Issue 40 | Autumn 2019
News from Bablake Junior and Pre Prep School
The Grange Feels Like Home
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isiting our new Pre Prep at The Grange is to be reminded of just what a lovely environment it is.The trees may have lost their leaves but the grounds are no less beautiful for it. Perhaps it is the warmth of the welcome and the joy you see all around that makes it such a special place. Settling into The Grange has been a tremendously positive experience. The smoothness of the whole operation is a testament to the hard work and the adaptability of the staff team and all of those who helped make the transformation happen. Everyone pulled together and our first term has come and gone gently, seamlessly and with much pleasure all-round.
The hard work, much evident in the build up to September, is now mirrored elsewhere. In the classrooms and in the Forest, on the playground, in the Library and in the Art Room, everyone has got stuck in and enjoyed their learning. Friendships have grown and teamwork has come to the fore. Creativity has abounded and everyone has flourished. Christmas has arrived and we will all head home to enjoy some enriching family time. In January we will return and find our school just as good as it was before. Thank you to all the people who made our new Pre Prep possible and to our Governors especially – they had the vision and confidence to trust in us and to invest in Bablake. This has been a wonderful first term at The Grange – a great early Christmas present. From everyone here at Bablake we wish all of our pupils, their families and their friends, a very special and Happy Christmas. Mr Neil Price Headmaster
www.bablake.com
Kindergarten
dinosaurs at the grange
climbing to new heights! The children have loved our new climbing frame this term. It was really lovely helping and supporting each other on it.
After discovering the dinosaur eggs on our exploration walk, Abigail and Haniya decorated them.
rain‌ puddle‌ splash!! Kindergarten are out in all weathers, they loved splashing in the muddy puddles. Ameila-Grace proudly showing off her dinosaur egg.
We placed the dinosaur eggs in a nest and waited for them to hatch!
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Reception
into the woods Reception children have spent a large portion of this term exploring their wonderful new surroundings at The Grange. Forest School activities have allowed the children to get hands-on with the extensive outdoor environment. The children have created ‘journey sticks’ on a walk, made mini beasts out of clay and twigs, joined materials together to make their very own Stickman and got
involved with Remembrance Day by creating poppies out of the autumnal leaves they found on the forest f loor. English activities have seen the children retelling their own version of Owl Babies to the woodland creatures. They have been Park Rangers, using their own hand-made binoculars, searching the grounds and noting down any creatures they found. They even followed Little Red Riding Hood in to the woods to see what it was like for her.
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year 1
superhero day The first day of the new half term was strange in Year 1 as all of our children had been replaced by Superheroes!
“Superhero day was the best, it was fun coming back to school dressed up.”
This was to launch our new topic. We had a variety of fabulous costumes and it was great to see some real-life superheroes represented too. We kicked off the day by seeing whose super powers enabled them to jump the furthest – an impressive 135cm was the winner! Their next mission was to use their imagination to create their very own lollipop superheroes. The children wrote some fabulous adventures detailing how their superheroes defeated villains to save the day. Finally, the teachers took on the role of the villains as the children were tasked with ordering a variety of suitable materials for superhero capes. Each group of children selected the material that they thought would make the best all-round cape. The villains then tested the children’s first choice materials against pesky rain. The children stood underneath their capes to see how waterproof they really were!
design technology With the introduction of exciting Forest School lessons, Year 1 have also started half termly DT lessons. This term, we have been making animal hand puppets. The children had lots of fun exploring different kinds of puppets as inspiration for their own designs. They were then challenged with using hand-eye coordination to practise a running stitch, a task that required a lot of determination! We finally began to use our skills and creative designs to put together our very own hand puppets. The children were very proud of their efforts and enjoyed showing them off to the Kindergarten children and staff who were most impressed.
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Autumn Days In Science, we have been looking at the changing seasons. The children were tasked with collecting signs of Autumn and were encouraged to think creatively and bring in something autumnal other than a leaf. We were very impressed with the wide range of items chosen by the children. They displayed confident reasoning skills when talking about their objects. They have also delighted in watching the leaves change colours and fall to the ground. This has led to much enjoyment during play times.
year 2
take a walk on the wild side‌ Year 2 have really embraced the wonderful outdoor space at The Grange and have used Mother Nature to inspire them in all areas of their learning. Wrapped up warm, the children braced the cold and had great fun creating land art using materials foraged from within the school grounds. They printed leaves and other f lora into clay tiles which ref lect the great outdoors! In English lessons the children have discussed and researched the impact humans have had on our precious environment and how this is affecting our wonderful wildlife. To raise awareness of this, and campaign for change, Year 2 wrote formal letters outlining their concerns to Sir David Attenborough.
