Year 6 Bikeability

Over the past 3 weeks, our Year 6 children completed an exciting and educational Bikeability course, where they had the opportunity to explore the local area while learning essential road safety skills. Under the guidance of experienced trainers, the children navigated various routes, gaining practical knowledge about safety practices, traffic rules, and the importance of being aware of their surroundings. The hands-on experience not only reinforced their understanding of road safety but also encouraged a sense of independence and responsibility. We are proud of our pupils’ achievements and would like to extend a huge thank you to our trainers who have supported the children along their Bikeability journey.

Lionel Library Reading Challenge

Congratulations to all the children who are busy reading for the Lionel Library Reading Challenge. This week, we have delivered Bronze certificates (10 books read) and Silver certificates and bookmarks (25 books read) to lots of children! Well done to the following children for receiving their Bronze certificates: Emily (Apple), Ryan (Plum), Mohamad (Pear), Selena (Fir), Zayan (Spruce), Ayla (Poplar), Ansh (Ash) and Nia (Maple). And to these children for their Silver certificates: Ernest (Apple), Hasan (Plum), Samarth (Pineapple), Sebastian (Chestnut), Jasmine (Fir) and Rawan (Spruce). Keep reading everyone.

Red Nose Day 

Lionel Primary Anti-Bullying Week

EYFS/KS1 House Competition

Year 4 Trip to watch a film-The Red Turtle at Hounslow Cineworld

House Captains

We have already announced our House Captains but this week I was very happy to present them with their badges of office.  Congratulations everyone!

Gunnersbury Museum Visit

 Year 3 really enjoyed their visits to Gunnersbury museum this week to take part in a workshop about the Stone Age. Samirajulia said, "I liked when we were throwing the spear to hit the boar, just like the Stone Age people."  Zaid said, "My favourite part was looking at all the Stone Age artefacts"

Year 6 trips to Chessington World of Adventures

This week Year 6 celebrated finishing our SATs tests in style! Oak, Sycamore and Maple went to Chessington World of Adventures and we had the time of our lives. As the park wasn’t too busy, we were able to go on all the rides that we wanted (sometimes twice or three times!) and didn’t have to queue for too long. We were very fortunate to go on the brand-new ride – Jumanji – that opened on Monday. It was so awesome and went really fast. The day was one that we won’t forget as we were able to chill out with our friends all day and have a laugh. Year 6 Pupils and Staff  

RECEPTION CLASSES TRIP TO GUNNERSBURY PARK

On Wednesday, 3rd May, as part of their learning about growing and minibeasts, Reception children went on their first trip this year to Gunnersbury Park.  They took part in a ‘Story Telling and Science’ interactive workshop to discover the natural world and local heritage.  The workshop was​  called “Flora and Pip’s Big Adventure”  and was about two children called Flora and Pip who were lost in Gunnersbury Park.  They needed to enlist the help of some very special creatures to help them find their way home. The children got to explore the magical micro world of mini-beasts and their habitats through pond dipping and minibeast hunts, they went on a guided walk of the park searching for different plants and trees and then they had a picnic in the sun and played some fun games.  The children all had a fabulous day and haven't stopped talking about it since.

Online Safety

 Today we have had a special visit from Constable Aubeelack and Constable Taylor, who have delivered an Online Safety workshop for Lionel parents. The workshop was organised to help parents and carers understand why young people go online and give them resources to help keep children safe. Thank you to those of you who attended. The resources from the workshop will be available on our school website next week.  

Storytelling Workshop

Last Thursday, Year 5 had the fantastic opportunity to participate in a gripping story telling workshop by West London University. Top story teller, Jordan, told a traditional Grimm Brothers tale called 'Godfather death'. The story begins  when a poor man looks for a godfather to take care of his thirteenth child. Death agrees to look after the boy and promises to make him rich. When the boy grows up, Death reveals to him how he can become the greatest doctor in the world, however, Death warns the young man never to save the life of anyone that he has chosen to take. He is warned that the consequences will be dire if he does. Year 5, students and teachers included, were completely captivated by this extraordinary tale. After Jordan finished, the children were tasked to write the 7 most important parts of the story, that are essential in order to pass the story along. From here, everyone (including teachers) had to retell there favourite part, adding in any detail for our own version but not straying from the core event. We added actions, different characterisations and detail before performing to our peers. 

