News and Events
Here you can find out about all the interesting things that have been happening at Ladypool Primary School.
Summer 2021 .... music everywhere!
Tuesday 20th April 2021: Our Summer term started well with our Year 4 classes having their whole class music lessons with the specialist teachers from the music service in the portakabin. We managed to get their violins and cellos to them during lockdown and have virtual lessons followed by lessons with the music staff when we came back in their instrument groups. Yesterday they started to play in their classes with violinists and cellists together. It was lovely seeing them start to perform their pieces together.
Mrs Mulenga and Mrs Chen have also been teaching the Year 6 electives remotely during the various lockdowns and are enjoying working with them again in school. Some of our cellists are ready to take their first music medal which considering the disruption over the past year is a great achievement. Well done for all your practice Year 6. Our Year 5 electives are now also having lessons with the music service staff and are enjoying learning their instruments after missing out on their whole class lessons last year. We look forward to hearing them all perform later in the term.
It has been difficult to have our choir over the past few months although some children did sing outside at Christmas. Ms Twaite however has recently attended a ' Singing Playgrounds' training session so hopefully over the next few weeks we will be able to sing together again.
This week's 'Music of the Week' is ' The Firebird' by Igor Stravinksy taken from the BBC's 10 pieces. The whole school listens to a new piece of music each week as we build up our knowledge and understanding of different genres and share our responses to it.
. https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/
Our Virtual Easter Hat Parade and other Easter activities.
Although COVID has put restrictions on some of our usual Easter events we still marked Easter with a virtual session from Birmingham City Mission, an Easter Quiz, Class Easter Egg hunts in the Woodland Area and a virtual version of our traditional Easter Hat Parade!
We were so impressed with the children's creativity, especially with most of the shops being closed that all the children who entered received a small prize. We hope that you enjoy seeing the presentation. Happy Easter!
Draw With Rob!
Since September we have been having regular online Art tutorials with World Book Day Illustrator Rob Biddulph. During the first lockdown Rob created easy to follow tutorials of his book characters which our children were encouraged to have a go at. Since coming back to school in September all year groups have used his skills to help our children progress as illustrators. We have had fun whilst developing our drawing skills and this continued whilst we worked remotely at the start of this year.
BBC Good Food Christmas Cake Competition
Our children from Years 2 and 3 have been using their designing skills to create a sparkly cake for the BBC Good Food Guide. We worked to the design brief and sent in our entries. We had lots of fun and look forward to seeing the winning design in December.
Year 5 maths team shine at King Edward's.
Congratulations to our Year 5 mathematicians who took part in the annual KES maths inter school competition. They used their thinking skills and worked as a team, completing the range of challenges they were given. Their hard work and perseverance paid off and they beat off stiff competition to come third!
Spring term 2020 - exciting opportuntitIes
This term we are welcoming a number of visitors to the school as we take part in a range of projects which enrich and deepen our children's understanding and learning These include our weekly visits from the music service, The Play House Theatre in Education Company, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham Royal Ballet, King Edwards School Outreach as well as our visitors who help bring out topics to life and engage us in our assemblies. We also have many educational visits planned including Nursery visiting the City Farm, Year 2 visiting Tamworth Castle, Year 4 visiting Lunt Fort and Year 5 participating in a DfE funded Guiding project in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at Mary Arden's Farm. Children are also representing the school in maths and science competitions and at inter school sporting events Mr Rabone has even arranged for a selection of bikes to be delivered to school!
'Daughters of Invention' engineering project
Year 4 have been working with Birmingham University Engineering Department and The Play House on a bio mechanics and drama project funded by Think Tank and other science awards Both classes had 3 half day workshops where they met a character who was a footballer preparing for the Olympics but had injured her leg in a bad tackle They along with the students from UoB and another performer work out ways to make a structure that would support her leg whilst giving her enough movement. During the drama they go back in time and meet Sarah Guppy a Birmingham born Engineer and Inventor who worked out how to build safer, stronger bridges and who's ideas were used by IK Brunel and Thomas Telford. Both teachers and children found the workshops inspiring and enjoyed the active participation and testing their own ideas out. They were due to go to the University to mark the end of the project and share their findings with another school and the engineers however due to the outbreak of Covid19 this has been cancelled.
