Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

Remember, you can learn about lots more exciting things that happen in Fairford Academy Barnehurst by visiting the Outstanding Learning page under the Our Learning section.

• Skipping Workshops

  Wed 27 Nov 2019
  This week we welcomed back Lee Collinson from 'Skip-Hop' who ran skipping workshops for the whole school. Lee taught the children a variety of skipping moves during the workshops culminating in a wonderful presentation assembly with groups of children showing off their new skills. Lee has been visiting the pupils at Normandy Primary for a few years now and each time, comments on the children's outstanding behaviour and listening skills. A huge thank you to Lee for such a fantastic opportunity for our pupils. Skipping is a great way for children to keep fit and active. 

• Year 6 Tower of London

  Tue 26 Nov 2019
  On Tuesday 26th November, our Year 6 pupils went to the Tower of London to explore the grounds and experience a Crime and Punishment workshop to enrich their understanding on their topic on 'Rules and Royalty'. As one of the world's most infamous prisons, the Tower of London has seen many people locked within the fortress walls but who exactly was imprisoned here and what conditions did they live in? A costumed presenter recounted exciting stories form the Tower's dark history and explored with the children some of the historic spaces originally used to hold prisoners. This was a fantastic learning opportunity for our year 6 pupils and I look forward to seeing some of the wonderful work which they will be producing in class, based on their deeper understanding of their topic.

  

• Year 4 Hall Place

  Thu 21 Nov 2019
  On Wednesday and Thursday this week, year 4 pupils visited Hall Place to take part in workshops relating to their topic on Tudors. They experienced life in Tudor times by exploring the Tudor building and grounds, looking at Tudor portraits, learning about Tudor food in teh Tudor kitchen, dressing in Tudor clothes and dancing a Tudor dance, as well as making beeswax candles. During their visit they learnt that Sir John Champneys built Hall Place in 1537 when he was a merchant and Lord Mayor of London. He used brick, slate, wood, glass, tiles, plaster and stone to build the magnificent building, which were recycled from religious buildings knocked down in Henry VI's dissolution of the Monasteries, probably nearby Lessness Abbey. What a fantastic learning opportunity for our Year 4 pupils!

  

• Year 3 British Museum

  Wed 20 Nov 2019
  On Wednesday this week, year 3 pupils visited the British Museum. They travelled up to London by train and they had a great time looking around the museum, exploring the Egyptian artefacts and learning more for their topic on Ancient Egypt. The objects on display in the Egyptian sculpture gallery represent three millennia of pharaonic history with the Rosetta Stone being the most famous around the world for having served as the key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian language and hieroglyphic script.

  

• Super Wow (Walk on Wednesday) Award

  Tue 19 Nov 2019
  On Tuesday this week, Maisy and Samuel were invited to Leeds Castle to represent class 4M who had won the latest Challenge Day for Bexley District. They achieved this fantastic award for being the class with the most pupils walking to school on Wednesdays. Maisy and Samuel were picked out of a hat and they represented Normandy with pride and enthusiasm. They had a fantastic day and were treated like guests of honours. They received a certificate and vouchers for all the pupils in 4M to visit Wildwood. Congratulations to class 4M and Ms McDonald.

  

• Parent Wellbeing Workshop

  Fri 15 Nov 2019
  Thank you to all of the parents who attended our Parent Wellbeing Workshop which was held on Friday afternoon. This workshop was led by Pascale Berthellet (Public Health Advisor for Children and Young People) who shared practical tips and advice on how to look after your own wellbeing and how to make simple changes to how you live without it costing a fortune in time or money. Being a parent can be a busy and challenging time and more often than not, we are so busy concentrating on our families needs that we forget about our own. 

• Remembrance Assembly

  Mon 11 Nov 2019
  Our Year 5 pupils led a respectful and very emotional Remembrance Assembly to their parents and carers. The children presented the history of WWI and told the story of the amazing soldiers who fought and served for their country. They sang war time songs and were confident and knowledgeable about the history of the conflict. Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend and to the Year 5 teachers who worked hard with the children to deliver such a moving Remembrance Assembly.

• TFL Safety Talks to Year 6 pupils

  Fri 08 Nov 2019
  Our Year 6 pupils took part in an in-school presentation offered free of charge by Transport for London where they were given helpful information about the transition to independent travel and tips to equip them to make responsible choices on their journeys using public transport. During this interactive presentation, the year 6 pupils watched educational videos and images and took part in role play to support key learning points in anticipation of their transition to secondary school. The key areas discussed were; Getting help, Showing respect for members of staff and other passengers, What to do in an emergency, Awareness of possible dangers and personal safety, Journey planning, Active travel choices (such as walking, cycling) and Ticketing (including Zip Oyster photocards). I am sure that you will agree that this is an important life skill to learn and the safety of our pupils is always paramount in our minds.

• Drum Workshops

  Mon 04 Nov 2019

  On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, pupils took part in drumming workshops. During these sessions, pupils learnt about different techniques needed to produce different sounds and were introduced to various different types of drums and percussion instruments. The children attended the workshop in class groups and the feedback from them has been wonderful. 

  One child commented 'I really enjoyed learning to play different rhythms'.