Extended Learning Day 5

On Tuesday 7 July, all pupils in school participated in our fifth and final ‘Extended Learning Day’ of the school year.

A literacy day was the focus of learning for Year 7 that encompassed English, drama and music. Pupils gathered in the hall to hear from children’s whodunnit author, Chris Martin, reading excerpts from his latest book ‘Inky Stevens-The Case of the Lightning Striker.’ Pupils used their questioning and comprehension skills to gather evidence and discover who committed the crime, had the opportunity to develop their dramatic reading skills and also act out scenes from Chris Martin’s books in a variety of creative ways. Another session gave pupils the opportunity to write and perform their own rap, looking at fluency of reading, finding the pulse and rapping to the beat.

As part of their geography studies, pupils in Year 8 visited the Lytham Coast to carry out an investigation looking at the impact of tourism on a coastal environment. Pupils carried out a pedestrian count and environmental quality survey. They braved the strong coastal winds with enthusiasm and resilience throughout the day, enjoying a well-earned ice cream afterwards. Pupils were also able to look at a variety of coastal landforms, linking to what they have studied in their geography lessons. They were impeccably behaved throughout the visit and were a credit to the school.

Year 9 pupils spent the day in the Science department exploring space. Pupils watched a video about Europa, a moon of Jupiter, which explored its conditions and the possibility that it could sustain life in the future. They were then tasked with creating a ‘Mars Rover’ (a balloon-powered car) and a ‘Mars Lander’ using limited materials. The day culminated in an exciting ‘Mars Lander’ parachute drop to test each design, followed by a race between the best-performing Mars Rovers, with house points on offer for the winning teams.

The Year 10 Extended Learning Day was led by the RE department. Pupils focused on completing the content for their GCSE unit, Life and Death. Throughout the day, they learnt about Humanist responses to death and Humanist funerals, as well as religious symbols and artefacts linked to beliefs about eternal life, resurrection and heaven. Pupils also had the opportunity to listen to Fauré’s Requiem as an example of polyphony used in Catholic funeral liturgy. In addition, pupils took part in sessions on Catholic beliefs about eschatology, and all pupils visited the chapel for a session led by Mr McMahon on the features of a Catholic funeral. It was a full and engaging day of learning, and Year 10 have now successfully covered all of this year’s GCSE RE content.

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 – both on this particular day and throughout the year.