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SWGfL Report Harmful Content
Category

The Bridge

How does my history impact me and the world today?

7th January 2026Website Admin

In this project, students will learn what life was like for children and families during World War II. They will hear and collect stories from books, museums, and people in their own families or community. We will be exploring evacuation and emotions linked to this. Students will then create their own simple stories inspired by the ʻChronicles of Narnia’. Students will bring their stories to life using shadow puppets, incorporating learning about light and shadows. Together, they will share their learning in a class exhibition for families. We are hoping the topic gives our students a deeper understanding of why World War II shaped the world and how it should never happen again.

Teacher’s Reflections

I loved this project. I loved looking at it from a story point of view and allowing the students to design and develop their ideas into writing their own stories. We gave them the features of story writing, but their ideas really took on a life of their own, and the end results were so amazing to see. I also really enjoyed using AI to let our students see what their characters might look like and how their problems in the stories might present themselves. From these images came the ideas for their puppets as well, which they used to retell their stories to their parents. If I were to adapt the project further, I think it would be great to link this to their science topic a little more (light) and to have them create their own puppet shows – maybe next time!

– Emily bacon

Students’ Reflections

“My highlight was the rip to the bunker where we saw a old office” – Binyomin

“I liked making all the puppets” – Jonny

“I would like to go onb my trips and work with groens up more” – Anaʼel



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Ancient Greece

7th January 2026Website Admin

Throughout the term, Tiferet class, along with the rest of Key Stage 3, studied the history of Ancient Greece and explored the ways Ancient Greek ideas and culture have influenced the modern world. Tiferet focused in particular on Greek stories and myths, including Theseus and the Minotaur and the story of Medusa. Students examined the key features of Greek heroes and villains and used this understanding to design and create their own characters for a Clash of the Titans–style game. As part of the project, students planned and responded to a design brief to create game elements such as figurines and gameplay components. They designed these independently and had the opportunity to model and produce their designs using a 3D printer. Throughout the project, students developed their creativity, decision-making, and understanding of gameplay, while also expanding their descriptive vocabulary and considering structure and sequencing when explaining rules and instructions.

Teacher’s Reflections

Overall, the project was very successful and engaging for the students. One of the main highlights was seeing students bring their ideas to life through designing their own characters and then producing them using the 3D printer. The link between Greek myths and the Clash of the Titans game helped students stay motivated and showed a strong understanding of the features of Greek heroes and villains. Students particularly enjoyed the creative freedom involved in character design and gameplay decisions. If I were to run the project again, I would introduce more structured checkpoints earlier in the design process to allow additional time for revisions before printing. I would also consider running small group workshops focused on 3D modelling skills. Overall, I would keep the core structure of the project the same, as the combination of history, creativity, and technology worked very well and resulted in high levels of engagement and learning.

– Aimee Harris

Students’ Reflections

“It went amazing and I loved it and I had a really good time and I just canʼt stop thinking about the project.” – Leon

“I enjoyed doing Minecraft and building my labyrinth on there.” – Efe

“the project taught me about teamwork when helping people with their Labyrinths. ” – Ari



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Identity

7th January 2026Website Admin

This autumn term, Gefen and Rimon class will embark on an exciting project all about identity and aspirations, guided by the big question: ʻWhat message would I send to the person I want to become?ʼ Over the two half terms, the children will explore who they are now, what they want to achieve this year, what they can learn from the people they admire and what jobs they might like to do in the future. As part of the project, the children will create their own ʻBook of Meʼ, with each section focusing on a different part of their lives, such as their family, their interests, their hobbies and where they go every day. They will also design a timeline of their life so far and write a letter to their future selves. An exciting highlight will be creating a time capsule video message to their future selves using iPad apps such as ChatterPix and experimenting with filming to create parts of the video. We are so excited to see their individuality, creativity, and aspirations shine throughout this autumn term

Teacher’s Reflections

“I think the project went really well! It was a great Autumn transition style project where the children could settle with each other and learn about each other. Creating the time capsule video worked really well and the exhibition of showing the videos was a great way of doing it. Maybe next time I would get the children a little bit more involved with the filming aspect.”

– Lucy Offer

Students’ Reflections

“I liked my time capsule video” – Elior

“I liked using the green screen” – Arj

“My favourite part was my mum coming to see my work” – Harrison



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Relationships, Belonging and a Network of Joy

26th July 2025Website Admin

Relationships, Belonging and a Network of Joy

Polly Ross


This is a story about a boy, his teacher, a wooden tree and a school full of love and learning. It reminds us that learning can and does happen anywhere and any way in a school when the culture is right.

