The pupils and staff in Ash Class are fortunate to have their classroom and common room on the school’s top floor, an invigorating climb of 35 steps from basecamp.

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The staff team this academic year is the same as last year – Olivia, Rhys and Chris – and we start the new year with one more pupil. Ian is the SLT member responsible for Ash Class, and this year he is dedicating even more time to teach our pupils.

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Our timetable is similar to last year’s, giving our pupils some continuity. However, with a variety of study pathways, interventions and extra-curricular activities in Ash Class, most pupils will be given an individual timetable, based on the class timetable.

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Planned off-site activities now include almost daily exercise sessions at the Herongate; a full-on PE lesson every Wednesday afternoon; Hungerford library visits and horse-riding at Enborne, alternating every other week; and work-experience opportunities at Shalbourne Community Growers, a sustainable fruit and vegetable project just 10 minutes by minibus from school. Officially anyway, coffee-shop visits will accidentally occur less often than last term. We’ll see about that.

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Ash Class pupils now receive careers advice from the school’s Careers Adviser. Our older pupils are looking into their further education options, with college visits planned, to prepare them for making their college course applications.

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Our Common Room is now a very cool place to relax during indoor breaks. A kitchenette was installed over the summer holiday, giving pupils the chance to develop their life skills – preparing drinks, snacks and lunches, washing-up, buying supplies, taking turns and staying safe with kitchen equipment. Our antique pool table, on loan from a generous local business, gets plenty of use; pupils develop their motor skills and learn to play fair. Just don’t pot the white one.
 

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Our Topics for the Year

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The study topics for this year are similar to last year. Ash Class pupils made a great start to their ASDAN project work last term, having completed several projects each; this remains an important part of our curriculum. Pupils are enjoying Doodle to support their Maths and English learning.