Getting the whole school performing this year's Sing Up songs brought a real sense of belonging and togetherness. We also sang out in the school grounds with the children in the choir, with live music from guitars and percussion adding to the richness of the performances. The children sang 'Blossom out' in the school woodland, and 'Dreams across the ocean' around the pond. Well done everyone - we look forward to seeing our recordings as part of the international DigiChoir video!

Two days of activities, sports and outdoor challenges with camping under canvas in between... it's amazing how different the school feels when you're staying overnight for a Y4 adventure! Heavy rain overnight added to the excitement of being in the tents, and everyone had a great time.

The children in Woodlands Phase had a great sports day, managing to complete most of the events before the heavy rain set in. Lots of teamwork and great sporting attitude was evident, and many thanks to the Year 6 playleaders who assisted with the activities and scoring.

Chris Page from ITV Weather was our fabulous celebrity guest to officially open the new-built part to our school. Chris taught us about climate change and weather forecasting, while we considered the energy-efficiency of the new-built learning areas. Chris found out from the children how we've been using the new learning space, and he complimented the rich learning environment we have created inside and outside our school. Thanks Chris for a great morning in school!

Sports Day is a highlight of the year for many children in Forest Phase! Competitive heats and relay racing took place alongside team games and challenges like skipping and bat-and-ball races. It was impressive to see how fast some of the children could run and turn whilst balancing the tennis ball on their bat! Well done for a great sports day, and congratulations to Yellow Team for totalling the highest points.

Supporting LIV village in Durban, South Africa, is a long-standing partnership at Hillside. Now part of our Geography curriculum, the week-long whole-school LIV Village week enables children to learn about all aspects of the area, the village, its purpose and the changing landscape of Durban. Brilliant work produced by the children included amazing animals drawn by Y2, research in Y6, study of maps, drama, and even gardening like the children in the village! Children also learned some African language, saying greetings and counting in zulu. We were able to have some live links to the village this year, as Mrs Rayner travelled to Durban specially for our LIV Village week, and joined us via video link as well as gathering all sorts of resources, photos and information to enrich our studies.