We learnt that historically, story telling is an oral tradition, in which stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. There was then a shift in words or details, that would slightly change the original story. 

The children had so much fun and we continued the day with the children sharing their own stories with an added twist.

Year 2

Victorian Day

Thursday 23rd March

In Year 2 this week we held a Victorian Day to provide the children with a taste of what it was like to be a child in the 19th century. During the day we discussed the differences and similarities between life during the Victorian era and modern day life The children went to lots of effort to dress as Victorians and enjoyed experiencing Victorian school life as well as making Victorian toys. It was a very memorable day for all! 

Tuesday 21st March Year 3 trip to the London Synagogue 

 This week, year 3 visited Ealing Synagogue to enhance our understanding of Judaism, the synagogue and Jewish celebrations.  We learned about Passover, Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah.  We looked at the different parts of the synagogue such as the Ark, the eternal light and the bimah.  We asked Rabbi Yogel lots of probing questions e.g. why do men and women sit separately and learnt lots! 

India Day

 Monday 20th March 

On Monday, Year 5 enriched their Geography topic with a cultural celebration day. Our focus this term has been on the Commonwealth, with a country focus on India. We have been learning about the river systems, mountain ranges, climate zones and physical and human features of this incredible country. 

We began the day with a student lead enquiry. Children were given the choice from several topics (The arts, Religion and Religious Festivals and Traditional Indian Clothing) where they could explore and research different key questions. Following this, each class participated in a Bollywood Dance workshop! The workshop was fast paced, exciting and full of intricate dance moves. We learnt five basic hand movements: the lotus, together fingers, peacock, head in the house and picking the fruit. Any year 5 pupil would be happy to demonstrate the movements or even perform the dance! 

Throughout the day, we listened to a traditional Indian Stories and watched part of a Bollywood film.  Later in the day, we dined and tried many Indian delicacies including biryani, chapati’s, curry, sweets, rice, pakora’s and onion bhaji. Finally, we finished the day by having the amazing opportunity to listen to stories and facts about India from several of our lovely parent helpers.  We even got to look at a spice tray that is in every Indian household to help make the delicious curries - They smelt amazing! Thank you to all our helpers that donated food, traditional dress, artefacts and told stories. We couldn't have done it without the support from our lovely Lionel Community.

Roman Day

Today, all the Year 3 classes and Hawthorn class journeyed back to the time of the Ancient Romans. Our workshop was led by a Roman soldier named Sergio who was initially very impressed about all the interesting facts the children shared. 

Sergio then spoke to us about a wide range of topic: the different place names (Britannia, Caledonia, Gaul); the Battle of Cannae; key Roman emperors, like Augustus, Hadrian (who built the famous 73-mile wall built to guard the wild north-west frontier of the Roman Empire) Marcus Aurelius; the Roman myth – Romulus and Remus.

Between break and lunch, the children split into three class groups. Sergio led an artefact handling session where he showed and demonstrated various items, like: a large hooded-cloak, metal water bottle, body scraper, scroll, iron chains, ear and nail picker and coins.  Another session saw the children locating the answers to a Roman quiz by searching the information on eight wooden boards that were positioned round the classroom.  The children really enjoyed playing a Roman game called ‘Delta’, either with a partner or small group.  They had to flick a ‘jewel’ into a sectioned triangle and then record their scores, deciphering the correct number as the amounts were recorded in Roman numeral.

All the children are excited to find out what the afternoon has in store:  weapons of the Roman Legionary soldier; Boudicca’s revolt and gladiator fighting; and finally a Roman battle drill.

Police Visits Year 5

On Tuesday 6th December, Year 5 had a special visit from Constable Aubeelack to talk about been safe outside school and raising awareness about crime and violence. He spoke to us about street crime including gangs, offensive weapons and drugs. We learnt about how to not get involved in these street crimes and if somebody gets involved or helps somebody commit a crime, they can be convicted as well. People can be affected by these crimes, even children. The Constable told us that if we were ever in an unsafe environment, we should leave immediately, get to somewhere safe and inform an adult. The age of criminal responsibility in England is 10 years old so it is important to know the laws and do the right thing!

Year 5 children enjoyed the opportunity to ask the Constable questions. Here are some of our children’s comments:

If somebody gives you an open packet of sweets, never take it! Some drugs look like sweets and you can never know so it’s best to be safe.

