Smart move for star pupils
BRIGHT sparks from four primary schools are having lessons at their very own academy for gifted learners.
The project has been set up to give 10 and 11-year-old youngsters a chance to take on more challenging work in English, maths and science.
Now they attend the academy once a fortnight at Haywood Engineering College, in Burslem.
Smallthorne Primary, Mill Hill Primary, New Ford Primary, in Smallthorne, and Moorpark Junior School, in Burslem, have each nominated six pupils.
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Marcus Ramsden, from Norton, is one of the young recruits and has been enjoying the more demanding academic work.
The 10-year-old Smallthorne Primary pupil said: "For one of the maths lessons, we had to figure out how many moves it would take for a set of frogs to go across the room. They had to move from one lily pad to another.
"I found it fun. I like everything about maths. It's one of my best subjects."
Marcus has also been keen to meet up with pupils from other schools.
"We can make a lot more friends through it," he added.
Other topics being studied at the Haywood Academy for Gifted Learning include the science behind speed, forces, microbes and particles. For English work, children are dipping into classic literature.
Mill Hill pupil Bilal Ahmed, aged 10, from Tunstall, said: "We are getting to read different texts, like Heart of Darkness. I really like writing and would like to have more English lessons."
Gracie Fern also excels at English and hopes to borrow some of the books from Haywood's school library.
The 11-year-old New Ford pupil, who lives in Norton, said: "It's good because you can push yourself here. The learning is more interesting.
"It also feels grown-up coming to Haywood for lessons."
Although the lessons are taught at a high school site, they tie in with the Year 6 curriculum.
Each topic is covered in more depth and is aimed at getting youngsters to 'level six' – the standard expected of the top one per cent of 11-year-olds in SATs.
Ten-year-old Mill Hill pupil Kimberley Jones, from Tunstall, said: "I want to be clever enough to take the level six test in maths."
Some of the challenges are based on mathematical puzzles and others involve using science labs to explore investigations.
Each topic is taught by a secondary school teacher, so children are benefiting from working with subject specialists.
Haywood's assistant headteacher Chris Chapman said: "They have also been developing their thinking skills. We are doing all kinds of stuff with them.
"The idea for the project grew out of primary school headteachers asking us how we could help support their more able learners.
"The project is going to last for the whole year."
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