Newsreel

In the inspection report, ‘the achievement of pupils, including their academic development’ and ‘the personal development of all pupils’ were both graded as ‘excellent’, which is the highest grade that can be obtained.

With regards to pupils’ academic and other achievements, the inspectors found that ‘pupils make excellent progress throughout the school year and in all curriculum areas. Inspection evidence and school assessment data confirm that many children achieve above and, in some cases, significantly above age expectations.’ Inspectors went on to conclude that ‘pupils develop excellent skills and knowledge across the curriculum.’

In relation to the quality of pupils’ personal development, inspectors commented that ‘pupils develop excellent self-understanding, in fulfilment of the school’s aims to promote the importance of pupils’ self-esteem and well-being.’ In addition to this ‘pupils show an excellent understanding of moral issues and a mature readiness to take responsibility for their own behaviour.’

Read the full report.

 

There was not a free cycle rack space in sight as bicycles and scooters filled racks and lined school walls on Car Free Day on 24th September, in recognition of the TFL STARS and World Car Free Day. Encouraging parents to leave the car at home and either cycle or scoot with their children to school reduced air pollution outside the school has many benefits including improving both physical and mental health. The occasion was made particularly popular as two random, lucky bicycle or scooter owners were selected to receive a Golden Padlock and win a small prize We hope our neighbours enjoy slightly quieter traffic on this day and that parents and children enjoyed the fresh air on their journey to and from school.

 

World Maths Days Champions

After final ratification we are absolutely thrilled to announce that Rohan is the Year 8 World Champion in the 2021 World Maths Day. Rohan and was even interviewed on Radio Jackie last week. Furthermore, Year 7 are also collectively first in the World and Year 5 are first in the UK.

We have been competing in the World Maths day since 2011. The challenge holds the world record for the most participants in an online mathematics competition with 1.9 million students from over 150 countries taking part which really puts our children’s amazing results into perspective. Pupils have 48 hours to complete 20, one-minute games in the online live Mathletics challenge. It was very exciting to watch the UK and world positions changing on the online leader board as games were completed and to make the whole event charitable, our maths-mufti also raised funds for Street Invest.

Following such successful positioning, three of our pupils have now qualified to compete in the WMD EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Champion’s Challenge which is the event for the top four in each year group from these regions. We wish them all the very best of luck in this competition on Friday 28th May.

Other year groups also had resounding results and the Hall of Fame table demonstrates the final positions overall.

 

 

 

Return to Home Learning: Update

Following a relatively straightforward autumn term, children and staff switched back to online learning in January and once more our successful Home Learning Programme is in full swing at Newland House.

If you were following our news over the course of the last year, you will recall that in response to the first lock-down we established the largest schools WebEx programme in the UK in the space of just a few days. We were able to commit and invest so quickly in the launch of our Home Learning Programme due to the comprehensive nature of our existing IT framework, versatile communication infrastructure and engaging approach to education. In September, we launched our Recovery Curriculum to help re-embed pupils but also reflected on some of the positive and perhaps unexpected outcomes from this period of remote learning. In particular, we acknowledged how both children and teachers had become so much more IT literate and how pupils had developed significant organisational skills and independence in managing their online timetables and workloads. Our teachers were also able to bring the very best aspects on teaching online in terms of adaptability and creating stimulating resources, back into the ‘normal' classroom.

Nonetheless, we met the return to remote learning this year with a sense of resignation and whilst we could be confident that most of the online infrastructure was already in place, that parents were familiar with the concept and staff were experienced with teaching remotely, there have still been plenty of new challenges.

Schools like society in general, are suffering with ‘COVID-fatigue’ and much of the initial energy during the first lock-down has been somewhat exhausted. We also felt we may have been a little in danger of getting bogged down by the sense of loss as there is no denying the fact that being in school is hugely beneficial and rewarding for children and staff. We all know that the best and most effective learning happens when it is done as part of a collaborative process and the added benefit of socialising with peers is vital for children to be able to develop this fundamental life skill. Remote learning removes the opportunity for teachers and supporting adults to ‘check in’ with children informally but by setting up effective channels of communication with both parents and pupils we hope we have ensured that no child is overlooked.

