Head teacher blog 10/2/17

It is the end of a busy half term and the children and staff all deserve a well-earned break.  The work in the books generally looks impressive and progress seems good. Lots of children, especially in the Juniors, have been completing half-termly assessments and these will inform mid-year reports that parents will get prior to Parents’ Evenings in March.

This week, Year 3 invaded the number 72 bus and had an interesting visit to Leeds City Museum where they enjoyed a workshop about Ancient Egypt. Year 1s turned the infant hall into a fantastic art gallery and lots of parents and carers came to enjoy the show and buy a piece of art: many thanks to Mrs Park for her support and skills with the glass art work!

On the subject of artwork, I have been looking at art in KS2 this week, and was very impressed with the body of work represented in sketchbooks stretching over more than one year. As pressure mounts to narrow school curricula, we can be proud of the broad and rich curriculum that is still offered at Farfield. Every half term, the junior children spend two afternoons on an art project: lessons planned by Mrs James and delivered by Mrs Wylie or Mrs Elam. On top of that we have our award-winning PE and horticultural offerings, smaller group coding sessions and wonderful cooking opportunities. Even at the end of this half term, children are still coming down to the cooking studio with buckets of enormous parsnips and nutty artichokes grown in our Tardis-like raised beds – the soups that they make have been refined over the course of the six weeks and provide a warming, velvety delight on the cold winter afternoons.

Have a great half term!