
Ripon Cathedral School Update
Week ending Friday 14th March 2025
British Science Week
All our classes participated in British Science Week with inspiring and challenging results. Here are some of their reports.
Reception
This week, Reception took part in Science Week, where we explored the fascinating world of plants and animals! The children learned about the life cycle of a plant and how it changes throughout the year. We also investigated how caterpillars have adapted to protect themselves from predators. The children took part in a fun activity where they searched for caterpillars made from different coloured pipe cleaners hidden in the trees. They discovered that brightly coloured caterpillars were easy to spot, while green and brown ones blended in more easily. This led us to the conclusion that caterpillars are often green or brown to camouflage themselves from predators, like birds!
Year 4
During Science week, Year 4 looked at microplastic filtering. We discussed how the availability and use of plastics has changed over the years. We then learnt about microplastics and the damage they are doing to the ocean habitats. The children were posed with the problem of microplastics in water than needed filtering out. Using a range of equipment and sand - as a eco-friendly alternative - the children tested a range of different materials as microplastic filters. They looked at the sand remaining in the funnels and 'filters' to establish which materials would be the best at filtering microplastics.
Year 5
As part of British Science Week, the Year 5 children took part in the BBC teach Science live lesson from the National Space Centre to find out what it takes to become a real life astronaut. British Astronaut Tim Peake, who himself spent 173 days living on the International Space Station, set tasks for the children join in with throughout the lesson to help them understand the effects of space on astronauts bones to learning how astronauts manage food and hydration. They even explored the many challenges of living in space. A particular highlight was been shown how astronauts go for a wee and poo in space. Most of them decided they weren't that keen about the idea. Year 5 had a great time completing squats and press ups like they would in space, planned their own nutritious space meal and talked about the importance of staying hydrated by identifying by the colour of the astronauts' urine.
Year 6
During Science Week, Year 6 students explored the concept of shadows. Using torches and 3D shapes, they investigated patterns related to the size and shape of shadows. They discovered that shadows take on the same shape as the object blocking the light; that their size changes depending on the distance between the light source and the object; and that shadows only display the object's outline, without any detail. Armed with this knowledge, the students were able to predict how their shadows would change throughout the day. They confirmed the accuracy of their predictions by measuring the length of their shadows at different times. Additionally, they had fun creating various hand shadows, such as dogs, birds, hearts, and butterflies.
KS1 Dance Festival
On Wednesday, a group of Year 2 children took part in the Sporting Influence KS1 Dance Festival at Outwood Academy. They performed their routine - to Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ - in front of pupils from four other schools. The children gave an excellent and enthusiastic performance, and were praised by the organisers on their musicality and their movement. They performed the routine to the school on Friday in worship. Well done to all of the pupils involved in the performance, and to Miss Okey for her choreography!
We hope that all our parents and carers have had the chance to have a look at our recent Ofsted report which was published on Friday. It was sent home by email with a covering letter. We also celebrated the 'Good' news on Facebook and ClassDojo! Please click the title above if you missed it, thank you.
Stars of the Week
Congratulations to this week's stars:
Nursery - Ojas, for speaking with confidence about the festival Holi.
Reception - Marcie for fantastic sentence writing about Jack and the Beanstalk, using the word 'but' to extend her writing.
Year 1 - David for his creative sleepy dinosaur dance performance, where he followed the music in counts of 8 and exploring different pathways.
Year 2 - Aurora for always having a super attitude to learning. Aurora is always showing our 3 Rs. She's particularly showing responsibility for her learning by contributing in class discussions, taking risks and leading super partner work.
Year 3 - George W for his abundant enthusiasm in every part of the curriculum, working hard with enthusiasm in every lesson.
Year 4 - Glenda for adapting her writing to target it for a specific audience.
Year 5 - Millie for her excellent attitude and commitment to her learning recently. She is proud of what she achieves. Well done!
Year 6 - Ramsay for an improved attitude to learning especially in maths and for supporting adults and peers in music.
