Blog / Latest News

World Book Day 2023 - 02.03.23

World Book Day 2023. This year we decided on a Roald Dahl Theme. Each class chose to read one of his famous books

Aisling Class – The Witches
Katie’s Class – The Twits
Courtney’s Class – Matilda
Laura’s Class – James and the Giant Peach
Rebecca’s Class – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Libby’s Class – The Magic Finger
Julie’s Class – The Enormous Crocodile
Alex’s Class – The BFG
Connor’s Class – Fantastic Mr Fox
Danielle’s Class – George’s Marvellous Medicine
The children had lots of fun learning about Roald Dahl, doing lots of activities on their chosen book and as a treat, our upper school pupils got to go to the auditorium, watch Matilda the movie and eat popcorn. Some members of staff have also recorded some of the author’s Revolting Rhymes for the children to listen too.
Hope you like our pictures, what a fantastic effort everyone has made.

Pancake Day in Rebecca’s Class - 01.03.23

Last week was Shrove Tuesday! In Rebecca’s Class, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday by using the cooking room to make our own pancakes. We all took turns counting, weighing and mixing in our ingredients, having a go at ‘flipping’ some pancakes, and finally making choices for the toppings we wanted on top of them at ‘Snack Time’.

All of our hard work and concentration was worthwhile, as we very much enjoyed eating our pancakes afterwards!

Exploring Italy - 24.02.23

In Laura’s Class, we have been learning all about Italy and exploring different places in Italy using Virtual Reality headsets. The children have engaged so well with these new experiences!

Children’s Mental Health Week - 10.02.23

This week in Katie’s class we’ve taken part in lots of exciting activities that celebrate friendship and what makes us happy for mental health week.
We’ve made bright hats celebrating our differences using our favourite colours and textures, taken part in a catwalk and had friends from other classes come and read to us!
What a happy and colourful week!
We hope you have a wonderful half term.

Barnaby Bear visits Bibi’s - 09.02.23

In Rebecca’s Class we have been following Barnaby Bear around the world. This week he visited Italy, we were lucky enough to be able to visit a local shop to be able to make our very own Pizza’s. We all had lots of fun and were superbly behaved on our trip out. Thank you so much to Rosie’s Dad and Bibi’s takeaway for once again allowing our children to have this great experience. 🍕🍕🍕

NSPCC Number Day - 08.02.23

We all had great fun celebrating NSPCC Number Day on Friday. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Online Safety Day - 03.02.23

Tuesday 7th February is Online Safety Day so during our Nibble and Natter group, Laura Byrne ICT / Computing Lead will be dropping in to discuss online safety with parents that attend. Everyone is welcome 1-3pm. Please feel free to share with Laura any issues or concerns you may have.
Holly Grove is now registered as Safer Internet Day supporter please see our certificate below.
If you cannot make the nibble and Natter session you can watch this video on online safety.

School Council Meeting - 02.02.23

Our Chair of Governors, Nicola, was in school last week talking to the School Council. She was listening to their ideas on some of our upcoming events like World Book Day, Comic Relief and Children’s Mental Health Week. We will let you know about these events on the weekly newsletter.

Attachment and Trauma Sensitive School Bronze Award - 01.02.23

I am very pleased to share with you that we have achieved the Attachment and Trauma Sensitive School Bronze Award. We have been working on this as part of our school improvement plan this year. It was lovely to share all our successes with the verification Assessors. Please click here to read their comments.
My thanks go to all the staff in school for their commitment and hard work and especially Libby Fitton and the Nurture Team for pulling together all the valuable evidence.

My Amazing World - 27.01.23

In Aisling’s class we have been learning all about ‘My amazing world’. We have been exploring cold places and all the different animals that live there. We have explored cold colours through our creative work, by tearing paper and painting. We were also very lucky because it snowed and we got to play and explore in it.  It was so cold to touch but we enjoyed the crunching sound under our feet.

Merry Christmas - 16.12.22

I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas, enjoy the seasonal break. Here’s to another successful year. All the best – Nicola, Chair of Governors

EYFS Nativity - 15.12.22

Hello everyone, during December within Aislings class we have been busy practicing and performing our EYFS nativity, which was fabulous and all the children did an amazing job. A massive thank you to everyone involved and all our parents who came to watch. We are all really proud of the children. They were super stars!

 

Holly Grove Christmas Markets - 07.12.22

A huge thank you to everyone that came and supported our Christmas Markets on Friday. We raised a whopping £1589.90.
Thank you to Dance and Performing Arts at Burnley College students who gave up their Friday night to sing carols and Christmas songs to get us all in the Christmas spirit.
Thank you to all the staff that stayed and worked on the stalls, cooked hot dogs, gave out hot drinks and and stayed to tidy up.
And a huge thanks to all our parents/carers/staff/friends of Holly Grove who donated items to sell. We could not do this without your continued support.🎉🌲😍

Krispie Christmas Puddings - 30.11.22

In Katie’s class this term we have been getting creative in food technology and making lots of goodies following simple picture recipes.
This week we have made some krispie christmas puddings using all sorts of exciting ingredients, luckily, we also got to the eat them afterwards, so all the hard work was worthwhile!