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first day at the grange It was the first day for all the staff and students at The Grange this September. The kids had a great day and the weather was sunny so they had a chance to get out and enjoy the grounds. Everyone seems to have settled in well and the first term has been a great start to what we hope will be a wonderful new history for Bablake Pre Prep.
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Junior School News
“The problems were really challenging and we had to work on our social skills too.” Kavin
“The time pressure on the pentominoes made you think really fast.”
“It was a great opportunity to work together, listen to each other’s ideas and test our brains with different strategies.” Anish
“Christina and Nosarume worked for ages on the tangram, both determined not to give up on the fun and challenging problem.” Emma
Nrich Maths Andrew Sharpe, from the Cambridge University Nrich team, visited the Junior School to help the children develop their communication and resilience in Maths. The children started by looking at an image and then discussed what they could see – their visual perception of the 2D image drawn to look 3D meant there were all sorts of shapes and perspectives to share – stars, cubes, pentagons, the list goes on… Everyone then had a chance to try out a huge range of practical tasks together in groups. There are lots of games and other challenges to try at home if your children want to continue to build on these skills (or if the parents want to have a go too!) www.nrich.maths.org
me determined not to give “ Itupmade and to try my hardest.
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Lucas
Serena
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Primary Maths Challenge The Primary Maths Challenge Team celebrates 20 years of the Primary Mathematics Challenge, that’s a total of 975 funny and tricky questions! Their first Challenge in 1999 had just 311 schools taking part. Last year just under 1600 schools and around 67,000 pupils took part in PMC. It is the toughest of national maths challenges. At Bablake, we are looking forward to the New Year 3 and 4 challenge this Summer. This November, to celebrate, the PMC made the first 15 questions slightly easier for the Year 6 paper. Don’t worry however, the final five questions were still the usual tricky brain teasers! At Bablake, three pupils were awarded gold certificates, six pupils silver and eight pupils bronze. Many congratulations to the seven Bablake pupils through to the PMC ‘Bonus Round’ – this achievement places them amongst the top young Mathematicians in the country! Teyah Amlani, Atreya Bhave, Aaryan Gill, Bavan Gill, Ava Kealy, India Print and Swara Sooriyakumar
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Cricket Commonwealth Games Festival Over the summer, Berkswell Cricket Club entered a girls team into a festival to celebrate the announcement that Women’s T20 Cricket would be part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2020. The festival was for girls up to U14 and was held at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, where they got to play on the outfield of the main pitch. Harriet in Year 3 attended with the club and met with Commonwealth Games officials, the Sports Minister and England player, Nat Sciver. There were over 90 girls that took part in the day from over 14 clubs across the country.
yule love family fun Some of our Year 5 and 6 children were able to work with The Creation Station to create some amazing lanterns. The children were then able to participate in the lantern parade as part of the Yule Love Family Fun weekend through the city centre in December – an event which the city is hoping to become an annual part of the festive season.
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Charity children in need The children had a great time dressing up in sports kit and pyjamas for Children in Need this year and eating lots of cake. Thanks to everyone for your donations – we raised over £1080!
Bella’s Efforts Continue
Remembrance Day
Following the cake sale event last term, Bella held a further fundraiser with her Stagecoach drama club to raise a grand total of £886 for the World Land Trust. She wrote again to Sir David Attenborough about how he has inspired her efforts to support orang-utans. She’s had two replies from him and got an autograph in her last letter – well done Bella, and keep up the good work!
There was overwhelming support again this year for our British Legion Poppies sale – children wore their poppies with pride at the Remembrance Service held on the day.
A huge THANK YOU to all the support you give to the charities we work with throughout the year!
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year 3
treetop tangles Year 3 children and parents enjoyed a fun packed, adrenalin fueled trip to Coombe Abbey’s Go Ape at the start of the year. It was fantastic to see so many children enjoying themselves and conquering their fears!
Safety Centre Year 3 enjoyed a fantastic hands-on visit to the Safety Centre in Milton Keynes earlier this term. The day was led by an amazing team of volunteers who guided the children through a mocked up town to learn about all aspects of safety, including road safety, what to do if you find someone unconscious, how to be safe at home and water safety, to name but a few. Most of the children also had a chance to make an emergency call to the volunteers upstairs to report an incident and answer vital questions, which they all did brilliantly.
lapworth geology museum As part of their Science topic this term, Year 3 visited the Lapworth Museum at Birmingham University. The children had a fascinating time exploring the museum’s collection of rare fossils and rocks, as well as being taught about the different types of rocks and why earthquakes occur.
