Polar Expedition - Frozen Kingdoms

Cedar class went on an expedition to Deer Park Wood, finding different clues about different Antarctic explorers. They learned about how they travelled and where they went on these expeditions. They also learned about what potentially stopped them from completing their journeys. 

"I found trying to find the clues really exciting and fun." - Ed 

"It was a really exhausting walk and it must have been worse for those people going on an expedition in polar climates." - Wilf  

The children of Cedar class travelled over to Queen Emma's on Thursday for a workshop with the excellent Science Oxford Centre for our memorable experience launching our D&T project "Engineer" and our Science project "Electrical Circuits and Componants". During the workshop, the children explored how a basic motor works, using their knowledge of electrical circuits and discovered some useful properties that they used later in the day to eventually create a handheld vacuum that can suck up a mess of confetti. They experimented with various design elements and solved a series of problems. 

"I found the workshop to be fun and engaging, experimenting with different designs." - Charlie

"The whole process was engaging and it was different making a vacuum cleaner." - Luther 

Memorable Experience

Exploring Witney’s Human Features and Landmarks

"I liked the big church because the windows were so colourful, like rainbows!" John

"The Buttercross was my favorite because it looks like a castle tower!" Pippa

"I didn’t know people used to sell butter in the middle of town—it sounds fun!" Sienna

During our walk around Witney, we explored some fascinating local landmarks that highlight the town’s rich history and its role as a community hub. One of the most iconic landmarks we visited was The Buttercross, located in the heart of Witney’s town centre. This historic structure, built in the 17th century, was originally used as a market space where farmers sold butter and other produce. Its striking stone design, complete with a roof and distinctive spire, has been lovingly restored over the years and now stands as a cherished symbol of Witney’s heritage. Positioned at the centre of town, it was designed to be accessible to traders and buyers, and while it is no longer a market space, it remains a key feature of the town.

We also visited St. Mary’s Church, a stunning medieval building situated near the River Windrush. Built in the 13th century, this beautiful stone church with its tall spire and intricate stained-glass windows has been a place of worship for centuries. It was constructed near the river to signify its importance to the community, both spiritually and socially. Today, the church continues to be a place for worship and community events, as well as a historical site admired by locals and visitors alike.

These landmarks not only help us understand Witney’s past but also demonstrate how human features like markets, churches, and industry-related buildings contribute to the identity of a town. They serve as a reminder of how people shaped the landscape and continue to use these spaces in meaningful ways today.

"I saw so many old buildings. They look different from my house." Harrison

"I liked walking around the town" Thomas

"The Buttercross made me feel like a knight going to market!" Casi

"St. Mary’s Church was really tall. I wondered if it touched the clouds." Aurelia

"The best part was hearing stories about what people did in the olden days." Augustin

"The walk was fun because I saw so many shops and people. It was busy like a storybook town!" Josie

"I want to go back and see everything again. Maybe next time, I’ll take my family!" Rapha

History Makers - Through the Ages

Cedar class embarked on an unforgettable journey 'Through the Ages,' an immersive learning project exploring three significant periods of British prehistory: the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

The experience began with the exploration of a fascinating collection of Neolithic and Paleolithic artefacts, where children had the rare opportunity to handle real Stone Age items, including teeth and bones from animals like cave bears and mammoths, flint hand axes, and antler tools.

Students then stepped back in time by engaging in historically accurate Stone Age games and dancing.

The project continued with an exploration of the Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages. Highlights included handling ancient artefacts such as copper daggers, bronze swords, and more.

This hands-on project brought history to life, sparking curiosity, creativity, and a deep appreciation for prehistoric times. It was an incredible educational experience that our students will treasure for years to come.

Oak Class had a wonderful memorable experience travelling back in time to the 1950s, 60s and 70s! Woodstock Museum visited with a range of boxes holding artefacts from the past - what could be inside?

Inside were lots of toys and games from the different decades. The children handled them and thought what they might be used for.

They compared them to the objects and toys they have at home. The children particularly enjoyed playing with the telephone! 

As part of our project 'Coastline', Oak Class visited Bournemouth West Beach to learn about human and physical features of a coastline. 

We began the day with lunch and some fun in the sand! We built sandcastles, dug holes and had so much fun. After lunch, we all enjoyed a giant ice cream - so yummy! 

We then took a walk along the beach, hunting for human and physical features of the coastline. The children identified cliffs, beach huts, the pier, shops, and the ocean. 

Our favourite part of the day was paddling in the sea. The water wasn't too cold and we had lots of fun jumping over the waves. The children collected beautiful shells, pebbles and very slimy seaweed!

We finally headed home after a long, tiring day filled with fun!

