It feels good to be at school
I like it when we play with the toys
I like the play shed and playing with my friends
I have enjoyed starting school

We feel happy and safe in school now we have started and got used to everyone and everything
I was worried about starting school, but they’ve all gone away now
I like playing with the water

I like sitting on the carpet and listening to my teacher and learning

Views from a section of children in Reception in their first two weeks of school

“We really like learning. Maths and phonics are fun and help us. We like being with our friends in the playground and playing safely. We like learning with our friends too! We like being ready, respectful, and safe all the time, and we know that listening is important to help us when we are learning. I like learning with different equipment, and we like it when we play and learn inside and outside. We love Rainbow assemblies when the grown-ups can come to see us and hear what the teachers have to say about us from our certificates. We love going up to the library because we see different books and get to take them home. We love Greasley!”

Ellie and Bailey (Year 1)

“We work really hard in English and learn about other countries. At Greasley, we all work together as a team. We work hard on our spellings, and we always think about the school rules of being ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’. We work on reading to help us learn and we think about the Rainbow Values. We love school and the time we spend with the teachers, TAs and grown-ups. We like playtimes and the games we play. We work on being kind and having manners. We love being at Greasley”.

Charlotte, Lyla and Hattie (Year 2)
 

“The school is really sturdy with lots of colour to keep us safe, cheerful and happy. The helpful staff and are always kind and protective towards the children and adults. The dinner ladies are so kind, and they make sure that everyone is ok. The people in the office help us if we are hurt. Greasley has lots of equipment that we can use in our learning and to help us keep exercising. Rainbow Rewards on a Friday morning help to remind us how to be kind and respectful, and how to become a great human being. We also have Job Squad, Planet Protectors, and more teams to help us make school a better place to be. We have a Rainbow Den and sensory room to keep us calm and happy. We have lovely classrooms, and we are kept safe. Greasley is a wonderful place to be.”

Harry B and Aaliyah M (Year 3)

Greasley is a really good school and gives us a great education. It’s great fun because we do lots of cool lessons where we develop endless knowledge and skills. Greasley has lots of great staff (and that includes everyone!) Greasley has lots of good leaders to find out problems and make developments for improvement. Everyone works well as a team to keep people safe and healthy. There are lots of clubs and teams in school to make a difference and we have lots of equipment to play with and help us with our learning. The school are good at arranging trips so we can develop our skills outside of school too for our future. Greasley is special because it helps lots of different types of people. It helps people with disabilities and needs, even when they might not know they have a problem yet. The school makes sure that everyone is happy and well. When new people start the school, we make sure they are made to feel welcome, have friends and feel part of the school. We would love you to join Greasley.

Finn and Elsa (Year 4)

Greasley have worked very hard to create a clean, tidy, and safe school, where we also think about the environment and curriculum. Different spaces around school (including the outdoors) provide everyone with different opportunities throughout the school day to support learning and break times. The school provide active learning opportunities through a range of exciting afterschool clubs. Displays help to show the school community what we have been learning about, and the library is a place where children can learn through a love of books as a class or individual. Book bands also encourage us to read through a variety of books at our own reading level. Rainbow Rewards and Head Teacher Awards encourage children to be good in class and outside of school. The Rainbow Values help us to understand ourselves and others. Greasley is a really good school to go to and we have worked hard to look after it and make it child-friendly.”

Morgan and Bluebell (Year 5)
 

At Greasley, we are taught many techniques and strategies to support us in our learning. We love the wider opportunities provided through the curriculum, trips, residentials and after school clubs. Learning in the classroom is very helpful, but active learning away from the building is also very important and helps to consolidate and develop our learning. It makes sense when everything links together. The adults all work together to help us and prepare us for secondary school by providing us with different skills, knowledge, and activities to adapt and extend our learning. Year on year, we have realised how the curriculum has developed and evolved to make sure that we are more prepared for the next chapter. As we are now in Year 6, we are getting ready for the next stage in our education, and we will take with us different aspects of Greasley with us. Everything in the Rainbow Values will stick with us and go on our journey for life. We’ve been taught to be kind, have manners, and show respect to all others and include everyone. We know how important it is to look after the environment and wider world. Greasley have really looked after us and know when we are feeling down and need support. They know when we aren’t OK and do something about it to make us feel better. The staff know our personalities and do what they can to ‘check in’. We are well cared for, and mental health and wellbeing is taken seriously. They also teach us how important positive mental health and wellbeing is, but how we need to help ourselves and have the strategies to improve wellbeing as and when we need to. Greasley have provided us with all the pieces of the jigsaw to make a complete picture as we move onto the next stage. We will never forget Greasley!

Emily and Oliver (Year 6)