Our School

Shefford Lower School is a large lower school in Central Bedfordshire with a significant SEND register. We don’t believe in an approach to SEND in which learners should either be in a specialist environment or a mainstream school.  So, we have adapted our learning environment and teacher-student relationships to support a wholly inclusive mainstream specialist environment accessible to all young learners in our community. 

We further believe that progress can take many different forms and that all children have an entitlement to leave us with every step, however small, recognised, captured and celebrated.

When I was young, my mother gave me a wooden Christmas tree. When I became a headteacher, with an office, I brought it into school where each December it was displayed, decorated and lit. By last summer it was looking tired and I kept reminding myself to throw it away. 

Peter’s story (not his real name)

Peter is a young learner who receives a high level of adult support due to his complex needs. These include a significant speech delay, autism, social communication needs and self-care needs.  

One day Peter came in because his Teaching Assistant wanted to mention something to me. As he waited, Peter saw the tree gathering dust on the top of a cupboard and gestured that he would like to see it. I had no idea that this would be the beginning of something magical!

Peter decorated this sad little tree, and then returned the next day, then each day, several times a day, beginning to talk as he did it, presenting it joyously to me and showing it to everyone along his way as he proudly walked it around the school en route to show his teacher.

He had found something in the school which brought him (and many others) joy. This tree was subsequently to become a powerful tool in his speech and language development. The creativity flowed and anything and everything became a potential decoration, from a kitchen spoon to flowers from the forest, bringing warmth and amusement to all. 

After this had been going on for a month or two, someone suggested keeping the tree in Peter’s classroom as I may sometimes be in meetings,.This was until we realised that walking down to my office and saying hello was an important part of it!

The ritual continued. Peter’s confidence grew and his speech and language seemed to be coming on until one day he came in and said: “Hello Mrs Ross. Can I have the tree please?” A clearly enunciated sentence!

Reciprocal Joy

I started to take photos of this tree my mother had bought me and sent one to her to let her know it was not only still going strong but, in fact, supporting a child with additional needs to thoroughly enjoy his experience of school. My mother responded, telling me how beautiful it was, and so it continued. He would decorate a tree, show it to all around the school who would smile, share it with me and it would also make my mother’s day!

Just before his annual review I sent all the photos to his teaching assistant to share with his family at the meeting, following which she sent this reply:

Oh Polly, thank you for these pictures, they are really great. I will print them off for his review next week. He makes my day and fills it with joy every day–whether it’s through watching him carefully decorating his (your) beloved tree, some work he has done, learning he has remembered, or new vocabulary he has said to me. 🙂 Thank you for always being so supportive and welcoming when we come to see you.  Helen

 Educational Reflections

We realised, of course, that this had also been an exercise in relationships and belonging; Peter’s relationship with the TA and the pride she took in working with him and watching him grow. This, allied to the knowledge she developed about his interests through safe talk, had supported him to be successful. It has also facilitated relationships with other pupils and adults – and with me through his friendly visit each day.

This story is also about joy, which all learning should bring: the joy Peter brought to those around him in walking his tree through school; or that his TA gets from working creatively alongside him and making a difference; or that he brought to my office and many a meeting held there – and even the joy he brought to the lady, a retired art teacher, who had once given her daughter a small wooden tree.  

Polly Ross is Headteacher at Shefford Lower School in Bedfordshire.

Professional Prompts

  1. In the ‘Welcome’ editorial, we said that relationships and belonging would be two of the sub-themes of this How does Polly Ross’s piece illustrate these themes?
  1. What are ways that students’ beliefs, interests and passions can be incorporated into the school context?
  1. How can school leaders be more engaged and connected to students on a regular basis?
Article,Front Page News,Issue Four,Learning,Teaching & Learning with Neurodiverse Children

Minibeasts

17th July 2025Website Admin

This summer term, Gefen and Rimon worked on an exciting project about minibeasts, a topic that has a real-world impact! We looked at different minibeasts, studied their life cycles and other interesting facts about them. This topic had a strong science focus, including venturing into our field area at school and the park to investigate the minibeast habitats and classifications. We will looked at how important it is to look after minibeasts which links to our big question ‘How can we protect and support minibeasts in our local environment?’ During the second part of our project, we presented our scientific knowledge about minibeasts by creating presentations and then acting as scientists to either present live or on video for our exhibition at the end of the term. This supported our speaking and listening skills.

Teacher’s Reflections

“I think this project went really well. The pupils in my class have created some truly incredible work. For instance, their insect posters are amazing, and I am so proud of their draft and critique process to create truly outstanding pieces of work. The most challenging part of the project was trying to collect data about the different types of insects we saw. Roxbourne Park is hard to find insects in, and I think that collecting data might have been a secondary focus instead of a primary one, and therefore, I wouldn’t do it again.”

