We have had a positive half term with lots of happy faces around school and a strong learning atmosphere. Monitoring of lessons and books this half term shows good practice and progress. We are expecting Ofsted to visit this academic year and expect to do well when they come.
This week, Year 1 have had two successful visits to Leeds Art Gallery. These 5 and 6 year olds will have enjoying looking at the various art works on display and the visit may have widened their ideas as regards what ‘art’ is. This will have been a small contribution to what Ofsted, after French sociologist Pierre Bourdeiu, describes as ‘cultural capital’: “the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said, and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.” We do as much of this as we can, especially through visits and visitors: church and other faith buildings; theatres and shows; history trips such as Y4 this week to Murton Park and Y5’s recent visit to Cartwright Hall that included artistic treasures from the Islamic Empire. More importantly, we have a rich and broad everyday classroom curriculum that is ambitious in its scope and appreciative of excellence and progress.
