Circle Groups
Children participate in mixed age circle group meetings every three weeks to allow all children an opportunity to discuss ways to improve the school. We use this instead of a School Council so that every child has a voice in making The Oaks even better. Each group consists of a mixture of children from each class and age group as well as teachers and LSAs. The circle groups are led by Year 6 children.
We have a shared agenda for the week and decisions are made collectively. This mix of ages and classes helps increase kindness, tolerance and understanding between year groups. Topics that might be discussed include; language of learning, improving the school grounds, ideas for school themed days and many new initiates and ideas from the children.
We will keep you updated on any future issues/debates that occur during these meetings.
News flash! The circle groups have had a name change. The houses are now known as Pine, Hawthorn, Birch and Willow. The house colours remain the same. Pine is green, Hawthorn is red, Birch is blue and Willow is yellow.
I wonder if you can spot any of these in our local area?
Striving for excellence in circle groups
Circle groups aim to prepare our pupils for their future lives. Through circle groups we support our children to develop as kind and happy people, who build positive relationships with the whole school community. We strive for them to look after themselves and each other by discussing school and global issues using high quality talk that is deliberately planned for.
We instil an attitude where the children relentlessly strive for improvement, wanting what is best for themselves and those around them.
In circle groups we strive for our children to:
become articulate by confidently communicating their own ideas and thoughts with different year groups.
be independent thinkers by sharing their own ideas with others.
believe in themselves by having the confidence to contribute their opinions.
be reflective by listening to others and being willing to change their views and opinions.
Meet the Circle Group Leaders
Click on each leader to find out more about them...
Once every term we have a longer circle group session, these sessions are curriculum linked and help us to embed and remember key skills. During the Autumn term we had a science focus, we recapped what science is and thought carefully about sustainable living, In the Spring term we had an art focus, we recapped previously taught threads and then focused on the drawing thread, practising the skills of tone and shading. In the Summer term we will have a history focus, we will look at local historians.