Poppies Visit Burnley Fire Station - 25.11.22

Danielle’s Poppies Group were invited to Burnley Fire Station. They had a fantastic time, the crew were amazing showing us all the equipment and even letting us use their hose! A big thank you to all the staff at Burnley Fire Station for ensuring we had the best time!

Active Burnley - 24.11.22

As part of our continued goal to increase opportunities for our pupils to access physical activity, we have been working with Active Burnley. They came down to Barden track to let some of our children access a taster session for cycling. This session was aimed at children who may require a bike with specialised fittings/adaptions. This was an exciting opportunity which we hope will provide better resources for children at Holly Grove to access. We look forward to the continued partnership with Active Burnley.

Friendship Week - 23.11.22

Last week was ‘Friendship Week’. In Laura’s Class we celebrated this by being kind to each other, sharing our favourite things, taking turns and having lots of hugs. We hope you like our slideshow on our Facebook page!

https://fb.watch/gZDrxVSAA7/

Oliver’s Accessible Music Workshop - 11.11.22

Children from Upper School had the opportunity to use technology to make music with Oliver. He came into school and taught us for the morning, using a range of different apps. At first the children were unsure they could make music but by the end of the session they had all created music by themselves and also as a group! We had great fun!

Bonfire Night Safety - 04.11.22

We have had special visitors in this week from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. They have been talking to our pupils about how to keep safe on Bonfire Night. We have been practising Stop, Drop and Roll and learning about the dangers of sparklers if not handled correctly. Please make sure you keep safe this Bonfire Night. If you have any concerns about firework safety please read the guidance from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service below,
https://www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/…/safety…/fireworks/

Halloween in Rebecca’s Class - 01.11.22

On our first day back after half term we had our Haunted Halloween party. We all came dressed up in our spine-chilling costumes. We went bobbing for apples, carved some pumpkins, practiced a menacing monster dance and had some spooky snacks. What a fantastic way to start a new term.

Happy Half Term - 21.10.22

Have a great half term. School re-opens on Monday 31st October.

Laura’s Science Lessons - 19.10.22

A very warm welcome to Laura’s Class! We have all settled in very well and everyone is enjoying lots of fun learning activities.

In our Science lessons, we have been learning about the three basic needs that living things need to survive – air, water and food.

For air, we have felt the air outside on a windy day and the air from a fan. We have used air from our lungs to play wind instruments and to blow bubbles, blow up balloons and blow out candles. Lots of oral motor activities!

For water, we have felt the rain on a rainy day and water from a spray bottles. We have used water to fill and empty containers during water play and we have used a foot spa to massage our tired feet.

For food, we have choosing our favourite foods using PECS. Whilst doing this, we have also been making progress towards our Communication targets.

Well done to all the children in Laura’s Class, you have done some fantastic work!

Welcome to Samantha’s Class - 05.10.22

We’ve been back in school a whole month, can you believe it? It’s gone so quickly! We have loved getting to know our new class, children and staff. Everyone has settled in beautifully and have been working super duper hard! This term our topic is ‘Myself’, we have been learning about some of our favourite things, showing preferences, likes and dislikes. Looking at where we live and who we live with and sharing this with our class. In maths we have been learning about number and shape so far. Here are some photographs of us learning in Samantha’s Class in September.

Rosemere Coffee Morning - 30.09.22

A huge thank you to everyone who came and supported our Rosemere Coffee Morning. We raised over £150 for this wonderful cause. Thank you once again for all your support.

Welcome to our new starters in Aisling’s class - 28.09.22

A massive welcome to all our new children and their families. It’s wonderful to be part of the start of your journey here at Holly Grove. The children are settling into school extremely well and enjoying the structure and routine. We cannot believe it will soon be Autumn. We have lots of wonderful activities planned to explore and experience the change of season.

This term we are learning ‘all about me’. We have been super busy making faces using all different types of media including using the touch screen to draw features of a face, painting a face, making face biscuits and plate faces. The children have been exploring using all of their senses and been very creative.

We have been reading ‘The colour monster goes to school’ and what happens during his day. The children have loved listening to the story and have been creating their own monsters, which we have displayed in class as they were so good.

National Teaching Assistants Day - 16.09.22

A huge thank you to all our Teaching Assistants at Holly Grove. We appreciate all the effort you put in everyday with our wonderful pupils. You really do go above and beyond so it’s a big thanks from us.

Love Karen, Eve and all the Teachers at Holly Grove.

