ASHBROOKE HOUSE SCHOOL

REPORT ON SCHOOL YEAR 2007/08

 

This report was presented at the Annual Prize Giving held at Rookery Manor, Edingworth on Thursday 10^th July 2008.  Dr Barry Wratten Headteacher of Churchill School presented the prizes.

 

At Ashbrooke House we aim to inspire children to develop into confident, well educated and personable young people with enthusiasm for learning.  The school aims to give its pupils a first class rounded education and to equip them with the building blocks needed to lead a rich and fulfilling life.  Children cannot achieve their full potential academically unless they feel comfortable, secure and happy and unless they are having some fun as part of the learning process.  As you listen to this report of the past academic year I hope you will feel this has been happening in the lives of your children at Ashbrooke House School.

 

Once again Ashbrooke has enjoyed excellent staff stability.  In September Sam Phelan joined us as a teaching assistant in Class 1.  At the end of the spring term Bethany Davies our nursery assistant left us to take up a new position and Becky Walker joined us as her replacement.  As many of you will be aware Debbie Kryvoblocki, our class 5 teacher has had a very difficult year, suffering two bereavements in her family and a long period of ill-health herself.  During her absence her class was taught by Eve Taylor and we are pleased that Eve has been able to join us this evening.

 

School life generally is far more exciting and dynamic for pupils now………..it’s just not sitting at a desk and learning………there is lots more interaction, and opportunities for children to find out for themselves.  As an introduction to a history topic on the Romans, Class 3 and 4 visited an original Roman barracks in Caerleon, South Wales.  They dressed up as Roman soldiers, found out how they lived and even had a taste of school life in Roman times – although as only the boys went to school in Roman times – the girls were only allowed to watch!  They also spent a day in school as Romans making and eating Roman food (the honey and cinnamon cakes were delicious!) making Roman standards carried by the Roman soldiers in the army and of course dressing up in Roman costume. 

 

Class 4 similarly had a Viking Day – even cooking their own lunch of unleavened bread (using barley and wheat flour), hot apple and honey drink and chicken stew with carrots, turnip, stock and barley.  They even made butter to go on the bread by shaking creamy milk.  Many staff abandoned their own lunch that day and partook of the Viking feast.

 

In October last year Class 4 children went for the day to the Peat Moor Visitor Centre.  They went to look at how people lived in the Iron Age and Anglo Saxon times.  They visited reconstructed round houses, ground grain to make flour for bread, made a wattle and daub wall, made a clay pot and became archaeologists digging in the peat for artefacts.

 

Reception finished off their work on the Chinese New Year with a feast of Chinese food in the school hall, decorating the tables with the Chinese lanterns they had made.  They very kindly invited class 1 and nursery to join them.

 

Other educational visits during the year included Class 5 and 6 visiting the Fleet Air Arm museum in Yeovil as part of their work on World War 2, visits to our local museum in Weston and several trips to local parks by the younger children.

 

Year 5 and 6 pupils were invited to Redland High School in Bristol for an afternoon of weaving in their Art Department which was greatly enjoyed by all of them – particularly the girls in year 6 who will be moving on to Redland in September.

 

The highlight of our educational visits is always our end of year school trips.  This year Classes 1-6 went to Paignton Zoo.  This was a new venue for many of us (including myself) and proved to be an excellent choice.  All of the children enjoyed time in the themed class rooms which were full of exciting exhibits for the children to see, touch and feel and taking part in the various interactive workshops on offer:- endangered species, conservation, fur/feathers/skin and scales and animals around the world.  Even the weather was kind to us this year and stayed warm and sunny all day.

 

The Nursery and Reception classes stayed nearer to home for their trip and enjoyed a visit to Noah’s Ark Farm where they were able to feed and handle some of the animals and greatly enjoyed the adventure play area there.

 

At Ashbrooke we see ourselves as a caring family community and integration across all age groups is an important part of our philosophy.  The older children regularly help out with the younger children, escorting them on visits outside school, helping with costumes and make-up on concert days, assisting on sports days and even preparing work to share with them in the classroom.  In the past children in the upper school have written and illustrated stories to read to the younger children and this year as part of their English work Class 6 had to each design an animal park complete with posters and leaflets and then do a presentation to the children in Class 2.  At the end of the session Class 2 were invited to vote for their favourite park.  I understand it was a closely fought competition – we have a lot of budding salespeople amongst our children – future candidates for “The Apprentice” perhaps.

 

There has been much talk lately of testing.  Some say there is too much testing in junior schools or that SATS are more about assessing schools than assessing children.  At Ashbrooke we still feel there is a value in testing and will continue to prepare children for the National Sats held in May, besides independent school entry examinations usually held in January.  We also test twice a year, internally, so that the teachers may evaluate the pupils learning …. and their teaching.  Testing should not be done for testing sake but it should be diagnostic and so that the teacher may evaluate how well each child is progressing and how to give extra support when required, to track their progress throughout their time at school and so the appropriate work can be assigned.  This then prevents a pupil struggling with work that they cannot do or enables them to be given the challenges they need to move forward.

