Summer School at Park always provides an exciting opportunity to ensure that transition to secondary school is smooth and a positive experience, and for students to demonstrate their skills as Great Learners. Summer School 2021 was no exception! This year, Summer School was open to all students who were due to be in Years 7, 8 and 9 in September and 143 students attended over the week.
Learning was designed to ensure that key skills in English, science and maths were developed, and this was achieved through the real-life context of a crime investigation. Students took on the role of detective and pieced together clues to create a hypothesis about a culprit and motive. Using reading skills to skim and scan for information, science skills to carry out fingerprinting and chromatography, and maths skills to problem solve and eliminate suspects, students created a crime board before presenting their evidence to their peers. Alongside this, all students engaged with 1-1 reading opportunities and were given a free book to develop their passion for the genre of crime further.
Wellbeing was a high priority for Summer School and, alongside the crime investigation, students had a range of opportunities to find what they love to do. This included trying out school-based subject areas such as technology and computer science as well as experiencing climbing, archery, yoga, and dance.
Summer School provided the perfect opportunity for our new Year 7 cohort to meet staff and new friends, and for all year groups to secure key curriculum skills whilst allowing time for wellbeing. Students were also given the opportunity to experience learning in a different setting through a visit to our small holding where they developed skills in horticulture and animal husbandry.
An excellent week was had by staff and students alike and we are already looking forward to Summer School 2022!
