International Activities
“Here at Wallace Fields, we believe that international activities aimed at developing children's cultural awareness are crucial in today's globalized world. Exposing children to different cultures at a young age fosters empathy, understanding, and respect for others who may come from different backgrounds. All subject leaders are committed to bringing an international dimension to their subjects. Throughout the year, we carefully plan and deliver lessons, experiences, workshops and projects in all year groups. Some of these activities involve partner schools in other countries.
International activities aimed at developing children's cultural awareness serve as a powerful tool in building a more inclusive and tolerant society. By exposing children to different cultures, these activities help foster a sense of unity and interconnectedness among the global community. They develop critical thinking and a nuanced understanding of the world. Through these initiatives, children are able to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them, become more open-minded individuals, and ultimately contribute to building a more peaceful and harmonious future for all.”
International Coordinator
Mrs. S Kidwai
1. Unity in Diversity
Diversity is woven into our school daily fabric through various practices, both big and small. Our learners are exposed to diversity and learn important life lessons in school everyday. Throughout the year, children encounter classmates from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. By interacting with their peers, children learn to appreciate and respect the differences that make each individual unique. I have been Diversity Lead for two years; my goal is to include as many cultures and learn about them so we may strengthen the fabulous collage of vibrancy that exists in our school in the form of students, staff and community. In addition to interacting with diverse classmates, children also learn about various cultures and traditions through classroom practices, such as doing the register in a language spoken by a child in the class, special activities, meeting people from different faiths and worldviews and through a special Diversity Day. Teachers often incorporate assemblies on different holidays, festivals, and customs into the curriculum, allowing children to gain a better understanding and appreciation for cultures different from their own. All of these help children develop a global perspective and foster a sense of inclusion and understanding towards others. We are keen to develop our own diversity as well as help other schools embrace more diversity in their everyday machinations and school ethos. As Diversity Lead, I would love the opportunity to work with a school new in their journey to explore ways they can become more diverse and inclusive fostering both equality and equity for all learners.
Click here for our Equality and Diversity Page on our website.
2. Good vibes only
In our school, we implement a string of wellbeing activities throughout the school year; these are essential for promoting the physical, emotional, and mental health of students and staff alike. Activities include yoga classes, nature walks, art therapy sessions, mindfulness workshops, and meditation sessions, orienteering and others. By incorporating such activities into the school's curriculum, students can learn valuable coping strategies for managing stress and anxiety, while also fostering a sense of community and connectedness within the school environment. Furthermore, these activities can serve as a reminder of the importance of self-care, taking inspiration from different cultures and overall wellbeing, ultimately leading to a happier and more productive school community. It also enables pupils to become more self-aware and equips them with strategies to manage stress in the future.
Click here to read more about Wellbeing at Wallace Fields Junior School and click here for more information about one of our Wellbeing Days.
3. Marquis Market Madness - France Trip
In Year 6, children take part in engaging lessons that bring French culture to life through a myriad of activities; the spring and summer terms are devoted to learning about food: fruit , vegetables, and also breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. These topics are chosen to prepare the children for their French trip to Ambleteuse, France in the summer term. Children practise and memorise role-plays in which one is a customer and one is a stall holder and ask for fruit and vegetables. Once in France they will have to do this for real, that is, to buy luncheon items in a market on their own. To further give them practice for this, parents and volunteers who know some French to come into the school, prepare the food that has been purchased: cheeses, saucisson, grapes, tomatoes and French pastries for the children to try, and then be the stall holders. Children go up and ask to try the food in French. House points are given to children on the spot to reward them for their French or if they are brave and enthusiastically partake in the tasting.
Not only do they get the opportunity to taste some real French produce, but they also use their French language skills. All the children in Year 6, regardless of whether they go on the French trip or not, enjoy the activity and put into real practice what they have been
learning in the classroom.
To further deepen their appreciation of the language and culture, during the Year 6 school trip to France, students have the opportunity to practice and improve their French language skills in a natural and authentic setting. By interacting with native speakers, exploring local landmarks such as World War 1 memorial and La Coupole, WW2 museum, to delve into history and navigating daily life in a French-speaking country interacting with local staff, students are able to reinforce what they have learned in the classroom and apply it in real-life situations.
