Talbot Times

The Annual News Magazine of Talbot Primary School

Edition 15 2019 Some Highlights Inside:

Learning is fun! Page 1
see page 24
 Photo Montage
Library Launch, see page 20
What grows up? see page 7 Page 2

 Headteacher’s Message

Page 3 and 4

 Nursery

Page 5 and 6

 Reception

Page 7 and 8

 Year One

Page 9 and 10

 Year Two

Page 11 and 12

 Year Three

Page 13 and 14

 Year Four

Page 15 and 16

 Year Five

Page 17 and 18

 Year Six

Page 19 and 20

 Music Project and Choir
 Reading Projects

Page 21 and 22

 School Council
 Sports

Page 23

 Foundation Stage Highlights

Page 24

 Key Stage One Highlights

Page 25

 Key Stage Two Highlights

Page 26

 Road Safety



Headteacher’s Welcome

Welcome to this year’s edition of the Talbot Times. As ever, it successfully highlights all that is great, exciting, thought
provoking and celebratory about our school and supports our intention to be the best school we can be. We have
worked hard to review our vision statement to ensure that our core purpose and actions are closely aligned with the
principles of high aspiration, community, inclusion and enjoyment.

Indeed, our revised vision statement, aims to ensure that:

‘Talbot Primary is an inclusive, friendly community school, striving for excellence and enjoyment.
Children will leave our school as kind, confident and resilient citizens with a passion for learning.’

Whilst we aim to deliver this vision through the pillars and tenets of ‘Courage, Truth and Loyalty,’ the subsequent
pages of recounts, narratives, reports and photographs in this edition justifiably showcases how we strive to achieve
our vision on a day to day basis for our children and celebrates just some of the highlights from this past year.

As is established tradition at Talbot however, we never just take our word for it. We consistently and persistently(!)
seek the views of governors, parents and perhaps most importantly, the views of the children when shaping and
enhancing provision and teaching and learning. Recently for example, we asked the children to try and encapsulate
what they would like to celebrate about our school. Staff, governors and I were all equally touched by the children’s
responses. A snapshot of these are included below:

 ‘We are inclusive, everyone is included and kind.’
 ‘We are passionate about learning, because we don’t lose concentration in lessons and really want to know what

we’re doing in a lesson.’
 ‘We work independently, are nice and have fun while learning…and we persevere.’
 ‘We have strong friendships and take care of other people, e.g. our friends and the environment.’
 ‘The teachers are kind and help us.’
 ‘It’s important that school teach you to be kind as well as good at learning. We get that at Talbot.’

Our commitment to the visible curriculum, established in subject knowledge, academic attainment and progress as
well as the ‘hidden curriculum’ of pastoral development, experiencing new things, well-being and feeling safe and
happy are all demonstrated in the quotes from children above. That makes us very proud as a team at Talbot Primary
School, and also thankful that we are able to work alongside such an overwhelmingly supportive parental community.
Thank you for your honesty, support, transparency and partnership to enrich your child(ren)’s memories of their
primary school years.

As a team we will endeavour to create even more memorable moments in 2019-20. In the meantime, I know you will
join me extending thanks and gratitude to all the staff associated with Talbot Primary; without their energy,
commitment and drive none of the following would have been possible.

Mrs Gill

Page 2

Nursery

Celebrations

We love an excuse to celebrate in nursery and throughout the year children have developed a good understanding of
all family cultures and faiths. It started with Diwali were we learnt the story of Rama and Sita, plus we made rangoli
patterns with chalk outside. Hanukkah we learnt is also called the festival of lights and lasts eight days, we took turns
in trying to spin the dreidel a four sided spinning stop. Christmas was a very busy time with children getting their
creative hats on to design cards, tree decorations and learn songs for our performance of A wriggly Nativity. Pancake
day was another opportunity to try our hand at cooking, tasting some new flavours sour and sweet. St Patricks day was
filled with everything turning green all the staff and children wore green clothing, we made play dough shamrock's, ate
potato bread and learnt some Irish dance moves thanks to Miss Christy. Nursery finished the year by learning about
Ramadan and Eid thanks to the parents and children coming into nursery and sharing their family celebrations with us
and on Tapestry.

Move it! Move it!

In Nursery, all children have enjoyed developing their physical
skills in our new weekly hall session and within the classroom. By
using a variety of equipment they have developed their abilities
and embraced challenges set for them encouraging them to take
calculated risks making them more independent. Movement play
is fun and underpins all children's learning and development in all
aspects of early years.

"Are we going to the hall today? I like climbing on the big stepping
stones." Manni

Wonderful World of Books

All children in nursery have loved their weekly library book. Looking through the large selection of bright, colourful and
sometimes sparkly covers before deciding upon the one! They have listened to a number of focus stories in nursery
throughout the year too however a particular favourite of the children has to be 'The Three Little Pigs'. This book really
grabbed the children's attention and led to lots of nursery and home learning, building houses made of bricks and
using a hairdryer to see if it would blow down, making up different endings to the story such as the wolf becoming
friends with the pigs and role playing the story outside with their friends using key phrases from the story.

"I'll huff and puff and blow your house down." Hawa

Page 3

Maths

We had our first ever Nursery trip this year to Sainsbury's local. It was a short
walk up the road to buy our ingredients for making gingerbread men. Each
group had a shopping list, bag and money.

When they arrived at the supermarket they explored all the different shelves
and talked about what they needed before choosing a tasty piece of fruit and
an ingredient required from the list, using the self service checkout and
finally walking back to nursery, with the youngest children showing amazing
road safety skills.

Early Years Team Work

What a great time we have had joining together as a phase on projects.

To begin with we had our first joint Christmas performance
apply named 'A Wriggly Nativity' which was a great success
singing and dancing together to get everyone ready for the
festive season.

Mrs Callaghan, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Johnson have been
regular visitors to nursery getting to know the children who
will be joining Reception.

Nursery have also been regular visitors to Reception where
we enjoyed showing each other how it's nice to be nice,
giving each other beautiful art work and small gifts for
Valentine's day.

Much fun was had re enacting the 'Gingerbread Man' story in the playground with nursery pretending to be the
gingerbread man chanting " Run, run as fast as you can you can't catch me I am the gingerbread man." The children
chased close behind but not quite fast enough.

Lastly we turned Talbot into Old McDonald’s farm
for a day learning about the animals, listening and
asking questions to further their understanding.
The best part was getting to stroke each of the
rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, chickens, lambs, goats,
pony, donkey, alpacas, dog and even a tortoise! Our
children had so much fun at the farm they asked
could it come back every week. This was then the
start of a talk about getting a nursery pet.

Miss Christy, Mrs Wilby and Miss Marsden

Page 4

Reception

Mini Trips

This year all the children in Reception have been able to go on a minitrip in
groups of ten, to one of six different places. It was so exciting to get out
and about in our community and even further afield, with some groups
travelling into Leeds City Centre. Whether the children were visiting Leeds
Museum or Oakwood Library, they all had a great time on their journey as
well as at their final destination. Before the children set off on their trips,
they thought very carefully about what they would do and see, and even
wrote their own shopping lists. When a group of children visited Leeds City
Market, they had several items that they were keen to buy, including
strawberries and some olives!

