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Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Cathedral Dance 2019
Thu 06 Jun 2019On Thursday 6th June 2019, 21 volunteers from key stage 2 (years 3 - 5) went to the cathedral in Bury St Edmunds to perform as part of a Thankfulness Service. Not only did the pupils perform in a dance to "The Lord's Prayer", but they assisted Bacton's Open the Book team by being members of the crowd and helped to teach the congregation a Swahili song, playing a percussion accompaniment!
They performed beautifully and were a real credit to the school. Please check out our video of the performance on the Video Resource section of the website.
Irene Leech, from the cathedral team, came to school for 3 sessions to teach the children the dance. The whole school learnt the Swahili song, which was led by our 21 representatives, 2 weeks before they performed in the cathedral. The children worked very hard to learn the dance, and had to be very adaptable, taking on board last minute changes and instructions. We think that they did a fantastic job and would like to thank all of the pupils and parents for giving up their time to support the event.
The service was followed by a private viewing of the Pentecost "Respect" artwork exhibition. The artwork is on view to the general public afterwards. The whole school, from ages 4-11 were involved with making our contribution and we had a team of parents and staff who supported the children in producing the work.
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Ospreys Take Flight at Super Snape
Fri 08 Mar 2019OSPREYS TAKE FLIGHT AT SUPER SNAPE
BY YEAR 6 OSPREY CLASS
On Thursday 7th March 2019, Osprey class of Great Barton Primary Academy, participated in an event called “Celebration” at Snape Maltings; a spectacular performance that had the audience on their feet.
Snape Maltings is in England, near the coast and Orford. It is a two hour trip from Bury St Edmunds. Snape holds loads of different concerts throughout the year, but this one was for schools.
Over 500 people attended the fantastic auditorium of Snape Maltings and parents from Great Barton all agree that they were definitely the best. Another popular performance was Kesgrave High School, who performed: The Circle of Life – The Lion King and two well-known songs; one from High School Musical and one from Matilda.
Great Barton sang two breath-taking songs: ‘Souallé’ and ‘I Turn On The Tap’. The first song was an African lullaby, whilst the second song was representing the fact that we have clean water and other people don’t.
They were accompanied by two musicians: Dulcie on the clarinet, playing the lowest part of 'Souallé’ and Madeleine playing the introductions and ending of both songs on her violin. Both presented outstandingly.
Mrs Sherlock – from Great Barton quoted, “It was a very uplifting evening and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s amazing that all of the class, as opposed to a hand-picked choir, performed so brilliantly”. Many other comments like this were made after they sang.
The finale song was jaw-dropping, considering all the power that the students developed. A Snape Maltings staff member – Lucy – complimented Great Barton by saying that they were amazing.
After the performance ended (at around 9pm) Osprey class were shattered from singing, but proud of their performance in not only ‘Souallé’ and ‘I Turn On The Tap’, but also by the finale song 'A Glass of Water' (a modern and up-beat song written by Sarah Jewell). Its powerful lyrics impacted the audience greatly, but left them in a cheerful mood.
A pupil told us, "Performing at Snape Maltings was a wonderful experience, which is a chance I may never have again." All of the children were full of joy as this was the perfect experience for the pupils to come closer together as a class and to feel young and free.
Despite being extremely tired after, they can all admit that it was 100% worth it.
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Tim the Ranger - School Grounds Development
Tue 26 Feb 2019Tim the Ranger has been busy over the last few months helping to develop our school grounds so that the children can utilise the spaces around the school more and making the school grounds tidier and more attractive places for children to work and play.
He has done two main areas of work so far:
Firstly, developing a garden area outside Badger classroom, which includes seating and will be planted up with flowers and shrubs later on in the spring term. It is certainly a lot tidier and attractive than the old patch of mud and is proving a popular playtime area to sit quietly, write, draw and play.
The second area that has been developed is the Pebble Pond area. Tim has re-lined the pond as well as re-positioning some of the plants and creating some log piles and places for frogs, toads and newts to shelter around the pond. He has created a new second entrance to Pebble Pond and a pathway, which will eventually lead to a new seating area which can be used for lessons based around the pond and in the conservation area.
We are hoping that Tim can help us to develop some of the other spaces around the school grounds to make them more attractive places for the children to use and enjoy.