Year 6 Trips
4. Young Historians Programme
The Young Historians Program was implemented in our school with the Year 4 children where they studied the history of British colonisation in North America. The academic work of the Young Historians Program educates them about the past while affording them diverse perspectives on it and experiences of it.
Even though, the content of the lessons was a bit mature for primary school, we felt confident that our current cohort of children will be able to handle such content with sensibility, we were certain they will also be able to follow this sophisticated line of enquiry through the lessons culminating in a strong understanding that will allow them to argue their viewpoints. However, their understanding at the end of the program exceeded our expectations and therefore we were quite pleased.
At the end of the school year, our students participated in a parliamentary style debate with the American school on the topic: The American colonists had no legal or ethical right to declare independence. The 22- lesson sequence ran from January until June and included a variety of lessons from the arrival of the first Americans in North America to the American Revolution. By taking part in this program, our children were able to learn about a crucial part of British history and explore thought provoking topics such as the 'Slave Trade'. They were given a pen pal with whom they explored every day life in a different country.
Children were able to study about Britain's colonial expansion especially the domestic politics that contributed to it and how the American colonies developed in the first few decades with finally contemplating and analysing the reasons of them breaking away from the mother country. By indulging in a close study of this period, students developed a myriad of skills: history, drama, writing and speaking. They learnt how to debate and discuss historical events. They were also encouraged to conduct their own research and bring their own perspective to the issues being argued. They investigated the past whilst applying this understanding to current events and how the past may have shaped the profile of the two countries as they stand today.
Click here to find out all about the Year 4 children who took part in the American Debate.
5. Look to the Future - STEM
Look to the future is a carefully crafted collection of activities conducted throughout the year, which raises the importance of STEM subjects bringing specific created learning experiences to children. Activities include Year 5 Science Fair, Black History Month, Engineer talks and celebrating British Science Week. Children are encouraged to celebrate STEM subjects throughout the year through a variety of projects in every year group. A STEM staff team has been established in school, involving key subject leads, ensuring that STEM is at the forefront of the school development plan. One of the major priorities of this endeavour is to celebrate and promote equality and diversity in Science.
Live STEM events and engineer visits have been successfully organised in the last few years. This year children were encouraged to consider ways to make our planet more sustainable by helping to create a net-zero factory. This live event allowed children to ‘think green’ and work with other schools to create a factory to increase sustainability worldwide. A Q&A at the end of the session was also enjoyed to discuss the STEM ambassador’s experience with engineering worldwide and learn from them about the pioneer work from other countries.
British Science Week is an annual, school-wide celebration that sees children in all year groups take part in a raft of practical, investigative activities. The school science photography competition is always a highlight, with pupils encouraged to enter photos they have taken and explain the science on display; it also encourages pupils to share photos from cultural perspectives and share this unique view with others. Their work is then displayed in the school hall and all children are invited to see the exhibition. It also allows children to explore learning from other schools. It is one of our aims for the next academic year to find international partner for our STEM activities in the future.
Click here for more information about learning Science at Wallace Fields Junior School.
Click here for how Wallace Fields Junior School celebrated British Science Week.
6. Celebrate Speaking
Inspired by the British Council competition, we launched this activity as a home learning project in our school. Our aim was to
encourage our learners to embrace their cultural roots and explore any languages hidden therein. In a special assembly, we
introduced the activity and shared British Council videos from previous years. Although, we did not share our learner's videos on X this
year, we wish to do this next year. This year, we conducted it as a whole school competition and gave children 2-3 weeks to create
their videos. They could either do them individually or with a friend. They also had the freedom to choose a language from their
heritage or a language they are interested in learning.
7. All about me - Y3 India
Our Year 3 pupils had the opportunity to collaborate with a school in India as part of our global learning initiative. This collaboration allowed our pupils to connect with peers from a different culture and background, fostering a sense of understanding and empathy. Through online video calls and shared projects, the students were able to learn about the customs, traditions, and daily life of their Indian counterparts. This experience provided a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and broadened the students' global perspective. Year 3 will seek to develop this partnership further going into year 4.