“We need to buy a new blanket for the home corner!” Raaga RCC

On their return to school, the group really enjoyed sharing their purchases with the rest of Reception. The children
who visited the library enjoyed listening to some stories as well as finding out about how to use the library. The trips
have been a great way for the children to get real life experiences with their friends and share what they have learned
back at school.

Brilliant Books

We have had a fabulous year of creating books in Reception. We started off by using story cubes to help us learn how
to structure a story with a character, a place and an interesting object. It didn’t take long for the children to use
creative language in their stories, such as ‘Once upon a time’. Later in the year, some children started to create their
own books, which varied in subjects from birds to those written about princesses. The children showed us that they
have wonderful imaginations as well as lots of knowledge about a variety of topics – from football to swimming!

Stay And Play

Once again, we have been able to run our Play and Stay sessions in Reception. The children find it incredibly exciting
to have someone from their family or home come into school to share their day with. They are always so proud of
what they do in class and enjoy showing off their skills to other people. Whether the focus was maths or developing
communication skills, all the adults who came to visit got involved and enjoyed finding out about life in Reception.
Thank you to everyone who made our Stay and Play sessions so successful.

Children Leading Their Own Learning

Lots of the learning we have done this year in Reception this year, has been
sparked by children’s interests and personal fascinations. These have been
varied and have meant that the children have always been incredibly
involved and motivated. Dens, volcanoes and cars have been some of the
more memorable themes that the children have initiated.

“I’m building a car…it’s a Buggati” Hana, RJJ

We created a brand new area inside to support the car topic, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. They planned
their own journey’s and used their imaginations to design new and exciting cars – some of which had snack bars and
swimming pools included, inspired by the book “If I built a car” by Chris Van Dusen.

Page 5

Tapestry Time

It is always so exciting for the children to be able to share their life outside of school with their friends and teachers.
When families add their adventures to Tapestry, it is a fantastic way for children to have the opportunity to talk in
front of their class and develop their communication skills. Not only do the children who are sharing their news have
the chance to talk, but the rest of the class also have the opportunity to develop their listening skills as well as thinking
of and asking questions about what they are hearing. We have learnt lots of things about each other during our
Tapestry Time sessions, including some new languages:

“My Dad taught me because he was born in France” Moussa, RJJ

Movement Play

This year the adults in Reception took part in some learning
themselves, when they had some training on Movement Play.
Afterwards, during PE lessons, the children then had lots of
opportunities to explore movement and develop a variety of
different physical skills using some new and exciting equipment. A
movement area was created in the Reception classroom, which the
children now access freely throughout the day, deciding what they
want to use and how they choose to use it. Movement patterns
such as spinning, rolling and crawling are all promoted through
movement play and equipment such as our tunnels and ribbon
sticks, have helped the children to develop control, balance and
confidence. It is so important for children to develop their large
physical skills before they can read and write confidently and the movement play area and sessions have created
opportunities for children to develop their gross motor skills in safe and exciting ways.

Science In Reception

We have had a scientific year in Reception! The children have enjoyed investigating various experiments, including
those that we have set up for them, like the colour walking, as well as those that they have discovered for themselves
such as finding ice in the tuff spot in the garden.

When the children were first introduced to the Purple Mash programme on the computers, they also enjoyed making
REAL purple mashed potato! But how Do you make mash purple and what does it taste like? The children enjoyed
using their senses to explore various problems throughout the year, not just mashed potato, but also when trying to
identify what was in some smell pots.

Outdoor Life

The Reception garden has continued to be a very popular place to learn
and explore this year, with some children choosing to spend most of their
time outside. With open ended spaces and access to a variety of
resources, the children can lead their own learning with confidence. The
mud kitchen is always busy and the adults in Reception have been spoiled
with lots of tasty delicacies from dirty soup to mud pies! The garden also
provides a great space to explore more traditional subjects such as maths,
when children choose to use resources for measuring, such as the
guttering for example

“This is taller than me!” Faateh, RJJ

The children’s imaginations can run wild outside and more often than not, they do!

“We can make them (the tarpaulins) into a rainbow swimming pool!” Orlaith, RCC

Mrs Johnson, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Callaghan

Page 6

Year One

The Tiger Who Came To Talbot

With a knock on the door and growl in hall, Year 1 opened the door and to their
surprise a stripy Tiger (with the help of Mrs Sweet) stood still and proud. We said,
“Come in and see our class. We have been learning all about a Tiger just like you.”

The tiger came in to the classroom but did not sit down; instead, she prowled all
around, and ate the teacher’s lunch and drank their tea. Eventually, she was tired
and sat down; she asked all the children some questions like “Do you like tigers?”
“Have you seen one before?” The children all eagerly raised their hands and
answered; then they asked the tiger some questions they had planned.

“How many stripes do you have?” Kate, 1AR

“What is your favourite food?” Curtis, 1AR

“Where do you live?” Adam, 1AR

“Do you like chicken?” Anais, 1AR

“Which country do you live in?” William, 1AR

Away, Away, Away we go!

Year 1, enjoyed it when ‘Bikeability’ came to Talbot. Many of our children did not know
how to ride a bike and were anxious to start. With a little encouragement and great
tuition, each day the children became more and more confident to ‘have a go’. The
children who could not ride a bike started on a balance bike and progressed onto a pedal
bike over the course.
Those who could ride a bike worked on developing their riding skills. Most of the
children learnt to ride a bike and most importantly enjoyed the experience. They learnt
some important safety skills too, such as the importance of wearing a helmet and basic
road safety.

Hop, Skip And Jump!

During our PE sessions, we have enjoyed learning a range of activities and skills. We
have learnt a range of ball skills, gymnastics, yoga and dance. All of which we have
enjoyed for different reasons.

In gymnastics, we use a range of equipment to climb and travel on, in lots of different
ways. We hopped, we jumped, we slithered like a snake! The equipment was set up in
lots of ways, including, inclines, declines and changes in direction. The children
needed to move and adapt their bodies in a range of ways.

We have also taken part in activities in the outdoor area focusing on developing our
core strength and gross motor skills, which strengthen their muscles needed for
writing.

Page 7

Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Today’s the day the teddy bears have a picnic!

September was a new start for us all and so we kick started our first Creative
Curriculum topic with a great ‘get to know you’ picnic. All children brought in their
own bears and were introduced to two special bears; Betsy and Bertie!

Over the year, Betsy and Bertie have spent time with all the children in their own
homes, learning all about them and going on many adventures with them.
“I loved playing the games and eating jam sandwiches.” Michael, 1JG

Chick, Chick, Chicken.
Lay Some Little Eggs For Me!

In the Spring half term, Year 1 were presented with some eggs to look after. We
learnt what the eggs needed in order to develop and hatch. We observed the eggs
over 21 days, slowly turning and rocking in an incubator. After 3 weeks, the first
crack appeared and we could hear chirping and cheeping from within the eggs, as
the chicks got ready to hatch.