 

This year our results were again very satisfying with several children at age 11 gaining level 5 in English, Mathematics and Science.  The average 11 year old is expected to reach level 4.  This was echoed by the Year 2 results with many children attaining level 3 in reading, spelling and mathematics. 

 

Music and drama plays an important part in the curriculum at Ashbrooke House.  Children in upper school learn to play the recorder and are members of the choir and orchestra.  This year for the first time we have our own school rock band who made their debut performance at the end of the year concert last week.  Many of the children have lessons in speech and drama, violin, piano and singing and from September we shall also be offering brass lessons.  Children perform to a very high standard in all of these as was demonstrated at our recent school concert which many of you attended.

 

A large number of our children entered the Junior Arts Festival.  This year for the first time we entered a junior choir with children in classes 1-4 taking part.  We were delighted to come first in our class.  Children were also entered for examinations in speech and drama and piano with excellent results.

 

Pupils need the opportunity to express themselves in a creative manner and often it helps them with self esteem.  We find that sometimes the quietest child suddenly becomes the star when they sit down and play the piano or play the key role in a performance and a hidden talent is allowed to shine for all to see!!

 

This year the upper school were given the opportunity to stage their Christmas production at the Blakehay Theatre in conjunction with Educational Musicals.  Many weeks of rehearsals set making and collecting props and costumes all culminated in a brilliant performance of the ‘Victorian Historian’.  I don’t know who enjoyed it more – the children performing or the audience watching.

 

The lower school put on an equally good performance of ‘Jesus Christmas Party’ the following week at Clarence Park Baptist Church.  They may not be word perfect but they can still wow the audience with performances by trendy shepherds sporting sunglasses and exotic dancing girls.  Once again Paul Fuller (one of our Year 2 parents) excelled himself with his up market “inn” and “stable” complete with lighting.

 

During early December the choir entertained residents at several nearby retirement complexes to a programme of Christmas songs and readings.

 

Avid readers young and old welcomed World Book Day in March as an excuse to dress up as their favourite fictional characters.  Pupils and staff at many schools donned animal and mythical creature outfits to highlight the importance of reading and Ashbrooke was no exception.  No prizes for guessing who came as the ‘Cat in the Hat’.

 

The first week of the summer term classes 5 and 6 went on their activity week to Hill House near Bridgewater and experienced the thrills of kayaking, rock climbing, high ropes, archery and caving.  Once again it was declared a resounding success particularly our survival day at Goblin Coombe where the children collected wood to make shelters, made garlic bread and cooked it over an open fire and enjoyed games in the surrounding woods.  The week ended with a fun afternoon tobogganing at Churchill.  Once again the week was accident free apart from a broken thumb – not caused I might add by any of the activities but by sitting on it trying out the beds just after we arrived at Hill House!  Every year the children surprise themselves and the staff with what they achieve through determination and often great effort.  Once again one of the highlights of the week was falling or jumping into the lake after raft building.

 

The PTA has once again been very active throughout the year organising many events to raise funds for the school.  A Christmas fayre was held in early December followed by our annual Carols by Candlelight in the back garden on the last evening of term.  We celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a sponsored pancake flip.  Calum Evans won the competition achieving 125 flips in one minute.

 

PTA members very kindly bought and wrapped over 100 presents for the children to buy for Mothers Day and Fathers Day and many of you participated in our sweets quiz and sing a rainbow quiz.  The theme of our summer fayre this year was the ‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’ – there were some amazing costumes in the fancy dress competition including the Mad Hatter himself who kept popping up from time to time to keep things moving.  Nearly £1,400 was raised which was great and no one could complain about the weather this year – it was hot and sunny all day.

 

Altogether the PTA have raised £3,400 so far this year – a fantastic amount – my thanks to the PTA committee for their tireless efforts throughout the year bringing us ever nearer to our new adventure playground.

 

A successful sports day for classes 2-6 was held at Drove Road and once again it was dry and warm.  Forresters was the winning team.  Carter Lees won the Victor Ludorum and the Victrix Ludorum was won by Grace Sodzi.  The highlight of sports day for the children is always the parents races, although before next years sports day I think the fathers of Ashbrooke need some coaching by Miss Wallington in playing by the rules.  The Nursery and Reception class held their sports morning on the back lawn despite having a downpour just as it was about to start. Jasmine Bell was the Reception Sports champion.

 

At Ashbrooke House we know that what our parents and pupils value most closely are our small classes  and commitment to remaining a school which is not too big, our excellent pastoral care within which each child is genuinely valued as an individual and excellent supportive relationships between staff and pupils which result in lively purposeful teaching and learning.  Above all Ashbrooke House will continue to equip its pupils to rise to the challenges of life in the twenty first century by fostering the sort of confidence which enables our children to have a real sense of self-worth, so that they can approach their studies and their life in general with a sense of eagerness, expectation and a desire to aim high!

 

We wish all the children who leave tomorrow a very happy, confident and successful start at their new schools.  For those who return in September we promise another eventful busy and challenging year ahead.