Bank Holiday - 12.09.22

It was announced this weekend that Monday 19th September will be a public bank holiday as a mark of respect for the Queen’s funeral. As a result, school will be closed on Monday. We will reopen as normal on Tuesday 20th September

Queen Elizabeth - 08.09.22

Queen Elizabeth was a remarkable lady who devoted her life to her country.
And for that your country, and the world are eternally grateful ❤️

Schools Out… - 22.07.22

The staff and governors would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable summer. School re-opens to pupils on Monday 5th September 2022.

Celebration Assembly - 20.07.22

On Monday we held a special assembly at Holly Grove to celebrate our pupils fantastic achievements. Well done to everyone who was nominated we are all very proud of you.

Swimming – St Peter’s Award – Nominees: Jason, Krisler, Argaudas, Ryleigh Winners: Jason & Ryleigh

Swimming – Water Confidence Award – Nominees: Theo, Caiden, Harley, Archie, Elize, Jason. Winners: Archie & Elize

Swimming – Hydrotherapy Award – Nominees: Reo, Blake, Jenson, Oliver Cr, Eva, Zachary, Shamaim, Ryan C. Winner: Oliver Cr

Lower School PE Award – Nominees: Charlie M, Sofia, Aadam, Minnie, Hussain. Winners: Sofia & Aadam

Upper School PE Award – Nominees: Ayaan, Argaudas, Jack, Lucas Me. Winners: Ayaan K & Argaudas

MOVE Award – Nominees: Rohaan, Julian, Isaiah, Freya, Anabaya, Lucas e, Shamaim. Winner: Freya

Sports Superstar Award – Nominees: Minnie, Dylan, Charlie M, Reuben, Oalki-Rose. Winner: Charlie M

Friehdship Award – Nominees: Oakli-Rose, Scott, Mason, Charlie, Aadam, Minnie, Fahd, Phinn, Oliver Co, Billy, Edward. Winner: Scott

Georgia Fourie Award – Nominees: Stanley, Raihan, Jenson, Haroon, Jayden, Lucas E, Rohaan, Henry, Shamaim. Winner: Rohaan

Super Star Award – Nominees: Fiaz, Nestee, Sophie, Stanley R, Reuben, Thomas, Hana, Kai, Billy. Winner: Billy

Smile for Stephen Award – Nominees: Jenson, Samuel, Riley L, David, Jayden, Scott, Fatima, Lucas E, Anabaya, Faizan. Winner: David

Special Achievement Award Foundation Stage: Nominations: Oliver Cr, Oliver Co, Freya. Winner: Oliver Combe

Special Achievement Award Lower School: Nominees: Scarlett, Ted, Leighton, Jacob, Roxana, Joshua, Sofia, Shayaan, Minnie. Winners: Joshua & Shayaan

Special Achievement Award Upper School: Nominees: Fatima, Leon, Ryan, Faizan, Thomas, Szymon, Aayan, Kai L, Rohaan, Reuben. Winners: Thomas & Szymon

Headteachers Award: Boy – Lucas WS

Headteachers award Girl – Nestee

 

Y6 Leavers Evening - 18.07.22

A huge thank you to everyone who made our Year 6 Leavers Evening an amazing night! It was an incredible turnout and the children and their families had a wonderful time.
A huge thank you to Eventfully Yours and Alice Aspinall who donated one of her beautiful floral backdrops for our event. Alice gave up her time to come and set it all up for us and we got some beautiful pictures in front of it.
Thank you to Kevin Ramsden who provided us with a sports car for the evening. The children loved sitting inside and getting pictures pretending to drive.
Thank you to Creative Venue Styling in Simonstone for loaning us all the chair covers, sashes and table cloths.
Appetite Sandwich Shop & Caterers provided us with a wonderful buffet and thank you to Colly and his ice cream van.

East Lancashire ‘Pupil of the Year’ - 07.07.22

A huge well to Holly Grove’s David Potter, who won East Lancashire Primary Pupil of the Year at the East Lancashire Education Awards.

The ceremony, which was held at Nelson and Colne College, showcases and celebrates the very best pupil, teachers, schools and employees in the area, recognising achievements made within the education sector on a daily basis.

 

Well done David what a fantastic achievement.

Science Experiment - 03.07.22

This week in Science, Rebecca’s class have been looking at how different liquids affect our teeth. They conducted an experiment using boiled eggs and observed what happened to the eggs over 72 hours.

We Won!! - 24.06.22

A huge well done to our football team who attended a GLD football tournament at Pendle View last week…and won!  They came back with a trophy and big smiles on their faces. Well done Holly Grove!!

Sensory Orienteering - 20.06.22

Some pupils from Holly Grove visited White Ash to take part in sensory orienteering. They followed a course linked to the story ‘Sally the Snail.’ The children had such a wonderful experience and we got very lucky with the weather.

