It’s called `School Report’ and its going to be a regular feature both on Anglia Tonight and on ITV Local Anglia.
Many thanks to all those schools who have been in touch and sent us details of their fantastic schemes. They look brilliant and clearly you’ve had a great time doing them all. While we cannot feature all of them on Anglia Tonight we would like to show them all in some form here on the itvlocal.com/anglia website. If you can send us any film or photographs of your story we will also put this on the website as well as considering it for a visit by our presenters Clare Weller or Jonathan Wills. To find out how easy it is click here.
Great Maplestead pupils get the Massage!
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St Giles School has become the first in Essex to introduce `Peer Massage’ into the daily routine of their reception class. `Peer Massage’ originated in Sweden and has recently arrived in the U.K. with schools in Suffolk and Norfolk adopting the scheme. For 15 minutes every morning the children learn different massaging techniques with a partner. Studies show that in schools where Peer Massage is used the children are more focused and relaxed and have a positive attitude towards their learning throughout the course of the day and relationships between the children become stronger with less 'bad feeling' amongst them in the classroom and in the playground.
Beating the bullies
Click here to see our video report on the two schools below
North Elmham V.C. Primary in Norfolk got in touch to tell us about a visit they had from Mr Nathan Timothy who is from BullyBeatTunes. He was a teacher for 11 years and is now a singer and musician. Mr Timothy came to the school to run a workshop with year 5 and 6 about beating bullying. Having told the classes a story about his childhood when he was bullied and keeping quiet about it the children promised they would speak out if it happened to them. He then helped the children write their own anti-bullying song which they sung and then performed in the school assembly. The children said it had been a brilliant workshop.
St Nicholas Priory Middle School in Great Yarmouth have got together with their local Police Community Support Officer and local businesses to put in a bully box at their school. The children are invited to place any issues down that they may be having inside or outside school onto paper and place them into the secure box. These are then picked up by the lead Behaviour co-ordinator and Andy Hunt the Police Community Support Officer who can then speak in confidence with the pupils. It reinforces the no tolerance approach to bullying which the school has taken. The children have been involved in all aspects of the scheme, running a competition to design a poster displayed on the box. Prizes were donated by local companies while the box itself was made by a local engineering firm. The whole initiative has been funded by the community for the children of the school.
Making the news
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Clare Weller and Jonathan Wills visit Colbayns High School in Clacton and Benhall St Mary's Primary School in Suffolk, where pupils are learning about the media. They even find some budding news presenters!
Giving animals a voice
At Thorpe House School in Norwich there’s a flourishing animal action club which campaigns on all sorts of issues. At the moment, their main concern is the micro chipping of pets because of the seemingly continuous problem associated with stray and abandoned dogs, especially.
The campaign to bring a law in to make it compulsory to microchip dogs was started by Keith Hall of Hallswood animal sanctuary, who speaks regularly to the club on a variety of animal related issues, including pet care. To date, the pupils have contacted an MP who has agreed to support their campaign.
The pupils have drawn up a petition and have already collected about 200 signatures in the first couple of weeks of the campaign and are hoping to take these to Parliament. The Eastern Evening News has also supported the campaign with an article
Can we kick it? Thurston Primary pupils can
This Primary school in the Bury St Edmunds area runs the Playing for Kicks scheme and are quick to point out that its not just the winning that’s important but the taking part.
Every Saturday morning 25 children turn out to play come rain or shine on a Saturday morning. The school runs an `A’ and a `B’ team. With parents doing the coaching they are the first to admit that they are not the best team in the league but they probably have the most fun.
At the time of writing the `B’ team hadn’t managed to win a game. So if you are a football coach that would like to put an even bigger smile on the children’s faces and lead them to victory the school would love to hear from you.
The applicance of science at Mannigtree High School
Kids at Manningtree High School had an incredibly creative time during Science and Engineering week. The school started by challenging Year 7 pupils to design and build 'balloon powered' model racing cars.
This was followed by an assembly on saving energy with the science staff in costume and using the 'Big Brother House' theme to illustrate energy saving ideas.
There was an energy efficient hybrid Honda Civic car in the school for Year 9 pupils to learn more about a car's impact on the environment and the school were even donated 900 re-usable cotton bags, one for every pupil and member of staff by the East of England Co-operative Society!
The bags were filled with energy saving light bulbs donated by the Energy Saving Trust and pens, pencils and mugs made from recycled materials. If that wasn’t enough the school even had an `energy bike' to show pupils the amount of energy that could be converted to electricity from their pedal power and a bungee run showing how much energy is expended to reach the goal.
Finally a team from Essex University visited to talk to pupils on marine biology and its links with our climate. Science….its brilliant!
Running for Relief
Schools from across the area have been raising money by running in the Sport Relief event but Thomas Fletcher and 20 of his friends from St Mary’s School in Woodbridge got in touch to tell us their story. They were raising £1500 for good causes. The children aged between 5 and 7 years old and were looking forward to the event and to the challenge of running the mile as a team. Well done to all who ran!
Why'd the chicken go to school?
The John Bramston School in Essex have taken delivery of ten rescued battery hens from the Jean Gill, Essex co-ordinator for the Battery Hen Welfare Trust. The project, spearheaded by Daren White, Assistant Principal and a class of Year 11 ASDAN students is a direct result of the Chicken Out campaign started by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
The students were keen to meet the birds and Jean was very willing to answer the students’ questions and we now know the missing feathers, with a little tender loving care, will soon grow back.
The students have learned about the different methods of farming chickens and felt very strongly about the whole process. The hens will now live in luxury at a new hen house which has been built by the site staff at the school with staff and students volunteering to help look after the hens and collect the eggs. Fresh eggs from the happy hens are available to buy from reception at the school with money raised being used to provide feed and supplies for the hens.
Students can also adopt a hen getting a certificate, photo and the opportunity to work with the birds. The school say they are committed to developing not just their students’ academic skills, but also to offer social and moral guidance.
Food Glorious Food.
Lothingland Middle School in Lowestoft love their school food and it’s not surprising…they’ve started growing some of it themselves. Having built a Kitchen Garden at the School last year, growing potatoes initially the school has just received a grant from Suffolk Children's University of £600 and are now going to expand from six to ten plots planting loads of different vegetables this year and supplying the School Canteen. The RHS are even visiting to give advice on growing fruit too and the school is celebrating the first anniversary with a special lunch.
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