A HAMPSHIRE school is racing ahead of other schools when it comes to sports.

For the fourth year in a row, Blackfield Primary has been accredited with the prestigious gold standard in the government’s School Games Mark awards.

And that’s not all.

Because Blackfield has consistently produced Gold standards in its sport provision it has now been advised it can go for the highest, and rarely awarded, mark of them all – Platinum.

The School Games Mark was launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community.

Schools can achieve one of three awards annually, Bronze, Silver or Gold, depending on the amount of sports competitions they have entered and the amount of children who have represented the school.

Principal, Tariq Sasso, said: “We are immensely proud to have won the Gold mark for a fourth consecutive year.

"This award reinforces the emphasis that the school places on all children taking part in sport, having great experiences at primary school and trying things out which they may not normally get involved with.

“When you walk in our main reception, the first thing you’ll see is the stocked trophy cabinet and pictures of children playing sport.

“We really focus on giving children opportunities to not only be competitive but also to take part in as wide a range of sports as possible.”

Blackfield Primary boasts more than 25 after school clubs and has already scored success this academic year with a win for the Key Stage 1 boys football team at the New Forest tournament held at Applemore College.

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IT is anywhere, anytime at Blackfield

Children at Blackfield Primary have modern learning tools at their fingertips.

The school’s motto for technology is ‘ICT anywhere, anytime’ and this is backed up with every classroom being stocked up with 21st century teaching tools.

Every class has a bank of laptops, tablets or chromebooks so that technology is continually at children’s fingertips.

Technology is also used to support children with reading, writing and maths through the use of ‘flipped learning’ videos on Youtube where children can listen to recordings of their teachers to help them learn in class or at home.

Static displays are also a thing of the past at Blackfield as well.

Each classroom has ‘write-on walls’ - an innovative use of space and technology, which enables children to be modern day learners and contribute to their own learning journeys.

Making Learning Irresistible

Blackfield Primary is a great communicator and has embraced social media as a way of letting its community know all its news – using the hashtag #MLI (making learning irresistible).

There is a real emphasis on making learning real and engaging for the children to inspire the #MLI hashtag.

From Year 2s learning about science through becoming Park Rangers at Marwell Zoo to children using their speaking and listening skills when presenting the daily radio show from their very own DJ studio ‘FAB FM’ – learning at Blackfield is truly irresistible.

The school is also helping to produce the engineers of tomorrow.

Thanks to its very own laser cutter (which most secondary schools would like to own) the children designed and created their own desk-tidies.

And the school’s Year 5s have enhanced their learning through experiencing the wild like Bear Grylls and Year 6s have been using the blue-screen studio to make their own version of the Harry Potter movies.

A-head of the game

Blackfield Primary School is very proud that it appoints a new Head Girl and Head Boy every year.

This year’s students to hold those honours are Anna Armitage and Max Briant. They are being ably assisted by their Deputies, Skye Worsley, Ellie Milham, Thomas Sunderland and James Hampton.

All of the candidates for these important roles went through a rigorous interview process with last year’s pupil leadership team.

Principal, Tariq Sasso, said: “It’s important for children to learn the skills of applying for something they want and going through an interview process. I feel strongly that that the children have a voice in terms of school development and our Head Boy and Head Girl team work closely with myself and the school council to make decisions about moving the school forwards.”

Beyond the school gates

Blackfield Primary expands it learning from way out of the classroom by offering residential trips to four of its year groups.

It’s not just the Year 6 children that get to experience a few days away from home and school but also children in Years 3, 4 and 5.

The Year 3 youngsters get to visit the New Forest and climb high wires, Year 4s visit the Dorset coast for an art residential and Year 5s take their geographical skills to the Isle of Wight where they experience sea kayaking, coasteering and mountain boarding.

The ultimate residential trip and lifelong memory for Blackfield children before they leave for secondary school is the Year 6 trip to the Brecon Beacons.

There they experience climbing the snowy peaks and visit the area’s stunning waterfalls.

Read all about it

The school is fortunate to boast not one, but four reading areas: the Globe, Wonderland, Krypton, and the Gryffindor common room.

These are overseen by a librarian who supports the children with their reading choices.

In addition the school has its own Knight Bus, Blackfield’s very own Harry Potter themed reading bus which is located on the junior playground.

This gives children the opportunity to enjoy reading and writing experiences during their break times as well as giving teachers a creative space to work with their classes.

Learning in the great outdoors

Blackfield Primary offers many outdoor learning experiences in its extensive grounds.

The children in Year R can often be found learning and exploring in their outdoor area, or in the woodland which runs along the side of the grounds on their weekly ‘welly walks’.

At the bottom of the school field, children in Years 2 and 3 enjoy weekly sessions of ‘Forest School’ with a specialist teacher, where they learn about survival in the outdoors.

From the Principal, Tariq Sasso:

Blackfield Primary is a larger than average primary school located on the edge of the New Forest. Our school motto is ‘making learning irresistible’ and this is lived and breathed by every member of our school community. I am very proud of the wonderful curriculum that we offer our learners. From Year R to Year 6, our children learn through engaging and purposeful projects which inspire them and help them to become lifelong learners.

At the heart of everything we do are our school ‘INSPIRE’ values (Innovation, Nurture, Success, Passion, Integrity, Responsibility and Excellence) which teach children about becoming well-rounded, resilient citizens as well as developing their mindsets so they are able to see that they can achieve anything through determination and perseverance.

Blackfield Primary is privileged to be part of the Inspire Learning Partnership, which is a multi-academy trust consisting of two other primary schools, one infant school and a nursery. With this comes collaborative working and shared expertise – all of which benefit the children in our school.

In our aim to achieve excellence for all learners, we have designed classroom spaces that are flexible and that develop with the needs of the children. This approach, combined with outstanding ICT resourcing, is helping us to support our learners to be ready to succeed in future climates.

Our children make good progress from the end of Year 2 to the end of Year 6 and the results of our children at the end of Year R and in the phonics screening are both above the national average.

Ultimately I believe that primary school should be the best years of a child’s life, they should leave with incredible memories, have adults who inspire them and should leave to go to secondary school believing they can achieve anything their heart desires. That’s why I love going into school every day and being there for our community.

We are offering tours for September 2019 Year R and Year 3 places throughout October and November, please call 02380893132 to book. We are also holding a Year R presentation evening on Tuesday 16th October at 5:30 pm and a Year 3 presentation evening on Wednesday 17th October at 5:30 pm, all are welcome.