Kindred Spirits
We are really excited to be taking part in the Kindred Spirits project this year. This means that we are linked with a school in London and during the year we exchange work and learn about each other's school. There are three themes for the year:
Autumn term: Getting to know you
Spring term: Skin Again
Summer term: Community cohesion
In the past year we have spent a lot of time learning about other countries but how well do we know our capital city? Are the experiences of the children living in London the same as ours?
Through this project pupils will be able to develop their questioning skills and critique whilst respecting others' beliefs and codes of conduct. They will be able to reflect on the things that they value and consider the values of others and if they are different, why. Pupils will be able to consider the wide range of cultural influences at play in modern-day Britain.
Our link school is Lawdale Junior school in London.
Lawdale Junior School
Mansford Street
Bethnal Green
London
E2 6LS
Website: http://www.lawdaleschool.com/
2018/19
Getting to know each other
To begin to get to know each other we have each completed a passport with our names, descriptions, hopes and fears. We will swap these and then reflect on how similar or different the responses are.
We have also completed the 10 - 10 - 10 activity, where as a group we think of 10 questions, 10 things we want to tell them and 10 rights that we think every child in the world should have. Again, we will swap these responses and reflect.
Here are our questions, statements and rights:
10 questions you would like to ask your partner school
10 points of information about you, you want to share
10 rights which you feel that every child in the world should have:
From Gipsey Bridge Academy
To Lawdale Junior School
Mrs Cockram and Mr Lee had the wonderful opportunity to visit our link school, Lawdale Junior, in Tower Hamlets, in November. It is a junior school of approximately 300 pupils in six classes. The school consists of 5 floors and is surrounded by buildings – very different to GBA!
In Class Two and Class Three
After looking at passports, 10 things we need to know and 10 rights before looking at the 10 questions we discussed the following:
Comments from Class Two:
Questions:
What is Eid? We will research this at a later date.
Comments from Class Three:
10 questions from Lawdale Junior
6V
Do you use wind turbines for your school energy?
No
What kind of rewards do you get?
Star of the week, where one pupils from each class receives a certificate in Friday’s celebration assembly.
How long does it take you to get to school?
For most children it takes between five and ten minutes.
What kind of sports do you get to take part in?
Football, Netball and tag Rugby.
Do you grow any vegetables on your school grounds?
No
What subjects do you enjoy?
Maths
Are there any other schools in your area?
Yes, we have several primary schools within a ten minute drive and a few Secondary schools within driving distance.
Do you have school pets?
There is a fish tank in the Office.
What kind of trips do you go on?
We visit other schools to play sports, we visit museums and other schools.
Is your school culturally mixed?
No
6Mc
How many floors in your school?
One except for the two Offices in school which are upstairs.
Are there any children from different countries in your school?
Yes one child is from Africa and another is from Portugal.
Do you like living in the countryside?
Yes because I like all of the animals and being outside a lot.
What is it like to have 2 year groups in one class?
Enjoyable and fun.
How do you travel to school?
Most pupils travel to school by car, a small number by bus or walking.
On average how long does it take you to get to school?
It takes about 10 minutes to get to school by car.
How big is your playground?
It is a little bit bigger than a netball court.
Do you have a football team?
Yes
How come most of your school seems to be females? (teachers and students)
Not really sure!
How many year six children are there?
12
6S
Which secondary school will you go to?
William Lovell, Haven High, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Boston High and Barnes Wallis.
How do you do SATs in a year 5/6 class?
When the year six do the tests the year fives are taken into the hall for their lessons.
What do you have for lunch?
A packed lunch or hot dinner.
What religion are you (if you follow a religion)?
None of us follow a religion.
What/how many religious places do you have?
There is a church about five minutes away and Boston has a church called the Boston Stump.
How do you teach and learn as a year five and six class?
We learn together and sometimes we are given separate input if we need to learn different things.
What songs do you like at the moment?
We like the songs that are in the charts.
How far do you live from school?
About five or ten minute drive.
What clubs do you have after school?
Sports club, film club, nature club, art club, homework club and construction club.
Skin Again
For the spring term we are focusing on the poem Skin Again which explores how our skin is simply a covering and if you really want to get to know someone you need to meet the person who lies beneath the skin. It created lots of interesting thoughts about how some people do 'judge a book by its cover' and how flawed this is.
Following on from the discussion we created identity circles. There are lots of things that make us who we are; some things are similar and some are unique to us. We are all special!
Identity Circles
We created our own identity circles, thinking carefully about what makes us us and then looked at the identity circles created by students from Lawdale Junior School. We made a list of similarities and differences:
Similarities
Differences