Circle Groups

Our Circle Groups

At the Oaks, we believe that every child should have a say in how we can make things even better. Instead of a traditional School Council, we have Circle Groups so that every single child's voice can be heard.

Every three weeks, your child will take part in a Circle Group meeting. These groups are special because they include a mixture of children from all different classes and ages, as well as teachers and Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). Our Year 6 pupils have a special role in leading these groups.

Each group works from a shared agenda, discussing ways to improve our school community. This could include:

Improving the school environment.
Ideas for special school days.
Using our oracy skills to discuss current events in the world
Ways to make learning even more fun.

Having children from different year groups work together like this helps to increase kindness, tolerance, and understanding across the school. It gives every child the chance to share their ideas and work together to make a real difference.

We will keep you updated on the outcomes of these discussions and any new initiatives that come from the meetings.

Striving for excellence in circle groups

At The Oaks, we strive for excellence in everything we do and we believe that by giving every child a voice, we are preparing them for future success in life. We strive for pupils to look after themselves and each other by discussing school and global issues using high quality talk that is deliberately planned for.

Children work together to discuss important topics, both within our school and beyond. This is more than just a meeting; it's a dedicated time for high-quality conversation, where we encourage children to:

Become articulate communicators, confidently sharing their ideas with peers and adults from different year groups.
Develop into independent thinkers, learning to form and express their own opinions.
Build self-belief, finding the courage to contribute and speak up.
Be reflective and empathetic, listening carefully to others and being open to new perspectives.

By fostering these skills, we are helping our pupils build positive relationships, show kindness to one another, and work collaboratively to make our school an even better place.

Our Vision

Through our Circle Groups, we cultivate an environment where children are not only encouraged to voice their opinions but are also inspired to constantly strive for improvement. We empower them to be active participants in their learning journey and in the life of our school, making decisions that benefit themselves and everyone around them.

Meet the Circle Group Leaders

Arro

Emily

Gabriela

George

Izai

Kaine

Kalae

Kya

Lilly

Taylor

Tiwa

Victorija

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.