Birmingham Royal Ballet visit Ladypool
Year 1 had an exciting morning being trained by members of Birmingham Royal Ballet They took part in a special workshop designed to spot and support potential talent, part of the Dance Track development programme . Eleven children were identified and offered the opportunity to participate in a further workshop at BRB's hub in the city centre. This is the 6th time that the school has participated in Dance Track as part of our school ethos to give children the chance to 'be the best that they can be' and a number of children have as a result received free ballet lessons from some of the best dance teachers in the country We look forward to some of these children continuing to develop as part of this initiative for many years to come and maybe one day we will see a former Ladypool child on the stage at the Hippodrome.
Art Clubs in full swing!
There are two art clubs happening after school on Thursdays run by Mrs Oram and Mrs Mehreen.
The club for Years 3 & 4 have been looking at portraits and landscapes and are currently learning how to add to an image to make it 3D. Last week they learned how to 'coil' different materials using a pencil.
This term's focus for the Year 5&6 club is sketching, leading on from our Winter Art Week in December which the children both enjoyed and were challenged by . They have been trying out different shading techniques and are now moving onto Abstract Art. Children have also looked at the colour wheel and added to their work using coloured pencils and pastels. Last week Miss Mehreen showed them how to manipulate different materials to create Origami.
Music @Ladypool - spring 2020
Music is very important at Ladypool and we are committed to all children getting the opportunity to both play and experience a range of music. We ensure children get a chance to hear and see professional musicians from a range of genres, styles and cultures and to understand more about live and recorded music. This term 'Music of The Week' is 'music from different cultures and eras' (Spring1) and 'songs for different purposes' (Spring 2) and which is shared with children both in class and assemblies.
- Reception had a drumming workshop where they learned how to play a range of untuned instruments. they then had the opportunity to continue exploring this practically in class as they learned about drumming and other music during their topic looking at a range of countries in Africa.
- Year 1 and 3 worked with a professional musician to use a range of instruments to create theme tunes for their creative curriculum topics 'Bright Lights Big City' & 'Heros and Villains'.
- 3P have been learning to play the recorder this term with Mrs Miller leading the way! (see photos). They have also been developing their technical composition skills using purple mash to create their own music in ICT.
- Following on from their 'Playlist' topic and Gamelin workshop last term Year 4 have continued to develop their music knowledge with their weekly Violin and Cello lessons and have now, following their successful performances at the Christmas music concert, had the opportunity to take their instruments home. Keep practicing Year 4!
- Year 5 have been finding out about music in Tudor and Elizabethan times and were surprised to discover that King Henry VIII was a keen recorder player.
- Our violin and cello electives are working towards their music medals with their tutors and are developing their musicianship.
- Our choir meets weekly and will be performing at Christchuch Primary school at the end of March as part of a choir exchange. This term we have been learning 'Candyman' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 'We've all got Rights' (unicef song) and 'Reach out your hand' (sign2sing)
- The whole school came together to raise funds for Sign Health by learning to sign and sing 'Reach Out Your Hand'.
Sign2Sing 2020 - 'Reach out your Hand'
This is the 5th time that we have taken part in the Sing2Sing event to raise money for the Deaf charity Sing Health. This year the whole school including our Reception classes took part and signed the song 'Reach out your Hand' which is about everyone being different but all feeling sadness if they are teased or ignored. Usually we have Mrs Maloney to help us learn the song but this year we used the tutorials and practiced together and in our classrooms before having a special assembly on the 3rd of February to sing it and raise money for charity. This year we have so far raised nearly £200 - the most we have ever collected. Well done everyone.
Winter Art Week 2019
As part of our wider focus on Art we are having an Art Week to focus on developing our children's proficiency in drawing, learning a range of techniques and looking at different styles & Artists. They will use different art tools including charcoal and develop their understanding of the difference hardness of pencils. Some work will be observational and other work will be from the imagination. Year 6 will be experimenting with proportion and perspective and will be using the skills they have learned to create light, shade and depth to their drawings .