Once hatched, the children would check on the chicks several times each day, to
see how they had changed and what mischief they had gotten up to.
“They were so soft.” Petra, 1JG
“I loved cuddling them.” Alice, 1JG

How Many Cups To Fill It Up?

Over the year, we have enjoyed many practical Maths activities, which have
helped us, secure our knowledge and skills. One of our favourites was using the
water to fill and measure the different capacities of containers.
We began our learning by drinking a cup of water to help us learn about full,
nearly full, half-full, nearly empty and empty. We then estimated the capacities
of containers and checked using a full cup of water and counting how many
cups were needed to fill different containers.
We then ordered the containers from the smallest capacity to the largest
capacity.

“We had to measure carefully and fill our cup to the top first otherwise it would be unfair.” Jake, 1JG

Mrs Glosek and Miss Robertson

Page 8

Year Two

Our Local Area

As part of our Creative Curriculum topic ‘Which Road Should I Take?’, Year 2 have been
learning all about our local area: Roundhay. We began the topic by exploring our school
grounds. First, we found letters around the playground by using an aerial photo and
locating the marked objects. Once we had found all of the letters, we had to unscramble
them to give a secret message about our topic. We also had to identify whether the
objects were human or physical, something that we have now become experts at!

Following this, we worked in teams to piece together a simple map. Upon completion, we realised this was a different
map of our school grounds. The map had lots of symbols that we hadn’t seen before, which were ‘orienteering
symbols’. We decided to do some “fieldwork”; investigating what the symbols represented by locating them outside
and creating a key for the map.

Our creative sides really shone when we learned about two local artists, John Atkinson Grimshaw and David Hockney.
We explored and discussed their artwork in detail, thinking about the artists’ choices of colour and detail. We thought
that Grimshaw’s art had a lot of detail and quite dull colours but Hockney’s work was more brightly coloured and

cartoon-like (abstract). We became artists, using viewfinders and a range of sketching
pencils to create a picture of our favourite area of the school grounds. Luckily for us,
the weather was on our side and we had a lovely, peaceful afternoon sketching in the
sunshine. We chose our favourite of the two artists to paint our sketches in their style.

After all of this, we wanted to explore the wider local area so we went on a walk from
school to Roundhay Park. We enjoyed spotting local landmarks such as St Edmond’s
Church and the interesting totem pole at Canal Gardens. You should see our fantastic
sketches of the Roundhay Mansion and grounds!

The Day Year Two Met A Real-Life Superhero!

One cold, grey, ordinary day in January, 2LM were learning all about the four different
types of sentences they could write, when suddenly, their English lesson exploded with a
flash of purple light. Through the door flew a real-life superhero, the Amazing Allegra!

2LM were stunned! They had never met a real-life superhero before! Amazing Allegra
told 2LM all about her superhero status and how she became known as Amazing Allegra.
She explained why each part of her outfit was unique, from her glittering, shiny peacock
feather emblem to her long, flowing cape.

Just as 2LM began to ask questions to learn more about Amazing Allegra, she received a notification to say someone
needed her help. Just as quickly as she arrived, she disappeared through the door and flew off into the clouds. As she
left, Amazing Allegra dropped an invitation. She wanted the children to join her at The Superhero Academy. 2LM were
so excited, but learnt they needed to complete a range of tasks before they could join Amazing Allegra at The
Superhero Academy.

Their first challenge was to learn new superhero vocabulary. The children learnt words such as ‘gadget’ and ‘nemesis’.
They demonstrated their ability to use the vocabulary in a range of situations. Next, 2LM invented their own superhero
characters, choosing their alliterative name, superhero costume, emblem and mode of transport. The children
described their outfits using adjectives and expanded noun phrases. After that, 2LM wrote instructions on how to
become their superhero. Once all the tasks were complete, 2LM put on their superhero outfits and masks, before
following their instructions to become their superheroes. 2LM arrived at The Superhero Academy, and I’m pleased to
report that as all the tasks were deemed complete, the children received their official superhero identity badges.

So, should you ever need a superhero, remember to drop by 2LM’s classroom.

Page 9

Could a loaf of bread destroy a city?

For our first creative curriculum topic this year, our ‘big question’ for the Year 2 children was: Could a loaf of bread
destroy a city? To investigate this question we began by making our own bread and thinking about how this could be
dangerous enough to destroy a city. We all agreed that the most likely answer would be a fire caused by the oven
when we bake bread! This led us on to learn about a major historic event in British history which began in a bakery on
Pudding Lane and went on to destroy a large part of London. The children loved leaning about the Great Fire of
London, and all of our exiting events and projects that came with it!

Sir William Petty

To help us learn about the Great Fire of London, Year two received a visitor
from the past known as ‘Sir William Petty’, who came to tell us his story as an
eye-witness to the event. We were fascinated to learn how fire was created
in 1666 using only flint, steel and a piece of char-cloth. We also loved joining
in with some role play, acting out how the people of London made a ‘bucket
chain’ to pass buckets of water from the River Thames to the burning
buildings in an attempt to put the fire out. Before he left, Sir William left us
an important job to do. He asked us to design a ‘new London’ which could be
rebuilt following the fire, making sure that our new plans were much safer
than before, for example, by planning houses made out of stone and not
wood! We each designed an area of the city and joined each part together to
create a large map of our new plan for London.

“My favourite part was when we made the bucket chain and put the fire out” Edward, 2CC

Wind up toys

During this topic we were also able to get creative by designing and making our own
‘wind-up toys’ based on events from the Great Fire of London. We began by
sketching and colouring in a background for our toys, such as the River Thames, St
Paul’s Cathedral, or even Thomas Farriner’s bakery where the fire began! We then
added extra detail, ‘push’ and ‘pull’ levers and finished with a wind-up mechanism
to drop and pull different props into our scene. The children got very creative and
we had lots of imaginative ideas which linked brilliantly with the facts that they had
learned.

“I loved making my Great Fire of London toy, especially making the wind-up part”
Evie, 2CC

Great fire of London Museum Page 10

To complete our Great Fire of London topic, Year 2 decided to host a ‘Great Fire of
London Museum’ event to showcase our event to our friends and families. The
children chose which piece of learning they’d like to show and created fantastic
demonstrations of our learning throughout the topic. The ‘exhibitions’ that we
displayed in our Museum were not only historical but also included drama (acting out
the ‘bucket chain’), Art and DT, Creative writing, and even computing as the children
showed the Great Fire of London computer games that they worked very hard to
create. This was a fantastic way to finish the topic and the children felt very proud to
show off their excellent work.

“I enjoyed showing the game I made on my I pad at the museum. I liked showing the
visitors how to play!” Thomas, 2CC

Miss Coady, Mrs Liddington, Miss Marsden and Mrs Mitchell

Year Three

Herd Farm Trip

During the Autumn term, Year 3 had an exciting day at Herd Farm activity centre, Eccup
Reservoir. After a short bus journey, both classes arrived and split into teams ready for a
day of adventure. Wearing their outdoor clothes and helmets, the children were ready to
face the many activities Herd Farm had to offer (some a little more nerve-wracking than
others!). During the day, they took part in lots of different indoor and outdoor activities
including an assault course, puzzle palace, orienteering, climbing wall and a giant swing. It
is fair to say, they were most nervous about the height of the giant swing but all bravely
gave it a go. Surprisingly, this ended up being the most popular activity and the children
wanted to stay on it all day!

