Clifton Lodge School

Our Early Years children had a truly magical day on their trip to Bekonscot Model Village!
From exploring the beautifully detailed miniature world to spotting tiny trains, buildings, and people, the children were full of excitement and curiosity at every turn. A real highlight of the day was taking part in the workshop, where the children got hands-on, dressing up and let their creativity shine.
Here’s what some of the children had to say about their day:

Aria – “I liked the workshop when the children were dressing up as characters from the story.”
Cecily – “I liked the little houses. I thought the circus model was great.”
Artie – “I love trains, so I liked seeing the model trains travelling around the village. I liked the blue one best.”
Louis – “I liked the trains.”
Alice – “I liked taking my packed lunch to the model village.”
Rinka – “I liked dressing up (for the workshop).”
It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, teamwork, and imagination throughout the day. We are so proud of how well the children represented our school!
Thank you to all the staff and parent helpers who made this memorable experience possible.

🚎📸❤️

Year 3 had an unforgettable trip to the Tower of London on Wednesday!

During our visit, we were guided around the tower by a ‘prisoner’ named Lady Catherine Grey, who brought history to life with fascinating stories about the tower and the people who once lived there.

The children impressed us with their enthusiasm and knowledge, especially when discussing events like the Princes in the Tower and Richard III—topics they’ve been exploring in school.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

✨ Kloe – “Seeing the Crown Jewels was spectacular!”
✨ Maria – “I liked the White Tower in the middle because it had lots of winding steps.”
✨ Caspian – “Lady Catherine Grey told us so much about the Tower of London! It was cool seeing more modern, taller buildings around the city too.”
✨ Parisa – “There was a game where you had to choose a material and test how good it was for building.”
✨ Andri – “I enjoyed all of it, especially learning about former criminals.”
✨ Kento – “Some of the history videos were very interesting… and a bit scary!”
✨ Sosuke – “I loved seeing all the soldiers around the tower!”
✨ Dominic – “The Crown Jewels looked so shiny and expensive!”

A fantastic day full of learning, curiosity, and excitement—well done, Year 3!

🚎📸❤️

On Monday 9th March, Years 1 and 2 had a fabulous day visiting Buckingham Palace Royal Mews! 👑✨
It was a fun-filled experience where pupils toured the historic coaches and stables, discovering the magnificent carriages used in the Coronation procession. They had the opportunity to handle special objects and explore fascinating archival materials, learning about the many people, heads of state, and royalty from across the world involved in this incredible event.
The highlight of the day was bringing a coronation ceremony to life, with two lucky pupils chosen to role play and dress up as a king and queen—what a memorable moment!
Year 2 Quotes:
🗨️ “My favourite part of the trip was seeing the horses called Maple and Holyrood. They were aged 7 and 8.” (Bella)
🗨️ “I liked seeing the golden carriage that was used for the Coronation.” (Ade and Sienna)
🗨️ “I learnt that each king and queen made a decision what to change or do for their coronation.” (Bria)
🗨️ “I learnt that they still use carriages today from the olden days.” (Eless)
🗨️ “I was to be a king and have my own coronation.” (Shoma)
🗨️ “I learnt that one of the kings stole the Stone of Scone from Scotland and put it under the coronation chair.” (Aya)

Year 1 Quotes:
🗨️ “I liked learning about how the kings get their crowns. I enjoyed being crowned Queen Ella. I didn't know that crowns were so heavy!” (Ella)
🗨️ “I liked being able to go on one carriage! It was so cool.” (Shona)
🗨️ “The golden carriage was so beautiful. I thought it was made with gold but it's actually wood!” (Gabin)
🗨️ “I liked seeing the horses eat their lunch.” (Leo)
🗨️ “I liked the Diamond carriage which had a camera on top and even heating and electric windows!” (Yusuke)

🎭 Year 5 Visit Shakespeare’s Globe!

Our Year 5 class, who have recently begun studying Romeo and Juliet, had an unforgettable trip to Shakespeare's Globe in London. During the visit, the children explored both the outside and inside of the historic theatre, learning about when it was built (and rebuilt), the materials used to construct it, and why it was designed in such a unique way.

The highlight of the day was an exciting action workshop based on the prologue of the play. Pupils took part in a range of engaging activities, including performing a dramatic slow-motion fight between the Capulets and Montagues! ⚔️

The children were fantastic representatives of our school and their families. They showed enthusiasm, curiosity, and a real commitment to our school value Optime – giving their very best. We are incredibly proud of them! ⭐

What the children said:
A***n: “It was so fun and amazing, especially the slow-motion fight between the Capulets and Montagues!”
Aila: “I really liked the trip because I have always wanted to visit the Globe Theatre and I got to experience being in the stands.”
Taozi: “I would love to do it again – it was so much fun!”
Finley: “It was amazing in the Globe Theatre, with old-style seats and standing area.”

Science Week has been full of curiosity and collaboration at Clifton Lodge! 🔬✨

Our Year 6 pupils teamed up with the children in Early Years for a hands-on Science Week activity, exploring, experimenting and discovering together. The younger children loved learning alongside their older buddies, while Year 6 enjoyed sharing their knowledge and encouraging lots of great questions.

Now that their 11+ exams are finished, our Year 6 pupils visit Early Years twice a week to support with reading and classroom activities. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to develop leadership and mentoring skills, while building special connections with our youngest learners.

Well done to everyone involved for making science so fun and inspiring! 🌱📚

Early Years buddy reflections from Year 6
Mrs Trivedi - "Year 6 have been helping out in Early Years since the beginning of the Spring Term. We help on Monday morning with their learning activities and then again we read to them on Thursday afternoon."

Keito –“First my buddy was not listening to me at all, but now that he is used to seeing me regularly he listens well and I am really enjoying the time I spend with him.”

Riko –“I like going to nursery and look forward to the sessions, my buddy is a good listener and we have a lot of fun together.”

Asher – “It’s really fun to connect with my buddy, even though his first language is different to mine. Reading with him is my favourite thing and I always try to use expression and animation to keep him engaged and involved.”

Shiori – “I really like playing with my buddy, and seeing that she is happy to see me too is great. I like helping her with the activities on Monday. This experience has helped build my patience.”

Hinata – “I love playing with my buddy and making this friendship, and I wish we could be downstairs all the time.”

Shuma – even though I have a very energetic buddy, I am enjoying the time down there and the connection I have made with him. At the start it was hard and felt like being in the bottom of the learning pit but now I am at the top, helping him.

Megumi – firstly, my buddy wasn’t talking with me, but now we have become quite good friends.

Billy – “At first it was a challenge to get my buddy to listen to me and concentrate on the activities we had to do but now I am happy he is my buddy and enjoy the time down there.”

Taiwo – “Having a buddy has been very challenging but rewarding, this is because I have learnt to accept that he may not always listen to me and I have learnt that sometimes I must be firm in a kind way. I am loving this experience very much.”

Blake – “I have enjoyed having a buddy, that listens well. At first I was a little impatient but I have learnt to be more understanding. My favourite part is the learning activities on Monday because I get to teach him new things and miss maths!”

Mrs Otero (Teacher) – “I have been super impressed with Miles and the way that he consistently interacts with his buddy, always in a kind and caring manner and demonstrating modelling how to complete activities, this was particularly evident in the rocket making activity.”