Our children keep themselves and others SAFE
Physical and mental wellbeing is a priority. Our children learn strategies to keep themselves and each other safe in all ways. We scaffold techniques so that children are able to regulate their emotions, look after their bodies and identify when they need help. Through our highly engaging curriculum, children develop confidence in asking for support.
Our allotment provides a growing space which is run by our children (at lunchtimes) to grow fresh produce throughout the year. By creating a school allotment we can open the eyes of children to food production and help them to understand the principle of healthy eating. Children of today are going to be making the choices of what they eat as adults and for their own children. By instilling a healthy lifestyle in them at a young age, it will guide them to making better decisions in the future.
We have allotment leaders who have volunteered their time at lunchtime to learn about growing fresh fruit and vegetables and share their knowledge with any other children who help tend to the gardens.
Our children grow, pick and taste test their produce, often taking foods home that they have not tried before.
At Gray’s Farm, our Forest School is based on a fundamental respect for all children and for their capacity to instigate, test and maintain curiosity in the world around them.
Forest School is a unique educational experience for our Nursery and Reception children that offers children the opportunity to succeed and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland environment and we are extremely fortunate that the extent of our grounds allows us to offer these opportunities on site.
At Gray’s Farm we have year group pets in Nursery and Year 6. We believe that having the opportunity to care for an animal benefits our children by developing responsibility and meeting the needs of another being; fostering empathy and enhancing the emotional well being of our children.
In nursery our children look after the fish by feeding them and making sure that their tank is clean.
In Reception each year the children have the opportunity to observe the very start of the life of a duck through our life cycles project, which involves helping to hatch out up to 5 baby ducklings. Once hatched, the children take on the role of mummy duck by cleaning out their bed, feeding them and even teaching them how to swim!
In Year 6 our Duck Leadership Team (DLT) look after the ducks by finding out all about what they like to eat and the foods that they cannot have. The children learn how to feed the ducks and how to act around them so as not to scare them as well as clearing out their enclosures and caring for them on a daily basis.
At Gray’s Farm we have a group of Safeguarding Ambassadors in Years 5 and 6. They have been taught using materials provided by TKAT as part of their SA@S programme. We are now working on developing their duties at school such as creating safeguarding posters and leaflets for visitors, developing ideas for our e-safety learning and being a ‘listening ear’ for our younger pupils.