Nurturing good student leaders is an important element of Bovingdon Primary Academy’s success as a school. Year 6 students are encouraged to take greater responsibility and to contribute positively both to the school and wider community. Pupil advocates is one part of this system. It consists of a Head Boy and Head Girl and a team of Pupil Advocates chosen from Year 6s. For more information you can download our presentation.
Abbie, Amaiya, Amber, Amelie, Evie, Finley
Freya, India, Isla, Izzy, Leo, Lexie, Lily-Grace
Hello, we are Lara and Lola, the Head and Deputy Head girl here at Bovingdon Primary Academy. We were thrilled to have been given these positions at this wonderful school. It is a school that helps and supports all of its students to grow and always achieve their best. All children and parents feel respected and believe that their opinion matters. It truly is a place to grow.
When we joined, we were both shy, wary little children with few friends. However, after a few days, we were friends with the whole of our class. We have been nurtured and shaped into confident, happy girls who feel supported – no matter what comes our way!
Belonging, Possibilities and Achievement (BPA) is our motto. To us, it means that everyone feels like they are a part of the community no matter what! All pupils have many possibilities to thrive; build a strong foundation; and develop countless skills. Achievements are always celebrated: whether it is through the house point system or being awarded a certificate at the end of the week.
Students are happy and feel confident in all aspects of their academia due to the caring and nurturing Teachers and Teaching Assistants. Pupils are taught to embrace challenges and take on a positive mind-set in all aspects of school life. Individual support is available through interventions (or in class) for anyone who feels like they want extra help in a certain skill.
Mental Health here really matters and it is imperative that all students feel comfortable with work, friends and teachers. If your child needs any sort of help or care, the teachers will make it a priority to help them get through and see the bright side of things!
You can start at Bovingdon Primary Academy in either Nursery or Reception: in both years you learn to read and write simple words, count, share and so much more! In Reception, your child will be paired up with a Year 6 pupil or as they are called a “buddy”. Their buddy will help them settle in and show them around Bovingdon School. Your children will get to have lunch with their buddy and play with them on the playground. We love being able to help our buddies and play with them at playtime.
In the Early Years you get an opportunity to head out of the school grounds on various trips. When we were in Nursery and Reception, we visited Open Mead Farm and Whipsnade Zoo. We loved seeing the animals with all our friends.
In Year 1 and Year 2, we read books like Traction Man, Super Potato and Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. There are lots of opportunities to read quality books with teachers and do work based on them. Your child will begin to learn their times tables in Maths as well as multiplying and dividing simple numbers and identifying different shapes. In Year 1, we visited the Chiltern Open Air Museum and in Year 2, the Ashridge Estate. Both of these locations promote outdoor activities, wildlife and science – we hope your child will love them as much as we did.
In KS2, there are 4 years: Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. Throughout these years you learn so much- from short multiplication in Maths in Year 3 to Macbeth in English in Year 6. In KS2, your child will get the opportunity to participate in so many exhilarating activities like Viking Day, Victorian Day, Greek Day and many more themed days across the years. Our experience in this school, especially in KS2, has been truly magical and it’s impossible to describe all the fun we’ve had in such few words.
To sum it all up, we believe that you should send your child to our school to watch them grow and thrive; you will not regret it! After all the “Sky is the Limit!”
We are so lucky to be Head Boy and Deputy Head boy at Bovingdon Primary Academy. Our school ensures a great education for all students – always encouraging them to take that extra step along their learning. The school is a great caring and loving place where everyone will feel welcomed and at home.
For the teachers, it is most important to give a great education to all students and ensure maximum learning for their later life: Bovingdon Primary Academy do this so well.
We are most proud of our moto, “The Sky’s the Limit” which shows students that there is no limit to what they can achieve and encourages them to take that extra step in all subjects.
In Nursery, it is important to make young students feel comfortable and involved when they first begin. When we first walked into the classroom, we were greeted with a colourful and vibrant environment. Our achievements were awarded with shiny stickers which you could fill out on a chart. Once the chart was complete, you were given a special prize depending on which chart you were on. This still continues today and helps students to keep motivated and working hard to get better prizes.
