Featured News
Lord Mayor Visit to HBJS - Little Library Official Opening
Little Library Official Opening
On Tuesday, we were privileged to have the Lord Mayor of Canterbury join us to officially open our Little Library. The School Council members, Ava (the winner of the design competition), staff and parents came together to enjoy a reception involving plenty of cake and lots of chatter! The School Council gave a speech after which we headed out to the courtyard for the Lord Mayor to officially open the Little Library through the cutting of the ribbon. We were then treated to an impressive performance from the choir. It was a wonderful event and we are very grateful that the Lord Mayor was able to join us to celebrate this.
The Little Library has been an ongoing vision of the School Council which has been realised with the expertise of Mr Hewitt, who built the library from scratch. The library was exclusively created from recycled items...even down to the hinges which were used! We are delighted that it is now ready to be used by our school community. The Little Library will open daily from 3pm to enable siblings to access this alongside our pupils as they leave school (it may remain closed in extreme weather). In time, we also plan to enable it to be accessed before school. Please feel free to take or donate books. There is no pressure to return a book but we hope that there will always be books readily available so it does rely on donations to enable this to run successfully. Please just put any book donations straight into the library. Parents are responsible for checking the suitability of books which are both borrowed and donated. All books should be suitable for children under 11. Happy borrowing!
Forest
It has been widely acknowledged that spending time outside is fundamental to well-being and mental health, particularly during the childhood years. At Herne Bay Junior School, we are extremely fortunate to have a large and thriving forest area which has been developed for the benefit of our pupils. All year groups utilise the glorious outdoor space as part of our curriculum on a regular basis. The aim of these lessons is to embed life skills such as team building, problem solving and improving their communication whilst enjoying the natural beauty around them regardless of the season. Alongside these useful tools to equip them as they grow, they also have the opportunity to get their hands dirty! Whether it is digging and planting in the flowerbeds, learning how to whittle sticks or building a watertight shelter, the focus is on working together in a positive, safe and engaging environment.
To allow comfortable and effective sessions, it is an expectation that children come to school on forest days with the correct clothing and footwear (e.g. wellies, raincoats in the wet weather). This will help them to enjoy their outdoor experiences!
Student and ECT Mentoring Programme
Student and ECT Mentoring Programme
Overview of the school
Herne Bay Junior School is a four-form entry school situated in Herne Bay. We work closely with Canterbury Christ Church University and are proud to be a lead partnership school in mentoring students. Over the past couple of years, we have also worked closely with the University of Brighton. The school supports between 4-8 placements per year across a range of routes including School Direct.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, the school hosted one School Direct placement, four Year 2 students, one Year 3 placement and one PGCE placement. We also supported two Early Career Teachers (ECTs). This year, 2023-2024, we are hosting one School Direct placement, three Year 2 placements, one Year 3 placement and have two ECTs.
Approaches to ITT at Herne Bay Junior School
Students are warmly welcomed into the school and are encouraged to become an active member of our staff and school ethos. Each student is placed in a class with a mentor as their class teacher. Mentors are fully trained and are supported by the Lead Mentor. They work closely together on a day to day basis, offering informal feedback, support and training during each student’s placement. Mentors work with the student in order to develop their pedagogy, knowledge of the children and assessment of the class and individual pupils in line with the guidance from their university.
Mentors meets with their student weekly and work to ensure that they are developing and moving towards meeting the teaching standards. Regular formal observations take place of their teaching providing written feedback in line with guidance from the university. From this, mentors will set clear targets for progression and will write reports across the year in discussion with the student teacher.
The Lead Mentor has responsibility for all mentors within the school. A key role of the Lead Mentor is that of quality assurance. As part of the quality assurance process, the Lead Mentor carries out joint observations with mentors, supports in writing reports, offers feedback to the mentors and acts as an additional source of opinion and support when necessary.
The Lead Mentor and mentors also co-ordinate placement-based training that is offered to the student teachers. CPD includes support with assessment, subject specific training, behaviour and phonics. Link Tutors regularly visit to support mentors and students and to observe.
Feedback from current and past students:
Student 1 -
I am currently completing my School Direct placement with Herne Bay Junior School. Throughout this process, I have received weekly mentor meetings and been provided with regular productive feedback on how to improve my practice. My mentor’s support and guidance has been invaluable! All staff have embraced my new role with open arms and have supported and encouraged me at all times. I am looking forward to developing my knowledge and skills further throughout the rest of the year and moving onward with my teaching career.
Student 2-
As an ECT1 employed at the same school where I undertook my teacher training, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive and enriching. From the outset, I felt welcomed and embraced by both colleagues and pupils, fostering an environment conducive to growth and learning.
Throughout this journey, the support and guidance from experienced mentors and colleagues have been instrumental in my professional development. Regular feedback sessions and collaborative planning meetings have allowed me to reflect on my teaching practice and refine my approach, leading to noticeable improvements in pupil outcomes and classroom management.