Nia (Elm)

The most surprising thing I learnt was that medicines are drugs and unless prescribed by a doctor, they can be harmful.

Hugo (Ash)

Be careful about taking money from strangers even kids because they may ask for an illegal favour back.

Walid (Elm)

If you’re ever in a danger or witness a street crime, call the police!

Emily (Beech)

You shouldn’t take candies or sweets without labels, even at Halloween!

Maya (Elm)

Year 4 cinema trip to see Lyle, Lyle Crocodile
 On Monday 14th November, Year 4 went to see a film called ‘Lyle, Lyle Crocodile.’ They walked to The Waterman’s Centre in Brentford, as part of the ‘Into Film’ Festival, which is a free, nationwide celebration of film, inspiring young people to watch, understand and make film in new and creative ways. 

Year 2 Diwali

In Year 2 we had a visit from one of our parents to talk to the children about The Rama and Sita story and how Diwali is celebrated in Hindu and Sikh communities.

Victorian Day at Lionel Primary

This week Year 2 went back in time for a Victorian day. Despite all the new rules they had to get used to, they had a great day!!

''Yesterday at school we had Victorian Day, in the morning we would get caned if we were late. Then we started doing exercise because Victorians always started their day with doing exercise. Next, it was reading time so everyone was reading a book aloud and Miss Wilson said the girls were better at reading. After that, boys went out to do some drill and the girls were doing paper weaving and then we did arithmetic. Then we ate disgusting slimy, horrible gruel and it was the best day of my life''

By Alisha

''On Victorian Day, we went to a Victorian school. First, I came through the door and it was like a time warp! Then we sat on a girl's side and a boy's side and two children got caned because they were late. We also sang Oranges and Lemons, did the three R's (reading, writing and arithmetic) and assembly too. The girls did paper weaving and boys did drill. We ate horrible gruel, did copperplate handwriting in copybooks and did a portrait of Queen Victoria. It was a very fun day!'' 

By Elin

Year 3 Rivers Workshop

This week, Year 3 have started their Rivers topic in Geography. To launch the topic we had an exciting visit from The Thames Explorer Trust who work to improve, protect and promote the River Thames for both people and wildlife.

The children took part in different activities, learning about the different key features of a river and how to protect them. We also looked at transportation and how the river has changed over time. ​ All of the children have thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and learned lots of interesting information!

Junior Spelling Bee House Competition - 21st April 2022

On Thursday 21st April, the juniors all came together in the Hall and online to watch the Finals of the Junior Spelling Bee. Sixteen children, from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, representing the four Houses, had fought through two demanding rounds to compete against each other in the Finals to find the Spelling Bee Champion of 2022. The atmosphere in the Hall was tense as the competitors sweated over their first 10 words.

While these were being marked, the rest of the Juniors took part in the Roald Dahl Super Spell-off, in which they had to spell words taken from the Roald Dahl Dictionary. This competition within a competition was to find the House with the highest number of Super Spellers! After marking all the spelling lists, Red Leopards were declared the winners of this part of the competition.

Now we were ready for the ‘Sudden Death’ round of the Spelling Bee to find the best speller. Children were given a Year-group appropriate word to spell; if they spelled it correctly, they remained in the competition, but if they made a mistake, they were out! It was a gruelling test of their spelling skills, but in the end Lucas from Blue Lions was declared the winner.

Well done to all the contestants – you should all be very proud of yourselves –and huge congratulations to Lucas, our Spelling Bee Champion of 2022!

Roman Day - 24th March 2022

I

In Year 3 we have been studying the Roman Empire for our History. Today, we held a special event where we explored the theme "What did the Romans do for us?" All of the children looked fantastic in their costumes. We held an assembly, took part in a quiz and made posters and a Roman Shield. What an amazing day!

British Science Week at LPS

This year, British Science Week was celebrated across the UK from 11th - 20th March. The theme was Growth. At Lionel, children took part in lots of different and exciting Science investigations in school, beginning with every child planting a sunflower seed to see who can grow the tallest (this is an on-going competition as the sunflowers are still a couple of months off from being fully grown!).