We were also introduced to a big playground where we could play and chat with other students to make friends at lunch and break. Our favourite thing to play was with the bicycles/cars which we would play cops and robbers with. Our school is also lucky enough to have our own forestry and grassy place called “Springfield” where we can go and clear our minds by playing fun adventure theme activities. We also have an outdoor classroom in Springfield which we use in the summer for various activities. We even have our very own chickens!
In Reception, we were introduced to foundation learning through play and other fun techniques which give students an understanding of what is to come in their future years at the school. In Reception, we were lucky enough to go on our first school trip to Boxmoor Trust where we went on a muddy walk and did some other nature related activities. We were also lucky enough to have a “Buddy” – a Year 6 student. Each Year 6 student is assigned a Reception pupil to look out for. The Buddy’s job is to be available for the little one they are looking after and help them if they have any worries/problems and are also given the opportunity to be able to read stories and play with them at playtime.
Moving on to Year 1, we went to a fire station to consolidate our topic of learning: The Great Fire of London. At the fire station, we experienced putting on some fireman clothing and equipment; talking on the radio; sitting in their fire engines; and turning on the sirens. Since our time in Year 1, the Mini Council has been introduced which allows students to prepare a speech to explain why they should be chosen. Successful students will then have regular meetings with members of staff about various aspects of school life and how thigs can be improved on.
In Year 2, we learnt about Florence Nightingale – we were lucky enough to have a workshop set up in our school hall. The workshop consisted of fun activities teaching us even more about Florence Nightingale and other interesting facts!
Year 3 is another big jump for students, moving from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. You move to another building in the school grounds and there are older students around you. We needed to get used to new environments however the fun did not stop as we got to try fun new subjects such as computing, cooking and learning French – “Bonjour!” In Year 3, you are also invited to feel more involved in the school by applying for various roles within the school: School Council, Eco Council and Playground Squad. Success candidates receive special badges which are worn daily with pride.
In Year 4, we had a great opportunity to go to our first residential trip for a night. We went to Green Park, a great activity centre. We were able to go in a room with 4 of our friends and enjoyed some great activities like archery, the fabulous zip wire and tower building, some great team building activities. An action packed day and night for all of us!
In Year 5, we went to Hemel Hempstead’s Swimming pool where we enjoyed learning how to swim; perfecting our strokes; and how to enjoy the water safety. For many it was a big step but the brilliant work from the teachers made everyone feel at ease and enjoy it. One of our favourite topics in Year 5 was when we learnt all about planets and even got to make a papier mache recreation of the main planets and hung them in our school hall.
Year 6 is the last year at Bovingdon Primary Academy so the teachers and other staff want to make students feel as involved as possible. All students have the opportunity to apply for roles around the school and have to make an application; have an interview or prepare a speech. This is a good experience for later life when applying for jobs in the real world. Roles you can apply for include: Head Boy and Girl, Pupil Advocate, Reading Ambassador, PE Council, and Eco Council to name a few. We also went on a residential trip to the Isle of Wight but teachers love to keep it a secret from the younger students! Many people are also scared of Year 6 as they always think of SATS (test) but a thing to remember is it is not something to be scared of at all as the teachers make it fun and support you all the way.
Our school provides many after school clubs where everyone feels involved and supported, there is something for everyone. Many of our favourite clubs are: Football, Athletics, Pottery and Tennis. Our school also has a great choir club where many feel inspired and were even lucky enough to perform in the O2! The school provides every student the opportunity to explore their interests allowing them to develop and shine.
Finally, we have to say Bovingdon Primary Academy is a really fantastic school that cares and listens to its students and actively supports and develops them to reach the sky – there are no limits. We are proud to be the Head boy and Deputy Head boy as it is now our opportunity to help teachers and students in any way we can – giving back what they have given to us over the years and to help us become who we are today.
Why wait, Bovingdon Primary Academy is waiting for you to help you shine today, tomorrow and in your future. Don’t hesitate, come visit us and see for yourselves.
Harry and Matthew