 

 

Celebrating the Jubilee - 09.06.22

Holly Grove celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee in style last week. The children came into school dressed in red/white and blue and we had a Jubilee picnic in the hall and invited our parents and carers to join us. It was a fantastic turnout with lots of parents/carers joining us for a picnic.

We had some party games including pin the crown on the Queen and  musical chairs and we had out faces painted with the Union Jack flag.

 

 

Gold Artsmark Award - 26.05.22

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved the Gold Artsmark Award and are celebrating in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools. We have been working towards this award since before the Pandemic and had to respond to major changes within school and the community. A huge thanks to our Creative Lead Alison Redmond for all her hard work in helping us as a school to achieve this wonderful award.

“Holly Grove has many strengths when it comes to the Arts. Your sheer enthusiasm and determination to see things through is to be celebrated. You had a number of shielded pupils during the pandemic and school closures but this did not deter you from continuing with your plans, adapting them to the individual needs of your pupils.”

One area which we have excelled in is creating some fabulous professional development opportunities for all our staff through creative Inset days and inviting into school a range of professionals from different areas to share their knowledge.

“The high value you place on CPD for your staff led by external professionals is commendable and is having a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes and on staff’s confidence”

But by far the best quote from our assessment feedback that our Creative Arts Leader has highlighted is

“You ensure no child is left out from opportunities and has access to new musical experiences”

This encapsulates the ethos of Holly Grove School in total inclusivity for all our children.

Fire Safety - 17.05.22

This week, some fire fighters from Burnley Fire Station came into school to teach the children about fire and road safety. The children has a wonderful day and their favourite part was being able to dress up as fire fighters

‘Whatever Next’ - 13.05.22

Laura’s Class have been reading ‘Whatever Next’ by Jill Murphy. The children have loved the story and they all took turns at sitting in the box/rocket.

Freemasons Donation - 12.05.22

A huge thank you to the Marsden within Pennine Valley Freemasons who came into school today to present our Deputy Headteacher Eve, with a cheque for £250 for the Georgia Fourie Butterfly Fund.
Thank you for this wonderful donation we are truly grateful. 🤩🥳

Nick’s 50 Miles in 24 Hours - 03.05.22

Holly Grove’s Family Support Manager, Nick Barrett is wanting to raise £500 for the Georgia Fourie Butterfly Fund by walking 50 miles in 24 hours to celebrate his recent 50th birthday. Nick is planning to take part in this walk during May half term and will be leaving Waterfoot at 8pm, taking in the sights of Rawtenstall, Hapton, Simonstone, Clitheroe, Colne, Worsthorne, Cliviger and back to Waterfoot and will be completing 50 miles within 24 hours.
Please support Nick and help raise money for this wonderful charity that supports the pupils of Holly Grove School and their families.

Bank Holiday Weekend - 29.04.22

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend. School is closed on Monday 3rd May and will re-open on Tuesday 4th May

Easter Holidays - 01.04.22

Have a wonderful relaxing break. School re-opens on Tuesday 19th April 2022.

Autism Acceptance Week - 01.04.22

This week has been Autism Acceptance Week. We have celebrated this by asking the children to come into school today wearing bright rainbow colours. We have also been collecting donations and this will be going to the National Autistic Society.

Easter Fair - 31.03.22

Thank you to all the Parents/Grandparents/Carers and Friends of Holly Grove who turned up and supported our Easter Fair.
We raised over £700 so thank you for your support we can’t run these events without your help.
The winning raffle numbers were:
Easter Egg Hamper – White/Purple Border 881 – Sharon Amos
Wine and Chocolates – Pink 404 – Laura Peart
Easter Egg – Pink 55 – Grace Croft
The winner of the £50 cash was number 42 – Tom Preston and the number of sweets in the jar was 203 and the winner was Catherine.
If you haven’t yet collected your prizes please contact Katie at school and I will arrange to get them to you.
Thank you for your continued support of our school.

King Pakal Death Masks - 23.03.22

Jack’s Class have been working really hard in their Ancient Maya History lessons. They even made King Pakal death masks! King Pakal was one of the most famous Maya rulers, whom we know today as ‘Pakal the Great’.

British Science Week - 18.03.22

Holly Grove have been celebrating British Science Week, an annual event which lasts ten days and celebrates Science amongst other subjects. During the week, people of all ages across the UK are encouraged to organise and take part in engaging activities and events.

All pupils and staff have been taking part in daily fun Science tasks set for each class and there has been an experiment to complete after watching a demonstration from Holly Grove’s own ‘Michael the Mad Scientist, which is now available to view on the school’s FaceBook page.

We also had another special guest ‘Jungle John’ who brought a ‘Creepy Crawly Show’ including a snake, which some children and staff were brave enough to put on their shoulders! Thank you to Rosie Barraclough for organising this show.

