Year 8 Geography Trip to London
On the 12th December 2023, the Geography Department took 90 students on a trip to London. They visited the BBC Earth Experience in The Daikin Centre as well as the Natural History Museum. The BBC Earth Experience enabled a consolidation of last term’s learning on biomes and ecosystems and the Natural History Museum looked at hazards and management which looks to the future of the geography course.
The BBC Earth Experience is a gallery of breath-taking images and videos, deep-diving into the different biomes our globe has to offer. Guided by Sir David Attenborough, students and staff were able to enjoy the immersive and vibrant environment. Multiple rooms, a balcony, comfortable seating and interactive elements provided an engaging and relaxing experience for all.
Many students were even able to have a photo with some penguins, meerkats and more!
The second half of our trip took us to the Natural History Museum, where we toured the Earth Hall to learn about geographical phenomena. We also spent some time studying human evolution and looked at dinosaur skeletons. A highlight here included experiencing the effects of an earthquake and enjoying a Christmas themed T-Rex.
Miss A Curtis-Slater
Ridgeway School Christmas Fayre
The third annual Christmas Fayre happened on Saturday 2nd December, organised and run by FORCE (Friends of Ridgeway: Community and Events). There was a variety of craft stalls, as well as some school event favourites; a raffle and tombola, teddy tombola, uniform sale, refreshments and even Father Christmas himself! It was with both nervousness and excitement that we opened the doors at 12pm to the public and had a steady flow of customers throughout the day, culminating in the exciting raffle draw at 3.45pm!
This event would not have been possible without a range of people. Firstly, thank you to the stallholders who put their faith in us to be at the event – they sold such a fantastic array of craft and bespoke items and I could not stop wandering around the stalls picking items out to buy myself! We also had a wonderful group of parent volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help set up, run the refreshments, run the tombolas and raffle and keep Father Christmas company! Then there were our amazing student volunteers…working here is an absolute pleasure and the main reason is our students. They were fantastic ambassadors for the school and made sure that the event ran smoothly, carrying out every job we gave them without any fuss. Finally, we thank the public for coming and supporting the event. There was a great feeling, and it was wonderful to see so many members of the local community.
There are two aims for FORCE; raising additional funds for the school whilst providing a range of events for local people, bringing the school and local community closer together. So far this academic year, the PTA has funded £500 of additional books and materials for the LRC, £500 for the Outdoor Learning and Activity Hub and £500 of equipment for technology. We have also pledged to buy 2 cameras for photography, and funds to buy new team kits and equipment for the P.E. department. It is wonderful to see this additional funding helping to support a wide range of subjects and activities in the school, reaching every student in one way or another.
Mrs J Meredith