Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Year 6 Bikeability Course

  Tue 19 Oct 2021

  During the week beginning 18th October, forty Year 6 children took part in a four-day Bikeability course that was led by instructors provided by the Hillingdon Local Authority.  Each child participated in a two-hour session on each of the four days of the course enabling them to progress from level one (riding their bike on school site) to level two (riding their bike safety on the roads that surround our school).  The children thoroughly enjoyed the four-day course and are now better equipped to ride their bike safely. 

  

• World Mental Health Day 2021

  Tue 12 Oct 2021

  We have acknowledged World Mental Health Day (10 October 2021) in school this week, with a themed assembly and lots of class-based activities. We have reflected on our mental well-being. So that you can learn more about what this has involved, click on the 'World Mental Health Day' tab within the 'News and Events' menu to discover more.

  

• Year 6 Battle of Britain Bunker Trip

  Mon 11 Oct 2021

  On Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th October, Year 6 pupils visited the Uxbridge Battle of Britain Bunker.  All pupils had the opportunity to visit the exhibition and visitor centre as well as descent into the underground bunker itself which was used throughout the Battle of Britain during World War Two.   All pupils learnt about the key moments of history that shaped Britain’s air defence and led to the construction of the Bunker. They saw real artefacts including aircraft wreckage, uniforms, and telecommunications equipment used by the RAF to defend the nation. They also experienced for themselves the pressures, complexity and fun of working in the bunker with the hands-on, audio-visual interactive activities within the exhibition.  Within the bunker itself, the children were able to see the Operations Room for No. 11 Group (Fighter Command) during the Second World War and learnt about Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and ‘Women in the Bunker’.  The pupils thoroughly enjoyed their visit and gained valuable information to support their learning of this unit of work that they are currently studying in class.

  

• Year 3 Visit into Uxbridge

  Fri 08 Oct 2021

  Year 3 have enjoyed their first trip off-site this week. The children were extremely excited as this was their first off-site visit for a long time, due to the global pandemic. Year 3 were treated to a session in Uxbridge library, where we celebrated National Poetry Day and completed quizzes, using non-fiction books which linked to our science learning. We also walked around the town centre, learning about the key aspects of our town. We had the opportunity to sketch part of St Margaret's Church. 

  

• Black History Month

  Fri 08 Oct 2021

  Whitehall Junior School are currently celebrating Black History Month. The theme this year is 'Proud to be'. Now in its 34th year, this Black History Month has a renewed focus on Black British resistance to racism – inspired in part by last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests – and celebrates key figures who have made substantial contributions to the country. 

   

  To launch Black History Month, we watched an assembly which addresses racism and events that have happened recently such as the toppling of statues in Bristol.

   

  Over the next few weeks, we will also be sharing facts about the lives and achievements of inspiring Black role models. Pupils will find out about the discrimination they experienced and how they overcame this adversity.

   

  We believe it is also important to focus on the stories and voices of everyday Black people. Pupils will be watching a collection of short films exploring the experiences and contributions of people from communities across the UK, and celebrating the rich contribution of the black community to the culture, society and economy of the UK. Each role model is interviewed by a child of a similar age to our pupils.

   

  https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/history-ks2-black-british-stories/z3w84xs 

   

  Pupils will also have the opportunity to learn about black people that have lived in different historical periods and have been largely forgotten. The intriguing life stories have been well researched and compiled in the book ‘Black and British’ by David Olusoga, a British historian, writer and film-maker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. He has presented historical documentaries on the BBC.

   

  Our hope is that our pupils will have the opportunity to focus on celebrating being themselves and to feel inspired and share the pride they have in their own heritage and culture.

  

• Festival of the Month: Navratri

  Thu 07 Oct 2021

  Today marks the start of the Hindu festival of ‘Navratri’, which translates as ‘The Festival of Nine Nights’. Throughout this period, Hindus all around the world will be celebrating and worshipping the Goddess Durga in all her nine forms, as well as her triumph of good over evil, over nine consecutive nights. During this time, devotees will fast, perform a worship called ‘puja’ (which includes prayers and hymns) and sing and dance every night by performing a special dance called ‘garba’ using colourful sticks called the ‘dandiya’. Each day is marked with a different colour and worshipers will dress in their best attire corresponding to those colours each day. Navratri is usually celebrated by Hindus in October each year and signals the approach of Diwali, ‘The Festival of Lights’, every November. The children at Whitehall Junior School have been learning all about why this festival is important to Hindus in their RE lessons and some have even been learning how to create dandiya sticks and how to dance with them! We would like to wish all those celebrating a very happy Navratri and invite you to share your experiences of the festival with us, if you would like. 

  

• Year 6 First Aid Lessons

  Tue 05 Oct 2021

  Year 6 have applied themselves brilliantly to their first aid lessons this week. They have learnt how to carry out resuscitation on Jimmy, the model, learning how to breathe, do chest compressions and check the airways. As one pupil reported: 'If anyone needs help, we now have some basic skills that could assist. This makes us feel confident.'