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Past Pupils perform in Mary Poppins Jr
Thu 14 Feb 2019It is always lovely to see and hear about the achievements of our past pupils. This week Hare Class (year 5) had the treat of going to watch the dress rehearsal for Thurston Community College's performance of Mary Poppins Jr. (Click here to read an East Anglian Daily Times article). They had a fantastic time spotting some of our past pupils and thoroughly enjoyed the show. Our current year 5 pupils have a real flair for drama and performance this year (amongst their many other talents) and having the opportunity for them to see past pupils performing on a bigger stage and to a wider audience helps those with the ambition to follow in their footsteps. -
Hare Class perform Henry V in Shakespeare Takeover
Tue 13 Nov 2018Last night (Monday 12th November 2018) I had the great pleasure of going to the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds to watch Hare Class (year 5) perform Henry V to a paying audience.
For the last few weeks Mrs Power and Hare Class have been working with Annie Eddington from the Theatre Royal to prepare for their performance. This is the first year that our school have participated in the Takeover Programme. The programme provided pupils with the opportunity to watch a professional production of Henry V, by The Tobacco Factory and create their own response to this, with the guidance of an experienced professional (Annie). This year we performed alongside year 5 and 6 pupils from Risby Primary and All Saints Primary Schools.
The performance was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the audience and the children gained such a lot from being part of it.
Pupil feedback:
The children were overwhelmingly positive of their experience - here is just a snippet of their feedback:
"I grew in confidence by being part of this experience" Livvy
"I enjoyed participating in Henry V. I learnt to project my voice so people could hear my lines. Learning my lines was a challenge, they were in French so they were really hard. I practised my lines every night and I had to do it to my family." Sebby
"I learnt that I had a good voice and I could go up on stage and overcome my fears. This has helped me to be confident when leading Collective Worship and when performing in class. I think year 5 should DEFINITELY do it again next year because you overcome your fears on stage and it's fun and enjoyable." Dominic
"I have enjoyed participating in Henry V. I enjoyed the Battle of Agincourt and performing at the Theatre Royal. I have learnt that I do not have stage fright anymore and that I can act! I would recommend this to next year's class because it gives you a chance to do something you have never done before." Tallulah
"I really enjoyed performing Henry V, especially the lights and the music. I found walking out onto the stage to perform really challenging, but I composed myself and performed." Elliott
"I learnt that I can go up on stage and do it. I overcame my fears by showing everyone who I am and that I can project my voice more in front of people. Its helped me with reading and remembering my lines. It was fun and enjoyable and you can overcome your fears on stage." Sophie H
Many of the children commented on their growth in confidence and overcoming challenges of remembering lines and performing in front of a large audience. They rated the experience at 10 - excellent!
Parent Feedback:
"Every single member of Hare Class that performed were fantastic and I know that my daughter has thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I feel that they formed quite a bond with Annie from the Theatre Royal and was such an amazing experience at a young age to have the opportunity to take part in. I would wholeheartedly agree with adding this as a feature of the year 5 curriculum."
"One word - Brilliant!! My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed rehearsing & performing at the Theatre Royal!!! The class did so well & we were all very impressed! Thank You."
"I am writing to confirm my full support for your suggestion that this become a regular part of the year 5 curriculum. I am certain that the experience that the children get from this will stay with them forever. It provides significant learning opportunities beyond the obvious (i.e. English Lit). My child has been fully engaged with this and has loved it! I am so glad that he has had the opportunity to be part of it.
Thank you to you and your team for making this possible"
"We were all very impressed with the high standard of the children's performance at the Theatre Royal. The atmosphere was full of excitement and anticipation. The children were obviously enjoying themselves during the afternoon and leading up to the performance. My child had been apprehensive before school on Monday, however we feel it was a great boost to his confidence. He was still very excited when we arrived home and kept going through the whole script. In our view it was extremely beneficial, enabling the children to work together and support each other. Thank you very much for giving him the opportunity and for allowing us the chance to see the result."
"We came to see the play as a family, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The children did so well to be on stage. They showed provided a fabulous play and should all be ever so proud of themselves. We feel very proud of our daughter and so pleased she gets to have these wonderful experiences... we hope there will be many more for the children of Great Barton. Thank you so much!"
"We thought that it was brilliant! I thought the opportunity to perform at the Theatre Royal with other schools was fantastic. The children did exceptionally well, especially all the Henry Vs. Thank you for all the hard work, organising and effort you must have put in."
"Absolutely awesome performance from all 3 schools, lots of lines to learn and stage positioning to memorise culminated in an emphatic success. The children really came into their own which was great to see. Super show!"
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Poppy Trail and Remembrance Service
Thu 08 Nov 2018Remembrance
A couple of months ago, we were invited by Great Barton Parish Council to produce a number of poppies for a poppy trail to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I. The Parish Council have erected a "there but not there" soldier on the roundabout at Elms Close and the school decorated 2 wooden "100" plaques which are situated near the soldier and by the War Memorial in the church yard. We made 220 poppies in total and the poppy trail runs from the school to the church.
