths and English work and also cooking different meals.
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Week commencing 22-02-2021
We have had a great first week back after the half term break. All the students have worked extremely hard and shown amazing resilience under the current restrictions we are facing.
We have completed our measuring topic this week and concluded with capacity. Students practised measuring the capacity of different items in ml and litres and also learnt how to compare capacity and volumes using key terminology such as half full, quarter full and nearly empty. I never would have thought that teenagers would love playing with water so much!! ?
As the weather is improving week on week, we were able to start our outdoor learning curriculum again. There was a lot of rubbish still to clear and every class member helped to make the area a safer place for the younger students. It is looking great, and we can’t wait to start making campfires and using the Kelly Kettles.
In the D of E lesson, the students were practising putting up tents again, and even though we have not done this for a few weeks now we were really impressed how they all worked together to help each other and ask questions if they were not sure. Amazing communication Oak Class!!
On Thursday we were lucky to have a live interactive session with our Enterprise Advisor from Drax Power Station. Students from the Secondary and 6th Form departments learnt about the water cycle and were able to make their own models. The students really enjoyed making their own water cycle in a bag and they are currently hanging on the window so we can observe the results over the coming weeks.
We have had some amazing work being sent in from home this week. Isabelle and Lacey have been super busy making posters, doing the washing, cooking and completing various DIY projects. Keep up the hard work girls, we are proud of you!! Isabelle was able to research and produce an information poster on Pancake Day. some very interesting facts, well done Isabelle.
Student of the week….. goes to Alex. He has returned to school this week raring to go and with a very positive attitude; he has been ready to learn from day one. He has been really organised and went above and beyond in the outdoor learning session when helping to tidy the area and was able to work with others and use great communication skills. Well done, Alex, amazing work from you this week, keep it up!!
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01.02.2021
This week students have been learning about capacity and the different ways in which you can measure volume. We had fun practising comparing measures using different objects and some students were able to solve practical problems using both imperial and non-imperial measurements. In English we have learnt how to write a recount and students were able to recall their weekend news and reflect on a special day from their past.
We had a special birthday this week. Adam was 18!!!! Happy Birthday Adam and thank you for the lovely cake.
Our home learners have been working very hard since lockdown and sending me lots of amazing work. I would like to say a special mention to my home learner of the week Lacey. Lacey has worked very hard since being off school and we are so proud of her dedication and perseverance. I have received some excellent work including a video of Lacey trying out therapy drawing where she fills her body of things she likes or wants to express. Well done Lacey, keep up the excellent work!!
Adam has been chosen as student of the week. Over the past few weeks, he has been more willing to participate in a range of activities that otherwise he would refuse to take part in. In DofE he put up his tent independently remembering from when he last did it 3 years ago and also worked with another pupil to help put up a gazebo. His baking skills are amazing and week on week he grows in confidence and is so proud of his achievements. Well done Adam!!
I would also like to give a special mention to Rachael. She has had a great week, joining in with all the activities and being a good friend to others. Well done Rachael we are so proud of you.
25.01.2021
We have been working very hard this week on extending our measuring skills. Students made their own scales and compared the weight of objects in the classroom as well as using a variety of scales to read and measure weight. During the outdoor learning lesson students worked together as a team to erect a gazebo following a set of instructions from another student. This is in preparation for when they undertake the D of E expedition. We have been learning about Christianity and students were able to design a PowerPoint presentation on what they had learnt and feed this back to the rest of the class.
Student of the week is McKenzie for engaging in class discussions and answering a variety of questions. Well done McKenzie, you have worked really hard this week in every subject.
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18.01.2021
We have had a busy and productive week. Pupils have been working hard on their literacy and numeracy skills, learning about verbs and measuring length and height. We have learnt about the human life cycle and pupils have produced some excellent work using the computers to research and design information leaflets. We have also started our Acorn Cafe again this week and pupils used a variety of skills to help prepare the takeout orders for staff.
Pupil of the week is Kelsey for designing and producing a very informative leaflet on the human life cycle. Well done Kelsey!!
