RAPS IN THE NEWS

Jubilee fever gripped Ramsgate Arts Primary as children of all ages celebrated the Queen’s marvellous milestone.

Throughout the school there was a buzz of right royal activity as girls and boys wore red, white and blue clothing to represent the national flag colours.

One of the hives of activity was in the early years learning area where the school’s youngest pupils had an exciting time through play-learning around the jubilee theme.

They made patriotic flags, decorations, role-played making a traditional British cuppa, feasted on fish and chips, wore a regal crown, learned about the Queen and the jubilee by listening to stories about Her Majesty and her family, and listened to classical music that was played as a background soundtrack to their day.

The little ones also joined the rest of the school in a special assembly where they took part in a quiz and sang the national anthem while waving their flags.

Pupils across school took part in an art project in their year groups looking at the work of local artist Ann Carrington and produced some replicas of her work using ‘found’objects - these will be displayed in Ramsgate railway station for the Jubilee.

Elsewhere across RAPS Year 1 pupils learnt all about the Queen and then made their own list of rules of what they would do if we were King or Queen. Their artwork included making a British themed collage. In Year 3 girls and boys began their day of celebrations by watching the majesty and ceremony of the Queen’s coronation.

Early Years Foundation Studies lead Sophie Spurrier said: “They little ones were excited and were really engaged with all the activities they took part in. It was a wonderful atmosphere and they certainly celebrated in style.”

Head of School Nick Budge added: “We celebrated our Jubilee Day in advance throughout the school as we will be on a holiday break when the actual event is celebrated nationwide.

“Our children really showed their creative skills with a range of diverse activities centred on the jubilee theme. Throughout the day they learnt more about the history, heritage and culture of our royal family and what makes the Queen’s jubilee so special. It is a milestone event in our country’s history that our girls and boys will remember.”

For more information contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847.

Enjoying the world of nature is an important part of their learning adventure for children in their first year at Ramsgate Arts Primary.

The Reception group girls and boys are currently discovering fascinating facts about the life cycle in their Ready Steady Grow topic.

To help reinforce their learning they left the classroom and enjoyed an informative trip to the acclaimed Rare Breeds Centre at Highlands Farm near Ashford.

A fun programme of activities saw girls and boys immersed in a variety of experiences.

These included a bug hunt workshop where they explore habitats in search of minibeasts, looked under logs and identified their sightings using a worksheet. They also investigated life around the farm’s pond where they dipped the water using nets and examined their catches using magnifying glasses.

Pupils also discussed the life cycle of animals and their young and how they change over time as they reach adulthood.

A big favourite was meeting some of the centre’s animals at the petting barn including baby goats, calves and rabbits where they found out how they are cared for and what they eat.

The young explorers also visited the farm’s eco garden to see what plants are being cultivated and how they grow. They discussed the different parts of plants and which are safe for humans to eat.

Sophie Spurrier, Head of Early Years Foundation Studies at RAPS, said the visit was an important opportunity for the little children. She said: “Real life learning in topics like this is invaluable. They had the chance to see how the rare breeds centre works, met lots of different creatures, found out about their habits and how their lives evolve.

“It supports what they have already learnt and expands their knowledge base. The knowledge they have gained is already informing the way they are working through the rest of the topic.”

The Rare Breeds Centre is at Highlands Farm, Woodchurch, Ashford. Find out more online at www.rarebreeds.org.uk

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.

For more information contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847.

A lively and creative week exploring the Arts with The Lion King as a main inspiration has been a roaring success at Ramsgate Arts Primary.

The classic story was a theme for a number of activities that were actively embraced by children from all age groups.

‘Arts at the Heart of RAPS’ was the umbrella theme for a week-long programme of fun and challenging learning at the area’s only specialist arts school.

Girls and boys explored a large range of opportunities that saw them learning new skills and ambitiously broadening existing ones.

Current members of The Lion King stage show - Shannon Taiwo and Kuan Frye - led workshops covering dance, acting, singing and a ‘question time’ session about the musical.

And children aged seven to eleven years old then enjoyed the spectacular musical live on stage with a special trip to the Lyceum Theatre in London to witness the production that left them ’excited and overawed’. Younger classes also got the chance to see The Lion King film at a screening in school.

Emily Mays choreographed music and movement to The Lion King soundtrack, while Freya Watson taught songs from the show. Jon Williams continued the theme with drama workshops.

Naomi Hammerton and pupils worked together to discover songwriting and create a special work for RAPS, while Rich Rhythms explored the world of African drumming with children pounding out the beats on djembes.

An art design workshop with Christine Marfleet saw girls and boys design and create masks either based on animals in The Lion King, or inspired by African fabrics and art.

Professional cinematographer Edward Stafford rehearsed and film a short scene with keen young actors, while stop-motion animation and green screen workshops with Mike Brown were very popular. Specially-written lion-themed tales were enjoyed in storytelling sessions.

Head of School Nick Budge explained: “This was a focussed celebration of the Arts for a whole week. Creativity is central to what we do and it is a major part of our identity.

“It was important to be able to offer such a range of first class opportunities to our children to work with visiting performers and educators alongside our talented staff.

“The reaction was amazing. Children clearly embraced the whole programme and were bubbling with all the new things they were enjoying learning about. There will be displays of our children’s creative work on show around the school.

“The effect of this specialist week of learning will carry over into the rest of the school year and beyond. It has expanded the horizons of our children and reinforced their love of the Arts which are at the heart of our school community.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School and Chilton Primary School.

