Who says you have to go to school in a uniform. Who says you can’t be educated wearing fluffy socks and eating cupcakes! Finding ways that our young people can engage with education means thinking outside the standard academic box and being a bit creative and fun.

And whilst we are having fun lets celebrate a forthcoming birthday!

Learning how to be independent is vital as a young person moves into adulthood. So lets not sit in a classroom and read about how to catch a train, work out a route, visit a castle and learn about history – let’s instead experience it for real.

Today one of our students directed us both from Newmarket station to Colchester Castle!

Had a go with the props and wanted to say ‘you dare challenge me!’ She also had a go at a little mind game, and also watched a projection of all the history of the castle. We also had a guided tour of the 2000 year old roman foundations which were underneath the castle which was amazing. Also requested that we go look at the knife angle which is currently on show under the water tower.

Another train journey and an awesome trip to Botanical Gardens in Cambridge

Botanical Gardens have been created for the collection of plants , for conservation, preservation, with displays which can be seen by the public. The gardens may display plants and plant collections from all over the world, and may have greenhouses with different zones from tropical to arid.

And Oxburgh Hall – a moated country house in Oxborough, Norfolk. The hall was built for Sir Edmund Bedingfield. With Victorian Gothic Interiors this is a fantastic place to visit to get some real history lessons dating back as far as 1476.

The kitchen has been sending out delicious aromas this week; rocky road, honeycomb, biscuits baking and decorating, stir fry, curry and Sushi.

So many skills can be taught with cooking lessons: Maths (measuring/quantities), reading (ingredients/instructions), learning about food hygiene, it also helps with dexterity (chopping of the ingredients), working alone or as a team, life skills etc.

Time for some exercise now football, cycling like a champ, and throwing some basketball hoops

Our newest project in Newmarket 1 is our Banger Car, we visited some scrap yards to find parts for it…think its going to need lots of TLC!

And a lesson on how to service a car, oil and filter change today.

A science trip today involving – watching glass blowing and making our own Friendship Ball.

And a trip to Felixstowe on the train and the obligatory chips by the sea!

Back at the Clockhouse we have been doing some Art Therapy.

We are working on our Guy Fawkes and exploring emotions, communicating the effects that negative energy can have on a person.

Reading, writing, maths – all dealt with at varying levels is important at any age and here we have some very clever young people. From learning about compound shapes with triangles, calculating the area of triangles, timetables and division codes – we do this with different methods from practical, to computers, to whiteboards and traditional pen and paper.

Visiting an Emu, and Swallow Aquatics shop with large selection of animals, to cuddling the resident pet Ender.

A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. Pets can serve different purposes for children: They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts–children often talk to their pets, like they do to their stuffed animals

Some amazing projects happening at Newmarket 2 this week:

There are so many valuable things to learn through carpentry play such as developing an understanding of measurement, size, balance and the use of force, as well as learning to solve problems as they consider design features.

• Guitar: Sanding guitar ready for painting

• Bench – Mould removal and ready for planning at Regal Joinery

• Chopping Board – working on new board from start to finish, cutting all the wood and sticking

Last week’s chess pieces that were poured into molds have now set and look awesome.

In the pushbike maintenance area of Newmarket 2, we have been cleaning the engine on a friction driven BMX with an air compressor.

What is a Friction Drive Bicycle? Friction drives, like their name would imply, work by powering the bike through a friction connection. This usually manifests itself in a roller on the rear wheel of the bike. The roller is connected to the output shaft of the motor, or even occasionally is the motor shell itself.

Learning about Forensic Science which is a kind of science that blends biology, chemistry and physics to look at evidence, solve crimes and settle legal issues.

and more Science now learning about the digestive system.

Fun facts about the digestive system

• The average person produces 2 pints of saliva every day.
• The muscles in your esophagus act like a giant wave.
• The second part of your small intestine is called the jejunum.
• Enzymes in your digestive system are what separate food into the different nutrients that your body needs.

And lastly this week we show you how we created an ‘elephant toothpaste reaction’ of which the foam is a result of oxygen-filled bubbles – some super concentration here when measuring!

Our Ethos

No one can begin to affect the world around them until they are CONFIDENT , COMFORTABLE, happy in their own skin and have found their SPARK! We take the time to understand and develop programmes from where the learner is in the world not where we think they should be.