Autumn Activities at The RGS Worcester Family of Schools

Autumn has well and truly arrived at The RGS Worcester Family of Schools, and we have been enjoying a host of Autumnal festivities and activities.

RGS The Grange and RGS Springfield held their Harvest Festival assemblies and were the recipients of some very generously donated, and much-needed, food essentials for local charities.

Pupils at RGS Springfield have been exploring, celebrating and learning all about Autumn in lessons and ventured into the local area for an Autumnal amble in the sun to learn about the changing seasons.  The pupils were very excited to spot signs of Autumn such as colourful leaves, berries, mushrooms, acorns, and apples.

The Autumnal activities have continued with the Harvest Festival in Years One and Two. Pupils presented their Harvest assembly to staff and some very proud parents and shared facts about the Harvest Festival Rainbow, talking about how the colourful food in the rainbow groups helps keep us fit and healthy. Pupils also reflected on how we can help those less fortunate than ourselves and how we should be grateful for the things that we have.

The assembly welcomed a bountiful collection of food donations that have been delivered to the Worcester Street Café, Worcester Food Bank and St Paul’s Church. Headmistress Laura Brown commented, “It really matters to us that we try to encourage the children to be caring and thoughtful and to realise that others are often less fortunate than ourselves”.

At The Grange, donations were just as plentiful, and The Harvest Festival was just as successful. Festival celebrations included a superb performance from both the Ladybirds and Caterpillars groups and saw an awe-inspiring performance from the Chamber Choir. Parents also indulged and joined Headmaster Gareth Hughes for a mass ‘Harvest Festival Samba’.

The Butterflies group have been learning how to keep fit and healthy, exploring seasonal fruit and vegetables and creating a mini allotment outside. Pupils planted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, and pumpkins and shared their own experiences of growing fruit and vegetables at home. Back in the classroom, pupils created a fruit and vegetable shop with real food and explored textures, smells, shapes and sizes.

Activities will continue at RGS Worcester at home over the half-term break as pupils are invited to participate in the annual pumpkin carving competition and secure some points for their House. This year, participants are also being encouraged to utilise their pumpkin innards and prove that they have used them in a tasty dish or given them to wildlife.

This new initiative comes from Environmental Officer and Teacher of Biology, Ms Becky Briggs, who wants to ensure that no food goes to waste. Ms Briggs is a firm believer in reducing food waste and believes through greater awareness of the issue we can all play a vital role in helping to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from food production.

The Eco and Sustainability agenda is high on RGS Worcester’s priorities as participants in the national schools’ ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign. Headmaster, John Pitt, said, “We have continually been working hard to raise awareness of environmental issues in all four of the RGS Schools, and we must always grab any ways in which we can highlight the importance of sustainability. Cutting down on food waste is important, as are reducing our energy use if possible, using sustainable energy such as the solar panels we have, making our buildings better insulated and reducing the number of cars on the roads by investing in our transport system. All of these things help and we must all do our bit”.