Our fabulous Year 6 pupils had their final assembly and spoke about their time in the Junior School, recalling their favourite memories and thanking the teachers. It is always a very positive assembly but it is tinged with sadness as they are leaving to go up to Year 7. They are all ready to go and spread their wings in the Senior School. In their speeches, every pupil mentioned that they had had fun in […]

Y6 have ended their science topic of ‘Living Things and their Habitats‘ by going on a nature walk at Falling Foss. We walked along the beck from May Beck, looking at the woodland habitat along the way and stopping for a minibeast hunt. We found lots of different invertebrates, including millipedes, centipedes, insect larvae, woodlice, spiders, beetles and worms. We also saw a speckled wood butterfly and heard a woodpecker. When we got to Falling […]

Form 2 had a fantastic school trip back in history last week when they visited Eden Camp. The class have been learning all about World War Two, throughout the term the children have read Goodnight Mr Tom, studied beautiful war time poetry and created their own wonderful black out poems. The class have enjoyed learning all about evacuation and what caused World War Two, so this trip was a perfect way to end their topic […]

As part of their science work on living things and their habitats, Forms 2 and 3 recently went out onto Fylingdales Moor to do some pond dipping. We found lots of different creatures including: palmate newts, damselfly and dragonfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, water boatmen, diving beetles, whirligig beetles and tadpoles. The children also spent some time sketching on the moors, and we all enjoyed the aerial display put on by the swallows as they swooped […]

The first half of the Summer Term has been busy with the pupils enjoying trips to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and pond dipping on the moors. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such glorious countryside and that we are able to make the most of it. Trips are a great way to engage pupils in a topic and the experience makes everything they are learning about more relevant. Form 1 will be […]

Form 2 had a great few days making model volcanoes. This design technology topic was a lovely way to end their Geography unit which has been Mountains and Volcanoes. The Junior School children worked in small groups to complete their task. They were given a number of different materials and it was lovely to watch their creativity flow. Lisette Vincent-Jones, Junior School Teacher “I worked with Harry and Annabel, first we made the volcano structure using […]

Hearing the pupils’ excited shrieks as the locomotive chugged beneath us, enveloping us in great clouds of steam, was a definite highlight of the trip for me. We travelled to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Pickering, it is a wonderful station and the volunteers were on hand to answer the children’s seemingly endless questions! They were given a series of questions to answer which involved them walking around the station to find various things […]

Y6 have been having fun in maths lessons creating scale models of Harry Potter’s bedroom at Hogwarts. Using their knowledge of scale and ratio, our Junior School pupils worked in groups to choose from a list of items and scale down real-life dimensions by a scale factor of 10. They then made the items from cm squared paper, also choosing their own items to make; estimating the real dimensions before working out the scaled down […]

The PTA’s Chocolate Bingo was a wonderful, fun way to end a busy and productive half term in the Junior School. Thanks to very generous donations of chocolate and lots of pupils, parents and staff attending, the evening was a huge success. The prizes were so large that the younger pupils had trouble carrying them back to their seats! Mr Instone was our bingo caller and he did a splendid job and I enjoyed being […]

Form 2 have investigated and researched how much sugar can be found in drinks and the effects of sugar on their teeth. Their research was done on a wonderful Science afternoon to accompany our topic of Animals including Humans. First the children predicted how much sugar was in a variety of different drinks and put them in order of their sugar content only. They were shocked at how wrong they were. After much investigating the […]

In our blog a couple of weeks ago we promised that we would let you know how we got on at this year’s Rotary Club ‘Speak Out’ competition, so here is our update. Fresh from success at the Eskdale Festival, our fabulous teams set out for St Hilda’s Church in Whitby to take part in ‘Speak Out’. There were teams from Ruswarp and Airy Hill, and the church seemed very big once we were standing […]

Forest school is something I look forward to at the end of every week. Our pupils love our Friday afternoon sessions too, indeed we often hear the children making plans during the week for improving their dens or a game they’d like to play. In a world where children don’t usually go out to play after school with their friends, forest school allows them the freedom to play outdoors in acres of wonderful woodland. In […]

This term in English Year 6 have been learning how to write persuasively, and some of the children put their newfound skills to good use by writing letters to Mr Allen in the hope of persuading him to let them wear their own clothes to school and introduce a ‘Bring your pet to school day’ every week. They have now handed their letters in and are eagerly awaiting Mr Allen’s response. Pupils in Year 5 […]

We were very lucky to go on a school trip to the National Railway Museum, in York, on Thursday 24th February as a nice way to end our History topic. School trips are a great way to reinforce learning outside the classroom. The Junior School have been learning all about the history of the railways and how the industrial revolution shaped Britain, so this museum was the perfect destination. A firm favourite at the museum […]

Y6 students have been reading myths and legends from different cultures. As part of their studying myths and legends in English, Y6 thought about the differences and similarities between the two genres, and retold the Ancient Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus. The children then planned and wrote their own myths. Borrowing characters, monsters and even gods from existing myths was most definitely allowed, as were invented characters. The resulting myths were all very different, […]