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year 4
arthur’s rsc adventures Arthur, in Year 4, has been involved in some promotional short films for the RSC production of ‘Boy in a Dress’. He was able to interview Rufus Hound at the RSC and he’s been asked to come back later in December for some further filming and interviews with Rufus. He was also lucky enough to meet David Walliams, author of the book which the play is based on. Arthur has been honoured to be a part of the work and has really enjoyed the experience. Check out #RSCBoyinDress on Twitter to follow some of Arthur’s work.
amazing digestion games One of the Science projects this term in Year 4 was to create a Digestive System Board Game – they got to play, share and review the games in class. There was a fantastic variety of ideas and materials on display. Most importantly, the games helped deepen their learning of the digestion system.
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Botanical Gardens A trip to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens was a great way to kick off the Rainforests topic for Year 4 Humanities this term. Everyone enjoyed the chance to look around the tropical glasshouse to see the various plants, and even handle some amazing animals of the rainforest. The children were also able to do the Japanese Challenge which supported the Islands topic from the start of the year. They had a go at creating and translating Japanese characters, as well as doing a scavenger hunt to find out new information about the Japanese garden. They all thoroughly enjoyed the day!
exploring remote islands‌ The Year 4 classes have been studying Islands as part of their Humanities work this term. They enjoyed a trip to the Royal Shakespeare Company to attend a Tempest workshop as part of this topic. It was a great way for them to discuss islands as the main setting for the play and connect it to the Shakespeare scriptwriting that they’ve been doing as part of their English lessons.
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year 5
blists hill victorian town During their visit to Blists Hill Victorian Town, Year 5 were transported back to a world of pounds, shillings and pence, where steam engines and horses powered industry and when shops, factories and homes were lit by gas and candles. The children experienced life during Victorian times by attending a classroom lesson: reciting times tables and writing on slate.
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year 6
The Lightning War On the 14th November 1940, Coventry was Blitzed: a night of terror and destruction was endured. It is always poignant when we study this moment in the month of November. Our Year 6 children have sympathetically empathised with Coventrians of the past in exploring the events of World War 2. Trips to Coventry Cathedral and Bletchley Park have shown the everyday and the extraordinary. Our World War 2 Day allowed the children to enjoy a wartime themed experience. Coventry has an incredible history to share.
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Sport
house cross country The House Cross Country Competition took place on the Friday before the half term holiday. During the afternoon all BJS pupils took part in the races and all finished showing true grit and determination and also a lot of talent! There were also a lot of examples of Bablake sportsmanship and spirit. Well done to the medal winners and of course to Churchill for winning the overall competition. Thank you to everyone who came to support on a cold windy day!
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Year 3 Girls 1st – Catherine Green 2nd – Osarugue Iyengunmwena 3rd – Fleur Benfield
Year 3 Boys 1st – Jude Clark 2nd – Charlie Nunn 3rd – Gursevak Shergill
Year 4 Girls 1st – Portia Nabney 2nd – Scarlett Maude 3rd – Phoebe Coombs
Year 4 Boys 1st – Morgan Nabney 2nd – Alvin Wamala 3rd – Niki Basioudis
Year 5 Girls 1st – Christina Paul 2nd – Zuleka Abdi-Alexander 3rd – Serena Sahota
Year 5 Boys 1st – Ben Kirby 2nd – Nzumbu Nemukovhani 3rd – Caelan Jess
Year 6 Girls 1st – Emily Cantrill 2nd – Mya Jawanda 3rd – Khadijah Khan-Kheil
Year 6 Boys 1st – Sebastian MacGibbon 2nd – Harry Friswell 3rd – Jude Clarke
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Girls’ Sport
I have been so impressed with the girls this term, as they have all been very enthusiastic and committed to each sport and activity that we have participated and competed in. All the girls from Year 3 to Year 6 have shown great improvement in lessons and excellent commitment to the many lunchtime and after school clubs. Particularly impressive is the amount of hockey players getting up early on a Monday morning to attend the 8 o’clock session before school! (Well done parents too, your commitment is also noted!) The girls thoroughly deserve all the success they have achieved over the term and I am very proud of them all.
