Term 6 2023

In June 10 pupils from Earth, Mercury and Jupiter Class represented the school at the Kent Challenger Games which was held at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford. 

We had a fantastic day in the sunshine, taking part in a variety of fun and exciting team challenges. The pupils made us very proud with their problem-solving and collaborative skills. Throughout the day they demonstrated 'Confidence, Resilience and Success'!

Finally, the day ended with a surprise award for our team banner which members of Earth Class had made. We received a £100 voucher which we will spend on equipment chosen by the team for the school playground, so that all pupils will benefit from this. Well done all!

 For experiential this term some pupils are visiting Cyclopark to take part in cycling activities and some pupils are visiting Mote Park and taking part in water sports activities. With the current weather both of these activities are proving very popular. 

 For PE lessons our older children visit Kings Sports Centre. This term they have been learning football. 

In June we celebrated Pride Month and to celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots we had Rainbow day! Both staff and students enjoyed dressing in lots of different colours and engaged in conversation about the importance of Pride Month. 

To celebrate the end of term we held CoRFest our own in-school festival. There was live music, a DJ, face painting, nails, festival games, a lemonade stall, an icecream stall, glitter and tatoos, a photo booth, a funky fetstival headwear parade, dodgeball match students vs staff and a beat the goalie challenge.

The weather was fantastic and so were the pupils. Staff and students had plenty of fun.

 We are so pleased to announce that we have been awarded the National Autistic Society Advanced Status Award in recognition of the excellent provision we offer for children and young people with a diagnosis of autism. The three-day assessment involved consultations with parents and pupils, observations of practice in school, meetings with leaders, teachers and support staff as well as the therapy team.  The Assessment Team also went to visit a partner organisation to evaluate how effective the school works with others.

For the King's Coronoation we held a picnic on the field and held a bake off.  There were many delicious cakes and biscuits made and tasted

To celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity each class set up a table in the hall.

A wide range of countries were represented and we enjoyed a variety of activities including food tasting, henna hand painting and a Vietnam tour bus!

The pupils were fantastically well behaved and it was a fabulous celebration of world cultures.

   I spy with my camera eye..... for the last few weeks we have had a camera from Colchester Zoo situated in the Forest School area we use at Cliffe Woods Primary School. The camera has spotted a fox, a badger, a squirrel's tail and a pigeon!  

This term's experiential curriculum was the Beat Goes On.  

To complement our music and drama curriculum the children took part in drum/stomp style workshops. 

  On 1st March we had our first whole school visit to The Science Museum in London. The pupils showed great confidence, resilience and success in travelling on a coach, navigating a busy and stimulating environment inside the museum and absorbing many facts and figures. Well done to them all. 

 As part of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) week the students were challenged in their classes with designing the best kit car. They could change any element of the design to make it move the quickest. We held races with different classes pitted against each other and prizes for all involved. 

 Pupils from Jupiter and Moon class visited the Houses of Parliament as part of their topic on Law and Order. They got a guided tour of the houses, as well as taking part in a workshop on how laws are formed. They got to meet MP Rehman Chishti, one of our local MP's.  #RehmanChishti They were  a credit to the school, polite and respectful. William said "We visited the Lords and the Commons room, one is red, the other green. The King sits with the Lords and we went up the steps only he gets to walk up!" 

During World Autism Acceptance Week 27th March - April 2nd the students took over facebook spreading their own messages about Autism. 

  There is currently a chess tournament in school which both students and staff are taking very seriously! There is lots of practising going on, and its wonderful to see so many people learning the skill of chess. Many of our students have enjoyed teaching staff and peers which is an excellent way to extend their social skills. 

 Outreach student Kane built an electronic robot arm by following all instructions independently! Kane and Liam then tested the strength of the robot by choosing various items for it to lift. They finished their day by enjoying a chess game...with the robot doing the hard work of lifting the pawns.  

 This term for our experiential curriculum we started on a new theme of problem solving. We had a visit from George from The Problem Solving Company who set the children different problems which they had to solve as a team and in pairs. As you can see this wasn't always easy. 