Badger and Hare classes (years 4 and 5) had a visit from the Royal British Legion and the children have been researching the two soldiers who fought in World War I and are buried at Holy Innocents' Church. This morning (8th November 2018), Badger and Hare classes followed the Poppy Trail and participated in an Act of Remembrance and prayers for peace.
Two soldiers from the village were given a military burial at Holy Innocents' following injuries sustained on the battlefield. Before our short service the children laid crosses and remembrance tokens on the graves of these two men to remember the sacrifice they made.
Reverend Manette then conducted an Act of Remembrance alongside the war memorial in the churchyard with a period of silence and reflection.
The poppy trail will stay up until Remembrance Sunday, so if you would like to follow this trail yourself at the weekend you’d be more than welcome. Please Tweet any photographs if you do, we would love to see them. Tim Frost (Church Warden) has also set up a display in the church with information on World War I and how it affected the village. The children enjoyed reading this after the service.
We would recommend following the trail yourself, as the photographs don't do it justice!
In addition to this, Mrs Green has organised for a Remembrance/Memory Tree in the hall. If any children and their families would like to hang a poppy of remembrance, or a photograph of any loved ones on the tree then you are very welcome to come in at drop off, or pick up to do so.
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Spiritual Day 7th September 2018
Tue 11 Sep 2018Spiritual Day eased us back into school nicely. The children and staff had time and space to develop a sense of self, reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses, and questioning what their unique potential may be. They explored what drives them as a person, and asked fundamental questions about themselves and their place in the world.
We assembled together in the morning and reflected upon the wonderful world that we live in. We thought about things in the natural world that we are thankful for. Responses included: plants, animals, families, friends and the children will be adding more to our assembly board as the half term progresses.
Each class then returned to their classrooms and participated in different spiritual activities with a focus on awareness sensing, mystery sensing and value sensing. They pondered questions such as: "Who am I?" "What are my stories?" and ""Where do I fit in the bigger picture?". Each class made a scrapbook of their reflections throughout the day (which you are welcome to come in and share, they are in the front entrance hall). We joined back together at the end of the day to share our activities, thoughts and ideas with the whole school.
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Pied Piper
Fri 22 Jun 2018Yesterday saw the second of our 2 performances from the theatre - the Pied Piper puppet show. This performance was for Owl, Robin and Fox classes. It was a one-woman show, telling the story through a range of different types of puppets. The workshops that followed enabled the children to have a go at making a puppet of their own. Owl class in particular are now really keen to carry on making puppets themselves through their classroom activities and are writing about the show. You could tell how engaged the children were from the hush in the hall and the fact that they sat for an hour's performance!
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Graffiti Classics Theatre Performance - Once Upon a Festival
Thu 21 Jun 2018We were very lucky to have Graffiti Classics performing in our school yesterday. Squirrel, Badger, Hare and Osprey classes watched the show; which will be followed by a workshop for every class. This was part of the Theatre's Once Upon a Festival initiative, which enables children to participate in a wide range of theatre performances, where the show comes to them.
Graffiti Classics was a huge hit with our children, many of whom were jigging along to some well-known classical pieces.
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BMX Academy Day!
Mon 18 Jun 2018We are lucky to have Mike Mullen from http://www.bmxacademy.com/ visiting the school today. He talked to the school about the importance of having a growth mindset as well as "flearning". A lot of his principles and messages fit in with our 5 # values of #growth, #respect, #enjoy, #achieve, #team.
Mike told the children about when he was at school: he was often shy and could sometimes have excuses about why he couldn't do things, until one day he got his first BMX, found a role-model and realised that in order to succeed at something you love, and be the "greatest" you can, it takes hard-work and an 'I can' attitude. He explained the importance of learning from your failures, picking yourself up and trying again!
He then asked for an adult volunteer to try out a trick and Mrs Boldero was brave enough to do so (showing an 'I can' attitude, rather than avoiding eye-contact and making excuses!). Well done Mrs Boldero, you really deserved the cheers and round of applause at the end!
We then moved out to the playground and were astounded by some of the tricks we saw Mike perform! Mrs Boldero got to choose 6 'victims' for Mike to jump over in his finale! The children were enthused and engaged throughout.
Later in the morning and the afternoon, Mike ran workshops for Hare and Osprey classes where they had the opportunity to push themselves and try out something many of them have not had the opportunity of doing themselves.
What a fun day, full of challenge and Flearning!
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