Children were also invited to enter a poster competition to design a poster on the topic of growth. Lots of children from across the school sent in some really fantastic entries and it was difficult for the judges to choose a winner! In the end, three winners were chosen, one from Key Stage 1, one from Lower Key Stage 2 and one from Upper Key Stage 2. The three winners were each awarded a beautiful book on a science topic. Below are the three winning entries. Aren't they brilliant?

Anti Idling Workshop - 8th March 2022

On Tuesday 8th March, Hounslow Council was invited to our school to facilitate our second environmental workshop for the year. Children from years 4, 5 and 6 participated and learnt about the harmful affects pollution and idling have on our atmosphere, environment and, more importantly, our health. Living in a densely populated area, it is important that we are turning off our cars when stationary to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere. Did you know…. An idling car can fill up to 150 balloons with harmful emissions every minute. Switching off your engine can go a long way to improving air quality. After we participated in the workshops, the Eco Council walked up and down Lionel Road speaking to parents and vehicle drivers about the importance of turning off their cars to ensure they are not idling. The Eco Council spoke very well and had over 15 pledges from our local community to switch off their cars when stationary. Well done Lionel Primary. Will you pledge to turn off your car when stationary to reduce the pollution in the atmosphere? Keep an eye out for upcoming environmental events at Lionel Primary School. Stay Green Lionel!

Please see the write up in Hounslow Travel Active

https://www.hounslowtravelactive.co.uk/air-quality/search/ 

This is Me Poetry Competition - February 2022

In February, children from Years 4-6 were invited to enter a national poetry writing competition run by Young Writers. The title of the competition was This Is Me and children were invited to write a poem on this theme. We were absolutely delighted with the number of children who entered the competition and in the quality of the poetry writing. All entries were deemed so good by the judges that they will be published in a collection of poems written by children from all over the country! We're looking forward to receiving a copy for the school in due course.

Below are a selection of the entries for you to enjoy. Happy poetry reading!

Our World

 I wish I was a cheetah, running through the land,

Doing what I want, cause I’m in command,

I wish I was a cat, laying at home,

Or chilling on a beach, in the centre of Rome,

I wish I could fly, all the way to Japan,

Eat lots of sushi and join their clan,

I wish I was a tree, swishing in the breeze,

So, I wouldn’t have to eat, lots of carrots and peas,

I wish I was chocolate; sweet and yummy,

Bad for my teeth, but good for my tummy,

However,

My world, is not like that,

Trees don’t go swish,

They die like fish,

Cheetahs don’t run,

They get hunted for fun,

People don’t fly,

Instead, they die,

Don’t destroy our world creation,

Instead, help our future generation!

 By Anna Mrsi

I'm not entering the competition.

I'm not entering the competition,

I'm just not in to it.

It's not my thing.

I'm more of a reciter, less of a writer.

I like to run around kicking footballs, not so much writing on paper.

To speak myself, not let the pen talk to the paper.

I prefer to draw and colour not labelling and writing on whiteboards.

I'm not entering the competition

By Harry 

My Dream 

My dream is like any other dream, 

I dream of it one day coming true.

I dream of exploring far and away,

I dream of making history.

I dream of being inside a spacecraft

wearing an astronaut suit and helmet,

I dream of taking off someplace,

and zooming off into outer space.

I don't just dream of making it to space, 

I dream of landing on the moon.

Not one female has ever done that,

So I dream of being the first British female to land on the moon.

I have a dream just like everyone else,

which I hope one day I will complete.

I hope you keep on chasing your dreams,

and hopefully one day you will complete your dreams.                                                                    By Nusaiba 

Always with You

Kind and nice,

chubby and cute,

wherever you are

I'm there too.

On a plane,

in a helicopter,

on a bus 

in the rain.

I'm a part of you

in the head, arms,

legs and heart;

I will never leave you.

By Sienna Louw

The Future is in Our Hands

Our climate is changing, we all know that

The earth is getting hotter, and that is a fact

The poles are melting,raising the sea levels

Our planet is heating, endangering the animals

Fires in Australia, hurricanes in New York

As weather becomes extreme,many lives are lost

It's time for change, stop burning fossil fuels

Our earth is all we have, we need to change the rules

 By Shaurya Sethi

This is me!

Humorous 

Astonishing 

Noble

Ingenious 

Swift  

Heroic

Arty

This is me!