Also another thank you to Michelle Grimshaw for helping put together a special ‘Science Newsletter’ for parents containing lots of ideas on how to help your child develop a scientific mind.

Well done everyone for joining in and making Science Week a successful one!

 

 

School Photographer - 09.03.22

Just a reminder for parents that the school photographer will be in school tomorrow (10th March)

Holly Grove School Presents…World Book Day - 03.03.22

Barnaby Bear goes to Italy - 03.02.22

In Laura’s Class this term, they have been following Barnaby Bear to Italy. They have visited The Leaning Tower of Pisa and The Canals in Venice. They have been learning all about the Italian National Anthem and the colours of the Italian Flag. They have loved tasting ice cream and adding different toppings and they made almond and jam sponge cakes and fruit gondolas. Yummy!!

AHC Awareness Day - 21.01.22

On Tuesday 18th January we celebrated International AHC Day at Holly Grove by making lots of noise. This is the day that Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC) was discovered and the day gives us a chance to celebrate the new accomplishments and look forward to the new goals set. AHC is an extremely rare condition and has been labelled as “the most complex condition known to man”. The neurological disorder has life limiting effects for children and can cause painful paralysis for long periods of time.

One of our children in school is diagnosed with AHC and he wanted to help raise awareness and raise some money to help researchers with their studies in order to help these children become pain free.

Currently Great Ormond Street Hospital help to treat the side effects or AHC and are working hard to develop their understanding of the causes. All pupils wore bright colours on Tuesday and we asked for a donation of 50p. We will let you know how much we have raised once the money has been counted.

 

‘Dream Big’ - 10.01.22

In Aisling’s class this term their topic is ‘Dream Big’ and all the children have been very busy being creative in their role play area, the hairdressers. This is an important skill for our children to explore during play. The hairdressers is set up so the children can brush, wash and style hair. The role play area has a variety of hair accessories and a till area for the children to learn new experiences. There are many opportunities to explore and engage in a fantasy world with our enchanted garden, with a daily story, Rapunzel. The children are enjoying sensory props and answering questions. Also we have been doing lots of number work, reciting number 1-20 and exploring volume by filling and emptying containers. Alongside practising fine motor skills when exploring colour during art activities and interactive apps.

 

- 13.12.21

A message from our Chair of Governors, Nicola.
To all the pupils, staff, parents and wider community associated with the amazing school that is Holly Grove. Have a wonderful Christmas break and here’s to a successful and happy 2022, whatever it may bring.
Best wishes,
Nicola.
Chair of Governors

- 12.12.21

We are so proud to share this feedback we have received. After a long term, feedback like this makes us feel so proud.

The school is fantastic, they are extremely organised and their communication is excellent. They keep calm during medical emergencies and the school is an amazing, nurturing environment for both staff and children”.  – Leanne Conn – Senior Nurse, Special Needs School Nursing Service, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

 

 

 

Christmas In Libby’s Class - 09.12.21

Libby’s Class enjoyed making lots of beautiful pictures for our “Magical Woodland” display.  As you can see all the children let their creative side out when decorating the tree too.

Holly Grove’s Got Talent! - 01.12.21

Here’s one of our Holly Grove’s Got Talent winners, Nestee. With her very own ‘Mr Work’ book, in the style of the famous Mr Men series. We hope you enjoy it! 😄

Fun, Food and Friends Project - 11.05.21

If your child is aged 5 to 16 and gets benefits-related free school meals, you may be able to access free activities during the Summer and Christmas holidays through Fun, Food and Friends, Burnley’s holiday activities and food programme.

The programme is a great opportunity for children and young people to get out and about and get active.

We are working with local providers to make sure there are lots of things available to do in the Summer and Christmas holidays such as sport, creative activities, trips out and lots more!

Activities will help you learn more about nutrition as a family too and will give you the chance to have a go at cook tasty family meals at no cost to you.

We also want to help you and your children develop your understanding of nutrition and food budgeting.  Activity providers will also be able to help signpost you to additional information and support, on things such as health, employment and education.

If you are interested, please visit the HAF website https://www.burnley.gov.uk/fun-food-friends

You can also register your interest in the programme: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BurnleyHAF

Trauma and Attachment Aware- School Badge - 26.02.21

As a result of all the training staff attended around attachment and trauma we now have received a ‘Trauma and Attachment Aware’ school badge. Thank you to all the staff for their hard work.

PE With Connor – Overarm Throw - 25.02.21

P.E with Connor: Overarm Throw

COVID Update for Parents - 23.02.21

 

 

We have been informed that those who have caring responsibilities may now be eligible to receive their covid vaccination.

 

This applies to those who:   “you provide care for someone and they or you receive funding for that care”

            There will be a clinical assessment with a nurse as part of the process at the vaccination centre.

