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Saving Harmonia has finally arrived! Miss. Baines and Miss. S. Brodigan and their year 6 classes from last year, collaborated with over 900 students to write this wonderful story book. This is the second year that Brooklands’ students have participated in Imagine a Story - facilitated by the Southbank Centre. Devised by Abigail Balfe and illustrated by Maryam Huq, Saving Harmonia is a heartwarming and inspiring story about the endless powers of community and hope. #hope #southbankcentre #imagineastory

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The wonderful Jamie Littler returned to Brooklands recently with the second book in his Arkspire series. He came last year and we really hope to welcome him back next year too. He brought his characters to life with a ‘draw along’ assembly and KS2 were inspired to be creative and have fun while learning a new skill. Miss Baines’ students wrote letters to Jamie to thank him for his work.

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We had the honour and privilege of hosting Hannah Gold to support the release of her latest book; ‘Turtle Moon’ recently. Mia (year 8) made her a crocheted turtle 🐢 as she’s a big fan and Hannah loved it. Hannah inspired KS2 with her own story - she only became an author 5 years ago and she encouraged us to follow own dreams at every and any step in life. 

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We had the honour and privilege of hosting Hannah Gold to support the release of her latest book; ‘Turtle Moon’ recently. Mia (year 8) made her a crocheted turtle 🐢 as she’s a big fan and Hannah loved it. Hannah inspired KS2 with her own story - she only became an author 5 years ago and she encouraged us to follow own dreams at every and any step in life. 

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We are very excited to report that Miss. Baines’ year 6 class and Miss. Woodall’s year 6 class are now published authors. They participated in a writing project called; ‘Imagine a Story’ with The Southbank Centre London and wrote a collaborative chapter of; ‘Snorehampton Goes Splat’. The story features children from neurodivergent backgrounds and a non-binary Superhero! Every student that participated gets a copy and their names are listed as collaborative authors at the back!

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So lucky to be able to facilitate such inspiring, up to the minute CPD for whole staff Inset after the Easter break. Natalie and Naomi Evans delivered on creating a truly Anti Racist school where we can support the Global Majority to thrive and belong alongside the UK majority.

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Our first ever Brooklands’ annual World Book Day book swap was a great success. #green #reduce #reuse #recycle #read #swap #droponetakeone #nopolyesterinsight

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Our wonderful LGBTQI+ team learning some inclusive language today at our monthly meeting. We were matching definitions to labels/acronyms/titles. It was great to be able to discuss meaning, make connections and share our personal experiences. At Brooklands we are committed to ensuring everyone (students, staff and families) all have a strong sense of belonging and feel safe with us.

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Preparing for Natalie and Naomi Evans to deliver on site training on ‘The Anti- Racist School’ at  Easter Inset. Always learning. Always curious. #racism #colourism #mixedrace #mixedheritage #dualheritage #othering #fragility #theblueveinsociety #thebrownpaperbagtest #fetishisation - at Brooklands we want everyone to belong and to find space to learn and be better humans.

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When you read something that makes you realise that you’ve been doing something for a long time that has an actual name. 

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When you read something that makes you realise that you’ve been doing something for a long time that has an actual name. 

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From; ‘We’ve Got This Six Steps to Build your Empathy Superpower’ by Rasmi Sirdeshpande.

#readingforempathy
#wedothatallthetime
#wemodelreadingforempathy

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This week’s trip is to The Royal Opera House in Convent Garden for a performance of The Nutcracker. We are so excited! Our curriculum is truly ambitious, broad and balanced and creative. We have been trying to facilitate this trip since 2015. #relentlessinourpursuitofenrichinglifeexperience. 

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This week’s trip is to The Royal Opera House in Convent Garden for a performance of The Nutcracker. We are so excited! Our curriculum is truly ambitious, broad and balanced and creative. We have been trying to facilitate this trip since 2015. #relentlessinourpursuitofenrichinglifeexperience. 