By Hanisha Chalana

SMYAN MEHTA

Sporty enough to get through the test, 

Makes an effort to do his best.

You and me can make a good team,

Always happy to help with gleam.

Never gives up.

Makes his friends cheer up,

Easy to be friends with,

Has fun every day.

Tries his best and offers help,

And at all times, trying to be myself!

By Smyan Metha

This is me!

To start with, do you know me?

How I am truly talented in the Spelling Bee,

I always seek for something difficult and challenging,

See, I am kind and knowledgeable: that's never changing!

I try new things but sometimes I fail,

So I try again and blow failure away in a gale!

Many people think I have a limit to be me,

Er! Er! They're wrong and that's why this is me!

By Kareena Nagpure

SISI

Sisi

Is

Super

Intelligent

By Sienna Louw

Gunnersbury Park Museum

Year 1 History Topic

Yesterday the Year 1 children walked through Gunnersbury Park to the Museum for a Victorian Toys and Games workshop! On the way they looked for signs of Autumn and saw lots of crunchy leaves, conkers, squirrels looking for food to store, and empty tree branches. When we arrived at the museum, the children experienced Victorian Parlour games including "pass the slipper" and "Keeper of the Keys". They learned that Victorian Toys were made from materials that are very different than modern toys including: wooden pegs, wax, fabric, and lead! The children all had a fantastic day playing with cup and balls, flipbooks, kaleidoscopes, wooden acrobat toys, and seeing a zoetrope which was the first type of moving picture before movies and television. 

Anti Bullying week November 2021

Anti-Bullying Week

"In a world that can sometimes feel like it’s filled with negativity, one kind word can  provide a moment of hope. It can be a turning point. It can change  someone’s  perspective. It can change their day. It can change the course of a conversation and  break the cycle of bullying. Best of all, one kind word leads to another. Kindness fuels  kindness. So, from the playground to Parliament, and from our phones to our homes,  together, our actions can fire a chain reaction that powers positivity. It starts with one kind  word. It starts today."

At Lionel, Anti-bullying week has been celebrated throughout the week and had the  theme ‘One Kind Word.’ In celebration of this special time we have been spreading  KINDNESS across our school.

Throughout the week we have been using a ‘7 Days of Kindness’ calendar which  encouraged two acts of kindness each day – one for someone else and one for ourselves.  Children across the school have learnt about what it means to be a bully, what to do if  you are bullied. We believe that bullying of any kind is totally unacceptable and it will not  be tolerated in our school. At Lionel, we take all incidents of bullying seriously.

We have dedicated Friday afternoon to a range of exciting anti-bullying activities.  Please look at our amazing photos.

1st November 2021 - Year 1 - Fire Poems

In English Year 1 have been learning about fire safety and writing poems about fire. To help them explore their sensory skills of listening, seeing and smelling they had the opportunity to watch a real fire being built and then set alight.  They children loved taking part and had some wonderful ideas for their poems.

Thursday 4th November 2021- Diwali Workshop

On Thursday 4th November we celebrated Diwali as a school. We took part in All About Diwali with Swapna Haddow. During this we learnt about the story of Rama and Sita and how to make paper diyas. It was wonderful to see all of the fantastic different diyas made throughout the school and to learn all about the festival of Diwali

18th October 2021- Black History Month

At Lionel Primary School, we celebrate that we are from a range of backgrounds, with  different beliefs, ideas and skills. This year, the focus for Black History Month was “Proud to  Be” and we thought about all of the things that make us special.

Every year group also chose a different theme to learn about, from Stories, Explorers,

Sporting Legends, Artists and Musicians, Scientists and Inventors and the Windrush

Generation. Each class did a project on one significant black historical figure and  presented their research, writing and artwork in special assemblies.

Anti Bullying Week

At Lionel, Anti-bullying week has been celebrated throughout the week and had the theme ‘One Kind Word.’ In celebration of this special time we have been spreading KINDNESS across our school. Throughout the week we have been using a ‘7 Days of Kindness’ calendar which encouraged two acts of kindness each day – one for someone else and one for ourselves. Children across the school have learnt about what it means to be a bully, what to do if you are bullied. We believe that bullying of any kind is totally unacceptable and it will not be tolerated in our school. At Lionel, we take all incidents of bullying seriously. We have dedicated Friday afternoon to a range of exciting anti-bullying activities. Please look at our amazing photos.

