Our Additional Learning Platforms by numbers in Term 1

 

We had some excellent results in the first term of this academic year, shown by 100% of all KS4 pupils completing work along with 83% of the whole school!  Well done to everybody for their hard work on our Additional Learning Platforms in the first term of this academic year and keep it going.

Additional Online learning for pupils at home

Bitesize through BBC  

The BBC will also show curriculum content on TV every weekday from Monday, 11 January: 

primary-school programming, including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, from 09:00 to 12:00 on CBBC 

at least two hours of programming to support the GCSE curriculum on BBC Two 

 

Article link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55552962

Bitesize

Home Page:

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Primary:  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary 

Secondary:

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary 

Post 16 

(Functional skills): 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize 

 

Other Resources

Home schooling article:

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55549072 

 

ParentKind

Available via Link:  https://www.parentkind.org.uk/Parents/Free-learning-resources-for-children 

 

Oak National Academy 

Available via Link: https://www.thenational.academy/ 

 

BrainPop 

(Animated videos on topics in maths, science and English) 

Available via Link: https://www.brainpop.com/ 

 

Tynker 

(coding lessons) 

Available via Link: https://www.tynker.com/ 

 

Creative Bug 

(craft lessons, from knitting to jewellery-making, drawing and origami) 

Available via Link: https://www.creativebug.com/ 

 

YouTube's Free School 

(videos on subjects as diverse as the US constitution, coral reefs and the solar system) 

Available via Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/watchfreeschool/playlists?reload=9 

 

MathsWatch 

 Available via Link: https://www.mathswatch.co.uk/ 

PSHE - Reflections of 2020 - Conveying our emotions

In PSHE we are often talking about our emotions and how different situations make us feel. For some of us this is easy to do but for others this can sometimes be quite tricky.  Mrs Foster decided to try something new and see if we could paint our experiences of 2020! We discussed how colours could reflect different emotions and feelings and then were given a quiet space to reflect and paint. Here are the results!

Drawing and painting can be really beneficial for your mental health and for people that struggle to articulate their emotions verbally it can be a great way to express yourself and improve your communication skills.  

Research has shown that a creative outlet can strengthen your memory, reduce stress and anxiety, build problem solving and motor skills and promote an optimistic attitude. You don't need to produce a perfect work of art for others to admire, experiment with blobs of colour, doodle, trace or copy an image you like. Anyway you can take some time for yourself to just let your thoughts and ideas flow out on to the paper just for fun and reduce screen time is beneficial for your well being. 

Thank you to everyone who shared and discussed their reflections of 2020!  

RE - Mexican Day of the Dead

Year 7 have had lots of fun studying 'Death and Mexican Day of the Dead' as their first RE concept following the Living Difference Curriculum.  

Fantastic discussions have taken place and all pupils across year 7 are communicating in a respectful way to each other and learning to give and describe their opinion. They have learnt that with some topics there is no right or wrong, or black and white answer and it comes down to personal experience and personal choice. They have also learnt to think for themselves and that it's OK to have a different opinion to your classmates and that with some topics we all have different views. As long as we are respectful to others it is OK to disagree. 

Here are some photos of Year 7 setting up their Ofrenda. People create ofrendas (altars) to honour the deceased. The altars are a space to remember loved ones and light candles to guide the spirits. 

The altars can include:

* pictures of the deceased

* items they were fond of

* something to eat

* candles

* flowers

* gifts

A special Day of the Dead bread called Pan de Muertos is eaten. This bread represents the soul of the departed. The loaves are sometimes baked in the shape of skulls and sometimes are round loaves decorated with bones. The bread is often decorated with frosting or seeds, which represent happiness in some areas of Mexico.

Fantastic work Year 7 and I look forward to seeing you all back in class for more creative, practical RE very soon! 

‘Plugged In’ Understanding the world online - PSHE

 

In PSHE year 8 and 9 have been looking at the digital world and discussing the impact of increasing levels of screen time. Due to lockdown this has increased further and it's been fantastic this week having some really honest, frank discussions with 4 classes during online lessons via Teams. Thank you so much for everyone who has attended online PSHE this week its been great to see all of your faces and know you are healthy and well. 

Before Christmas pupils devised a survey looking at screen time across the school. Using their math's skills to record and analyse data pupils wrote up their conclusions which is interesting reading. Please see at the bottom of this blog. 

Throughout this topic pupils have been developing risk management skills, analytical skills and strategies to identify bias. By the end of this unit pupils will be able to …

* Manage their online presence and understand the law

* Have an understanding of digital and media literacy

* Manage their screen time and give examples of alternatives

*Show understanding of the term addiction and know it can refer to screen time as well as drugs and alcohol

* Describe how they can make safe online choices 

* Discuss how to interrupt news stories online and that the online world is very different to the real world

I was extremely impressed with conversations with 3HI, 3JB and 3KP yesterday discussing gender stereotypes on social media and gaming and with 3PR today really thinking about how social media can impact self esteem and confidence and discussing openly their experiences and how they use screen time. 

I look forward to further discussing this topic with you all and looking at positive ways to use screen time to benefit our mental health and ways to recognise when it could be impacting us negatively and strategies to put in place to take time out and look after our wellbeing. 

Let’s talk about PSHE and Sex and Relationships!

Under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 the government committed to making Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) statutory in all secondary schools, including local authority maintained schools, academies, free schools and independent schools.

Teaching about relationships and sex is nothing new for schools – RSE is covered through PSHE education, an established curriculum subject taught in the vast majority of schools. The Polygon has more time dedicated to the teaching of PSHE and SRE than any other school in Southampton so this is nothing new to us here but the new requirements are fantastic news for all young people across the country as now ALL young people will have equal access to quality PSHE and SRE lessons.

Educational settings play an important role in creating social norms for young people which is why it is so important that children and young people are educated about issues relating to relationships and sex education as part of a spiral curriculum, building on ideas as they grow and develop from primary school upwards. 

At The Polygon our work within SRE provides the pupils with knowledge about the nature of sexuality and the processes of human reproduction. It also aims to address the issues surrounding the media and increased sexualisation of young people. We want to provide our pupils with the skills to make informed choices in regards to sex and relationships, and to enable our students to understand what a healthy and positive relationship is like while promoting meaningful, loving and healthy relationships.

At The Polygon we have already adopted the new curriculum and have had many consultations with parents.  We believe our relationships and work with parents is key so please don’t ever be concerned if you receive a call from Mrs Foster for a PSHE chat and likewise if you have any concerns or queries please call Mrs Foster or Mrs Hendon John and we will be happy to listen.

 As a school community, we are committed to working in partnership with parents; past parental feedback has indicated that the overwhelming majority of parents continue to be highly supportive of the relationships and sex education programme. Engaging with parents about the content of our PSHE programme including RSE is an important part of providing a high quality programme. In past Target Review day’s parents and pupils have shared their views through diamond 9 activities and conversations on topics which they feel should have priority. Parenting skills, healthy relationships, the law and online safety have always been important to our school community and we have offered additional courses and learning to respond to this.

 If you are new to the school or would like more information the link below is a guide for parents from the government on ‘Understanding Relationships, Sex and Health Education at your child’s secondary school’. Our school SRE policy is also on our website.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907640/RSE_secondary_schools_guide_for_parents.pdf

At The Polygon we are very proud of our PSHE programme of study. PSHE is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential so we will continue to develop and work to provide the best outcomes for all of our pupils in this subject. Any questions regarding PSHE, SRE, how to support your child at home, signposting of local resources or just a chat about a PSHE topic please contact Mrs Foster.