Pupils read their way to success!

5th April 2022Leanne Tonks

Since World Book Day, children at NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School have been competing against other primary schools within the NCEA Trust to see how much they could read over a 3 week period.

After an intense battle, Thomas Bewick won by clocking up 38 minutes of engaged reading time a day and by reading over 1,300 books!

As a reward for this phenomenal achievement, Vashti Hardy (the author of the award-winning children’s book, Brightstorm) came to our school to give a talk about being a writer. The children were given tips such as: write what you know about and what you are interested in, use a Writing Journal (where you can write and plan whatever you like), collect pictures of what you are writing about to help inspire you and of course, draw a map (because all good books contain a map!)

The children absolutely loved listening to Vashti and were really inspired by her talk – we couldn’t stop them asking so many questions afterwards!

Archdeacon of Lindisfarne visits Thomas Bewick Primary

17th March 2022Leanne Tonks

Last week, Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School received a very special visit from the Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, Catherine Sourbut Groves.

Archdeacon Catherine enjoyed a tour of the school and our Pupil Voice forum prepared some questions to ask her such as, “What is an Archdeacon?” “What do you enjoy most about your job?” and “What do you least like about your job?”

Thomas Bewick pupils #StandTogetherWithUkraine

10th March 2022Leanne Tonks

Pupils at Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School enjoyed a non-uniform day to help raise funds and awareness about the crisis in Ukraine. The children also got stuck in helping to organise the incredible number of donations the school received from the local community. We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our community and we are extremely grateful to you for helping us to make a difference.

Click on any of the photos below to view in a slideshow

Primary pupils train to become Mini Medics

28th January 2022Leanne Tonks

Pupils at a primary school in Ashington have taken part in a cutting-edge training course to become ‘Mini Medics’.

The children, aged 10 and 11 from Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School thoroughly enjoyed the half-day course, delivered by Simonside Outdoor Adventure, where they learned basic first aid skills including how to assess a person’s medical needs and how to raise the alarm in case of an emergency.

Pupils also got to take part in some practical first aid such as how to tend to cuts, grazes and sprains, as well as more advanced emergency care techniques such as compression-only CPR and how to put people into the recovery position.

Jess Williamson, Headteacher at Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School, said:

“We are incredibly proud of all of the children who took part in the Mini Medics course.

“First aid is such an important life skill for people to have, at any age. The children were all extremely sensible and listened well; joining in when instructed and correctly following the procedures. The sense of pride they had in themselves following the session was fantastic to see.”

In September 2020, basic first aid was added into the relationships, sex and health education national curriculum (RSHE) to ensure that children at all key stages have at least some basic awareness and understanding of first aid and the role it plays in supporting our emergency services.

The Mini Medics course, which is accredited by Nuco Training, has been purposely designed to support the national curriculum and build on children’s knowledge in a way which avoids any confusing terminology and respects their level of comfort and ability.

Year 6 pupil from Thomas Bewick Primary, Aston Jo, commented:

“I enjoyed learning how to put people into the recovery position. It was really fun. We had to try and clear the airway of the dummy we were using by hitting it on the back. We were then shown the Heimlich Manoeuvre and the object came out of his mouth.”

Tony Mordue, First Aid Trainer at Simonside Outdoor Adventure, commented:

“It was a pleasure to work with the staff and pupils at Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School on the Mini Medics course.

“The children were really engaged with the session and asked some really great questions. It was wonderful to see them working together and supporting each other to master skills which hopefully, if they’re ever called upon to do so, will really help members of their family at home or members of the community in a time of need.”

Operating as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School provides primary education for children aged 2-11.

To find out more about the school, visit www.thomasbewick.ncea.org.uk or for more information about Mini Medics, visit www.minimedics.co.uk.

Trust Primary School’s in national Top 50 for reading achievements

30th September 2021Leanne Tonks

NCEAT’s primary schools, including Thomas Bewick, have been recognised in the UK’s top 50 schools for Accelerated Reader usage.

Accelerated Reader is an online platform which supports pupils’ reading skills. When they first start using the platform, pupils complete a STAR reading test which gives them a level based on their reading ability and advises on the books they should be reading. This allows teachers to ensure that pupils are challenged with an appropriate text and develops their reading fluency.

Once they have finished reading their book, they can then complete a comprehension quiz to assess whether they have understood what they have read. This gives teachers valuable information about pupils reading ages and also reading comprehension ability.

Prior to the summer holidays, the primary schools within the Trust had a big push on reading for pleasure, encouraging pupils to read at home with parents and carers. This push has seen pupils carry out over 28,537 Accelerated Reader quizzes online since August – that’s 28,537 books read across Bishop’s, Grace Darling, James Knott, Thomas Bewick and William Leech C of E Primary Schools!

Jack Christophers, Director of Literacy, commented:

“We’re absolutely blown away by what our pupils have achieved through Accelerated Reader. The statistics speak for themselves – our pupils have put in an amazing amount of effort and we’re extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

To find out more about reading in the primary curriculum, visit our Reading Corner!

Primary school pupils ‘top the charts’ in national maths competition

20th November 2020Leanne Tonks

Pupils at a Primary School in Ashington, South East Northumberland, have quizzed their way into the Top 100 in a nationwide maths competition to find the country’s ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’.

The Year 6 pupils from Bishop’s Primary School’s Thomas Bewick Campus placed 66th overall in the virtual contest, which saw entries from over 30,000 primary and secondary schools across the UK.

The children, aged 10-11, worked incredibly hard over the course of the week-long competition, using their break times, lunch times, evenings and weekends to log into the online platform to answer quick-fire multiplication questions against the clock to score points for their school.

Having been challenged by teachers to aim for the top 500, staff at the school were overwhelmed at the dedication shown by the pupils to keep climbing the charts.

Jessica Williamson, Head of Campus at Thomas Bewick, said:

“We have been using the Times Tables Rock Stars programme for a couple of years to help support our pupils’ knowledge of mathematical times tables.

“Because it’s like a game, the children love it and get really competitive within their classes and year groups. When we saw that the company who develops the programme was launching a national competition, we spurred the children on to aim for the top 500, never dreaming that they would get so into it!

“Within days, they’d hit the top 500 target, so with a bit more encouragement and the promise of a socially-distanced school disco in the New Year, we challenged them to aim for the top 200. When they soared past that goal, I said that they could have a disco and a McDonald’s Happy Meal each if they got into the top 100, and here we are!

“We’re so incredibly proud of what the pupils have achieved. They all worked so hard and the progress that they’ve all made with their maths skills is incredible. Their quick recall ability is well above average for their age group and they’ve really grown in confidence, even when tackling tricky topics like fractions.”

Bishop’s Primary School, which has campuses located throughout Ashington, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Lynemouth is part of the wider Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (NCEAT); which also includes Castle School, Duke’s Secondary and Warkworth C of E Primary School.

Alan Hardie, Chief Executive Officer at NCEAT, commented:

“Across all of our Trust schools, pupils are encouraged to ‘Let their light shine’ (Matthew 5:16) and to aspire to be the best that they can be. What the Year 6 pupils have achieved in the Times Tables Rock Stars competition is the absolute embodiment of our vision and we couldn’t be more proud! A huge well done to all of the pupils and staff involved!”