Year 3 completed all the activities and most importantly did not stop smiling! Here’s
what some of the children have to say about some of the activities:

“It was fun because all the activities made my heart beat
fast!” Lily, 3PM
“My favourite activity was the giant swing- it was very
scary!” Isa, 3PM
“I liked working as a team to make sure we didn’t spill the water.” Niall, 3PM
“We walked all over the farm when we were orienteering, I had lots of fun with my friends
and the teachers!” James, 3PM
“It was amazing because we got to try lots of things. I can’t even decide my favourite
because they were all so awesome!” Dasi, 3KW

“It was great because there was lots of really fun activities. My favourite was
probably the big swing” Arthur, 3KW
“The big swing was really good. I liked the puzzle palace because we had to stand
this cube up and it was a good challenge!” Arlo, 3KW

After an action packed day, they were ready for a well-deserved rest!

Sinai Synagogue

During the Spring term, Year 3 had an interesting visit to Sinai Synagogue, Roundhay.
After learning about Judaism in RE lessons, the children were keen to learn more and visit a Jewish place of worship.

Year 3 arrived at the Synagogue and were given a tour of the building. Next, the children were shown a traditional
prayer shawl and learnt more about Jewish practices. After listening carefully, the children were given the
opportunity to ask some questions. Both classes asked some very interesting questions and all learnt something new.
During the morning, the children also got to see the Torah and even got the chance to use their craft skills to make
their own mini Torahs.

“I learnt a lot about how important it is not to make a mistake in the Torah.”
Joshua, 3PM
“Making the scrolls was the best because we got to write new words!” Zane, 3PM
“It was really good because I liked learning about what other religions did.”
Jez, 3KW
“I thought it was fun because we learnt more about the religion and the
language.” Aniya, 3KW

Miss Ward and Miss Morris Page 11

Dentist Visit

Year 3 have had lots of exciting Science lessons this year but one of the highlights
might have to be a visit from Charlie’s dad, Marcus, who is a dentist. During the
Summer term, Year 3 were learning about teeth so Miss Morris and Miss Ward
called in an expert to help. The children learnt about how sugar and bacteria make
holes in our teeth. It is, therefore, really important that we brush the bacteria
away before we eat any sugar! Lots of us learnt that we really should be brushing
our teeth before eating our breakfast instead of after.

Marcus also taught the children some Latin words about teeth including
‘periodontitius’ which is something we really do not want to get! We had an eating
challenge to see which of the sugary snacks stuck around on our teeth the longest.

We were very surprised to find out that raisons stuck for longer than a sweet
and are actually not very good for our teeth. Finally, Marcus gave the children
masks and gloves and they had lots of fun pretending to be a dentist!

“I was surprised by how long sugar stays on your teeth!” Amjed, 3PM

“It was really fun and my favourite bit was the taste test!” Charlie 3KW

“I thought it was really interesting and informative. I learnt that brushing your
teeth before your breakfast is best so it brushes off the bacteria.” Imogen, 3KW

The Pizza Project Tastes Success

At the beginning of the Summer term, Year 3 spent a day thinking about
all things Pizza! Children were able to put their acting, filming and
directing skills to the test by creating short adverts showcasing their
restaurants and signature pizzas that they had previously created in small
groups. The adverts were brilliant and highlighted several future
entrepreneurs! Feedback from parents and Mr Rivers suggest that Year
Three would be very popular in the pizza restaurant industry. Customers
would be very impressed by the delicious pizzas Year Three made in the
afternoon. The corridors were filled with the aromas of the finest Italian
pizzas!

“I felt like an actor making our advert!” George, 3PM

“My favourite part was making the pizza because we could make any
shape we wanted. It was delicious!” Freya, 3PM

“I thought it was good when we made the pizzas because I made into a
calzone!” Thomas, 3KW

“I like making pizza and the adverts because I got to work with my friends.” Eddie, 3KW

Miss Ward and Miss Morris

Page 12

Year Four

The Great Debate

On Wednesday 27th March, Year 4 were lucky enough to have a visit from a student from Leeds University as part of
Science week. We learnt all about the brain. We learnt about where it is and what it does (helps us to move,
remember, speak, sense, think and breathe!).
We loved looking at a model of the brain and found it interesting to see that there are different parts that do different
things. We then made our very own neuron out of pipe cleaners and learnt about how messages travel from the brain.
We even pretended to be a neuron and passed a ball between one another to model how messages travel. We talked
about how we can look after our brains as it is so important! It was also interesting to see how quickly our brain works
and how quick our reactions really are!

Pedestrian Training

This year, staff from Leeds City Council came into school to lead pedestrian training with Year 4. This was all about
how we stay safe on the roads. Before we went outside, we watched a video including some very important messages
about how we can stay safe. One of the most important things we learnt was:
“Always use the Green Cross Code – THINK, STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN.” Isabelle, 4VA
We learnt about different types of crossings and how to think carefully about the correct place and manner to cross a
road. If possible, it is best not to cross a road by a parked car, however if necessary you always cross on the right hand
side. We then went out in small groups to the roads surrounding school and put the Green Cross Code into action!
Here are some important messages we’d like to share with you:
“I learnt not to do a banana cross (when you curve as you walk across the
road). This is dangerous because we spend longer than we need to on the
road.” Freya, 4VA
“Look into every drive way, before, whilst and after you cross as there
might a car driving in or out as we are trying to walk across.” Gabriel, 4VA
“Don’t run across the road. You need to do a fast walk and a slow look.”
Mehmet, 4VA
“If you are at a cross road, you may want to move further down the road
as it is safer to cross because instead of looking four ways, you only need to
look two.” James, 4VA

Page 13

Brain Workshop

On Wednesday 27th March, Year 4 were lucky enough to have a
visit from a student from Leeds University as part of Science
week. We learnt all about the brain. We learnt about where it is
and what it does (helps us to move, remember, speak, sense,
think and breathe!).

We loved looking at a model of the brain and found it interesting
to see that there are different parts that do different things. We
then made our very own neuron out of pipe cleaners and learnt
about how messages travel from the brain. We even pretended
to be a neuron and passed a ball between one another to model
how messages travel. We talked about how we can look after our
brains as it is so important! It was also interesting to see how
quickly our brain works and how quick our reactions really are!

Raiders

In the year 793, the Vikings raided Lindisfarne on the north east coast of
England killing the monks and ransacking the monastery. In Year 4, we
took this as our inspiration to create an animated film! We started by
creating props. Everyone made either an Anglo Saxon or a Viking character
as well as other props such as fires, plants, houses, wheelbarrows and
weapons. We were also lucky enough to have a range of fantastic models
of Viking long ships at our disposal which some of the children had made as
part of their learning log
projects.

The first task was to storyboard our movie. We divided our story
into parts such as the Anglo Saxons doing chores, Vikings boarding
long ships and the battle scene and then each group chose a scene
to animate. A backdrop was created, characters and props chosen
and then the animation began.