Key Stage 2 Poetry by Heart House Competition 2021 - The Results!

This week at Lionel, we have been treated to some fantastic poetry recitals from children from Year 3 all the way up to Year 6, in the Finals of our Key Stage 2 House Poetry by Heart Competition.

For the finals, we were delighted to welcome two of our Governors, Ms Bellwood and Mrs James, and Mrs Krivosic and Ms Baldwin to judge. Once again, the performances were brilliant – all the children seemed to have upped their game since Round 2, making judging extremely hard. In the end, the winners for each Year Group were:

Grace (Year 3 – Blue Lions)

Ava (Year 4 – Blue Lions)

Abdassamad (Year 5 – Yellow Jaguars)

Feras (Year 6 – Green Tigers)

All four performances were of an exceptional standard, but Ava’s recital of The Witches’ Chant adapted from Macbeth by William Shakespeare won the Overall Winner. Ava will have her name and House engraved on our House Poetry Competition Shield, joining those of past winners.

Below are the winning performances. We are sure you'll enjoy them as much as we have!

27th September 2021

House Capitan Elections

Blue House - Vinny and Lena

Red House - Junaid and Ruby

Green House - Crisan and Nicole

Yellow House - Shiloh and Anna

Lots of very brave and eloquent year 6 children presented their manifestos to everyone in school in a bid to win their votes!  We were very proud of the Year 6s who took part being so good that it made it very close run contest.  After all the votes were counted I can announce that the winners are above.

Thank you to Mr Heaton who planned and hosted the election and who ensured every pupil from Years 1 to 6 had a vote.

All of our Year 2 children took part in a Victorian themed day today.  They learnt what it would have been like to be in a Victorian school.

Well done everyone for dressing up and joining in!

Year 6 Careers Day

Year 6 took part in our first Lionel Careers Day. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn and take inspiration from different places of work. Thank you to Mrs Newth, Mr Hyde, Mrs Brown, Mrs Williams, Mrs Doremus and Mrs Bowerman for taking part and being so engaging and to Ms Johnston for doing a great job organising.

On Thursday 24th June, our KS2 girls took part in a coaching session run by Brentford Football Club at the Brentford Sports Hub.

There were a variety of activities run by FA qualified coaches and finished with small-sided matches.

We were joined by Josh De Silva (Brentford Midfielder) and VIP Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.

SPORTS WEEK

This year the event was organised across the week.

Which was a huge success. The children thoroughly enjoyed competing and trying out new races. Everyone earned a well deserved medal for their endeavours.

BARONESS FLOELLA BENJAMIN VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISIT

On Tuesday 11th May we were lucky enough to take part in a virtual author visit with Baroness Floella Benjamin. Everyone from Year 1 through to Year 6 took part on Tuesday morning. The event caused a real buzz around school with both staff and pupils saying how inspirational they found it. Below are a few quotes form the pupils -

I loved her positive attitude throughout the entire zoom live event. I absolutely loved when she sung at the end of the call. She has had an amazing life and has been so successful. She is so kind and is always smiling.                        

Holly – Sycamore Class – Year 6

I really enjoyed watching Floella Benjamin. She is a really positive person. Personally, I think she is the nicest person I’ve seen in a long time. Also, watching Floella Benjamin it’s made me more positive and more happy. She is a very big inspiration to me and I think she would be to anyone else you could think of. Lastly, she is a very lucky woman because she met the Queen and works for the House of Lords.                                                                                               

Finley – Sycamore Class – Year 6

I enjoyed the speech because it was very inspirational and it showed that even if you feel like giving you, don’t as you can be anything you want to be! I liked how she spoke about her journey and how she was eventually reunited with her family again after being left in Trinidad.          

Mia – Oak Class - Year 6

The reason I liked Baroness Floella Benjamin’s talk was because she was very open with her life and did not hide anything. She was the first black Children’s TV presenter and speaks for the rights of children. This is one of the things she said – “Courage, Consideration, Contentment and Confidence”.                                                  Hafsa- Oak Class – Year 6

Floella Benjamin, a very positive person. She smiled the entire way and brought up the mood which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though her incredible life story was long, it wasn’t boring. You would never want to stop listening. It’s almost like zoned out. Like you were there. I think Floella is an incredible role model and she is incredibly brave.  Not only that she produces incredible stories, her acting is as if it is non-fiction. Her singing and dancing is unbelievable. She is even a member of the House of Lords. She is stunning and that was from the heart.                                  