The way in which the children have adapted positively to the constant changes to their routines over the last year and the resilience and commitment demonstrated by staff has been instrumental in keeping teaching, learning and the school running so successfully. Our initial investment in home learning last March meant that the return to online has been relatively seamless in terms of organisation. None the less, appetites for another long period of home learning are supressed and so we have actively sought ways to revive enthusiasm through refining and revitalising our approach to home learning, both for pupils and staff.

Our focus this term has been on how to maintain children’s engagement. We accept that because of the differences between learning in school and at home we cannot simply replicate the existing school day. Children cannot mentally or physically engage with online lessons for that length of time and we have carefully re-evaluated year group timetables to find an appropriate and manageable balance which best fosters concentration.

Flexibility is our starting point and because we appreciate that children and their families often have unique needs and circumstances, and that there is no such thing as a one size fits all timetable, we have included a range of teaching styles and activities with a mix of both static and live lessons. We have also actively sought new ways to create interaction such as through daily live story sessions, form time and social opportunities. Importantly, live lessons are now delivered on a more granular basis to smaller groups aiding collaboration and learning mentors have been allocated to ensure each pupil is progressing well. Core academic lessons are timetabled for the morning when concentration is freshest and motivation is stimulated and differentiation is made clear through setting work at core, stretch and challenge levels. In the Pre-Prep, children are also well supported through bi-weekly one to one reading sessions providing unique contact time which is also incredibly beneficial from a well-being perspective.

There are some bonuses to remote learning and the relative quiet at home when completing independent tasks is very conducive to developing concentration skills. Overall though, home learning can be a stressful and anxious time and we have encouraged pupils, families and staff to take advantage of a range of well-being resources and these themes are reinforced during PE and sports sessions. Our Home Learning Programme has provided children and families with a sense of routine and is helping them to maintain social contact and continue to feel part of the school community which is vitally important for their emotional and educational stability during this lockdown.

Our next challenge will be re-integrating pupils once the school site reopens but we hope that the experiences from the first return to school and our Recovery Curriculum will stand us in good stead. As a school where the pastoral care of children is of the utmost importance, we feel confident that we are well placed to support them.

Staying in Touch

School site visits remain suspended for the time being, but we are happy to offer video meetings, our virtual tour and Jane Tosetti, our Admission Manager, is also available to talk with you. If you do have any question in regard to your child joining the school, please feel free to make contact on 020 8865 1305 admissions@newlandhouse.net.

 

We are delighted that our work in supporting pupils’ mental health and well-being during the pandemic, using digital technology in conjunction with Discovery Education has been recognised across the media. We were one of the first schools in the country to sign up to Discovery Education Health and Relationships and their new digital PSHE programme which helps pupils to learn about mental health and cope with change.

Designed to help teachers deliver the new Relationships and Health Education (RHE) curriculum, the programme also teaches children about the importance of healthy and happy friendships and different types of families. Child-led videos feature children talking about key topics while role play activities help pupils to explore issues that affect their lives.

We are using Health and Relationships across the school and we can see that it is having a positive impact on pupil well-being, especially during the pandemic. Returning to school after the first lockdown early last autumn, we used the Health and Relationships programme to supplement our Recovery Curriculum. This was useful not only for children but for teachers as well, providing resources to help us explore and address any concerns or anxieties about the return to school.

We are also using the programme’s digital content to support pupils during the current lockdown and integrating PSHE lessons into the remote timetable is very simple because the resources work equally well as both live online lessons and static resources, which the children can easily access from home.

Supporting children’s mental health is vitally important to the school. The Health and Relationships programme has provided the right tools to facilitate this and has also encouraged the children to come up with their own ideas for supporting each other.

Richmond & Twickenham Times

SW Londoner