Parent Teacher Consultation Meetings
Thank you to all parents and carers who took part in our parent-teacher consultations this week. The evenings were both very well-attended and as always, the staff enjoyed sharing your child’s learning and progress with you. There will be no formal written report sent out in the Spring Term this year, due to the recent parents’ consultations. However, the usual full report will be sent out in the Summer Term. In the meantime, if you have any further questions about your child’s learning and progress, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Parent Governor Vacancy
All parents have been sent an email detailing our current governor vacancy. Please contact Mrs Rich if you need further information or have missed the email. Mrs Rich can also provide you with the nomination and self-declaration form if you are interested in filling the vacancy or you can find them by following this link to the school website https://riponcathedralschool.org.uk/Governors/
The governing board, with the head teacher, has overall responsibility for the running of the school. The three core functions for all boards are:
- to ensure that the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- to hold the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
- to oversee the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
You do not need any specific qualifications to be a governor. The most important thing is that you are interested in the success of the school and are prepared to play an active part in the work of the governing board. Parent governors are valued members of the team. An effective board will have a range of skills, and we would welcome nominations from parents with knowledge and experience of:
- Safeguarding;
- Early Years’ Education;
- Primary Curriculum.
Dates for Diaries
Thursday 20th March – St Cuthbert’s Day and Spiritual Council Worship at 9am
Friday 21st March - Red Nose Day - SCHOOL UNIFORM PLEASE - children may wear something small in red (donations on ParentPay) - thank you
Monday 24th March - Closing date for Parent Governor nominations
Thursday 27th March – 9am EYFS Worship for Mother’s Day
Friday 28th March – Tempest Class Photos
Monday 31st March – 9am EYFS and KS1 Superstars Worship
Thursday 3rd April – 2pm School Music Concert
*Please note - KS2 Superstars Worship will not now take place on Friday 4th April. Superstars certificates for KS2 will be presented at the end of the school music concert on Thursday 3rd April.*
The Friends of Ripon Cathedral School
The Friends are busy planning events for the summer term. We hope to have another disco, possibly early on after Easter. Also on the agenda is the return of the Summer Fair. In more exciting news, we very much hope to enter a float in the St. Wilfrid's Day Parade this year! If any parents know of businesses which would like to offer sponsorship for the float, it would be great to hear from you.
Please note that the privacy notice was updated by governors on Friday 14th March and can be found on our school website. The title above links to the website page. Thank you.
Local Events
FEAST Holiday Activities
All children and young people across North Yorkshire can get involved in a range of holiday activities, with free places and a free meal for children and young people receiving benefits-related free school meals. The latter will be receiving an email with further information and vouchers for the Easter holidays next week.
All families are welcome to use the play schemes and clubs (space permitting). For a link to the website, please click on the image below.
Family Activity Days
With the Easter holidays just a few weeks away, North Yorkshire Outdoor Learning Service have a range of experiences planned to get young people and their families active and in touch with nature this spring.
Family Activity Days are the perfect solution for spending quality time together taking on a challenge in the great outdoors making memories that will last a lifetime. Join the team on a canoe journey at either Bewerley Park in Pateley Bridge or East Barnby near Whitby and get 10% off your Family Activity Day booking using the code ‘Hello10’.
Adventure Club will keep your young people busy with activities that could include climbing, caving, high ropes, river scrambling and water sports such as canoeing and sailing. They’ll make new friends, challenge themselves and learn a whole range of different skills. All while having lots of fun!
There are also three exciting courses available for young people to try this Easter – rock skills, paddle sports and sailing. Find out more about what’s on and when at www.outdoored.co.uk/schoolholidays and get ready for an unforgettable outdoor experience like no other!
Like us and follow us...
Email: admin@riponcathedral.n-yorks.sch.uk
Website: www.riponcathedralschool.org.uk
Location: HG41LT, United Kingdom
Phone: 01765 602355
Facebook: facebook.com/riponcathschool