Further Fridays

Introducing Further Fridays

We are beginning the trial of the new school day during Autumn Term 2, 2024.

Following initial consultation, the following dates and times have been agreed:

Monday - Thursday:

School gates open at 8.30am. Registers open at 8.40am.

School finishes at 3.30pm.

Friday:

School gates open at 8.30am. Registers open at 8.40am.

School finishes at 1pm.

From 1 - 3.15pm on a Friday, those parents who need to keep their child onsite, will need to book a space on MCAS - Friday Enrichment (under clubs section).

If needed, parents must book a space for Friday's afternoon sessions for the entire HALF TERM. Once the half term begins, you will not be able to book on for odd weeks, as we need to organise ratios and adults to arrange provision.

Please indicate on MCAS if you require childcare each Friday, during the second half of the Autumn Term. In enrolling your child to Friday Enrichment club, you are indicating that you require childcare each week, beginning on the 8th November, until 20th December. In order for the school to plan provision effectively, it will not be possible to book into provision part way through the block, or on a weekly basis.

What is Further Fridays?

Further Fridays is an additional extra-curricular structured provision that is delivered alongside our already running set of challenging and inclusive extra-curricular clubs. Our extra-curricular offer comprises of these two main strands: extra-curricular clubs that run from Monday to Thursday and our Further Fridays which run ever Friday afternoon.

If your child attends every Further Friday afternoon over the year, your child will have attended 18 additional school days, just under 4 weeks of additional learning.

At Hill Avenue Academy our aim is to educate all children to the highest levels of academic and personal achievement developing confident, happy and compassionate members of society within our curriculum and this is also the case in our additional high-quality provision that supports children to develop further in addition to the normal school day.

Further Fridays consist of three sessions:

LiD (Learning in Depth)

“If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has, as the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.” Vincent Van Gogh

Learning in Depth, or LiD, is a simple though radical innovation in curriculum and instruction designed to ensure that all children become experts about something during their school years. It was developed in the Imaginative Education Research Group at Simon Fraser University in B.C., Canada by Professor Kieran Egan. Each child is given a particular topic to learn about through their whole school career, in addition to the usual curriculum, and builds a personal portfolio on the topic. At Hill Avenue we use these this research but across an academic year to ensure depth and pace of learning.

At Hill Avenue, we want to ensure children become independent, self-motivated learners that understand the dedication needed to become a master in something and want to continuously learn and grow, empowering children to only need themselves to learn in the future.

HAL (Hill’s Active Lifestyle)

In June 2024 the WHO (World Health Organisation) published these following facts across the world:

·Regular physical activity provides significant physical and mental health benefits.
In adults, physical activity contributes to prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, enhances brain health, and can improve overall well-being.
In children and adolescents, physical activity promotes bone health, encourages healthy growth and development of muscle, and improves motor and cognitive development.
31% of adults and 80% of adolescents do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity.
The global target set to reduce levels of physical inactivity in adults and adolescents is a 10% relative reduction by 2025 and 15% by 2030, from the 2010 baseline.

At Hill Avenue Academy we want to make a difference to our children, physically and mentally to not only better their own lives now and the future.

Children will receive a structured active session each week to promote mental and physical wellbeing, developing physical literacy and promoting a positive experience with physical activity from a young age.

HHLS (Hill’s Home Learning Support)

Following on from the PCAF (Parent and Community Advisory Forum) meetings in 2024 some families stated that they wished to have support on home learning ie difficulties with accessing technology or having the time to complete.

Due to the high-levels of deprivation surrounding the area of Hill Avenue Academy, and the findings from the PCAF meetings, there will be a session to support children to complete home learning or have access to additional challenge competing against children Nationally ie TTRS or having an adult to read with through BOOM reader.