In an exciting initiative, Ruyton’s Year 4 programme now provides an opportunity for girls to ‘step up’ and create their own place at school. It is a chance for them to learn about themselves and others, and to connect with the wider Ruyton community and the local community. WhichSchool speaks to Head of Junior School, Nicole Ginnane.
Ms Ginnane says that the middle years of primary school can often be seen as the ‘in between’ years. “The first years of primary school are celebrated as the girls reach many milestones and the final years are looked forward to for the opportunities they present for the girls to shine. During the middle years, the curriculum becomes more abstract and the availability of new opportunities is somewhat limited. In order to address this at Ruyton and make every stage relevant, the school has introduced the Year 4 South House programme,” she explains. The programme has been designed to offer many exciting new opportunities. Through the purpose-designed learning environment and curriculum, girls experience increased independence. This learning environment is designed to be agile and flexible, accommodating the need for collaborative learning as well as the need to be reflective and thoughtful. The learning space seamlessly integrates technology into teaching and learning, encouraging creativity and critical thinking. Girls can also engage with the local community and foster the creation of meaningful connections with people and places that will support them in finding their own place. “A strong sense of community is established within the Year 4 cohort, bringing the girls together to live and learn collaboratively. The girls are connected to nature through the establishment of a kitchen garden. The programme challenges them to step out of the comfort of the Junior School physical space and into the wider school community where they can see the older girls as role models. The projects undertaken are meaningful and built around the interests of the girls, which allow them to leave their mark in South House so that each year they become a part of the building and its rich history,” Ms Ginnane adds. “The school is delighted with the way in which the girls have responded to this inaugural programme and looks forward to creating more exciting content to add to the rich history that is South House.”
What the girls are saying –
“We love looking deeper into things because it opens up our minds a bit further. We do a lot of things together, and our ideas are heard. Sometimes we get to do things by ourselves without being instructed. We don’t just look at something and move on, we go deeper in thought and in our questions. We get to hear a lot of different perspectives coming from different minds. We all get to learn with each other and this makes our relationships stronger.”
“South House is very modern on the inside, with all the most modern things to use. We have three big-screen TVs that we connect our iPads to so we can all see each other’s ideas. We love using our iPads for learning. We have created our own iMovies, pic collages, iBooks and played lots of Mathletics Live!”
“We’re looking forward to leaving our mark as the first group of Year 4 girls in South House.”
“We learn together about real life and we make action plans to make a difference. Our learning takes us out into the community on many excursions. It has all been connected to real life.”