Experiencing success, both big and small, has been incredibly rewarding. Whether it's witnessing a struggling student make significant progress or seeing the entire class enthusiastically engage with a challenging topic, these moments reaffirm my passion for teaching and motivate me to continue striving for excellence.
Moreover, the positive feedback I've received from both students and colleagues has been incredibly encouraging. Knowing that my efforts are making a difference in the lives of my pupils and being recognised for my contributions to the school community has boosted my confidence and reaffirmed my decision to pursue a career in education.
My experience as an ECT in such a supportive school has been nothing short of transformative. The varied teaching experiences, coupled with ongoing support and positive feedback, have laid a solid foundation for my future growth and development as an educator. I am grateful for the opportunities afforded to me and look forward to continuing my journey in the field of education with enthusiasm and dedication.
Student 3 –
I am now well underway in my second year as an ECT, and my progress and development continue to be supported by Herne Bay Junior School. I now have bi-weekly mentor meetings, which gives me an opportunity to discuss how my learning from the ECF course is progressing, as well as receiving guidance in implementing this learning into the classroom. I have attended local and regional ECT conferences, which have allowed me to network with other ECTs in the area and beyond. Both of these experiences have been extremely valuable. Herne Bay Junior School pride themselves on supporting aspiring teachers and I would urge anyone who is thinking about becoming a teacher to consider this wonderful school.
Student 4 -
Over the last 12 weeks, I have been lucky enough to complete my final placement at Herne Bay Junior school. From my very first day, I was made to feel so welcome by every member of staff at the school. Throughout my experience, I was hugely supported within all my teaching and planning, which allowed my confidence to flourish and helped me discover my own teacher identity. I have learnt more over the past 12 weeks than I have at any other stage of my teaching journey thus far. I was made to feel like part of the team at HBJS and I am entirely grateful for all the time and guidance I received throughout.
As a lead partnership school with CCCU, we were recently visited by colleagues from The Gambia. These included 2 Principal Education Officers for In Service Education and Training, a Director of Early Childhood Development and Inclusive Education and a Vice Principal. Accompanying them was a representative from World Bank, which supports and funds education and training across the world.
The purpose for their visit to Herne Bay Junior School was to gain an understanding we work with CCCU to mentor students and how students are mentored by teachers. The visit provided the colleagues with a chance to observe how a mentor meeting is structured. We were honoured to be able share our successes of our mentorship programme with them and also to hear of their experiences of teacher training in The Gambia.
The School Council’s Visit to the Guildhall by Imogen and Evie
Procession of the Lord Mayor
When we arrived, we sat in our seats in silence. Then a man came in and said “All stand for the Lord Mayor”. He was carrying a mace. Then a couple of people came in including the Lord Mayor. The mace was placed in the middle of the room and the Lord Mayor said into the microphone “You may now sit.”
The Mace of Civic Regalia
The mace is made from solid silver. It weighs 4.5kg. It is carried on the right shoulder. The mace is only used on rare and special occasions. It has lots of patterns and details on it with no stakes. We all got to hold the mace.
Rotten eggs for fines
A long time ago, the Mayor would go around the public and call them for a meeting. The Lord Mayor would demand to pay their fines. The people got really angry and they started to throw rotten eggs at the Lord Mayor. They realised this was upsetting people and so they decided to stop.
The Burghmote Horn
Back in 1155, a soldier climbed to the top of the tall building to blow the horn. The horn was blown to get the Lord Mayor up for a meeting.
The Vision Sword
The Vision Sword was made in 1988. It has six crests on it:
- The Canterbury Cross
- The University Coat of Arms
- The Queen’s Regiment
- The Archbishop’s See
- The Tudor Rose
- City of Canterbury coat of arms
The Three Chuff Birds
On the Canterbury Shield, there are three chuff birds. They have red beaks and legs. There is a story about how they got their red beaks and legs. Thomas Beckett was struck by a sword in Canterbury Cathedral by the kingsmen. When the men ran away, birds flew down, including the chuff. When the chuff landed, it landed in a puddle of blood making their feet turn red. When they pecked at the body, their beaks turned red. So that is why chuffs have red feet and beaks.
School Council Meeting
We were lucky enough to have our usual weekly School Council meeting at the Guildhall. We talked about how we will hold a tombola on the 14th November. This will be to raise money for Forest Area and for a Little Free Library project. There will also be a win every time stall.
Digestive System - Year 4
Year 4 have been learning about the digestive system. The children enjoyed learning about how food travels through the body and the journey that it takes. The children then used this knowledge to make replicas of the digestive system using different materials to represent the organs. The children also used this knowledge to write a story. The children took on the character of a biscuit and imagined what would happen to them as they travelled through the digestive system.