 Earth Class have been learning about Australia as part of their LMTW XL topic. 

They celebrated Australia Day with a fascinating visit from George a digeridoo musician.  A didgeridoo is an Aboriginal wind instrument. George told them how didgeridoos are made and showed them how you can make different sounds by using your mouth and nose. 

To mark Holocaust Memorial day classes shared age relevant information during form time including watching videos from survivors and had discussions about how the victims must have felt. Staff lit candles as a mark of remembrance.  

 Students from Earth, Mercury and Jupiter won the Ootiboo Imaginary Worlds competition to turn drawings they made into moving green screen animations. At Canterbury Christ Church University students green screened themselves into their own world.

 Mercury class have been learning about Art in Religion. They looked at Celtic Art and how this influenced Christianity thousands of years ago.  The pupils chose to sew their own Celtic design onto fabric, choosing whether to do a celtic knot, maze, animal spirals.  They listened to Celtic music as they did this and everyone in class found it a very relaxing activity and have all asked to do it again in their Skills lessons.

  Mercury class have been reading the poem Windrush Child by John Agard before writing their own versions. Well done to Isaac who created this version. 

 What an amazing evening! Three of our pupils were finalists in the Medway Youth Awards. Louie in The Nucleus Arts Creative Arts Award category and Riley and Tegan in The Learning and Achievement Award category. Seven adults went along to the event at Priestfields, Gillingham to support and cheer them on and we were so proud when their nominations were read out. They all demonstrate the City of Rochester School values of Confidence, Resilience and Success. Congratulations to Tegan who was the winner in her category g.

To mark UK parliament week the pupils and staff wrote and shared their own mainfestos to become Prime Minister of City of Rochester School. All the pupils and staff had a chance to vote for their PM in an exclusive polling booth. Votes were counted and verified and the winner was.......Billy-Jay!  

 We marked Antibullying week. On Monday we wore odd socks to show that everyone is unique. We coloured in odd socks and hung them on a washing line. We set up a "Buddy Corner" in the hall, which was a quiet space for anyone to talk or just sit for a few moments if they needed to. Classes discussed bullying and acted out different scenarios. 

 This term for experiential Earth and Mercury class have been learning first aid with Mini First Aid Mid Kent. They have learnt about DRABC – Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Circulation, how to use a defibrillator, how to place somebody in the recovery position and how to administer CPR. The pupils have really engaged with the lessons and as well as learning some key lifeskills, Katie the trainer said she has been so impressed with not only their knowledge but their willingness to get involved. They're keen to have a go and ask questions which for this age group is rare! Well done to all. 

 Neptune class invited their 'heroes' (parents and families) into school for the day as part of their Learning Means the World topic. They made biscuits with them as well as spending time with them playing games and reading in the classroom. 

 We are very proud to announce we have been awarded the Gold LOtC mark. The assessor said "It is obvious that you are all passionate about offering a wide range of Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) experiences that are well planned, meaningful and have impact."

  The kitchen has had a makeover over the summer and is now ready to welcome the students to our new couse Hospitality and Catering.

 TOn National Fitness Day at break time and lunch time, the pupils got to take part in a range of activities. This included a circuit of exercise stations and a chance to have a go on our new archery set. 

As part of one of their Essential Learning Experiences Neptune class visited Eagle Heights to look at their birds of prey. 

We marked Harvest by asking for donations for Gillingham Street Angels. We discussed what Harvest meant to the children and how it feels to give to others.

 As part of their KS3 'Learning Means the World XL' communication topic, 'Dot, Dot, Dash', Earth Class have been learning about Louis Braille and Braille as a means of communication. For our Essential Learning Experience (ELE) to enhance this work, we had a visit from a working guide dog with its owner Simon, and also a guide dog puppy and its trainers Brian and Lesley. During the visit, the pupils learnt about the working life of a guide dog and how they are trained. They also had the chance to pat and stroke the dogs and ask questions. 

 As part of their experiential curriculum Earth and Mercury class went caving Great Leaps Adventure CiC at Buckmore Park. The students were much braver than the adults! All the students managed to complete all of the caves.