– Kathlenn McEnallay

Students’ Reflections

“I like seeing the butterflies” – Eli F

“I learnt about life cycles of minibeasts” – Eli C

“ I enjoyed the seed planting” – K



 

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The Arts

17th July 2025Website Admin

This summer, students explored how art can reflect and reshape communities by studying the concept of negative and positive communities across English and the arts. Through novel studies, they analysed the features of disconnected or struggling communities and wrote powerful descriptions to capture their atmosphere. They also looked at how different forms of artistic expression—such as murals, poetry, and protest art—can bring people together and inspire change. Their final pieces combined writing and visual art to showcase how creativity can be a force for unity, empathy, and hope.

Teacher’s Reflections

“This project has been a real highlight of the term, offering our students a meaningful way to explore complex social themes through both creative writing and visual art. One of the most rewarding aspects was seeing how confidently they engaged with the concept of community, especially their ability to reflect on what makes a place feel united or divided. Their descriptive writing showed real growth in vocabulary and empathy, and their final art pieces were powerful and personal. The feedback from the summer fete, where we displayed and sold some of the studentsʼ work, was overwhelmingly positive. Many visitors commented on how thought-provoking and beautiful the pieces were. In hindsight, we would have loved to expand the sale beyond just the fete, perhaps through an online platform or gallery-style exhibition, to give students an even wider audience. Overall, the project successfully blended literacy, creativity, and real-world themes in a way that truly resonated with our students and the community around them.”

– Aymane Hamidi

Students’ Reflections

“Learning new things like the difference between a thriving community and a depleting community” – Aaron

“My highlight was making my artwork with lots of skulls. My skull artwork was really fun to make” – Gavriel

“The project taught me about art communities, and being a part of a community that you work in” – Bobbie



 

Project Cards Project cards

The Arts

17th July 2025Website Admin

For our final project this year, we explored the messages behind a variety of art forms such as poetry, music, paintings and photography. Students enjoyed studying a range of art and were able to analyse poems really well as well as how fonts and effects convey emotion. Students then applied this learning to create their own poems and photographs that will be displayed in a gallery-style exhibition. Students were tasked with creatively thinking about how sound and light can add meaning and they have worked hard in thinking about blending more than one sound for their desired effect!

Teacher’s Reflections

“Exploring a wide range of art forms was definitely interesting and it was great to see that the students were so open to analysing the meaning of different art forms. Students enjoyed writing poems about their personal interests and did really well at ensuring there was still an important message behind their work. The launch was certainly a highlight as we transformed various rooms into different creative art spaces. Next time, I would consider having the exhibition in a bigger space that allowed us to create a gallery style and spend more time making the lighting meaningful.”

– Bethany Rentall

Students’ Reflections

“My highlight of the project was writing my poem” – Rosa

“I learnt how to write a poem” – Jonah

“My highlight was the launch because it was fun and we explored different types of art” -Yitzi



 

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Fabels

17th July 2025Website Admin

This term for PBL, students explored the rainforest, their geographical locations and the different layers within them, such as the emergent layer, canopy, understory, and forest floor. They discovered a range of animals that live in each layer and how these animals have adapted to their environments. They also looked at how humans adapt to life in the rainforest, particularly through the lifestyles and traditions of indigenous tribes, comparing our lifestyle with theirs. Students were scaffolded through the process of making classification keys based on their learning of animals and their adaptations in the rainforest. Alongside this, for our literacy focus students planned and wrote their own fables themed around the rainforest. To do this, they looked at the key features such as using an animal as the main character, creating a simple and engaging plot, and including a clear moral at the end.

Teacher’s Reflections

“This term’s project has been a fun one and really allowed the students to work on their creativity. They were able to think about how to make a fable that is meaningful to their own lives. I really enjoyed the practical element of taking the students to London zoo and having them see the animals first hand, making the content about adaptions and habitats more meaningful. My favourite part was the exhibition. I loved seeing the kids read to the younger children and the staff’s children. It made it so much more meaningful and enjoyable for the kids whilst writing”

– Emily Bacon

Students’ Reflections

“Making fables was my favourite part, I enjoyed creating and naming my own characters.” – AR

“I preferred the end of the project, where I got to make my fable after learning about the rainforest and its climate” – LK

“My highlight was creating characters for my fable and thinking about what they did in the rainforest” -YJ



 

