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The pupils enjoyed an engaging and energetic outdoor learning session at Holmes Wood, centred around a “Cowboy Cook-Out” theme. The day began with a lively game of capture the flag, which quickly built excitement and teamwork while helping everyone work up a healthy appetite. Mr Meadows fully embraced the activity, charging around enthusiastically alongside the pupils, much to their delight.

Following the game, the pupils selected their own journey sticks. They carefully prepared these by smoothing the wood and trimming away any knobbly sections. These sticks will be used later in the term as part of a range of craft and Design & Technology activities, allowing the pupils to reflect on their experiences and develop their creative skills.

The session then moved on to the highlight of the day: the cowboy cook-out. Pupils worked together to prepare and cook a variety of traditional outdoor foods. The menu included hearty bean dinners, sausages, and bacon, all cooked over the fire. To finish, pupils made a classic treat—s’mores—which proved to be a particular favourite.

Overall, the session provided a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop teamwork, practical skills, and resilience, all while enjoying the outdoor environment. Their enthusiasm and engagement throughout the day were excellent, and it was clear that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Calder class enjoyed a cultural capital trip focused on pizza making, which provided an engaging, hands-on learning experience that linked with several areas of the National Curriculum. During the visit, the children learned about the ingredients used to make pizza, including flour, yeast, tomatoes, and cheese. They explored where these ingredients came from and how they were produced, which helped them develop their understanding of food origins and basic nutrition.

The activity strongly supported Design and Technology objectives, as the children followed a recipe, prepared ingredients, and created their own pizzas. They practiced practical skills such as kneading the dough, as well as safely using cooking equipment. This encouraged creativity and problem-solving while allowing them to design their own toppings.

The pizza-making trip also supported the development of executive functioning skills. The children were required to follow a sequence of steps in a recipe, which helped them practise planning and organisation. They had to remember instructions and manage their time while preparing and baking their pizzas, supporting their working memory and time management. They also used self-regulation as they waited for their turn, followed safety rules, and adjusted their actions if something did not go as planned. Making choices about toppings and solving small problems during the activity encouraged flexible thinking and decision-making. Overall, the experience helped strengthen key executive functioning skills that support learning, independence, and problem-solving in the classroom.

Overall, the pizza-making trip provided a memorable and practical way for the children to apply classroom learning in a real-life context. It helped them develop teamwork, independence, and a deeper understanding of food and cooking. The children particularly enjoyed eating their pizzas during lunchtime; they had lots of fun.

As part of our Cultural Capital the class visited a Morecambe beach to explore and identify physical and human features in a real-world environment. The students were excited to get outside in a new environment as they observed and explored their surroundings.

Straight from the bus they dived straight into the mud, showing great enjoyment and fun together. 

The children quickly identified several physical features of the beach. They examined the stones scattered along the shoreline, they discovered logs that had drifted in with the tide. Some students managed to find pieces of sea glass and they observed the sea whilst noticing the mountains in the background. 

The class also explored human features—things made by people. They noticed pieces of plastic washed up on the shore and in the distance, they saw a train traveling along the coastline, recognising it as a form of transportation built by people.

Throughout the visit, students sorted their observations into physical and human features, strengthening their understanding of the difference between natural and man-made elements. The visit encouraged curiosity, environmental awareness, and hands-on learning, helping students connect classroom geography lessons to the world around them.

As part of our Cultural Capital enrichment, the children took part in a pizza-making experience that combined practical life skills with cross-curricular learning. Prior to the trip, the children planned and designed their own pizzas, carefully considering food hygiene procedures, safety rules and the importance of following instructions when cooking. They selected toppings thoughtfully, explaining their choices and labelling a picture of their finished pizza.

This learning was closely linked to English, where the children planned to write an acrostic poem using the word PIZZA. They focused on the visual appearance of a pizza and later used their senses during the tasting experience to uplevel their adjectives and descriptive language.

During the trip, children were highly engaged and confidently drew upon prior knowledge about sequencing instructions and understanding why it is important to listen carefully and follow rules in real-life cooking situations. 

They demonstrated independence, teamwork and responsibility throughout the activity.

After making and tasting their pizzas, the children will had the opportunity to evaluate their work, discussing what they liked and disliked and suggesting improvements. They reflected on how their choices might change if they were making a pizza for someone else rather than just themselves, encouraging empathy, consideration of others and critical thinking.

Overall, the experience provided a meaningful opportunity to develop practical skills, language, reflection and cultural awareness through an enjoyable and memorable hands-on activity.