Extended Learning Day 4
On Monday 20 April, all pupils in school participated in our fourth ‘Extended Learning Day’ of the school year.
Year 7 pupils took part in an inspiring and engaging carousel of inclusive and adapted sports. Activities included sitting volleyball, table cricket, curling, blind football, Boccia, seated archery and Pickleball. Each sport was thoughtfully adapted to reflect the needs of individuals with different disabilities, giving pupils a rich understanding of how barriers to participation can be overcome. Throughout the day, pupils embraced the opportunity to try something new and showed great enthusiasm and determination. They gained a deeper awareness of the challenges faced by those with physical and sensory impairments. The experience encouraged empathy, teamwork and resilience, while also highlighting the importance of inclusive opportunities in sport. Pupils reflected on how sport can provide accessible and meaningful participation for all. They discussed how adaptations can empower individuals to take part, regardless of ability. The day also reinforced key British values, particularly mutual respect and tolerance of others. Pupils were respectful of each other’s efforts and abilities, and celebrated one another’s successes. The atmosphere throughout the day was one of encouragement, inclusion and shared learning. It was a powerful reminder of how sport can unite and inspire all individuals.
Year 8 undertook a variety of learning activities based around Brazil with an emphasis on population, the Amazon basin, deforestation, and how it is a country of contrasts. One of the workshops looked at the history of Brazil and how the likes of Pélé overcame poverty to have a spectacular career. External provider ‘Zoolab’ gave pupils the opportunity to meet and learn about native animals to Brazil as well as a few other unique creatures from around the world. Pupils held a corn snake named Corn on the cob, a cockroach called Dave, and got to meet arachnids and amphibians such as Margot the tarantula and Gary the Giant African Land Snail.
Pupils in Year 9 took part in a day centred around the motion: Drugs and alcohol can never be consumed safely. They took part in 3 morning sessions: preparing to debate, theatre in education and listening to recent NHS statistics on young people misuse of drugs and alcohol with UK, as well as a true story of Henry (a 14 year old who had fallen into drug addiction) shared with pupils . During the 3 morning sessions, pupils were able to use their performance skills in drama to act out a moment from the play: I Love You Mum, I Promise I Won’t Die, which tells the true story of a young boy who sadly died because of drug misuse.
They also took part in a preparing to debate session where pupils undertook relevant research and learnt debating protocol. This gave them an opportunity to collate as much evidence for their viewpoints on issues around drugs and alcohol. The knowledge that they acquired from these sessions aided the preparation for their form debate proposals. Impressively, during the afternoon each form presented their proposals in front of the entire year group and they had the option to offer their rebuttals in response. This was a brilliant way to argue constructively their viewpoints, which they did eloquently and maturely. The winning house was Clitherow, with Arrowsmith second and Haydock third. Finally, the day ended with a live recording of the play I Love You Mum, I Promise I Won’t Die.
Year 10 pupils took part in a day aiming at improving their employability and revision skills. They undertook four workshops led by external providers to help them prepare for work experience and their end of year exams. A session was led by the Widening Participation team from the University of Lancashire focusing on developing their revisions skills and strategies, while another was led by Future U preparing them for the workplace. They also had a session delivered by our Careers Advisor, Mrs Gul, on job applications and writing covering letters. Finally, they found out more about the types of apprenticeships that are available to them post 16 and beyond. The pupils also benefited from an invaluable refresher session for their emergency first aid skills, which gave them the opportunity to revisit the CPR skills they first learned in Year 7, and included the opportunity to practice this on test dummies.
Year 11 were engaged in an intensive walk through of English Language Paper 1, Section A – looking in depth at the approaches to the exam questions, analysing model responses and creating their own responses in return. The day was intended to allow pupils to gain valuable insights into the best ways to approach the examination, drawing on the knowledge of the examiners from within the department and from the examiners report published by the AQA each year. Pupils also had the opportunity to enjoy a performance of ‘Macbeth’ from the Manchester Actors, to help revise this key text.
Thank you as always to all staff and visitors for their hard work and support in ensuring our pupils enjoy these broader experiences, and to all pupils for their commitment and enthusiasm.
