Last term in Design and Technology Club, pupils were busy designing and building large-scale marble runs, and the results have been fantastic. From the very first sketches to the final constructions, children explored how ideas can grow and change through hands-on making. The finished marble runs were creative, ambitious and full of clever features, showing just how much thought and teamwork went into each design.

Reception had a wonderful time meeting their Year 5 buddies.

🌲 Our First Forest School Adventure! 🌿

Our amazing 'St James’ Planet Protectors' have been hard at work this term, both in the forest school garden and in the classroom!

As part of our exciting project, Friends, Families and Fantastic Bodies, we’ve been exploring how to keep our bodies happy and healthy. In Design & Technology, the children have been on a delicious learning journey- taste-testing shop-bought smoothies, discussing their flavours and then designing their very own recipes. Over the past few weeks, they’ve mixed creativity with nutrition, culminating in making their own homemade smoothies together!

This week, Year 5 travelled back in time to Ancient Greece for our very own Greek Day! It was a day full of fun, food, and friendly competition.

We started the day by learning all about the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. Did you know the first Olympics were held over 2,000 years ago in Olympia, and only men were allowed to compete? Luckily, in our version, everyone could join in!

Soon it was time for our very own Mini Olympics. In true Greek style, we competed in running races, discus, javelin, sprints and long jump. The excitement was electric, and just like in Ancient Greece, we cheered loudly for our classmates. Winners were celebrated with a grand ceremony – and of course, a crown of leaves to show off their victory!

No Greek day would be complete without delicious food. We got to taste a range of traditional Greek flavours, from olives and pitta bread to juicy grapes and creamy dips. Some of us were brave enough to try foods we had never eaten before – and we even gave out star ratings for our favourites. At lunchtime, our school dinners were specially transformed into a Greek menu prepared by Relish, giving us the full experience of Greek food throughout the day.

We also became young architects for the day, studying the three different types of Greek columns – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. It was amazing to see how these designs are still used in buildings today! We even learned about the co-architects of the Parthenon, Ictinus and Callicrates, who worked together to create one of the most famous buildings in the world.

To finish, we created our own wreath headpieces, just like the winners of the Ancient Olympic Games. With leaves, ribbons, and lots of imagination, everyone left school looking like true Greek champions.

It was an amazing day where we learned loads, laughed lots, and discovered what life was like in Ancient Greece. Opa!