COVID-19

 Pupils visited Reculver Country Park, Oare Gunpowder Works, Faversham and Westgate Parks, Canterbury. During these sessions our pupils explored different species found in different water sources such as ponds, rivers and the sea. Leant about the history of each place and followed a GPS system to uncover facts and complete a trail. 

During their PE lessons, students across the school took part in National Fitness Day. We extended the day across the week to fit in with their lessons. Students took part in various different activities, whilst working on developing their fitness and stamina.

The pupils learnt about recycling and how rubbish is sorted during Recyling week. Each classroom was asked to make sure they sorted their rubbish into the correct bins.

The City of Rochester School have kindly chosen wHoo Cares as their community group /charity of the year.  The young people have been learning about the organisation and have been busy drawing posters and thinking about how they can connect with people in their local community.  This week the students have been excited about their Harvest Festival and made up harvest boxes for some Partners of wHoo Cares in Cliffe Woods.  One gentleman commented how touched he was to receive this kind gesture and tradition of Harvest Festival from young people in the area.  Thank you to all students, staff and parents involved with this.

October was Black History Month and this was covered in various lessons across the school with a focus on slavery and stereotyping in society.   

We marked World Mental Health Day on 9th October where we focussed on wellbeing and having a healthy mind. 

The older pupils visited the Knife angel at Rochester Cathedral -  a striking 25ft-high statue made of 100,000 confiscated knives. The pupils had the opportunity to sign a 'pledge book' pledging not to carry a knife which will be presented to the Prime Minister.

During term 1 the pupils have had the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Kent Life taking part in the care of the animals - including walking and mucking them out, learning about growing crops and making soup from crops they have harvested.

The pupils regularly get the opportunity to take part in cookery lessons to learn independent living skills for their future. 

The whole school visited Leeds Castle. They toured the castle; in the grounds they looked at the different trees and wildlife. They then met a owl up close and made a clay owl to take home. They also had a talk about the animals and habitats within the castle which involved the children getting dressed up.

This year the pupils have chosen to support Homelessness in the local area. We were visited by One Big Family who are a local charity who support homeless people. We heard about the plight of living on the street. We donated our collection for havest to One Big Family and during the day we made dog biscuits for dogs on the street.

The pupils visited Gravesend Gudwara where they had a guided tour and talk about Sikhism and important symbols. They were then invited to the dining hall to try a range of foods.

The older pupils went to the theatre to watch Billionaire Boy which they have recently studied in English.

For Children in Need the children dressed in their onesies or pyjamas and made and sold cakes.

This term the pupils have been working with the Chocolate Film company to produce their own animations and documentary films.

Each week the younger pupils access the local swimming pool to take part in swimming lessons. This helps their gross motor skills, fitness levels and mental health.

The whole school wore their Christmas jumpers and came together for Christmas dinner cooked by some of the staff. Some pupils tried food they had never tried before.

We held a parents evening for parents to meet with staff to discuss their child's progress. We also combined this with a concert where children sang, performed and danced before holding a premiere of the films the pupils made during film school.

This term the students have been attending Squirrels riding school to take part in the Changing Lives through Horses programme with the British Horse Foundation. The pupil's confidence, resilience and success has certainly developed over this term.

This term the children have been learning to use Marty the Robot as part of their ICT lessons. By the end of the term the children could code Marty to produce a dance routine.

The pupils have had the opportunity to take part in lessons to introduce the importance of nutrition and help them develop an understanding of why it is so important to us not just physically but also mentally.

The first session was based around food play- smells, textures, flavours and looking at the different food groups.

As part of PE this term the pupils have taken part in skiing and toboganning lessons at Chatham ski centre. 

As part of Lifeskills the oldest pupils have taken part in Travel training learning to use bus timetables and using the bus to travel from place to place.

PC Richard Jones is our local policeman who regularly visits to talk to the children about issues such as keeping them safe online, county lines and safeguarding.