Year 7 trip to Fairthorne Manor

 Fun at Fairthorne Manor!

A group of pupils ventured to Fairthorne Manor for 2 days of activities.  For some this was their first residential.  Pupils took part in an obstacle course, zip wire, knife throwing, paddle boarding and a blind trail!  These activities tested pupils problem solving, resilience and encouraged team spirit.  They had a fantastic time, strengthening friendships and trying things they hadn't done before.  

            

 

Fires, Food and Frogs at Forest School with the Engagement Pathway Boys!

Forest School sessions, run by Youth Options at Itchen Valley Country Park, allow pupils to learn new skills such as witling and fire building as well as an opportunity to engage in nature in new ways that they would have likely not experienced before. As well as the activities put on in the Youth Options private area, pupils are also given the opportunity to explore the park as a whole and learn about the wildlife and boscage that they are surrounded by.

Our boys also get to experience cooking outside, where they make and share a range of different foods. Due to being out in the wild, we sometimes stumble on some wildlife they normally wouldn't see on their day to day. 

 Football Tournament at Samuel Cody School, Farnborough, 26th January 2026

Polygon School took a KS3 and a KS4 Team to the tournament to play a range of teams from schools in and around the Farnborough area.

Both teams did exceptionally well in some very cold and tricky conditions, returning it in time for the end of the day

Well Done To All Boys Involved!

Polygon Patch winter update!

 A new Polytunnel has been purchased for the Allotment! This will provide an additional learning space that can be accessed by all pupils and staff. 

Engagement Pathways pupils and staff have began work to take down the old Polytunnel, and clear the space ready for construction when the weather improves.

Keep an eye out for more updates on the progress!

External Provider: : City Farm

Pupils have been visiting the Southampton City Farm as part of their personalised timetable on the Engagement Pathways. Whilst there, they have a one to one session with a farm instructor who will do bespoke activities depending on the pupils individual interests.

There are so many animals at the farm for the pupils to interact with and loads of jobs to do, cleaning out the goats pen, refilling the hay, feeding the pigs and sweeping the paths.

AQA Unit Awards with the Engagement Pupils

 

Pupils on the Engagement Pathways work towards accreditation on the AQA Unit Awards Scheme. This encourages students to engage with learning and have their achievements in their diverse personalised curriculum recognised. Students are rewarded with certificates each time they successfully complete a unit of learning. They can build up a portfolio to evidence their skills, knowledge and experience.  

The awards are versatile and can be delivered in partnership with our external providers, or on-site. Some examples of recent success in off-site accreditations include: Basic Fishing Skills, Wiring a Three Pinned Plug and Introduction to Indoor Top-Rope Climbing. It's great to see our pupils working so successfully within the local community and having meaningful encounters.

Using the Unit Awards Scheme enables us to recognise the breadth and depth of our student's achievements on-site. During the Autumn term, Making a Cheesecake, Improving Self-Knowledge and Self-Esteem and Designing and Carving a Pumpkin have been achieved. Pupils can choose unit awards from an extensive library to fit around what they already do and what they have interest in.

 

Unit Awards boost confidence, increase engagement and improve motivation. On leaving The Polygon School, each pupil will have an extensive portfolio which can be shown to colleges and employers to demonstrate their lifelong learning journey. 

Progress at The Polygon Patch!

Since April 2024, the Morris House team and pupils have taken on the project of bringing life back to the allotment and transforming it into a resource to be used for the whole school.

When the task was taken on, the allotment was in need of some love! We have a great space with loads of potential. As alternative avenues for learning are at the heart of what we do at Morris House we quickly integrated this into our pupil's timetables and got to work! 

The potential of this space was immediately obvious, although it was not going to be easy!  With the help of pupils during their engagement sessions, and dedication and hard work from Miss Thom and Mr Harvey, the process started and the hard work began. 

In just over a year, the Polygon Patch has transformed into a wonderful outdoor learning space. Pupils have got involved with the moving of the poly tunnel, building a new shed and a shelter. Miss Thom works hard every week during allotment sessions, regardless of weather, to ensure upkeep of the allotment. With the change in weather into the summer months, a lot of preparation has gone into what new things to grow. 

The Allotment also gives us space to have a more green approach - produce is used in seasonal cooking lessons at Morris House and in food tech on the main site, food waste from the school kitchen is used to make our own compost,  and Mr Harvey is even designing our own water catcher out of plastic bottles to collect rain water to water our own plants too! 

With the new shelter, pupils are starting to be encouraged to use the allotment for other sessions too, it's a lovely change of scenery to read a book for English lessons! 

What a great resource for the school to get involved in! 

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