*At this point in the vaccination programme, to be eligible as a carer you will need to provide evidence at your appointment that you receive funding as a carer for example Carer’s Allowance or be able to evidence benefits for those you care for (examples include: Attendance Allowance, Disability Benefit, Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance). If the person you care for is a family member and receives funding you are still eligible for vaccination now, the provision of care does not have to be your main employment or occupation. If you are not able to provide evidence, you will not be able to have your vaccination.

 For more information, and to book appointments if eligible please visit :  https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/CovidVaccination/appointment

 

Children’s Mental Health Week - 23.02.21

In Danielle’s Class, for Children’s Mental Health Week, we looked at our feelings. The children created a portrait of themselves and how they were feeling
We also made silly face cakes today to reinforce the work we have done on our feelings

Barnaby Bear goes to Mexico - 12.02.21

Rebecca’s class have been following Barnaby Bear around Mexico. We enjoyed making and eating Huevos Ranchos which is a traditional Mexican breakfast.

Phonics with Michelle - 11.02.21

This weeks Phonics Session is focussed on ‘Tricky Words’. There is a ‘Tricky word video ‘ to watch. You can access it by clicking the link. Enjoy!

Michael’s Science Experiment - 10.02.21

Today Michael is exploring solids, liquids and gases with this Mentos and Coke experiment.

Yoga with Samantha - 09.02.21

Yoga with Samantha. We hope you enjoy!

The Wizard of Oz - 08.02.21

This term in class we have been reading the book “The Wizard of Oz” and deciding what words best describe the characters in the story. We have enjoyed acting out the different characters. In Design and Technology we made a Tin Man puppet from junk materials.

Some of us have been exploring Full and Empty in Maths when we were measuring volume of liquids using measuring jugs and beakers

In Science we enjoyed testing different materials to see if they were soft, hard, see through, bendy or stretchy.

Some of us have been taking part in drama sessions with Burnley Youth Theatre and we really enjoy doing all the fun activities!

 

Phonics with Kelly - 05.02.21

Today we have a two-part Phonics session with Kelly. Enjoy!

Samantha’s Arctic Adventure - 03.02.21

The past three weeks in class we have been going on an Amazing Arctic Adventure. We have been learning all about the animals who live there, what the weather is like and creating some beautiful pieces of artwork. If you head to the art gallery page on the website you an see our wonderful pieces of work. For the rest of the term will be exploring in the Jungle we cannot wait to see what we will find!

 

Children’s Mental Health Week - 01.02.21

Hi Everyone,
As it is Children’s Mental Health Week, I would like to suggest that on Friday 5th February we have a day we when do not do formal schoolwork in school or for our home learners. Please enjoy some fun activities together, e.g. read a story, go out for a walk, yoga, do some baking etc.
We would love you to share any photos of you enjoying your day together.
Take care and stay safe
Karen and Eve

Rebecca’s Class Visits London - 01.02.21

In Rebecca’s class this term their topic is ‘Barnaby Bear’ and his travels. They travelled to London and visited the sights. They had lots of fun exploring what happens at different places around London. The children made a double decker bus to travel around and they even saw the Queen!

 

Jungle Fitness Session with Connor - 29.01.21

Today we have a special Jungle Fitness Session with Connor.
Don’t forget to send in your pictures of you taking part in the session!

Music with Fiona - 27.01.21

Today we have a special Music session with Fiona.
We hope you enjoy it!

Samantha’s Arctic Yoga - 25.01.21

Here’s the video link for Samantha’s Arctic Yoga

https://youtu.be/Kw7K1FnoZJg

 

Weather Around the World - 23.01.21

In Geography this week, in Danielle’s class, we have been focusing on ‘weather around the world’. The children enjoyed participating in a weatherman role play activity identifying the different types of weather. This week the children have been introduced to curling and had lots of fun playing this in the auditorium!

Safeguarding – Top 10 Tips for Parents - 22.01.21

Amid the Covid 19 pandemic, supporting the wellbeing of children has never been so important to us at Holly Grove.
Here you can find a free Safeguarding Children 10 Top Tips Parent Resource. This resource is designed to offer advice on how parents can safeguard their child/ren’s mental health and promote their wellbeing and is available as a document and short video presentation.
 

PE With Connor – Week 2 - 21.01.21

Here’s the link to Connor’s Catching P.E session.

Nick’s Going on a Bear Hunt - 19.01.21

Please click the link below for you and your child to watch Nick’s fabulous rendition of ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’.

Jollof Rice & The Deductive Detective - 18.01.21

In Connor’s class this week we have been busy getting used to our new routine and topic. We were lucky enough to spend some time in the kitchen and make a special African dish, Jollof Rice.
It has been nice to have some of our class join us on Zoom and help with our online lessons. We have begun our new English topic following the wonderful adventures of the Deductive Detective, there was a very cheeky thief!