Children from the Junior School entered The Whitby Rotary Club’s writing competition. The theme for this year’s annual competition was titled ‘The Environment’. We were delighted that Belle was placed in second place and Matilda came in joint 3rd out of 108 entrants. The competition is a great way to encourage children to write and they love receiving feedback on their work. As well as Bella and Matilda placing 2nd and 3rd five children also […]

Mindful colouring has always been a very popular activity in the Junior School. Even the youngest pupils clearly benefit from a few minutes of calmness at the beginning of the day. Listening to beautiful, relaxing music adds to the experience. When I did a mindful colouring after school club I could clearly see the positive effect it had on the children, so I decided to find out more about it. Mindfulness can help children to […]

Year 6 have been learning about different properties of materials in science. Taking advantage of the senior science lab, we recently carried to carry out an investigation into which materials are the best insulators. The brief was to help choose the best material for the inner lining of a flask to make sure that it keeps hot drinks hot. We tested four different materials: felt, bubble wrap, paper and foil. We used each of the […]

On Form 2‘s first day we wrote our New Year resolutions and discussed what we are looking forward to this term. As a class we are looking forward to learning about Steam locomotives, reading The Railway Children and going on a school trip to the National Railway Museum in York. “I want to get all my spellings correct” Bo “I would like to doing more horse riding”Arthur “I am looking forward to moving up a […]

As the New Year approaches, you find yourself reflecting on the past year and 2021 was one we will not forget in a hurry. We started the year in lockdown with online lessons. Key worker children came into school with us and they were incredible, it was a very different day to the one they were accustomed to but they worked hard and we still had fun with their learning. We followed our normal timetables […]

Dinosaurs could be heard roaring in forest school as we welcomed visitors to our second Stay and Play session! Dinosaur masks, flying models and beautiful stencil pictures were created before we headed up to forest school in search of dinosaurs. Hidden in and around the trees were twenty dinosaurs waiting to be found along with a nest of dinosaur eggs! The children joined with the youngest members of my class and bravely hunted them all […]

As part of their PSHE lessons, Year 6 have been thinking about the people who inspire them. Pupils devoted their tutor time to discuss their heroes and then presented their thoughts in Junior School assembly. The children’s role models ranged from Sir David Attenborough, Ben Stokes, Ronaldo and the Paralympian Sarah Storey, to mums and dads, cousins and friends, but they all had one thing in common; their ability to inspire. Take a look at the […]

The amazing one-night event “Someone Like Evie” is almost upon us!  On 20th November, Junior School pupil, Evie, will take part in a night full of heart-warming live entertainment with two highly professional touring productions, Someone Like You and Shape of You – The Music of Ed Sheeran.  Evie re-joined our Junior School classroom after recently battling Aplastic Anaemia.  All the profit from the night will be donated to the two charities that helped Evie […]

Form 2 and 3 risen to the challenge of thinking about the environment. Having entered the Whitby Rotary Club Writing competition, pupils have been using their imagination to produce a piece of writing using the title ‘ Environment’. Take a look at a few of their pieces below. The children are looking forward to having their feedback from the judges.  Lisette Vincent-Jones, Junior School Teacher #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} /* Add your own Mailchimp […]

Choosing the right school for your children is one of the most important decisions you make as a parent. Over twenty years ago I first came to visit Fyling Hall with my husband. We wanted to know that, especially in their early years, our children would be nurtured, love coming to school and be excited about their learning. The fact that the senior school was on the same site, meaning that transition into Year 7 […]

With the Year 5 and 6 pupils away at Bewerley, our Years R to 4 enjoyed a fairy glade, fungi and fun in the sun at fabulous Falling Foss. We left May Beck in glorious sunshine, 17 excited children and two just as excited dogs. On our way along the trail we spotted a wonderful Fly Agaric mushroom before arriving at the ‘Gruffalo Wood’ for a very competitive game of hide and seek amongst the […]

We are often asked by student teachers if they can come to our wonderful school on placement and it is something I am keen to encourage; observing other teachers teach gives them valuable insight into the profession. Some of the students are ex pupils, some want to experience a private school, some want to see forest school, some our small classes and some to see how our pupils from around the world are taught but […]

Please come and join us for our informal Stay and Play sessions in our Junior School. We will hold two sessions on Wednesday 20th October & Friday, 12th November from 1-3pm. Each session will include: A chance to experience our unique learning environmentMeet our staff and pupilsArts and crafts sessionA Forest School treasure huntHot chocolate and marshmallows Selecting your child’s first school is a daunting decision and to help with this we would like to […]

As we approach our final two weeks of the academic year it is always a time for reflection. The pupils will all be joining their new classes for September, with a transition day on the 5th July. I have had some of my pupils for four years and it is always a real wrench seeing them move on; they’ll always be my littlies! Of course, they’re ready to move on, just as our Year 6 […]

