As part of Abingdon School’s Partnerships Programme, we welcomed 45 Year 4 pupils from three local primary schools for an immersive Topic Morning. The atmosphere throughout the time I was there was alive with energy, curiosity and plenty of teamwork, as pupils were encouraged to think, question and work together in new ways.
The first room I ducked into was the Roman History room where pupils learnt about and saw how a Roman soldier might look, speak, fight and live. In this there was a student from Abingdon School dressed up as a Roman soldier complete with full armour, sword and spear. The children were captivated by this, and went through the different aspects of the soldier’s kit, how it was used and the formations they fought in. There was plenty of interest in this as they saw how the soldiers would stand side to side with their shields and use their spears at long range before switching to swords when the enemy got close.
The adventure then moved into a Victorian setting, where pupils became detectives in a murder mystery. Working their way through seven clue stations, they had to determine who committed the crime and how it was done to poor old Steve. This showed the students how to ask intuitive questions to discover what was going on.
In the final session, pupils turned to the history of geography. Using rocks, fossils and timelines, they pieced together the story of our planet from the Earth’s formation to the arrival of the first fish and humans. Working in small groups of four, they developed not just knowledge but also the skills to communicate and work effectively as a team.
Some comments from the students included things such as:
- I liked being a detective
- This is so gooooooooood!
- It was fun
- Today was so fun and I learnt lots of new things
- I loved it because it was fun
- I liked it because it was a fun experience to do
- It was a really cool trip, I learnt a lot
- I liked it because it was so amazing and fun but also challenging
- It was so good
And the feedback was overwhelmingly positive with statistics such as:
- 97% of pupils said they felt happy or very happy during the event
- 97% said they would recommend the morning to a friend
- The event achieved an average rating of 9.5/10
For our Abingdon students, the morning was just as valuable. Acting as role models, they guided younger pupils through the activities, built their own confidence in mentoring, and demonstrated the spirit of development at the heart of our Partnerships Programme. It was also a fresh challenge for our teachers as they had to move away from age groups they are used to teaching to those they are unfamiliar with. This meant they had to adjust teaching methods and adapt to keep them focused as well as excited by the activities.
Written by Jacob – Student Partnership Ambassador