hockey The U11A team have been unbeaten this term in school matches, beating King Henry VIII 3-0, St Martin’s 6-2, The Croft 3-0, and drawing with Warwick 0-0. They have really impressed me with their super drives past players and accurate hits into the D. At the IAPS Midlands Tournament, the U11 squad played amazingly well. I was really proud of their gutsy performance, beating Nottingham High 5-0, drawing with The Elms 1-1 and narrowly losing to Wakefield 0-1 and St Mary’s 2-1. The girls just missed out on getting through to the play offs on goal difference. A super performance from all. The U11B team have also played extremely well this term, improving in every match. They won 3-2 against St Martin’s, 3-1 against Kingsley A Team and drew 1-1 against Warwick. The girls are working really well as a team and finding great passes into space. The U10 A and B teams have really improved over the term developing their skills, learning some game tactics and enjoying playing some really tough matches. The A Team beat Solihull 7-1, Warwick 3-0, Spratton 3-0, St Martin’s 4-1 and Crackley Hall 5-2 and drew 0-0 against Eversfield and Croft. The girls were really determined and showed great skills when coming “Runners Up” in the In2hockey tournament. Well done girls! The B Team had a great win against Arnold Lodge 2-0, St Martin’s 3-1 and drew 0-0 against Crackley Hall. The girls have really improved their hitting and have scored some truly awesome goals. They too played really well in the In2hockey tournament where they played all the other A teams. Well done to everyone competing in the teams this term for all your hard work. A special thank you to the parents for your support at the matches whatever the weather! Mrs Haywood
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Netball What a start to the year we have had with five of our six teams continuing their unbeaten record from last year! We have had some rain affected games and practices but the gutsy girls have been giving it their all whatever the weather. The U11A team have shown some fabulous skills this term, continuing their unbeaten record from last year. Highlights include winning with some super smooth performances 17-4 against The Croft and 10-7 against Solihull and Warwick 10-3. The team then went on to record some excellent wins in the King Henry VIII’s tournament despite the freezing cold conditions. They beat The Croft 8-0 with some brilliant marking and astounding shooting performances, then they beat Fairfield 8-0 and really impressed me with their super speedy drives into space, finally they beat King Henry VIII 9-1. A magnificent performance from all the girls. I was most impressed with the fantastic teamwork and super work ethic throughout. The U11B team have also been unbeaten this season, continuing their fabulous form from last year. They started well with an emphatic 16-2 win against The Croft and a 12-5 win against Solihull and an 8-4 win against Warwick in a fantastic performance. A super start to the year.
wasps netball The Year 6 A and B squads had a fantastic time playing at the RICOH with the WASPS and England coaches and players. They worked on their netball skills, participated in fitness and conditioning work, played games and went for a VIP tour of the changing rooms and physiotherapy areas. They even got an exclusive preview of the new WASPS kit for next season! Hannah and Mya were able to wear Jade Clark’s Commonwealth and Olympic medals, how exciting! The girls asked Jade lots of questions about what it is like to be the most capped England player of all time.
The U10A team narrowly lost 5-4 to a very strong Bromsgrove team in a hard fought battle, they then went on to beat Crackley Hall 9-2, showing great promise for the rest of the season. The U10B team are unbeaten so far continuing their fantastic form from last year. They started brilliantly beating Bromsgrove 7-2 and then went on to beat The Croft 8-0 and Solihull 5-1. The U9A team always listen well and play with such energy it is of no surprise to me that they are unbeaten this season, winning 6-1 against Solihull and beating The Croft 4-3 and King Henry VIII 6-0. The U9B have also beaten all comers, keeping their 100% record, beating Solihull 3-0 and The Croft 2-0. What a fantastic start to the year we have had in netball, well done to all the girls!!
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Boys’ Sport
Record Breaking Rugby Season!
victorious in a wonderful game of rugby. This was a real turning point for the team and more victories followed against Crackley Hall, Balsall Common and King Henry VIII. There is real strength in depth at this level with many boys playing for local clubs at the weekend.
Records are made to be broken and Bablake Junior School’s rugby season has certainly been one to remember. Inspired by Japans Rugby World Cup and England’s performance, there has been a real enthusiasm from all the boys to play rugby.
The Under 10 A team is undefeated this season with strong performances and victories against Solihull, The Croft, Warwick and King Henry VIII. There is real strength in depth in the age group with the B, C and D teams all winning the majority of their fixtures.
There have been 87 Rugby matches this term across 16 teams! The Under 10 A’s, the Under 9 B’s, the Under 8 A,B and D teams are all undefeated. All of the teams have won a staggering 73% of their fixtures, which has smashed any previous record!
The Under 9 teams have worked really hard this year. The introduction of tackling has been enjoyed by all of the boys and after a daunting start to matches, victories soon followed against Eversfield, Solihull and King Henry VIII. The B team are undefeated and have played really well as a team, often passing the ball and scoring brilliant team tries!
There has been some fantastic matches over the course of the term and everyone has worked hard to achieve these incredible results. All of the boys have had the opportunity to represent the school at rugby and to play in a match and they have all enjoyed the experience. The highlight from the Under 11 season was a 35-20 victory against Solihull for the A team. Losing at half time the team showed true grit and determination to turn things around in the second half to come out
The Under 8’s have also had a full fixture list this year and by the end of term will have collectively played 33 matches against schools from across the Midlands! The A and B teams are undefeated and are full of enthusiasm and play really good attacking rugby. Well done to everyone involved, including all the teachers and the coaches! Mr Benfield
Bablake Junior School
Bablake Pre Prep
t 024 7627 1260 e jhmsec@bablakejs.co.uk
t 024 7622 1677 e bablakepreprep@bablakejs.co.uk
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