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#ballet
#opera
#thenutcracker
#sugarplumfairy
#plugginggaps
#improvinglifechances
#danceisselfexpression

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New core text alert! Coming soon to Year 6…

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New core text alert! Coming soon to Year 6…

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Everyday Action, Everyday Change by Natalie and Naomi Evans.
#antiracism
#allyship
#Everydayracism_

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Group analysis of the Prologue of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers 🩸 #foreshadowing

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Reading to support our work on Anti Racist commitments; The Mixed Race Experience - reflections and revelations on multiracial identity - by Naomi and Natalie Evans.

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Year 5 trip to The London Eye and St. Albans Abbey. What. A. Day.
The London Eye Mystery by the late Siobhan Dowd.
Where is Salim?

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How to respect ethnic names…

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Coming to the end of our study of
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr, and Year 6 are exploring what a good friend was during wartime.

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Oracy Champions delivering Sports Council plans and rules for election! #Voice21

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Author Jack Meggitt-Phillips this time with his 4th book in ‘The Beast and The Bethany’ series…

KS2 had a wonderful time learning about baddies, creating baddies, illustrating baddies and talking about slugs, boogies and rats with worms as whiskers.

Oh, and this child was a coat stand. Hilarious.

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So fortunate to have had the privilege to work with Jamie Littler this past week. He delivered a draw along assembly to KS2 where he introduced his latest book, Arkspire and our students got the opportunity to learn about writing, illustrating, editing and publishing. Brooklands’ families purchased over 100 copies and Jamie signed them all!

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Did you know that Judith Kerr wrote books for older children too? 

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Did you know that Judith Kerr wrote books for older children too? 

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This summer, year 6 were introduced to the first in Kerr’s trilogy of semi autobiographical texts about her childhood (and young adulthood) as a refugee. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit charts Kerr’s epic journey through Europe during WW2. As a Jew, she and her family fled Berlin and lived in Switzerland and France before finally settling in England.

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Ambitious readers focus their attention out of the window not into the mirror. 

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Ambitious readers focus their attention out of the window not into the mirror. 

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One of our students loved Tom Becker’s ‘Darkside’ so much that he bought the sequel, then bestowed it upon his teacher! #result #gothichorror #darksidelifeblood #Jonathan #Carnegie

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Taylor in year 8 learned how to be an English teacher this week as Miss. Woodall’s ‘apprentice for the day’. He purchased this opportunity with his classcharts points. Throughout the day he sent emails, prepared resources and heard younger students read. He really enjoyed the experience and wants to be teacher even more now! Go, Taylor! 

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Taylor in year 8 learned how to be an English teacher this week as Miss. Woodall’s ‘apprentice for the day’. He purchased this opportunity with his classcharts points. Throughout the day he sent emails, prepared resources and heard younger students read. He really enjoyed the experience and wants to be teacher even more now! Go, Taylor! 

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Year 7 exploring (very old) Non-Fiction. National Geographic magazines from the 90s were a massive hit this week! 🤣

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Year 7 exploring (very old) Non-Fiction. National Geographic magazines from the 90s were a massive hit this week! 🤣

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Students learned how we learned before you could ‘Google it’ - the long lost world of the encyclopaedia.

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Oracy is really important to us at Brooklands... 

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Oracy is really important to us at Brooklands... 

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Fun, fun, fun with Natter Matters fortune tellers today!

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Natter Matters (more than ever) Bigger Questions still no wrong answers… 

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Natter Matters (more than ever) Bigger Questions still no wrong answers… 

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We used some of our Pupil Premium funding to invest in Rosie Johnson’s incredible ‘Natter Matters’ cards. There are 52 questions to get us thinking, listening, and discussing BIG ideas. Each form group has some!

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LQ: What makes a solid, all- around reader? 

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LQ: What makes a solid, all- around reader? 

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Ambitious texts.
Broad and balanced texts.
Creative texts.

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Pondiscio on the limitless depths of vocabulary in children’s literature…

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Pondiscio on the limitless depths of vocabulary in children’s literature…

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‘The language of children’s books is more sophisticated than even the spoken conversation of college graduates, with a greater number of rare and unique words.’

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Reading comprehension is not merely a skill…

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Reading comprehension is not merely a skill…

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Reading comprehension is a condition that you explicitly create. Creating ambitious readers is about focusing their attention out of the window not in to the mirror.