This is the question Forms 2 and 3 were asking . . . where are we on the map? Last week pupils went on another adventure. This time they went on a Geography trip to show off their map reading skills. The children set off from school equipped with compasses and maps; they had already plotted their route in their Geography lessons. Our picnic spot for the day was Swallow Head Farm where we greeted […]

What would you find if you go into the woods today? Form 3 have been taking advantage of the fabulous Yorkshire weather and our wonderful surroundings here at Fyling Hall to look at woodland and garden habitats. Following our trip to Grouse Hill to look at the moorland habitat, no bus journey was required; just a short walk up the track and into the woods, before heading back down to the school gardens, where Trevor and […]

The Junior School has had a really wonderful half term and it has even started to feel normal again. Sunny days have certainly made a difference to this half term; lessons, lunch, games and break times have all taken place outside. The pupils are still in their bubbles but have enjoyed playing cricket, tig and other games on the grass. Reading and story time outside has been fantastic and deli lunches are much better outside in […]

We have had a very busy time in Form 2 recently with a big push on reading, I have been encouraging children to read books outside of their comfort zone to broaden their language, creativity and imaginations. In Form 2 we have a reading rocket board. The children aim to reach the top of their rocket to have a dip in the prize box. Every book they read earns them a star for their rocket […]

Forms 2 and 3 have been out on a trip with Tanya Eyre, from the Fylingdales Moor Environmental Stewardship Scheme, to look at the wonderful moorland habitat which we are so lucky to have on our doorstep. We were lucky enough to be hosted by Caroline and Andrew Butterfield, Amelia’s parents, at Grouse Hill Caravan Park, so we were able to get straight onto the moorland nature trail behind the park, into a beautiful valley […]

In the Junior School we try to encourage the children to express their feelings. This is particularly important at the moment, with so many changes going on in the world around them. We have regular tutor times and always try to make time to talk to the children. Knowing the children as well as we do, it is obvious when they are pensive, upset, just not themselves or that they might need to talk.  Forest […]

Fyling Hall’s Y6 have been getting poetic in English. We compared two poems by Kit Wright; ‘The Frozen Man’ and ‘Let’s Hear it for the Limpet’, before reading ‘Beachcomber’, a poem by the Scottish poet George MacKay Brown. The children then came up with their own ideas for beachcombing poems, with fabulous results! Below is the original which inspired the children to get poetic in English. BeachcomberMonday I found a boot –Rust and salt leather.I […]

Fyling Hall Junior School pupils have been making readers think. Taking part in Whitby Rotary Club’s annual Young Writers Competition, children were asked to create their own piece of writing about My Town, My Future. The Club advised that “Children could enter a fictional or non-fiction story in any genre – journalism, essays, short stories, poems, or other prose are all welcome. The ideas could be realistic or as fantastic as they wish. Even science […]

Fyling Hall’s Year 6 scientists have encountered a few scrambled eggs along the way. They have been busy investigating different forces and how they act. ‘Forces’ was our science topic over lockdown. Pupils started off by learning all about gravity. The children worked on presentations about the life and work of Isaac Newton and we shared these in lessons. They looked at the difference between mass and weight and carried out an investigation, measuring the […]

“It’s nice seeing my friends and it’s good to be real schooling instead of learning online,” says a Fyling Hall Year 2 pupil. This sentiment was echoed throughout the whole Junior School this week when I asked the children how it felt being back at school.  Our Junior School pupils have slipped straight back into their bubbles and hand washing routines are being remembered and the breezy classrooms smell of hand sanitiser. But the most wonderful thing […]

In maths this half term, Fyling Hall’s Year 6 have been sharpening their mental maths skills with daily sessions, and learning about negative numbers, fractions and decimals, the order in which we carry out number operations (BIDMAS), different methods for multiplication and coordinates and translations. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding […]

Fyling Hall’s Form 2 were very excited about their school trip. Last week, Miss Vincent-Jones surprised the children with a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace! Keeping children engaged is very important during online learning and the children certainly enjoyed the treat. The class, who were split into small groups of 4, thoroughly enjoyed looking at several different Palace rooms. ‘My favourite bit was seeing the corridor, I would do flips and gymnastics down it all […]

One of my favourite parts of the day is story time. My class and I always look forward to it. We often talk about the books and characters and settings and we enjoy spending this time together. I was reminded of this when I was posting for our Junior School Instagram page. A memory popped up of me reading to my class. It made me sad. Teaching Key Stage One children is a joy; they […]

Let us share school life in lockdown from Skye’s perspective. Skye is one of Fyling Hall’s Year 6 pupil’s and happens to be one of key worker’s children. As we are in lockdown, Fyling Hall is only open to key worker children. We are in a bubble with the other key worker children and go to school at the normal times. Year 6 work in the ICT room for most of the school week, as […]

Want to know what Year 6‘s Lockdown English lessons look like at Fyling Hall? Let Mrs Richardson tell you what they have been up to so far …. In Year 6’s Lockdown English lessons, we have been looking at myths and legends. Of course, we still carry on with our comprehension, grammar, and spelling work. Through shared reading on the Teams platform, we have read about heroic quests and mythical beasts in Greek myths such […]