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Sutton Guardian
News Report About Our School.
6th February
2003
Reproduced with the kind permission of the Sutton Guardian.
www.suttonguardian.co.uk
Photographs courtesy of "Deadline Pix"
The best days of their lives
By Nina Jacobs
School days are supposed to be the best days of your life. Looking back on them
as adults, what we tend to remember is not how many maths or English
lessons we sat through or how many exams we passed, but the happy times we spent
with our friends and teachers.
Camden Junior School in Carshalton is a perfect example of a place which
encapsulates this sentiment. And for headteacher Denise Birkett, it's a priority
to make sure all of her 338 pupils look back on their own school days not just
with pride for their academic achievements but with fond memories too.
"We get such incredible opportunities here and part of my job is finding
them. That's the stuff you remember, but you have to work hard to build on these things." The opportunities to which Mrs Birkett is referring include
recent trips to visit Downing Street and the London Eye. "During national construction, week we took 12 children last year to visit
the refurbishments at Downing Street which was fantastic. "And because we
took part in the London Arts Festival, the children were offered tickets for the
London Eye for only £1." It's clear from the delight on Mrs Birkett's face when talking about trips such
as these that providing a well-balanced environment for her pupils is paramount.
In her eight years as headteacher, she has implemented noticeable changes to the
school's premises in Camden Road.
Apart from refurbishments carried out with the help of the Friends of Camden
School, a window replacement programme is also near to completion. "We worked very hard on creating a good learning environment by
redecorating and painting inside different colours. "It has always had a
reputation for being a good school with a good community of parents, and we have
built on that." Among her biggest achievements, she lists the introduction
around four years ago of individual pupil target setting, where children join
parents to discuss how well they are doing. "You should always focus on
what the individual can achieve. We all respond better if we are part of the decision-making process. As well as an academic
track record which has shown year-on-year improvements, the school also prides
itself on its artistic strengths. Mrs Birkett is pleased to report the school's
application to receive an Arts Mark award - a government initiative recognising
schools which promote the arts - is already well underway. "Art is a big
thing here, as well as music and drama. We're very into being creative," she said. And with a camping trip for year four pupils and a
visit to the Isle of Wight for those in year six to organise before the summer,
Mrs Birkett will certainly be kept busy making sure memories are made and not
lost.
Comments made in the
article by the
pupils of Camden Junior School
Abigail Chute, 10,
from Wallington, said:
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"I like games best and I like running
and sport. I like working in
partners and team sports too. I also like history because we have been learning
about the Victorians." |
Terri Gartell, 11, from Carshalton,
said:
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"I like maths because we swap around in groups and we play games which are
fun. I also like art because we do some sketching and painting. I quite like
dance too as we are learning Scottish dancing." |
Thomas Powell, 11, from Carshalton, said:
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"I've
got two favourite subjects -PE and art. We sometimes do a mixture of games and
Ms Bloomfield makes it fun. I like art because we are doing river sketches. I
also like rounders when we play outside. |
James Pentland, 10, from Carshalton, said:
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"I like maths and information
computer technology. I enjoy maths because I like tables and learning about
angles. I also like doing Powerpoint presentations. And I like art because we
are doing stained glass work."
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Thomas Morrison, 10, from Carshalton, said:
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"I like doing maths because it's good to do puzzles and sometimes we get to
make things. I also like art because I enjoy sketching." |
Holly Mitchell, 10, from Carshalton, said:
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" I like art because when we go to see a show we come back and do drawings
from it. I like maths too because sometimes we play games. I used to play the
guitar but now I go to the choir club after school." |
A condensed version can be
seen by clicking on the link below
http://www.suttonguardian.co.uk/education/display.var.696425.index.the_best_days_of_their_lives.html
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