We used stop motion animation
which is a technique where
objects are moved a bit at a time
and photographed. When all the
photos are played in sequence, it shows movement. This is an incredibly slow
process and took a great deal of patience especially in a busy classroom where things
get knocked and moved!

The animation took a whole afternoon. After this, we still needed to write a script
and then add voices and sound effects to bring our film to life. When all of the
voices had been added, the whole film was stitched together, titles and credits
added and a final version completed. All that was left to do was to invite a specially
selected audience of parents to enjoy some popcorn and watch our premier!

“It was a lot of fun but it took a lot of time!” Louise, 4TY

“My favourite part was making the characters for the film. I made a Viking warrior.” Rafael, 4TY

“I animated the part where the Vikings charge and the Anglo Saxons ran away. It worked really well!” Charlie, 4TY

Mr Youdan and Mrs Loudon Page 14

Year Five

Kensuke’s Kingdom

This year Year 5 have enjoyed reading Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael
Morpurgo. The main character is a young boy called Michael, who plans to sail
around the world with his parents and his dog. However, during the voyage,
disaster strikes and Michael is washed overboard and shipwrecked on a Pacific
island. Once there Michael, to his surprise, meets a shipwrecked World War II
soldier, Kensuke. The story explores how the two main characters grow to

respect and like one another.

During our guided reading sessions, we used audiobooks to explore the text
and answer comprehension questions in preparation for a special dance
workshop. Year 5 explored what it would have been like to be stranded on an
island and to meet a perfect stranger
and grow to rely on them.

Once we were familiar with the book it
was time to take part in the dance
workshop. In a very limited space of time both Year 5 classes learned a dance
routine to tell an audience what it must have been like to be washed
overboard and arrive on a seemingly deserted island. Amazingly, in half an
hour each class had learned a technically difficult dance routine, which they
performed. Stunning work Year 5!

Mr Middleton and Miss Wilford

Planetarium

On Wednesday 30th January, Year 5 received a special visit from a space expert, Mr Lane. Once we entered the hall he
instructed us to take off our shoes and jumpers (as it would be REALLY hot inside!) and then we made our way into the
white dome.

When we got inside, we sat down on the floor and that is when we noticed the projector hiding at the back. Suddenly,
the dome lit up and so did everyone’s eyes. As we marvelled the walls of the dome, (which was now covered in
planets) Mr Lane informed us of many facts about the sun, one of them being how the sun was going to crash into the
earth in 5.6 billion years!

He told us about the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and finally Neptune. He also shared
many different star constellations with us which were amazing! Mr
Lane also told us a lot about the moon landing of Neil Armstrong;
we were amazed about how the footprints of the astronauts
stayed on the moon. We then went onto the
playground and measured the Solar System.

To conclude , I would be delighted to go again and I
am sure my classmates would agree. I learnt so
many facts that I’m sure Year 4 will love next year.

Swati and Sophia, 5JM

Page 15

Low Mill Residential

In September, Year 5 had the dream trip to Low Mill. We got to do many fun
activities. These included: Abseiling, Caving, Gorge Walking, Orienteering and a
Night Walk. There were three different groups who tried a different activity each
time.

In the building, everyone was placed into a dorm. The boys were in three dorms:
The Room of Dangling Doom (the messiest of them all), Thistle, Runscar and
Crackpot (the smallest dorm). The girls were in three smaller dorms. If Year 5 kept
their dorms tidy, they were allowed to get sweets from the tuck shop. In the end,
everyone was allowed!

In abseiling, the children had to slowly make their way down an old bridge by
letting a rope slip gently through their hands lowering them down. At the
bottom, Mrs Alpar awaited us so she could give us a tasty sweet. It was
delightful!

In caving, we went to two caves near the
Bridge of Thistle & Runscar. The water
beneath our feet was extremely cold and it
was very dark without torches. In the walls,
we saw the animal fossils that had lived
underwater many years ago. In the cave,
there were many wormholes. In one of them, it led down to a slide that was
freezing cold at the bottom. Even though it was cold, it was very fun!

In gorge walking, all of the groups went to different gorges around the area. We
got to climb waterfalls that were extremely steep and had a feast on an edible
plant that tasted like apple skin. Some people fell over in the gorge because the
water was so deep; even Miss Gilbert, the head of PE, fell over!

The last activity Year 5 did was the night walk. We walked for almost 2
hours and played splat in the dark. Some lucky people got to witness bats.
Some of them spooked the teachers and each other by telling ghost
stories.

At Low Mill, the food was absolutely delicious! On Monday, we had fish
and chips. On Tuesday, we had an English breakfast and tacos and on
Wednesday we had another English breakfast and a sandwich for lunch.
Yum yum yum!

We had a fantastic time at Low Mill. Year 4 will love it next year!

Ibby and Lewis, 5VW

Page 16

Year Six

Digital Ambassadors

In Talbot Primary School, there is a role of being a Digital Ambassador and currently there
are eight children who have that responsibility: four year 5 children and four year 6 children.
These roles are prudently decided with the applications we have to complete in order to
become a digital ambassador. As a digital ambassador, we must fulfil the role by going
through the process of training. Whilst training, we learn and develop our online safety skills
to then receive our badges with pride. For instance, we learn how peer pressure can affect
the things that someone says online and how live-streaming can instantly give away
personal information and even your location. Being a digital ambassador is a crucial role in the school: you can assist
anyone in need and this could prevent them from giving personal information away. Next year, when the year 6’s
leave for high school, there will be four spaces that could be filled by resilient characters who, throughout the year,
could help children excel their abilities online.

Debating Competition

We learnt about debates this year, including the rules and processes needed to
reach the standard for entering debating competitions. The debates were held on
serious themes, like housing development in Roundhay and redesigning our school,
which were challenging to talk about. On Thursday 7th March, Mrs Rehman and Mr
Rivers took a group of students to Moor Allerton Hall Primary School for a debating
competition against other schools. Two teams went to propose and then oppose
the motion: “Children should be allowed to do paid work.” Team 1 was Edie, Fatima
and Joseph H, who debated against Harehills Primary School; Team 2 was Alysia,
Ishmael H and Martha, who debated against Moor Allerton.

When we got there, it was a little frightening on the stage. Even the people that came to support us were nervous,
because there were 150 children and adults watching us … and a panel of judges! All the teams had prepared great
speeches, and were well trained in tactics. As a result, the speeches sounded
formal and the speakers looked like they really believed in what they were saying.
Some of the most passionate speeches included effective use of expression,
dramatic pauses and wild hand gestures. Talbot Primary School performed well.
They won one debate and lost the other, but it wasn’t quite enough to qualify for
the finals unfortunately. To conclude, everyone on the Talbot teams enjoyed the
opportunity to express themselves and compete against others. We didn’t mind
losing, because we learnt so much from the experience.