It's christmas ... Oh yes it is!
Christmas at Ladypool is an exciting and special time with lots of events to mark and celebrate this time of year. Our yearly traditions include :
- The Christmas Music Concert (which includes our year 4 playing their instruments as an ensemble to an audience for the first time and our electives sharing their talents by playing festive tunes for their families )
- Singing in the Pagoda. Our school choir sings a medley of festive songs to all the parents and careers as they come to collect their children on the final Monday of term.
- Singalong Assembly. This is a whole school event where each class sings a Christmas song that they have been practicing, often with actions and bells, sometimes even in Spanish!
- Christmas Dinner. This is a special event where the tables are decorated with crackers and tinsel and children wear a Christmas jumper for charity.
- The Nativity. A very special occasion where the whole of Reception perform their nativity to parents and the school. This year it is 'Wriggly Nativity'.
- The Staff Panto. Always a bit of a surprise for the children as the staff have been secretly rehearsing and making the set/costumes for their performance on the last day of term. This year it is 'Aladdin of Ladypool Road'.
In addition to our usual festivities we are fortunate enough to have the KES Jazz Ensemble joining us to perform their Winter Jazz concert along with their teacher who is going to explain more about the instruments they are playing as well as the tunes. Welcome KES!
Safety Seymour Returns!
Following a very successful visit last year the school invited Safety Seymour and his friend Julie to visit us again. Julie works with Year 2 to educate them about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide and at the end of the session (which uses art and drama to deepen their understanding) she gives each child a Carbon Monoxide alarm for their home. Safety Seymour stays with the class for the year and each week a child will take him home and check that the house is safe. This is an excellent way of giving younger children responsibility and for them to show their knowledge by explaining how their families can keep their homes safe.
Graduation Evening - Year 6 Shine
Last night we celebrated our wonderful Year 6 children and their families in the special Ladypool way. Over 200 of us got together for the awards ceremony and meal at the Saffron Centre. School staff decorated the venue and put together photos and videos of the children's journey from Nursery to Year 6 and six children, chosen to represent their classmates prepared speeches which they delivered to the crowded room. Entertainment was provided by the winners and runners up of Ladypool's Got Talent much to the enjoyment of the audience. It was a wonderful event which will be remembered for many years by the whole school community.
Choir performs at special UNICEF event
Children from our choir performed a specially worded signed version of 'A Million Dreams' and 'I can sing a rainbow' this week on the stage of Birmingham Rep Theatre as part of the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Celebration. This was a wonderful opportunity for our children to perform at a prestigious venue and see other schools from across the city prrform their response to the Rights of the Child - with particular focus on them as children of Birmingham. Well done to everyone who performed and thank you to UNICEF for inviting us to take part.
Ladypool's Got Talent 2019 - biggest and best yet!
We have been overwhelmed by the range and creativity of the talent this year with more children entering than ever before.
After class heats and closely fought semi finals, with children using their audience votes very well and a golden buzzer entry, we had a line up of 14 acts which performed to the whole school for what was a great Ladypool afternoon.
In the end two soloists, both previous finalists were crowned joint winners and will be performing at the Year 6 Graduation Event next month. Well done to Wissam in Year 6 and Humaira in Year 4 on both their talent and their preparation and to the Year 1 and Year 4 dance groups who were runners up.
World Music Day - Friday 17th May 2019
Today the whole school enjoyed the music of a professional string quartet from the Birmingham Music Service.
During the 30 minute performance we not only heard a range of music including Johannes Strauss's Pizzicato Polka and The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Ballet but we also found out more about the instruments and how to play as a quartet. One of the pieces was called Fiddles on Fire which involved the violin and violas playing very fast and another was a very popular tune 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'
The children were surprised and delighted to find that our school song 'A Million Dreams' (From The Greatest Showman) was played and this got perhaps the biggest round of applause This term our music of the week has been film scores and this piece fitted in perfectly Thank you Services for Education, we hope that you will come again .
Ladypool Primary School wins the King Edward School science quiz 2019!
