HWA Blog - 10.10.25
It has been another fabulous week and a busy one too. Across school, we’ve continued our final round of lesson observations, and I’ve been consistently impressed by the high levels of engagement from our children and young people. Their enthusiasm for learning and their ability to stay focused and curious is a credit to both them and the dedicated staffing team.
The October term is always a busy one. It’s a time of settling back into routines after the summer break, while also beginning the countdown to Christmas. It can be a challenging period.
Thank you to all staff for your continued hard work and to our children and young people for bringing such energy and positivity across school.
Today, we celebrated Hello Yellow Day, supporting the incredible work of the YoungMinds charity. Children and young people dressed in yellow to raise awareness for mental health. The atmosphere was filled with joy, compassion, and community spirit as we highlighted the importance of looking after our wellbeing and supporting one another.
It was a day of celebration, reflection, and unity and we’re proud to stand with YoungMinds in their mission to ensure no young person feels alone with their mental health.
Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the day so special!
Hello Yellow 2025
On Thursday we provided an enchanting experience for our students as we celebrated ‘Harry Potter Day’ at Hollinwood Academy, as part of the MAT Literacy Network. This special day was not only a celebration of magic and mystery but also a wonderful opportunity for our children and young people to immerse themselves in the world created by J.K. Rowling.
In the spirit of the upcoming Halloween festivities, our focus for the day was on spells. Students engaged in various class-based activities. They had the chance to write their own spells and concoct imaginary potions, allowing their creativity to flourish. We also explored the fascinating background of J.K. Rowling, helping our young learners appreciate the literature that has captivated millions around the globe.
The day was filled with fun and laughter, with English at the heart of our activities, sparking the imaginations of all involved. It was truly a fabulous day, and I believe it has left a lasting impression on our students' enthusiasm for reading and writing.
Harry Potter Day 2025
On Wednesday we had our first Student Council meeting of the year. It was a proud moment for the children, who stepped into their roles as representatives with confidence and enthusiasm.
Each student brought thoughtful ideas to the table and contributed meaningfully to the discussions. It was inspiring to see their sense of responsibility and pride in representing their peers. The Student Council provides a vital platform for student voice, and this first meeting set a strong foundation for the year ahead.
We’re excited to see how our young leaders will help shape school life, share ideas, and make a positive impact on our community. Well done to all our representatives you’ve made a fantastic start.
Please see below, ideas discussed.
On Thursday evening our amazing staffing team worked collaboratively to review our Teaching and Learning Policy. This was an opportunity for us to showcase what we already do and look at how we can make our school even better and maintain our outstanding status. The atmosphere was buzzing with ideas, and we found the session really uplifting. We are excited to see what happens next when we delve further into improving our policy.
Staff Training - 10.10.25
Now let’s see what has been happening in the classrooms.
Starting with Miss Chloe’s class…
"It’s been a non-stop half term in Miss Chloe’s class, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. From the moment we stepped back into the classroom, the energy has been electric. Whether we were reconnecting with old friends or welcoming new faces into our community, the joy of being together again has made every day feel special.
Our maths lessons have been full of creativity and hands-on learning. We kicked things off by diving into Roman numerals an ancient number system that sparked lots of curiosity. To make it even more fun, we used pasta shapes to build the numerals, turning our desks into mini archaeological sites.
More recently, we’ve been tackling the challenge of adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. Using base 10 equipment and the column method, we’ve been building our confidence and sharpening our number skills. It’s been amazing to see everyone working together and helping each other.
In English, we’ve been exploring the magical world of The BFG by Roald Dahl. Our focus has been on characterisation, understanding how authors bring their characters to life through description, dialogue, and action. Inspired by the story, we then innovated the model text using the iPad app Freeform, where we created our own imaginative tales. The creativity on display was incredible, with giants, dreams, and daring escapes filling our digital storyboards.
This week, we were lucky enough to celebrate one of the most enchanting events of the term, Harry Potter Day. The classroom transformed into a world of wizardry and wonder as we brewed magical potions, crafted delicious chocolate wands, and even flew on broomsticks around the playground. The excitement was contagious, and it was a joy to see everyone fully immersed in the magic."
COY - 10.10.25
And now to Mrs Datta’s class.
"All students have settled in well and are now comfortable in their new classroom.
They have coped excellently with the moving around for different lessons.
They are working towards their individual personalised targets consistently and steadily.
They have worked very hard in English trying to understand how we can build up tension in a text.
They have been studying shapes in Maths.
They have been brilliant in science where they have used the Bunsen burners, and everyone has got a licence to use one now.
They have enjoyed cooking their chicken nuggets in Food Technology and Miss Cowling says they have been doing well in Spanish.
I am proud of the class and the continued resilience they have shown in every lesson."