A Christmas Carol

This joyful adaption of the 1843 Charles Dickens best-seller is a spectacle that is
bound to get all in the Christmas spirit. Currently being performed at the temporary
theatre in the newly-refurbished Leeds Playhouse (previously known as The West
Yorkshire Playhouse), families are guaranteed to love this festive treat. Following the
redemption story of kill-joy, cantankerous Ebenezer Scrooge (played magnificently
by Robert Pickavance), the play shows our progressing protagonist as he is visited by
his equally despicable long-deceased business partner Jacob Marley, who informs
Scrooge that he will be visited in turn by three spirits over the course of the next few
days. So, over the entire festive season, Scrooge comes face to face with the humourless Ghost of Christmas Past, the
high-spirited Ghost of Christmas Present, and the furtive Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. After all these visits, the
once dismal Scrooge is transformed into a Christmas lover! The scenery and special effects in this performance are
second-to-none, from fires and candles to smoke and snow! However, a warning to front row viewers as the smoke is
very thick! The quality of the acting is also spectacular, as different actors transform into different characters
seamlessly. Overall, The Leeds Playhouse’s production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a brilliant show, perfect for a Christmas
day out for all the family.

Rory, 6SA Page 17

Sport Ambassadors

Freddie W, Jackson, Isabelle, Amelie, Macy and Henry have been
given the responsibilities and roles of being a Sports Ambassador. As
sports ambassadors, we have helped to keep our school as healthy
and active as possible. We were selected as Sports Ambassadors at
the beginning of the year by Miss Ward and Miss Gilbert who have
also supported us in our responsibilities.

We have been given many jobs: cleaning out sports cupboards,
arranging activities for KS1 and running clubs on Fridays for all of KS2.

Key Stage One

Up in KS1, the Sports Ambassadors have been running activities for
all of KS1, during lunch times, to join in. Many of these activities have
been enjoyable and fun for both the Sports Ambassadors and KS1’s. The children’s favourite activities were: Obstacle
course, Parachute, Bowling, target shoot and football.

“I love having all the big children around to play with me and my friends.” Lydia, RJJ

Health and Well-being Fair

In the run up to the Health and Well-being fair, the girls helped to create signs and posters that were bright and
colourful to help everyone to find where different activities were. They all also helped to set up the activities just
before the fair started. Macy and Amelie also wrote a document about blue light inside electric devices that can affect
how easy it is to fall asleep at night.

Keeping Equipment Tidy

One of the least favourite responsibilities was keeping the equipment organised. This job was not as popular as it
meant that we would have to clean out any rubbish or insects that was inside the cupboards/sheds. We labelled and
sorted everything into sections and boxes making it clear to find where to put the equipment back where it belongs.

Friday Club

In KS2, we would arrange for a sports club to be held each Friday in the KS2 hall. Each week, we alternated between
upper KS2 and lower KS2. We also held different clubs each time: gymnastics, four corners, obstacle course, rugby skill
and many more. We would create sign up sheets with 20 spaces and planned what we would do in each club.

Climbing

As a treat for all our hard work Miss Ward and Miss Gilbert organised for the six of us to go climbing at the climbing
lab with Miss Gilbert and Mr Clark because sadly Miss Ward couldn’t make it. We did not wear any ropes to keep us
up; this climbing style is called bouldering. We all really enjoyed the trip and had a great time.

Overall, we have really enjoyed our time as Sports Ambassadors and hope that the next selected pupils will enjoy it as
much as we did.

Miss MacDonald and Mrs Alpar

Page 18

Music, Music, Music!

At Talbot, we have introduced a new scheme of work called ‘Charanga’ across school; which is recognised and
commended by ArtForms. ‘Charanga’ works on listening and appraising a song; musical activities like moving and
clapping to the beat and then learning and preforming a new song genre. The songs the children learn include well-
known songs such as, Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’, Toy Stories ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ and Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on
a prayer’.
As part of the music transition project, Year 6, have worked with Gledhow Primary school to perform at Allerton
Grange High school. They worked extremely hard with the Music Ambassadors from Allerton Grange, over a month to
rehearse and learn some Christmas Carols by heart. The children performed a Christmas concert at Allerton Grange
High school for their parents. There was a lovely atmosphere and everyone left in high spirits.

Miss Roberston

Talbot Sings

Once again, the Talbot choir has had a very busy year. We sung at a range of events including the Community Carols at
St Andrew’s church, the PTA Winter and Summer fairs, and singing to local community groups of senior citizens.
The two main highlights of the year, however, have to be Young Voices and the Talbot Tea party.
In January the choir sang at Sheffield Arena with over 4,000 other school children from around Yorkshire. They
rehearsed at school all term, before performing as part of a massed choir, that many parents said was ‘completely out
of this world.’
The children found it an amazing experience:
“I really liked the Pop Medley as it had lots of songs that I liked in!” Oliver, 6SA
“It was exciting when the lights went out and the music began!” Ben, 6SA
“It was my third year at Young Voices, but every time I go it is better than I ever think.” Rory, 6SA
This summer the choir held their third annual tea party for the elder members of our community, with children
planning the whole event. This included designing posters, baking cakes and serving tea to our guests, before
entertaining them with some of our favourite tunes, both singing and playing instruments.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet people from our community.” Lexie, 4TY
“It makes everyone so happy!” Marianne, 4TY
Mrs Liddington

Page 19

Books, Books, Books!

You can find magic, wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book! Dr Suess

Libraries PTA Funding And Launch Event

This year we have, with support from our fabulous PTA, been able to completely
refurbish both our Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 libraries. This has included new
furnishing, décor, books and computer software, creating two wonderful,
inspiring and inviting libraries for the children to enjoy. Children have been
trained and are now in place as Junior Librarians running daily library sessions.
New books for both libraries have meant that children have access to a wider,
more exciting and up to date range of books to share and enjoy.

To launch the opening of the libraries earlier in the year, different events were
held, including storytelling, book quizzes, a book tombola, plus a ‘Found Poetry ‘
activities using words and book titles to create their own poems.

World Book Week

This year for World book theme has been Comic Capers!

There was quite a buzz around school, with
children from Reception to Year 6 reading, making
and sharing their own comics and graphic novels.
This really captured the imagination of all involved
with a Comic Zone created on the stage, where
children could enter into another world of comic heroes and villains. Children also
created their own comic characters, with a twist. characters WERE created from fruit
and vegetables!

The annual the bedtime story event and dress up day were enjoyed by all, with
some very creative and innovative costumes gracing the classrooms this year.

New for this year, however, was a series of dance workshops based on different
stories. These were brought to life by a West End dancer, who helped us to retell
the story through dance in just half an hour. This was a real treat and children really
enjoyed turning themselves into different characters.

A huge thank you to the PTA and individual parents, for all your support, financially,
practically and creatively. We could not have done it without you!