Scavenger Hunt - 15.01.21

This week Jack’s class have been using the Seesaw app to access fun lessons online at home, or in school. On Tuesday the class were discussing the properties of materials in Science and children were assigned a scavenger hunt task.

Here are some of the items they had to find

 

Phonics with Kelly - 14.01.21

Click here to learn Phonics with Kelly

PE With Connor Week One - 12.01.21

Click here for the link to Connor’s PE lesson…enjoy!

 

 

Home Learning - 06.01.21

Dear Parents/Carers,
We would like to start by saying a huge thank you to you all, for your support for the school over a challenging couple of days!
As some of the pupils are now working from home, we would like to let you know how we are going to support you with home learning for your child. Every Friday we will send you some fun activities to do with your child on the days that they are not in school. These will be linked to what they would have been learning in class.
We just ask you to do as many as activities as you can on those days and then send them back into school or we will be providing you with an app where you can take pictures of the work (with your phone or tablet) or share comments about what they have been doing.  Details of the SeeSaw app will be sent out next week.
We are also delighted to say that from Monday 11th January, our daily Facebook activity will be starting again, so please keep an eye out for PE sessions, stories read by staff and other activities that you can complete with your child! Every child in school, including those still in school, will also be allocated a weekly reading book
We know some children find it difficult to learn at home so please don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Your class teacher will be in touch this week for all home learners and will be happy to answer any questions or support you in any way.
Take care and stay safe
Karen Alty (Headteacher) & Eve Taylor (Deputy Headteacher)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - 18.12.20

From all the staff and governors at Holly Grove School we would like to wish you and your family a peaceful and happy festive break and a healthy and happy New Year. Please take care and stay safe.

School re-opens on Monday 4th January 2021.

Special Message from Santa - 16.12.20

Santa has send a special video message for the children of Holly Grove School and has read ‘A Night Before Christmas’ as a special treat for you all. Enjoy watching the video!

Special Celebrations in the Sensory Garden - 10.12.20

Over the last two weeks as part of our topic ‘special celebrations’ Aisling’s Class have been outside in the sensory garden having so much fun. All the children have had the opportunity to get wrapped up nice and warm and go and explore Christmas outside. We have all participated in a Christmas hunt and had to find all the objects, listened to Christmas stories in a tent we have made, drunk hot chocolate and eaten mince pies. We also did a twig hunt and made beautiful stars to hang in the classroom. Next week we cannot wait to make our own salt dough Christmas tree hanging decorations for home.

 

 

 

Advent Doors - 09.12.20

Advent Doors

Throughout the pandemic the many pictures of rainbows in windows and on school walls were a great symbol of hope and connectivity in a time of sadness and isolation. Holly Grove has taken part in he Advent Doors challenge and created beautiful door and window displays that will help spread some festive cheer and make our friends and families smile. We hope you like our pictures.

Leading Parent Partnership Award - 04.12.20

Holly Grove is going for our LPPA (Leading Parent Partnership Award) re-accreditation in Spring of next year. This award helps us to work in partnership with all parents and carers. Increasing parental participation in school life leads to improved pupil progress, punctuality, attendance and behaviour. The framework encourages parents to be involved in their children’s learning leading to improved outcomes in all aspects of school life.
We are really excited about this as we have held the award for 10 years and we would love to hear what parents/carers feel about our engagement with home. We are sending a survey out next week and we would be very grateful if you could fill it in and send it back to us to help with our re-accreditation. We are also looking for areas to improve as well as anything we do already. If families have any specific positive experiences that they would like to share with us then we would love to hear about them.  You can send them to our family support manager, Nick on n.barrett@holly-grove.lancs.sch.uk or you can send them into school with your child FAO Nick.
To find out more about the LPPA aware click the link below:

Family Workshops by Contact (free webinars for parents and carers) - 02.12.20

https://contact.org.uk/about-us/family-workshops/?fbclid=IwAR1Bp6wc3B2XjiWwimWYr8Vyj060B7dk-MgnbMv5zvhvCrIZ7mD3pVvt7LQ#

To ensure the families we support and the children they care for remain as safe as possible, all of our face-to-face events and workshops were postponed at the start of lockdown.
We have now arranged a series of free virtual workshops as a way of delivering our family support services during these challenging times, Please click onto the appropriate link to book onto your chosen workshop/s.

We are continually adding new dates, so if there is not a workshop suitable for you, please come back again later.

Children in Need 2020 - 13.11.20

Children in Need was a little different at Holly Grove this year but we still had a fantastic day. Pupils and staff came into school wearing yellow or spotty clothing and took part in plenty of Pudsey themed activities. Unfortunately we weren’t able to hold our annual Pudsey bake sale but that didn’t spoil our fun. We ended the day with a virtual Holly Grove’s Got Talent via Zoom. Well done to ‘Covid Busters’ from Rebecca’s class who won in Key Stage 1 and Jack’s class won in Key Stage 2 with a wonderful autumn dance.  Thank you to everyone who donated we raised a fantastic £232.72.