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Minibeasts

17th July 2025Website Admin

This Summer term, Zayit and Seorah classes will embark on an exciting extended project all about minibeasts, guided by the question: “How can we make the perfect environment for minibeasts?” Over two half terms, the children will design a welcoming outdoor space and co-create a vibrant minibeast-themed mural. A key focus will be learning to give and respond to feedback through art, with weekly opportunities to refine their work using adult modelling and peer critique. Theyʼll also explore what minibeasts need to survive and how they help us, recording their learning through list writing and fun digital animations using Chatterpix on the iPads. An exciting highlight will be observing real minibeasts as they grow, sequencing their life cycles, and releasing them into the new habitat. Alongside learning about habitats and what makes something living or non-living, the children will write clear instructions to explain how to create an ideal space for minibeasts—linking their scientific knowledge with purposeful writing. Through hands-on experiences, creative expression, and scientific discovery, we’ll be deepening our understanding of the miniature world around us — and how to care for it. We can’t wait to see and share all the incredible learning that unfolds this Summer!

Teacher’s Reflections

“I think the project went really well! Introducing feedback and critique was quite
challenging but doing it through art was effective. I think the project had some really nice
technology elements (iPad literacy typing, Chatterpix, AI habitats and green screen)
which really worked and the children engaged well with it”

– Lucy Robinson

Students’ Reflections

“My highlight was our minibeast park afternoon.” – Harrison

“Insects like to live in places like fields” – Bobby

“I learned about about that we need to take care of insects, like caterpillars.” -Aaron



 

Project Cards,Uncategorized

Student-led Conferences at XP School Doncaster

17th July 2025Website Admin

Student-led Conferences at XP School Doncaster

Andy Sprakes


This article is about what happens when learners are given space and support to share their learning journey with their family and their teachers. Student-Led Conferences privilege learner voice and agency and are an inspiring alternative to traditional parents’ evenings. 

‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’ John Keats

It is ten years since we opened XP School in Doncaster and currently, I’m writing a book that collates some of the highlights of our first decade. 

The book is already filled with student work such as field guides, published books, student-scripted films, videos, beautiful artwork and music. At the heart of this work lies student growth and character: every time a student creates work that matters, when it is drafted and redrafted to ensure high quality, when the work connects with the world and has agency, there is something enduring about the impact.

Young people and the world around them are never quite the same after they are published authors, artists who have displayed their work in a public gallery, or poets who have ‘slammed’ in the local Arts Centre. 

Young people are never quite the same after hearing and representing the stories of asylum seekers, organising climate conferences, and writing scientific reports that directly tackle the issue of flooding in their district. 

This is work that makes a difference to the student who becomes an agent for positive social change and the wider community that benefits from this service.

When you empower young people to do good for the world, they rarely disappoint.

One of the areas that I haven’t written about yet, and I suppose this is a good place to start to gather my thoughts, is how by having high expectations for our young people we empower them still further.  

For example, at XP, we do not run conventional parent consultation evenings, where parents arrive, meet a teacher, and are given information about their son or daughter that is determined by the adult. We wanted our kids to lead their own learning, so we introduced Student-Led Conferences, taking the simple but highly effective idea from Expeditionary Learning Schools.

What do Student-Led Conferences look like?

At least once a year across our schools, primary and secondary, students lead a conference expressly for their families and teachers. In these conferences, each student shares their portfolio of work and discusses their progress in terms of their academic learning targets, their developing Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs) and the products they have created. 

Students facilitate their conferences from start to finish.

Student-Led Conferences put students in charge of sharing information about their progress with their families. Students learn to advocate for themselves; they reflect upon and provide evidence for their progress; they are able to be explicit about the support they request going forward from teachers and parents. The structure builds students’ sense of responsibility and accountability for their own learning, as well as intentionally developing their leadership skills and confidence.

Student-Led Conferences also greatly enhance family engagement with learning that takes place at school. The conference structure builds family members’ interest and understanding in what has been happening in school and strengthens relationships between students, family members and staff.

The impact of Student-Led Conferences is profound. To watch and listen to students articulate their learning, their mastery of specific learning targets and places they have struggled, and their sense of who they are through the work they are producing is both humbling and uplifting.

It is a ritual and rite that is transformative, full of joy and beautiful–and as Keats said, the memory lasts forever. 

Andy Sprakes is the Principal and Co-Founder of XP School in Doncaster. 

Professional Prompts

1. As a parent of a school age child (or imagine that you are) how might you respond to attending a Student-Led Conference at consultation evening? What might you like and not like?

2. In discussion with one or more colleagues, list the points you can think of in favour of Student-Led Conferences and those against. Which side wins?

3. In the Resources for Teachers section of this edition there is a protocol or guide designed to support teachers with Student-Led Conferences. It has been contributed by Randy Scherer from High Tech High in San Diego. Discuss this with other teachers and see if you can find a place to try it out in your school.

Article,Issue Four,Learning,Rethinking Education

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