We are delighted to announce that our Year 5 team entered the KES inter-school competition and beat 10 other schools to win the overall competition on a tie breaker. Our four students had already won the Ladypool Science Week Quiz and really enjoyed competing against the other schools. We are proud of all our children who represent the school in different activities but this was the first Science Quiz that KES had run and we are delighted that our team were able to adapt to the new surroundings and apply themselves to an unfamiliar set of tasks well done to them all!
Sign2Sing Event: Wednesday 6th February 2019
Over the past few weeks we have been working with Nicky Maloney to learn to sign 'The Greatest Day' by Take That in British Sign Language. On Wednesday we came together as a whole school and did a sponsored sign to raise money for Sign Health, a charity which supports deaf and hearing impaired children both in the UK and abroad. This is the fourth time we have taken part in this event and this year we have raised over £140!
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R.I.B.A Architect ambassadors Project
In September we welcomed two architects to our school as part of scheme to help children understand the role of an architect and their importance in developing our environment. A group of 26 children were chosen to spend 3 half days working alongside them, re-imagining our woodland area. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) were launching this project nationally and brought a film crew to capture our first day and speak to the children about the project. This film was then shown in November at the prestigious 'Stirling Award' ceremony.
During the project the children learned about ratio, ethics and planning; they made 2D and 3D models and tried out their initial ideas in the woodland space itself. At the start of the project only a handful of children knew what an architect but by the end we had a number of children who saw this as a potential career for them in the future. Thank you to the RIBA ambassadors for their commitment to educating young people about their work and sharing their passion for their careers. The film can be watched here.
We are delighted to share our Music Mark certificate for this year.
We are in the Parliamentary review!
Read the full article here: theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/ladypool-primary-school …
Performing Matilda at Birmingham Hippodrome
On the 11th July we took part in an Arts Connect Festival alongside other primary schools.
Each school took part in a number of workshops run by Hippodrome staff and developed a 10 minute piece of theatre based on one of Roald Dahl's stories. We chose Matilda as it was also being performed on the main stage. The day began with a tour of the theatre itself - we even go to sit in the Royal Box! The children then took part in a drama activity before having their dress rehearsal in the Patrick Centre. After a short break the 4 schools performed their pieces to each other before heading back to school, having had the opportunity to perform in one of our city's biggest theatres. It was a wonderful experience which will stay in the children's memories for many years to come.
NSPCC Schools service
We had a very successful workshop delivered to our Year 5 and 6 students by representatives from the NSPCC Schools Service. Here is the feedback we received about the session:
"Thank you so much for allowing us to deliver the speak out stay safe programme in school.
Congratulations to our Year 4 team who took part in a 'Maths Challenge' at King Edwards Boys School, Edgbaston on Friday. Sixteen Schools took part and our four mathematicians came second! Well done on a great achievement and for representing your school so well.
Ladypool's Got talent 2017
June has been a month of sharing talent with our annual 'Ladypool's Got Talent' competition taking place. After class heats and some closely fought semi finals, where we saw a diverse range of talents from art to Lego making and football skills on display; we had our 10 finalists perform on a very hot afternoon to the whole school. We had a mix of talents from both KS1 and 2 and even a wild card entrant from Nursery who had wowed the semi final judges and audience alike when he did an impromptu dance routine to one of the other contestants music!
After an afternoon which showed just how much talent we have, our 5 judges chose a group of acrobats from Year 4 to be our over all winners. Well done to Wissam, Aisha and Nur on impressing judges and audience alike with your skills and polished performance!
Year 5 visit to Shakespeare's birth place
Over the next week they will be learning specific information about, the house where Shakespeare was born and 'New Place' - the site where he bought a house with his wife Ann Hathaway. Next Thursday 9th March, the whole of Year 4,5 & 6 plus parents of the young guides, will travel to Stratford and will be shown around by the guides.
This is an exciting project which we are delighted to be a part of and look forward to the children using their new and existing knowledge in such an interesting way.
Mrs Grandison and ms adeena read a story to us in English and urdu
Practising our signing before the event
The final event with the firefighters