Bonfire Week / Remembrance Day in Laura’s Class - 12.11.20

In Laura’s Class this week, we have been learning about Guy Fawkes and Remembrance Sunday.
Our word of the week has been ‘bonfire’ and we have listened to the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ story and looked at some sparklers. Our new teaching student, Sarah has helped us to make a lovely poppy wreath to go on the class door for the Poppy Day Competition and we have also enjoyed Bounce Therapy every afternoon.

Bonfire Night in Aisling’s Class - 06.11.20

This week in Aisling’s class, we have been working super hard after the half term and been learning all about Bonfire night. We have made our own fire work pictures by printing using a toilet roll and used lots of bright colours and sprinkled with glitter. We have also done some mark making on the interactive screens to make our own firework pictures. On the 5th November we made our own pretend fire and sang camp fire songs whilst toasting our marshmallows and drinking  hot chocolate. We have also been collecting leaves and exploring them using magnifying glasses and cutting out leaves using cutters in the playdough.

 

Bonfire Night Safety - 04.11.20

Connor’s class have been talking about staying safe on bonfire night and have been talking about the rules regarding firework safety. The children wrote their own safety instructions to help others stay safe on bonfire night.

*Never throw fireworks

*Keep pets inside

*Keep fireworks in a box

*Wear gloves when using sparklers

*Never go back to a lit firework

*Keep your distance

 

Wear it Pink - 04.11.20

A huge thank you to everyone who donated money for ‘Wear it Pink’ day. We raised a fantastic £154.20 for Breast Cancer Research. Thank you for your support.

Happy Half Term – COVID Reminder - 23.10.20

We hope you all have a healthy and happy half term holiday. However, if your child does test positive for COVID19 please inform Karen Alty the Headteacher via email head@holly-grove.lancs.sch.uk immediately.
Thank you and Take care.

Fractions - 14.10.20

In maths, Jacks class have been learning all about fractions. They have been splitting whole ones into halves, quarters and thirds. Fantastic work Jack’s class.

Lancashire Short Break Offer - 09.10.20

Review and redesign of Lancashire’s Short Break Offer for children and young people

Have your say

Lancashire’s Short Break Offer – Parent/Carer Consultation Summer 2020

The feedback received from parents, carers, short break providers and children and young people as part of the review and redesign of Lancashire’s Short Break Offer has informed the design of the new proposed Short Break Offer. Responses received about the whole Short Break Offer demonstrated the diverse range of views and the challenge of providing short break services which meet everyone’s needs. There was no consensus in the feedback about the priorities for the new Short Break Offer. The aim therefore is to ensure that the new Short Break Offer meets the needs of as many families as possible.

Feedback identified that Lancashire Break Time met the needs of many families but that families wanted choice, flexibility and a quality service.  It also identified that there were significant geographical differences in the choice and availability of activities and the number of hours accessed by children across Lancashire.

This consultation is for all parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who are currently using Lancashire’s Short Break Service, have used it in the past or who haven’t used it before.

We would like your views on the proposed new Short Break Offer to inform the decisions made by Lancashire County Council. Please submit your completed questionnaire by 5pm on Wednesday 14 October. The responses to this consultation will be used to make final recommendations to Cabinet about the new Short Break Offer for children and young people with SEND.

To respond, please complete this online questionnaire.

If you have any queries about completing the questionnaire or would like a printed questionnaire please call 01772 531 597 or email cyp-shortbreaks@lancashire.gov.uk.

The questionnaire will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your time.

National Teaching Assistants Day - 16.09.20

A huge thank you to all our Teaching Assistants at Holly Grove. We appreciate all the effort you put in everyday with our wonderful pupils. You really do go above and beyond so it’s a big thanks from us.

Love Karen, Eve and all the Teachers at Holly Grove.

French Colour Scavenger Hunt - 11.09.20

Class 6 took part in a colour scavenger hunt in class. They had to choose a colour, which was written in French, and match it to objects around the room. The pupils loved this exercise and tried to match as many objects as they could within the set time.

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly - 04.09.20

Class 6 have been very busy this first week back. They have been learning all about the life cycle of a butterfly. The children used different types of pasta to show the different stages of the life cycle, from the egg, to the caterpillar, to the chrysalis and finally to the butterfly. The children then made butterfly suncatchers, I’m sure you agree that they look wonderful.

Welcome Back - 02.09.20

We are welcoming our pupils back to school today. We can’t wait to see you all we have missed you so much. Keep your eyes peeled for some pictures at the end of today…