Mrs Liddington

Page 20

School Council

The School Council has had a brilliant year with numerous meetings, elections, visitors, trips and fundraising days for
charities. The 22 members across Years 2-6 have been brilliant representatives for their classes and have been really
successful in inspiring discussions and giving their classes a voice.
Meetings every half term have given pupils an opportunity to share new ideas or concerns they have had about things
around school. Councillors have listened to their peers and highlighted key issues as a group at our meetings. The
School Council are keen to work together to think of solutions. This year, suggestions have included; improving
equipment at playtime, reducing plastic waste and planting more flowers to brighten up the playground.
“In our meetings, we all get to listen to each other and write down ideas. I feel we give our class a voice.” Billy, 6SA
“I think our class are now more open to sharing ideas and it gives them someone to come and talk to.” Araya, 5VW

Children In Need

School councillors worked hard in several meetings, giving up their lunchtimes to put together an assembly for
Children in Need to help raise money and awareness. The fantastic team put together and presented assemblies. For
most pupils, it was their first time standing up and presenting in the hall to KS1 and KS2. This was a huge success! They
were very excited to do it again for Comic Relief.
“We got to help so many people that don’t even go to our school.” Evie, 2CC
“It was a big responsibility because we had to spend a lot of time preparing what we were going to say but it was
exciting doing an assembly in front of our friends!! Fred, 6IM
A big thank you to all our School Councillors this year. You should be very proud of what you have achieved!

Trip To Leeds Civic Hall

In January, Year 5 and 6 school councillors were invited to visit Leeds Civic hall. The children got to meet the Mayor
and Mayoress of Leeds to learn more about the impact of their role. The children met with other School Councillors
from other schools to take part in activities and games and learn about the job of real life councillor. A great day out
was had by all!

Miss Morris

Page 21

Sport At Talbot

This year has been a really exciting year for sport at Talbot Primary School. We have been on
lots of extra sports trips, competitions and visitors to school.

In September Year 3 kicked off the school year with a trip to the outside activity centre, Herd
Farm (you can read more about that on the Year 3 page). That same week we also had a visit
from two Olympic hopefuls Katherine Torrance and Lucy Hall. The children really enjoyed
their inspiring assemblies and having the opportunity to train with them and ask questions.

This year, we have also seen the launch of the Talbot Primary
School Sports Ambassadors. Children from Year 6 were asked to
apply for the role then six were selected with specialisms in
different areas of sport. The children have been running lunchtime activities for Key Stage 1
on the playground and lunchtime clubs on Fridays for Key Stage 2. It has been fantastic to
see so many children in school being involved in sport at lunchtimes led by their peers.
Amelie, Macy, Isabelle, Jackson, Freddie and Henry have all been fantastic and children
really enjoy their activities.

Throughout the year, children have excelled in many
competitions including cross country, football, rugby, tennis and
athletics. All children have shown fantastic teamwork and sportsmanship. They really do
represent the school well. One of the highlights of the sporting year has to be the Health
and Well-being Fair. This year we had lots of different sports showcased including yoga,
archery, rugby, tennis and karate. We also had the opportunity to find out more about how
to keep our body healthy by finding out how to stop germs spreading and how to look after
our teeth.

"I love the basketball hoops so much. I scored 5 times!" Gabriel,
Nursery

"I have been jumping over sticks to make my legs strong. I did 5 jumps" Joe, Reception

"I made a fruit kebab with lots of watermelon. Red is my favourite colour, so watermelon is
fantastic. It is healthy and free too." Talia, 1AR

"My best thing was the healthy quiz. I finished it all, but I am still waiting to see if I got all the
answers right." Hannah, 2LM

"We like the germ activity the best. You have to try and wash this sticky soapy-
stuff off your hands, and then put them under an ultra-violet light machine to see
how much you have washed off. We did it really well, so we won prizes."
Lilly, Ava, Toby and Joshua, 3PM

"The obstacle course is fun; I found it quite easy to
balance on." Mehmet, 4VA

"I wasn't scared when I fought my friend the
foam club. But it makes your arms tired because they are heavy." Stephen, 5JM

"I had a go at archery. It was fun, and I hit the target. Now I want to use a real bow with
metal arrows." Ismaeel, 6IM

Miss Ward and Miss Gilbert

Page 22

Early Years Phase

This year we sent our best wishes to Miss Naz as she left Nursery to get married and have all enjoyed looking at her
beautiful photos. In her place we welcomed back Miss Christy and had lots of fun sharing her celebrations for St.
Patrick’s Day.

It’s been a lovely year of shared activities across the phase. Reception have shown off their super spy costumes to
Nursery and gave gifts in return for the beautiful kindness cards and ‘Love Heart’ sweets that Nursery brought over to
share with us. We have baked Gingerbread men together and shared a love of cars. The highlight of this new
collaboration as a Phase has to be the spectacular Christmas concert production of ‘Wriggly Nativity’. The children
were, without doubt, the most enthusiastic performers in history. We were so proud of their confident speaking,
singing, wriggly dancing and Nursery’s bumping up and down on a camel was a sight to behold! They have set a
standard for subsequent years!

Nursery have become much more involved in main school life. Visiting Reception more often and even using the large
hall in Key Stage Two for movement play. These links mean that children are more confident and used to transition
ready for school, whatever the setting will be. The Phase worked together to enjoy the visit from ‘Circusology’ thanks
to the Sports Premium Fund. This allowed the children to show off their sense of humour and to have a try at some
new skills too. We can now all spin plates like professionals!

The mobile farm came to town again and we have all enjoyed learning about different animals and how to care for
them. These first hand real experiences are really important to children’s holistic education. It has also been a ‘trip-
tastic’ year for the phase. We have branched out in our adventures from last year to encompass a more diverse range
of venues. This year, in Reception, we have boarded the public bus to the Little Bookshop, Oakwood library, Tesco,
Leeds Market, and Leeds Museum. We also practised road safety with the team from the local council and put this
into practise on our walk to Coopland’s Bakery. The children were very well-behaved and we were really proud of
them for coping on their first school trip. These have brought such a buzz for learning, encouraging communication
and broadening their experiences of the local community. Who knows where we will visit next year?

It has also been the first time that Nursery ventured out on a trip. They walked to Sainsbury’s to buy the all important
ingredients for baking Easter crispy nests and Gingerbread men, again learning lots on the way. The baked escapee ran
so far around the world thanks to all the support of family and friends and their postcards!

Trips are so important for developing confidence, an understanding of the world and to stimulate communication. We
can’t take the children without the support of valued helpers, so a big thank you to all who have supported us this
year, especially those who stepped in last minute.

Lots of visitors have supported our interests this year too. In Reception we had Agent Sweet and her super spy
entourage. The children, or should I say, agents got down to the important business of looking for clues to solve, while
in great disguises. We also had a wonderful opportunity to try out some small world scenes in our outdoor area set up
by Mrs Grinham too, and in true spy spirit there were more clues to find.

Our Mystery readers (there is definitely a theme here) continue to support us with our enjoyment of books and
reading. Again we really appreciate your time and support. Reception will round off the year with a whole school trip
to the Art Gallery in Leeds followed by a picnic in the park and games. Nursery will enjoy a Teddy Bear’s picnic on the
school field as they get ready to start their new schools or return to Nursery in September.

Well done to all the children, staff and parents for a positively productive year in Early Years.

Mrs Callaghan, Early Years Phase Leader

Page 23

Key Stage One

As ever, this year has been an extremely busy and exciting one, for everyone in Key Stage 1.

Children learn best when they are actively engaged, whether that is in English and Maths or through
our other varied and exciting curriculum topics. Through practical, active learning the children are
able to make connections between areas, reinforce knowledge and learn new skills. We believe as a
phase that this is central to our children’s learning and development. When
you ask teachers and children what has been the highlight of their year, it is
not just the bigger trips or the visitors that we have had in school that stand out. It is often the
smaller activities and successes that they really remember.