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Pondiscio on the difference between decoding and making meaning. ‘Reading comprehension is fantastically nuanced,’

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Pondiscio on not narrowing the curriculum. We are Ambitious, Broad & Balanced and Creative. 

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Pondiscio on not narrowing the curriculum. We are Ambitious, Broad & Balanced and Creative. 

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Hard at work at Easter School this morning… Breakfast, SATs prep, confidence building and fun.

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🌈❤️🌈❤️Exciting new text for year 6 coming for 2023/24 🌈❤️🌈❤️ ‘George’ by Alex Gino.

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Today, during an RE lesson, year 5 were closely examining the language used in The Lion Storyteller children’s bible that describes Jesus’ death in a negative light. Their Learning Question was: How does the language used create a negative narrative around Jesus’ death? Year 5 found some brilliant words and explored the task and language creatively. Key words for the lesson were: SACRIFICE and BURDEN. Our Curriculum is Ambitious, Broad & Balanced and Creative. We make links wherever possible so that our whole school curriculum Intent is a golden thread in all we do.

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Eeeeak! World Book Day competition entries all ready to post! Winners announced in May! Fingers crossed 🤞🏻 

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Eeeeak! World Book Day competition entries all ready to post! Winners announced in May! Fingers crossed 🤞🏻 

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Biscuits at the ready for World Book (& Biscuit) Day 2023.

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During the first week of Spring 2 the whole English department took a break from their planned curriculum to write open letters to survivors or rescue workers of the Turkey/Syria earthquake. We are really proud of Ethan’s letter. This is his 3rd draft. Ethan finds writing extremely challenging but he desperately wanted to communicate his feelings. He nails it here and shows just how empathetic he is. Amazing work! Well done, Ethan. (Oxbridge 8)

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Words are so powerful. Year 5 went on a thought provoking and inspiring Faith Tour around Queen’s Park, Bedford, last week. What a brilliant day. #words #diversity #tolerance #Islam #Christianity #Sikhism 

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Words are so powerful. Year 5 went on a thought provoking and inspiring Faith Tour around Queen’s Park, Bedford, last week. What a brilliant day. #words #diversity #tolerance #Islam #Christianity #Sikhism 

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Inset this term was on trauma informed approaches to behaviour, followed by a delicious all staff lunch at a local golf club. The combination of things we need to support our students and things we need to feel supported on this day was perfect.

#teacherwellbeing #traumainformedapproaches #cpd #alwayslearning #flipyourlid

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Ashleigh’s curriculum vision display. Ashleigh is in year 5 and spent the day as English Apprentice with Miss. Woodall! She made this independently! It’s now on display just outside the hall. Great work, Ashleigh.

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Ashleigh, year 5 - working on a curriculum display as part of her English Apprenticeship role!

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When your badge collection matches your curriculum. #bahhumbug #Dickens #AChristmasCarol

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Madison, year 7 - is having the best day as Miss. Woodall’s English apprentice. So far, she’s heard year 5 and 6 readers and mastered the guillotine!

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At Brooklands, reading and relationships are are the centre of what we do. Younger pupils love reading to the older pupils weekly and this helps to build a sense of community.

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Pupils are encouraged to take part in drama activities - this was Y6 re-enacting a scene from Letters from the Lighthouse. The smiling faces say it all.

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Pupils had a visit from a local magistrate who spoke about the role of a magistrate and allowed a group of pupils to take part in a scripted role play!

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During Oracy October, we aim to expose pupils to as many opportunities to practise their oracy skills as possible. As pupils enter KS3, we remind them of the importance of these skills as they prepare to move to upper school and employment. This year, KS3 pupils had to write and perform a poem about our local area with 'I come from hope. I come from Bradford' as inspiration. Well done to our winners: Arabella from 7SAM and John from 8GRS. Thanks for Voice 21 for the resources and training.

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During Oracy October, we aim to expose children to as many opportunities to practise their oracy skills as possible. This year, in KS2, one of the activities involved reciting a poem. Here you can see Y5 listening to their peers. Year 5 winners - Pixie, Thomas, Ted and Santino from 5TRE. Year 6 winners - Marley, Eden and Tillie from 6WRS. Well done all!

