EACH week, the Gazette visits a different school to see the interesting way pupils are learning. This week, we went to Rangeworthy C of E Primary School, where pupils had a busy last week of term before the summer holiday.

PUPILS were full of energy at Rangeworthy C of E Primary School this week despite the fast-approaching summer holidays.


The school, in Church Lane, celebrated their term-theme of Australia with a day of activities, as well as looking back at the Anglo-Saxon period.


Class one, made up of reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils, took on a variety of tasks, from boomerang-making to aboriginal-style art.


Teacher Lucy Welsby, said: “We used to have an Australian pupil here who moved back there not long ago, so this theme has really captivated the children, who have sent letters to her as well.


“We’ve looked at a fictional campervan trip in Australia – I even brought in my own campervan to the school so the children could take a look inside – and have used maths to work out the distance and how long it would take to fly or drive there.


“The geography element has been a big part, with the children learning about the cities, what the culture is like and researching landmarks.


“They have also practised using similes with descriptive writing tasks about what deserts and rainforests are like, and learning about Australian animals.


“It’s all been really fun and the children have all been really interested in the topic.”


Seven-year-old Matthew Eastment said: “My favourite part was making Australian animal glove puppets, which we made out of paper or felt, and putting on the puppet show.”


Six-year-old Archie Hoptrofft said: “I really liked making boomerangs this week. I have learnt lots about Australia – now I want to go there.”


Class two, made up of Year 3 and Year 4 pupils, journeyed into the past this week as they learned about the Anglo-Saxons.


Teacher Claire Tarplee said: “The children have learnt about the Anglo-Saxons through loads of topics, such as their villages, children, clothes and how they made them, food and drink and the crops they grew and typical jobs in the villages.


“They have created small model villages in groups out of cardboard boxes, which they have named themselves after tribes.


“We then held a museum open day for their parents to come in and look around at their work.


“We even recorded information onto ‘talking tin’ devices, with posters and leaflets next to the models, mimicking the inside of a museum.”


The school also had a visit from Cherry Hubbard, education officer at Yate Heritage Centre, who taught the children about manuscript writing and using quills.


Pupil May Knowles, eight, said: “We made pottage, which is a kind of soup and stew which the Anglo-Saxons ate, and it tasted really nice.”


Mrs Tarplee added: “All the children have been so keen.”