Pupil voice:

I loved jumping in the ocean. The seaweed was so slimy I liked touching it. 

Pippa

I had so much fun. The beach was warm and I loved eating my ice cream. I saw beach huts and lifeguards!

John

Last Friday, Cedar class travelled to the Ashmolean Museum. A memorable experience for their topic, Groundbreaking Greeks. The children were very excited as it was, for some, their first trip with Cedar, and for others, their first trip to a museum.

The children represented themselves very well. They were mindful of the public and moved around the museum sensibly. 

We began our day by having a look at ancient civilisations, before moving into the Japan section for our Club Japan group. The children were amazed at just how small the samurai armour was. This prompted an interesting conversation about why, on average, humans are taller now.

After having lunch together, we joined our guide, Niel, for an expert tour of Classical Greece. We looked at the statues and pots and tried to interpret the subject of the art, and we got to hold real artefacts from ancient Greece, to explore thier possible uses.

In the statuary, some of the children were ver excited to see the statue of Laocoon (see the picutres below). We have been reading about  the Trojan war and heard about how he was punished by Athena for throwing a spear at the Trojan horse. Athena lived up to the reputaton of the gods and sent a VERY harsh punishment. Laocoon AND his two sons were devoured by sea serpents.

Pupil voice:

'It was very fun and inspiring' 

'Very inspirational and educational. Every artefact had me jaw-dropped'  

'My favourite part was the statuary, because they helped me learn a lot and they were really fun and interesting' 

'I loved the samurai sword and armour in the Japanese section. I loved reading about how they were made.' 

To launch our Magnificent Monarchs project, Oak Class visited Oxford Castle and Prison.

We took a tour of the castle and climbed 101 steps to the top of the tower! It was very hard work because the steps were 'tripping steps' that helped slow down attackers. 

We explored the crypt and learnt about the history of the building. We saw prisons cells that prisoners of the past would have stayed in and talked about different punishments prisoners would recieve. Did you know that prisoners had to take part in hard labour every day?

 

 

After lunch, we took part in the 'King of the Castle' workshop. We handled different artefacts using our touch and smelling senses to help us identify them. The castle smells were very smelly! 

 

 

Finally, we climbed the mound. We learnt there used to be a tower on top to help people defend from armies that might attack them. At the top we waved to all the people at the bottom, it was very high up and windy!

Pupil voice

'I liked the prison cells. We got to dance in the tower and see our shadows!'

'I liked the twirly-whirly stairs. They were to help stop knights from attacking people. I was a bit scared because their were alot of stairs and my feet were hurting. I loved getting to the top, it was really high!'

'The smells were really stinky but some of them smelled good. We smelt the dirty laundry and the stables.' 

'I loved climbing the mound, it was very high! We got to wave to everyone from high up.' 

To kick off our new topic Cedar travelled over to our sister school, Queen Emma's, to take part in a carousel of activities based on their learning for the term.

The children enjoyed four different activities each lead by a different member of staff. Our Year 6 loved the idea as moving around to the different classrooms is very much like what they will be doing when they move on to their secondary school.

The activities included: 

A bridge building challenge with Miss. Southey, in which the children had to build bridges (with limited equipment) and test them with weights.

Rivers of the world with Mr. Charlton. The children loved exploring and sharing facts about some of the worlds more reknowned rivers.

Boat building with Mr. Crouch. The children had to design boats that could handle rough waters. Much tougher than it seemed!

And lastly, the water cycle with myself. The children revisted the concepts of states of matter while exploring, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation and collection. We also completed a live water cycle demonstration.

 

Pupil Voice

'The bridge challenge was amazing! Our group did REALLY well!'

'It was great moving to different activities - just like secondary school!'

'I enjoyed finding out about the rivers of the world.'

 

Cherry Class had the most wonderful day at Cogges Farm to launch their project 'Sunshine and Sunflowers'. The children explored the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, milked a model cow, hunted for eggs, baked, and looked at seeds and plants. What an amazing adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

   

  

The whole school visited The Cornbury Park Estate for a ‘Countryside Day’ during the summer term. The children learnt about the important role estates such as Cornbury Park has to play within its environment and providing a livelihood for many locals. The children explored the grounds, learnt about livestock, game keeping, forest maintenance, farming and more.

 

 

 

 

Pupil Voice;

"My favourite part was meeting the working dog, Barney. He was very cute when we met him and he was only one year old but he was a big dog! We got to walk him and feed him treats."

"My favourite part was meeting the pigs and the piglets. They are my favourite animal at Cornbury park. I liked how cute the piglets were and how massive the Mummy was."

"I really enjoyed catching the butterflies. We caught a horse butterfly; it was really hard to catch them"