In the Autumn Term of 2024, we launched our Year 7 and 8 curriculum carousel. Each Tuesday afternoon, students participate in a rotation that includes Music Tech, Equestrian Studies, Cookery, Forest School, or Careers, dedicating 5 weeks to each activity.
Here is an overview of the activities students engaged in for each subject;
Equestrian Experience
Lorraine Roberts, Director of Riding, and her team, have been able to welcome weekly Year 7 and 8 groups to the Leweston Equestrian Stables for their 'Equestrian Experience' which has included getting up close and meeting the horses we have on site. For some of students this is the very first time they have touched or stood next to a horse.
The groups have learnt about:-
• How to behave, react and respect the horses while on the yard
• Natural behaviour and the instinct of a horse
• Animal welfare
• What we need to provide for a horse to keep them healthy and happy
• How a horse communicates
• How to safely approach, put a headcollar on, handle, groom and lead a horse
• Compared the physiology of a horse to a human
• Preparing feed, bedding and forage
Music Tech
In these sessions, students explored the basics of sound physics and acoustics with Mr Robinson. They utilised a modern Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to craft brief musical pieces based on specific guidelines.
Students engaged in recreating a popular contemporary song with the help of professional software and equipment. Several students demonstrated remarkable creativity by crafting dynamic compositions through layering loops, applying basic effects, and employing mixing techniques.
Forest School
Mrs West emphasised the importance of team building, boosting confidence, and giving students the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. The beauty of Forest School lies in its ability to provide students with the time and space to solve problems independently. When faced with challenges, like lighting a fire with a flint and steel, they must persevere until they succeed. Some students mastered it quickly, while others took longer.
Mrs West is dedicated to nurturing teamwork, confidence, and resilience during their forest adventures!
Cookery
Our Year 7 and 8 students were full of enthusiasm and actively participated in a range of cooking activities with Mrs Archer, acquiring valuable cookery skills that will last a lifetime. They were thrilled to bring their homemade treats home to share with their families—some even returned for the recipes because their parents requested them to make the dishes again. The dishes they prepared included: sausage rolls, cheese scones, muffins, homemade pesto with pasta, and chocolate brownies.
Careers
Within the careers rotation, Year 7 and 8 students are working in teams to design and brand a new box of chocolates. As part of this challenge Mrs Hutton tasked them with creating a slogan and an advert, which they include in a final presentation where they are judged according to their creativity and teamwork skills. Other important employability skills are also developed including problem solving, speaking and listening.
Students have enjoyed taking part in this 'Apprentice' style activity and Mrs Hutton has been impressed with their enthusiasm, behaviour and teamworking skills. As part of each rotation our own marketing specialist Mrs Frecknall has judged the pitches, scoring teams on the originality of their idea, commercial viability and their team presentation.
During their final week, students reflect on their learning and the importance of these employability skills in different careers. The activity lends itself to a discussion about marketing careers and students also complete individual research, linking different jobs to their favourite subjects at school.
Within the Gatsby Benchmarks of good career guidance this activity achieves the following criteria:
1. Learning from career and labour market information
2. Linking curriculum learning to careers
3. Encounters with employers and employees
4. Experience of work places
The new curriculum carousel has provided a wonderful chance for students to explore activities and subjects that might be new to them. We eagerly anticipate rotating the groups again after Christmas and welcoming even more eager participants.