You really do have to appreciate the patience levels of a Reception Class teacher.

I say  levels because there are the days (or lessons) you experience that really do require a more saintly type of patience. One of these days was today.  Yes, that dreaded outdoor PE lesson involving following STRAIGHT lines! As I stood outside to watch how our little ones are getting on, I could hear poor Mr McGill repeating himself ( in his usual pleasant and encouraging tone) desperately trying to arrange his class into a straight line.
The beauty of this exercise was that there are straight lines painted on the floor outside for the children to follow and I found it quite comical that the children just couldn’t stay on them!

I could only liken the sight to sporadic ducklings trying to keep up but Mr.McGill was clearly ‘training’ these ducklings for future outdoor PE lessons and I could see he was not willing to give up so easily- I will have to keep you posted with this progress because he ran out of time and I can’t honestly say that the learning objective had been mastered!

I have to continue my blog about Mr.McGill because I have experienced the most unbelievable experience this week in Reception Class and it involves uncooked potatoes!
Potatoes and mashers are a great way to develop children’s fine and gross motor strength but this had to be seen to be believed….

I saw raw potatoes floating in cold water and went to investigate. I wish I hadn’t asked because Mr.McGill, who has clearly never had to cook before, honestly thought that the potatoes would become soft enough to mash if they had been in cold water. Now, if you are four years old and you are holding a huge masher and a huge uncooked potato to mash, this could be the most challenging task you are ever given in a whole school career! I’m not sure that even The A-Team could have helped with this task but still the children tried. After a conversation with Mr.McGill, who still believed the potatoes would become soft, we laughed like we had never laughed before because this was a genuine misconception and it isn’t Mr.McGill’s fault that he hasn’t made mash before.

There are some wonderful things going on in school. Teachers will be updating their class webpages over the next week to keep you posted with classroom environments and displays. I know it is still difficult for us all to be apart but your children are happy and safe inside school.

The nursery children have been having a great time making stick sparklers and firework art and they also looked a joyful sight as they played out on the big playground with footballs. Have a look at their beautiful art work below.

Years 1 and 2 are very busy with their new ‘Great Fire of London’ project and it was wonderful to find out the exact height of Samuel Pepys-exactly 5 foot and I know this because Mrs. Tyrer had measured the painted character to the exact length for the children to really ‘get to know him’ and feel he is one of us in the classroom-why not!

We are making a Key Stage 2 carol concert for you all and Mr.Warren is recording instrumentalists individually to put together a virtual school band. The school band still cannot rehearse and perform together but Mr. Warren assures me that this will work. The infants will be dressing up and performing a Nativity for you (please do not worry- all props and costumes are organised by school) and this will be send to you via a link. We are making the very best out of this different situation and we thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Have a lovely weekend together- please remember to have a look on our website for links to family and wellbeing services, online safety and other useful information.

Take care all.