The Gruffalo in Reception, Year 1 at the London Wetland Centre and Shackleton raises funds for Doorstep Library

The Gruffalo in Reception

As part of their ‘Quirky Stories’ topic, Reception explored the story of The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. We shared the story together, looking carefully at the different features of the Gruffalo. The children paid close attention to the orange eyes, poisonous wart, purple prickles and terrible tusks. They then made their very own Gruffalo figures, using brown clay, buttons and match sticks to represent his features. Lovely work.

Year 1 lands at the London Wetland Centre

Year 1 had a fantastic trip to the London Wetland Centre, where they became plant detectives, identifying different parts of a plant and their functions. The children observed different leaves and classified them into different categories. Their impressive science knowledge really impressed the adults—well done, Year 1.

The adventure continued in the playground, with some children bravely tackling the zipwire, navigating tunnels, and balancing on a wobbly bridge. We spotted a variety of wildlife, including a heron, otters, ducks and even a surprise sighting of a sparrowhawk. The day ended with a brilliant den-building workshop, where the children showed great teamwork and creativity. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day for all.

Fundraiser for the Doorstep Library

The whole school recently participated in a Shackleton house event to raise funds for local charity Doorstep Library. This is a community-focused literacy charity dedicated to bringing the magic of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children across London and beyond who need our support. Shackleton chose to host a Taskmaster afternoon, based on the popular TV show.

The children were set a series of different challenges to complete as a house, ranging from building the tallest tower out of straws to recreating a member of staff from ripped up tissue paper. The children had a wonderful afternoon and congratulations to the winning houses on the day, Shackleton in Pre-prep and Earhart in Prep.