Year 3 have connected with a school in New Dehli, India. Our partnership school is called ASN and our schools have had the opportunity to experience a meet and greet over video call as well as send art work and letters to one another. This experience has allowed our Wallace Field Junior School pupils to learn more about the life of a child in India and all about their school. It has been fantastic to see so much enthusiasm from our Year 3 pupils to learn about other cultures. Please see some pictures and examples of our work that we shared with ASN school.
Year 3 Pen Pal Letters To India
8. Team up for change
'Team up for change' is an initiative by us to develop our school by thinking of our long term goals and finding ways to achieve them; one of these aims is to become staunchly anti-racist both in our ideology and our practices. In today's diverse and multicultural society, becoming more anti-racist as a school is not only important but necessary. Racism is a systemic issue that has plagued our communities for far too long and we feel it is essential for educational institutions to take a stand against it. By actively working to disseminate knowledge about racism within our school, we can create a more inclusive and equitable environment where all students are respected and valued regardless of their race or ethnicity.
One way to become more anti-racist as a school is to incorporate anti-racism education into our curriculum. This can include staff training, teaching students about the history of racism, the impact it has had on marginalised communities, and strategies for combating racism in their own lives. By providing our learners with a basic understanding of racism and its effects, we can motivate them to become agents of change in their communities and work towards a more equitable society. Team up for change will include action points throughout the year and we will continually assess and evaluate our journey considering how we can embed this ideology in our school. It could take many forms: invite speakers to talk to children about the effects of racism, extracurricular lessons, special assemblies or projects to raise awareness. One such project is our British Black History Month that we have implemented successfully for two years and aim to continue in the future. Next year, we wish to consider an anti-racism initiave to incorporate the ideology in our every day practices and include other marginalised groups; we would like to educate our children about Islamophophia, anti-semitism and other forms of racism
Click here to here about how Wallace Fields Junior School celebrated Black History Month.
9. Explore Kenya
Year 4 students had the unique opportunity to collaborate with a school in Kenya as part of our global education initiative. The students were able to exchange letters and artwork with their new pen pals in Kenya, fostering cultural understanding and friendship across continents. This collaboration allowed the students to learn about the daily lives, traditions, and challenges faced by their peers in a different country, broadening their perspective and empathy. They would get the opportunity to see pictures of Kenya and partner school children and discuss the geography of Kenya, both its physical and human features.
10. All languages are beautiful - Top Translator
On 22 May 2024, a selection of children from each year group will participate in a French language competition: Top Translator in a whole school assembly. Throughout the year, children are encouraged to practise on Linguascope, our fun and interactive platform and complete worksheets. The children who have completed the most worksheets have priority to participate in the competition. The first round is to interpret a word or phrase spoken in French into English. The second round is from English to French. A winner and runner-up are selected from each year group and a small prize is given.
Click here for more information about the event.
11. BSL club
Our Head Teacher runs a free British Sign Language club on Friday lunchtimes.
12. Bienvenido a Mexico
Mrs Hernandez is a former parent, school volunteer and runs Science clubs and Spanish club at Wallace Fields Junior School. Mrs Hernandez has come into school to run the following talks and workshops for the different year groups on her country of birth Mexico.
- Year 3 - As children learn about local geography, they can compare the differences with places in other countries. They were equally divided in considering which place they would rather live.
- Year 4 - Teaching about healthy eating, the option of fresh fruit and vegetables as a snack with a sprinkle of spiciness has been a winner every year with most children enjoying them. Languages days demonstrates children can easily learn Spanish words, as Spanish is a phonetic language.
- Year 5 - When talking about the origins of the Spanish language, showing children the most engaging traditions, like a tomato fight, is always appealing. Children are always open to new ideas, particularly when faced with atheism, the knowledge about the high proportion of British people without religious believes, and the secularity of Mexico.
- Year 6 - Shock, anger and disbelieve after a successful talk about gender inequality and the fact that there is more equality in Mexico in regards to education and politics. Helped by successful children’s films on the theme of Day of the Dead, an art activity brings colour and creativity to their decorations. It is not easy to understand earthquakes when living in a country without any. A first-hand account of what it is like to be in one is always very interesting.