SUA - 10.10.25
And finally, to Miss Hand’s inspiration hub...
"This term the class have settled in well after the summer break and performed really well during lessons, here is just a glimpse of the work that the students have been doing.
This week during our maths lessons we have been focused on percentages. The students have worked hard and used the knowledge they have learnt as a scaffold and put this into practice to work out percentages of varied amounts both increasing and decreasing. They have also been able to find original values when given a percentage. Miss Hand has been impressed with the perseverance from the form as they were faced with problem solving questions.
In English, the students have engaged well, and they have produced some amazing creative writing coursework. They have now moved on to analysing their Anthology textbooks.
This week in science we have been learning about mixtures and formulations. Students have been drawing diagrams and writing their methods in preparation to completing the filtration experiment and understanding that a filter paper is semi-permeable.
In photography students have been using the cameras around school to take pictures for the school website. Students have also been introduced to adobe which is a photo editing app. We have looked at the different ways in which we can edit the pictures to make them stand out. Alongside this, students have created a PowerPoint for their coursework where they have researched photographers such as Nicholas Goodden and David Carson.
This term in PE, we have been focusing on developing handball skills. Handball is a fast-paced sport that combines elements of football, basketball, and dodgeball, making it both challenging and exciting to learn. Students have shown great enthusiasm and progress, particularly enjoying the throwing activities, from target practice to playing one of their all-time favourites, dodgeball. The involvement of staff in games added extra fun and energy to the sessions. Well done to everyone for their effort and positive attitude.
This term in Outdoor Education, students have been actively exploring their local environment through visits to nearby parks and Oldham town centre. These have focused on learning how to stay safe in the community, with students discussing and practicing key road safety skills.
As part of their learning, students also visited Castleshaw Reservoir and the Uppermill Canal, where they explored the importance of water safety and how to enjoy these areas responsibly. It’s been a fun and educational term so far, with plenty of hands-on learning experiences in the great outdoors."
SHD - 10.10.25
Now to our amazing SUPER STARs and HWA We are Creative STARs
Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's STAR of the Week is Cree Swift for being a superstar in our talk for witing lessons, even drawing his own s-map.
Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's HWA We Are Caring goes to Harris- for always caring about our classrooms and routines and always following instructions.
Mrs Quinn’s STAR of the Week is Freddie for enthusiastically taking part in activities and showing good focus.
Mrs Quinn’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Teddy for caring for our class by helping to tidy away the recourses used. Thank you, Teddy.
Miss Boothroyd’s STAR of the Week is Isla for helping her friends when they have found things tricky.
Miss Boothroyd’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Nico for having a fantastic week and making the right choices.
Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s STAR of the Week is Diana for engaging in all her learning this week and trying her best.
Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s caring star goes to Diana for being a caring and considerate friend this week when her classmates have been upset.
Mrs Matthews’ STAR of the Week is Ruby and Thomas for being so focussed in lesson.
Mrs Matthews’ HWA We Are Caring goes to Jaxon for checking on his friends when they felt unwell and making a yellow bracelet to include people in yellow day.
Mrs Bailey’s STAR of the Week is Riley for fantastic work in communication - using talk boards to communicate and make requests with an adult.
Mrs Bailey’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Roma for being patient when waiting for her turn in activities and for sharing resources with her peers.
Miss Pietraszewska’ s HWA We Are Caring goes to Sienna for being a wonderful, engaged, enthusiastic, and active student every day. You are a superstar, Sienna.
Miss Pietraszewska’ s STAR of the Week goes to Benjamin for doing well with Colourful Semantics, showing great interest in the story, and being able to retell it. Well done, Benjamin
Miss Oakley’s STAR of the Week is Lyla- For always contributing her unique ideas in class discussions.
Miss Oakley’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Harrison- For always being a ray of sunshine.
Mr Corrigan’s STAR of the Week is Abu-Bakr for initiating positive play with his friend at playtime.
Mr Corrigan’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Hope for being a helpful friend this week.
Mr Corrigan’s WOW moments go to Kian, Teddy B & Jack for being proud of their friends.
Miss Hulme’s STAR of the Week is Gabriel for his fantastic effort in English this week.
Miss Hulme’s HWA We Are Caring goes to Ariella for making her friends some lovely pictures.
Miss Tootill’s STAR of the Week goes to Ace for trying his best in PE and giving it a go.
Miss Tootill’s HWA We are Caring goes to Simisola for trying her hardest in English.
Miss Gitten’s STAR of the Week goes to David for good behaviour in English
Miss Gitten’s HWA We are Caring goes to Faiha for caring nicely for others on the playground this week.
STARS of the Week (10.10.25)
Well done to everyone.
Miss Gordon.