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847

The wonderful world of reading and storytelling is an important key to unlock a child’s imagination – and Ramsgate Arts Primary hold a series of reading for pleasure sessions throughout the year.

The latest of these celebrated the 25^th anniversary of World Book Day with children, families and staff sharing the joy of the written and spoken word through a structured programme of fun learning activities.

Head of School Nick Budge said: “The use of language is a central part of our learning and our focus on reading and the joy it brings is a way to explore so many different avenues for our children.”

Familiar colourful characters and costumes from a range of authors leapt from the pages of storybooks and into the classrooms and corridors as pupils and staff dressed as their favourites.

Teachers all dressed up as the Disney classic’s 101 Dalmatians with Mr Budge as their menacing nemesis Cruella de Ville.

Children of all ages enjoyed numerous book-related activities that not only helps develop their abilities to read but encourages their love of reading.

The special day included the chance for pupils to identify the masked reader as undercover teachers read stories and their listeners had to guess who was telling the tales.

National live workshops were screened online all day, while special bespoke sessions pre-recorded for RAPS by authors and illustrators were popular.

Teachers swapped classes to read their favourite books to different children,. While class buddies of different age groups paired up to share stories from the school library and book corners.

Parents were invited into the school hall for a magical reading by torchlight on comfy cushions, beanbags and sofas; and all pupils received tokens to spend in national book stores or at the Moon Lane bookshop in Ramsgate.

One of the most challenging tasks saw pupils tasked earlier with reading stories to their pets and reading in the most unusual places, with the evidence photographed. There were a selection of interesting and thoughtful entries, with pupils Millie and Annie judged the winners.

Teacher Sophie Spurrier, who is Early Years Foundation Studies lead, co-ordinated the event. She said: “Our aim is simple – to highlight the love of reading every day.

“Our children are excited about books and the amazing journeys that stories can take them on - we wanted to make sure our World Book Day was all about reading for pleasure to encourage our girls and boys to get lost in the magical world of reading.

“It was important also that this was not just a one-off activity but was an ongoing celebration of the written and spoken word. At RAPS we have lots of reading for pleasure sessions planned in for the rest of the year too.”

Mr Budge added: “It was a spectacular day as magical as the characters and stories that captivate us all. Loving books and being excited to immerse yourself in a thrilling story is the right of every child, and we nurture it from the youngest of ages.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School and Chilton Primary School.

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847

It was all Greek to children at Ramsgate Arts Primary as they journeyed into the world of the ancient civilisation.

An inspirational day celebrating the history, heritage and culture of Ancient Greece enthralled girls and boys from Year 5.

The aim was to encourage them to explore the ways that families, traders, soldiers, and nobility lived in what was one of the most exciting and developing civilisations the expanding world had known.

Pupils were invited to dress up in the style of the period and there were a range of colourful and thoughtful outfits and accessories on show as the day of fun learning unfolded.

A range of activities began with solving the puzzle of a broken Greek vase which children had to put back together.

Next was a workshop to explore music and movement as traditional Greek dancing was enthusiastically tried out, with youngsters learning the moves to the centuries-old Zorba dance.  

In a drama session the children were transported to a Greek marketplace or ‘agora’ where they became buyers and sellers, haggling and discussing a variety of goods.

Next they assumed the personas of competitors preparing and competing in the Olympic Games, discussing a variety of sports that would be contested.

The children also delved into folklore and created freeze-frame cameos of well-known legends from Ancient Greece.

Next up was taste-testing Greek foods and pupils tucked into a range of treats olives, feta, pitta, tzatziki and humus.

The final experiences of the action-packed day was making wreaths and learning Greek writing.

Year 5 teacher Hannah Dannell said: “We all enjoyed a great day learning as much as we could about such an important ancient civilisation.

“The children were really enthusiastic about the various aspects of the day and it was a strong creative learning experience.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School and Chilton Primary School.

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847

Young puppeteers at Ramsgate Arts Primary are creating their own special toy story.

Girls and boys in Year 1 are exploring the world of puppetry as part of their topic Playing Past and Present.

This examines toys that were popular in Tudor and Victorian times and throughout the 20th Century – and the pupils have discovered that some have remained just as popular as ever through the centuries.

One that has stood the test of time is the good old-fashioned puppet, which has proved to be a firm favourite with the current RAPS generation.

Teacher Jess Barnes explained: “We have talked about how puppets are used and that they've been around for years and years.

“We explored different types of puppets: finger puppets, glove (hand) puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets, body puppets and marionette puppets (string puppets).

“The children were then set the task to design and create their own puppet. This was a great cross-curricular process from learning the history of puppets, then designing their own puppet and considering what materials they needed.

“Finally they made their puppet and there was great enthusiasm as their creations came alive in their hands as they put on their own mini puppet theatre shows for the class.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary is focusing on promoting oracy development – the range of speaking and listening skills, behaviours and language necessary for effective communication and collaboration.

Mrs Barnes added: “The puppetry project was a great opportunity for the children to work in small groups to share their handmade puppets and bring them to life. It was a great was for their oracy skills to come into play effectively.”

Head of School Nick Budge agreed: “It has been interesting to see the variety of styles and materials the Year 1 children used to create their puppets.

“It is clear that they really enjoyed the work and are gaining a strong set of communications skills as they work together to achieve their goal.

“Oracy encompasses physical, social and emotional, linguistic and cognitive aspects of learning. It is something that we are encouraging across all year groups as part of our children’s personal development.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School and Chilton Primary School.

*For more information, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847