We have enjoyed using the outdoor area for a lot of our learning, with
big role play and drama activities, based on stories such as the bear
hunt and Jack and the beanstalk in English, to den building weaving and
big art based on different artists.

The active learning continues inside, through our Creative Curriculum topics the fun, with
drama and dance used to retell stories from around the world. The children have taken part in
various DT projects this year, including building sky scrapers out of junk, constructing wind-up
toys and designing and making climbing frames to name just a few. Children in Year 2 have, as
always, gone the extra mile to continue their learning at home, with 3D maps, pyramids and
gingerbread Tudor house creations a selection of the exciting projects undertaken at home.

Playtimes are no exception, with children this summer term learning how to skip with elastics (or
French skipping for those old enough to remember it.) This takes a lot of team work, cooperation
and coordination with some of the teachers joining in to develop their skills!

But don’t just take my word for it, what do the children say?

“Jack and the beanstalk: In the Outdoor area I was the cow, I had to go on all
fours and moo! I wrote my own story about Tiny Sam and the ginormous Sunflower.” Jude, 1AR

“I liked the sky scrapers ours fell apart. We were placing parts at random. We should have talked
about it first then built it.” Joseph, 2CC

“I liked making the bucket. It was tricky to make it round. I just kept on trying.” Clara, 2KM

“I liked building the Tudor house at home. We had to search online to find a Tudor house to copy the
design. “Lydia, 2LM

“We got sticks and we crossed them over and we had to weave in and out. Some people needed
help, I helped my friend.” Fatima, 1JG

“I made a climbing frame. It had a cargo net and a slide. I used a drill to make
holes in the lollipop sticks. It was easy!” Eliza, 1JG
Mrs Liddington, Key Stage One Phase Leader

Page 24

Lower Key Stage Two

If, like me, you have asked your children what they did in school today and
got a very vague answer, there is no excuse at Talbot! What is happening in
school is often apparent from the moment the children arrive in the
playground in the morning and this year we have really excelled ourselves!
Through the Year 3 and 4 door, we have seen some very strange sights! We
have had children dressed in purple, wearing red noses, disguised as
characters from a variety of children’s books, dressed as numbers, wearing
sports kits and carrying all manner of interesting learning log models, projects
and cakes. It all goes to show there is no such thing as a normal day and it is
testament to the great variety of activities taking part inside!
Whenever possible, we try to invite parents into school to get a taste of all the exciting work we have been doing and
to give the children the opportunity to share their learning. We have enjoyed inviting parents and carers into school
for our Creative Curriculum showcases, assemblies and other events throughout the year. These showcases are an
ideal opportunity for the children to take pride in what they have achieved and to share their amazing projects. This
year the children have created adverts to market a new pizza restaurant opening on Street Lane, exploded volcanoes
and premiered a Viking animation to name just three events. Typically, these events encompass a term’s learning and
involve the children presenting their knowledge to an audience. It is also a chance to show a range of incredible
learning logs completed at home, work they have done in class and to explain just what they have learned. We think
it is an invaluable way for parents to get involved in school and for the children to share their love of learning.

All of these different events and showcases show an exciting and engaging
curriculum which we hope inspires and motivates the children and makes Talbot
a great place to come to school!
“It was good fun dressing in purple and dying my hair purple!” Hazel ,4TY
“My pizza was cheese and tomato and I shared it with my family.” Anya, 3PM
“I made an axe and long ship for our Viking topic. The axe looked realistic.”
Ben,4TY
“On World Book Day I came as the girl from Roald Dahl’s Magic Finger book.
I loved going into the reading zone at the back of the stage!” Elsie, 3KW

Mr Youdan, Lower Key Stage Two Phase Leader

Upper Key Stage Two

Well it has been another exciting year for the children in Upper Key Stage 2. Year 6 have just completed their SATs
and are now looking forward to what promises to be an extraordinary production of ‘Madagascar.’ I’m sure the
children and their parents will really like to ‘Move It, Move It.’ Year 5 began the year in style with our residential to
Low Mill. The weather on the whole was kind and the children excelled in the high octane activities such as abseiling,
caving and gorge walking. It is an amazing opportunity for the children and staff to bond whilst wading, dangling or
scrambling through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
One aspect where Talbot has always excelled, is in their behaviour on school trips and sporting prowess. Two
particular events have exemplified both of these features in Upper Key Stage 2. Since Christmas a combined Year 5
and 6 Rugby team has been taking on teams from across North Leeds in a competition. This culminated in a thrilling
final against Richmond House, where Talbot came out on top thanks to the hat-trick try scoring abilities of Archie in
6IM. Not only did the children win the competition, they were commended for their sportsmanship abilities.
As a Yorkshire man at a Yorkshire school it makes me very proud when the children of Talbot play in cricket

tournaments. Year 5 were due take part in a tournament, unfortunately it had to be postponed on the day due to the

unpredictable Yorkshire weather. It was Miss Gilbert’s unfortunate duty to tell the children involved that they would

not be able to play. I have rarely seen such disappointment and sadness that we would not be able to take part. The

sadness quickly changed to a barrage of questions. Will it be rearranged? Can we still be in the team? The tournament

was rearranged and our children managed to take part in six games of cricket. Miss Gilbert commented that their

sportsmanship and behaviour was outstanding.

Mr Middleton, Upper Key Stage Two Phase Leader Page 25

Sustainable Travel

Talbot Is Making A Difference

Talbot Primary advocates sustainable travel
options, such as walking, cycling and scooting,
as healthy, environmentally friendly and
responsible ways to travel to school.

We work closely with Leeds Council to positively influence the travel behaviour of our
families attending school. This includes educational initiatives like teaching pupils the
Green Cross Code, providing information about the health benefits of the Change for
Life scheme and assemblies about the impact of traffic pollution, particularly in regards
to asthma. We find that pupils instinctively care about their neighbourhood and their
planet, and they want to take steps to make
things better.

Pupils are also taught how to travel to school safely, through pedestrian,
scooter and cycle training initiatives, at various points in their school life.
This age-appropriate learning makes children more confident to negotiate
the pavements and roads around school, and it supports them to become
increasingly independent as they move towards high school.

Talbot has also been involved
in a number of focus weeks, like The Big Pedal, Walk to School Week and
Scoot the Route to reinforce key messages. All our work is making a real
difference, and Talbot Primary School has been awarded a Silver
Accreditation, by Mode Shifts. This national organisation validates the
outcomes of schools who are trying to make a difference in the field of
sustainable travel.

Lastly, we recognise that it is not always possible for families to abandon
their cars, but perhaps they could consider car-sharing or “park and
stride” from time to time? These choices help reduce pollution and
congestion in the immediate school vicinity – “every little change will help make things better”.
Mr Rivers, Deputy Headteacher

Page 26

Talbot Primary School www.talbot.leeds.sch.uk
East Moor Road
Leeds
LS8 1AF
Tel: 0113 2934086

E-mail: [email protected]