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In the English Department, we welcome pupil apprentices who can spend the day with us to lead activities, support their peers and complete other 'teacher jobs'! See here M from 7BAE leading my spelling input. Pupils can purchase English Apprentice using their ClassChart points.

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Here you can see L from 6CBE really enjoying getting into character as Olive, from Letters from the Lighthouse, when we tried hotseating!

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Did we solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance?

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Did we solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance?

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Not quite. Did we check the pod to test out Ted's theories? We did. Did we have the BEST DAY EVER? Absolutely. For some of our pupils, this was their first experience of London...what a day!

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Brooklands is a Voice 21 school; this means that we place oracy education at the centre of what we do. We began this journey in September 2021 and are committed to improving the spoken communication skills of all our pupils so that they are ready to survive and thrive when they move on from us.

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St. Albans Abbey this afternoon…

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Today we fly the London Eye like Ted and his friends in The London Eye Mystery- Siobhan Dowd. #bookinspo #year5trip

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Some seriously poetic acrostics from Oxbridge 8 for entry in our Voice 21 ‘perform a poem’ competition 🍁 🍂 #ovalglory #kingoftheautumn #conker

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Who’s your favourite character from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe? #notEdmund #Narniaforever - Oxbridge 6 did some collaborative character profiling this week…

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The Nation’s Favourite English Teacher visited Brooklands today and Miss Woodall jumped at the chance for a hug!

#hollysclassroom #hollykingmand #shakespeareanpuns #Christmas #assembly #year6

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Year 6 had a thrilling morning 25/11/22 with Holly King-Mand (the Nation’s Fave English teacher) working on Shakespearean Christmas puns in assembly 🎄❤️

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Our community bookshelf is full 😍
This is in the foyer as you enter our school.
Please come and help yourselves.
No need to sign anything out.
Just take a book to read and bring it back when you've finished it.
Children's books on the bottom shelf!

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What is a micro aggression? Why is it important to respect and use ethnic names accurately? #diversity #representation #belonging #identity

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Amazing news that Malorie Blackman (we teach her ‘noughts and Crosses’ in year 8) Dapo Adeola, Book Trust, Time to Read and Arts Council England have teamed up to deliver more diverse books to Year R children. 

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Amazing news that Malorie Blackman (we teach her ‘noughts and Crosses’ in year 8) Dapo Adeola, Book Trust, Time to Read and Arts Council England have teamed up to deliver more diverse books to Year R children. 

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#representationmatters
#wewanttoseeallthefaces
#diversity
#malorieblackman
#progress

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Check out our new school wide Eco libraries. Every year group has one and these are here to stay alongside  our school wide Diversity libraries.

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New at Brooklands... Look out for your 'word of the week' across all classrooms in the English department and build your vocabulary into something spectacular... 

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New at Brooklands... Look out for your 'word of the week' across all classrooms in the English department and build your vocabulary into something spectacular... 

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'The more words you'll know, the further you'll go.' Dr. Seuss said that. #FACT

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Ever wondered about what an certain emotion you're feeling might be called? You need Brene Brown's new book - Atlas of the Heart. A must have read for leaders. 

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Free books available here - help yourselves. 

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Free books available here - help yourselves. 

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Where? The English Dept.

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Miss Woodall, Director of Language and Communication, talks to the Nation's Favourite English Teacher, Holly King Mand...

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Miss Woodall, Director of Language and Communication, talks to the Nation's Favourite English Teacher, Holly King Mand...

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...about creating safe spaces for less able learners.

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Creating Safe Spaces for Less Able Learners: The Morning Break with Holly King-Mand

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Listen to this episode from Teachers Talk Radio on Spotify. Holly King-Mand is joined by Carly Woodall, Director of Language and Communication at Brooklands Middle School in Bedfordshire. This week's conversation looks at how schools can become safer spaces for less able students to thrive, including prioritising teacher wellbeing and teacher trust and living and breathing an ethos of support and encouragement.