HWA Blog - 8.5.26

Happy Friday. Although it’s been a shorter week, it has certainly been a very busy one across school. There has been lots of fun, purposeful learning taking place alongside focused preparation for SATs and GCSEs.

This morning we held our first GCSE exam. Our students sat their Sports Studies exam and approached it with calm confidence. They were pleased with their efforts and should be proud of the commitment and resilience they showed throughout the process.

Well done to everyone involved it’s been a strong start to the exam season, and we look forward to continuing to support our students over the coming weeks.

 

Sharing the highlights…

 

 

Farm trip

Another successful farm trip this week with our Primary children. The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit and took part in a range of hands-on activities that brought their learning to life. They loved exploring the farm, meeting the animals, and discovering where food comes from, all while developing their curiosity and confidence. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm, teamwork, and excitement throughout the day. A huge thank you to the staff and venue for making it such a memorable and enriching experience for our pupils.

Farm Visit

 

 

 

New Bridge College Visit Hollinwoood Academy for Transition Event

The visit was designed to help students feel confident, reassured, and well prepared as they begin the next stage of their educational journey. Staff from New Bridge College spoke to pupils about the key differences between school and college life, highlighting the wider opportunities available and the strong support systems in place to help students succeed both academically and personally.

A real highlight of the visit was hearing from Kurt, a former Hollinwoood Academy pupil who is now thriving at New Bridge College. Kurt spoke openly and positively about his own transition, giving students a clear and honest insight into what college life is really like. He explained what a typical college day involves and how independence increases compared to school, reassuring pupils that it is completely normal to feel nervous at first. He also shared how quickly these nerves turn into excitement once you settle into college routines.

Kurt discussed the wide range of courses on offer at New Bridge College, as well as the opportunities to meet new people and develop skills that prepare students for future careers. He even prepared a PowerPoint presentation, which helped bring his experiences to life and made his talk particularly engaging.

Students were eager to ask questions about timetables, expectations, tutor support, and enrichment opportunities. The open discussion helped to address any concerns and allowed pupils to clearly picture themselves successfully starting college later this year.

We would like to thank New Bridge College and Kurt for taking the time to visit Hollinwoood Academy and for providing such a valuable and reassuring experience for our students. Visits like this play an important role in supporting smooth transitions and helping pupils feel informed, prepared, and excited about their next steps.

We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with New Bridge College and to supporting our students as they move confidently towards their futures.

 

College Visit

 

Let’s see what has been happening in the classroom.

 

In Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Suttcliffe’s class…

 

"It has been a shorter week in Reception due to the bank holiday; however, this has certainly not stopped us from having an amazing time learning and growing. We began the week by exploring France. Miss Emma shared photographs of famous landmarks around Paris, which sparked great curiosity among the children. They made links, noticing that the Eiffel Tower looked similar to Blackpool Tower. We also learnt about the River Seine and discussed different modes of transport we might use to travel along it. The children enjoyed looking at souvenirs and exploring a miniature Eiffel Tower.

In maths, we began learning about positional language, describing where shapes are in relation to one another. Initially, the children found it challenging to interpret positions from pictures, so we approached this practically. By placing shapes on top of our heads, under our chins and next to our ears, the children developed a much clearer understanding. We will revisit this learning next week to support them in applying these skills in different contexts.

In phonics, we have continued to learn new sounds, including digraphs and trigraphs, alongside practising tricky words commonly found in our reading books. The children have done incredibly well and exceeded expectations in their ability to read these words.

We have also been focusing on developing independence skills, particularly when preparing for Forest School. The children are encouraged to follow a visual schedule

and gather everything they need, completing each step as independently as possible. They have engaged extremely well with this and are making great progress towards carrying out these routines independently."

ELO

 

 

 

In Mrs Young’s class this week…

 

"Our class has shown great effort, teamwork, and curiosity across all subjects this week.

In English we jumped straight into the world of Greek myths, learning our model text: Theseus and the Minotaur. The class did brilliantly with the Talk 4 Writing actions with lots of confident retelling. We also boxed up the text, breaking it into clear sections so we could understand how the story is built. To help our understanding even more, we added illustrations, which made the story come alive and helped everyone remember key events.

In maths, we focused on multiplying and dividing integers and decimals by 10, 100, and 1000. We talked a lot about how the digits don’t actually change; they just move places. We practised with whole numbers first, then moved on to trickier decimals. The same went for dividing — lots of careful thinking and checking to make sure the digits moved the right way.

In History, we travelled back to Tudor England to explore the short but eventful reign of Edward VI. The class discussed the problems he faced as a young king — from religious tension to powerful advisors trying to take control. Lots of thoughtful ideas were shared about how difficult it must have been to rule a country at such a young age.

In RSE, we talked about goal setting and how to tell the difference between realistic and unrealistic goals. We focused on how setting achievable goals helps us feel proud and motivated.

We wrapped up our science block by completing our end-of-unit assessment on gas exchange. Everyone worked hard to show what they’ve learned about the lungs, alveoli, and how oxygen moves around the body. A great finish to the topic.

We’re genuinely proud of how much progress our students have been making. This week showed just how far they’ve come — not just in their subjects, but in their confidence, teamwork, and willingness to have a go even when something feels challenging. It’s been brilliant watching them explain their ideas more clearly and support each other during tasks."

OLA

 

 

 

Now to our amazing SUPER STARs and HWA We are Passionate STARs...

 

 

Mrs Bailey’s HWA We Are Passionate goes to everyone for being absolute superstars on the CAFT trip - We are so proud of you all.

Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's STAR of the Week is Ezra for amazing work reading his words.

Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's HWA We Are Passionate goes to Cree for tolerating change and accepting it after talking it through.

Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s STAR of the Week is Haroon for entering the classroom and starting to engage in learning with his peers.

Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s passionate star goes to Olivia for being enthusiastic in her learning and trying her best.

Mrs Matthews’ STAR of the Week is All of HMS for being amazing on our trip to the CAFT.

Miss Pietraszewska’ s HWA We Are Passionate goes to Nevaeh for starting every task all by yourself like a superstar.

Miss Pietraszewska’ s STAR of the Week goes to Benjamin for inviting others to play and engaging happily with other children during outdoor break time. Well done.

Mr Corrigan’s STAR of the Week is Teddy B for fantastic engagement on the carpet this week.

Mr Corrigan’s STAR of the Week is Teddy B for fantastic engagement on the carpet this week.

Mr Corrigan’s WOW moment Jack & Albi-Lee for being proud of their friends.

Mr Corrigan congratulates Jack for inviting a friend to play.

 

Miss Donbavand’s STAR of the Week goes to Cole for being caring and a good friend to his peers.

Miss Donbavand’s HWA We are Passionate goes to Ace for challenging himself in maths.

Mrs Boylan’s STAR of the Week goes to Louis for excellent behaviour all week

Mrs Boylan’s HWA We are Passionate goes to Kai for persevering through some tricky History work and accepting help from an unfamiliar adult.

Miss Oakley’s STAR of the Week is Libby for using her 'waiting card' to keep calm in lessons and being kind to herself this week.

Miss Oakley’s HWA We Are Passionate goes to Eliora for excellent work in poetry in her rhyming and haiku poem.

STARS of the Week (8.5.26)

 

Well done to everyone.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Gordon