Marianna – Oak Class – Year 6   

Floella Benjamin is so positive in every single way. It’s hard not to smile when you see her- she’s got an incredible nice heart. Even though she went through so much a kid because of her race she stayed strong and changes other peoples lives with her powerful words and positivity Her actions and the way she explained what her childhood was like beats all, she has so much energy and really inspires me. Floella has a one in a kind smile and as soon as she smiles its like another universe opens up. On top of this Floella Benjamin is very successful with just one saying, “Education is the passport to life” and she worked hard and stood by it until she came successful.                                                                  

Saoirse – Oak Class – Year 6

Baroness Floella Benjamin is a determined and talented human, she has opened so many eyes to a new improved world where children have rights. Baroness Floella Benjamin has made me look at the World from an even better viewpoint. When I grow up and I’m older I want to be like Baroness Floella Benjamin.                                                   

Aliya – Oak Class - Year 6

I liked when she talked about people should be treated the same way you want to be treated. Also, when she first came to England she got bullied because of her skin colour so she fought all the people but after she got into trouble for doing that. So she stopped and started to think with her head more and ignored what they thought. Floella lived in a flat with 7 people and all she remembered was her Mum loved her. Now she is part of the parliament.             

Anis – Sycamore Class – Year 6

Baroness Floella Benjamin spreads contentment, consideration, confidence and courage. I am so very excited to read her book “Coming to England” because she gives her whole life story as she is so open minded. She was also an amazing children’s TV presenter and surprisingly she is a member of the House of Lords. I also love how she speaks for children and she is the speaker for the rights of children. She came from Trinidad she was a little happy family until her father wanted to go to England, so he went and left her mother, her and her siblings. Then one day, her mother took her siblings with her and left to go to England and left the Baroness with her Aunt and Uncle. Until her Mum was invited her to go to England. Read the book to find out what happens next.                                              

Honey- Oak – Year 6

Floella Benjamin has a really amazing life full of ups and downs. I loved her bubbly personality and how she is positive and always 100%. Her story inspires me and my classmates. I Love how she loved England until it loved her back. She could have rebelled but decided to stay strong. She taught me that sometimes you can change yourself before you change others.                                                                                          

Qayla- Year 6

Floella Benjamin had a zoom call, she told us how when she came to England and how things were different because during the Windrush generation white people hated coloured people. At school she overcame a lot of things. My favourite quote was: education is the passport for your life. She has become really successful by achieving everything and overcoming what was put in the way. 

Olivia – Sycamore- Year 6

She is a very strong independent woman who talked about her life as a child to Lionel and we all loved it! She sung to us (it was amazing) and she told us a lot of sad and exciting things: like when she was bullied at school because of her skin (which is not OK). She also told us that she lived in a one bedroom flat with 8 people! Amazingly she is now a member of the House of Lords. She is 71 and looks like she is about 40! Summer – Sycamore -Year 6

Willow Class comments-

“I liked the advice that Floella was giving about how to lead a happy life.” Joy

“I liked the song that Floella sang called ’Smile’.” Nylah

“Floella told us that education is the passport to life which means that don’t worry what people say about you, concentrate on your learning.” Saanvi

“I remember that Floella said there was a day when she stopped fighting with her fists and started fighting with her mind which meant that her angry attitude changed to a positive one.” Rory

“I liked the way Floella was acting with her hands and her voice.” Bobby

Year 5 Comments

"I enjoyed the Floella Benjamin Workshop, it was encouraging and she told us her amazing story about her life. I will always remember this." Lena

"The Floella Benjamin call was amazing. I never thought I would meet someone with such talent and an amazing story." Leyton

"I liked the visit from Baroness Floella Benjamin because her story was so inspirational and positive." Alan

RED NOSE DAY has brought us together through laughter, showing just how powerful humour can be.

Together, we’ve raised a whopping grand total of £858.15 for Comic Relief and have smashed our School target of £500.  

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for getting your Noses On, donating and  fundraising.

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON-Virtual workshop Year 6- Keeping safe

On Tuesday, Year 6 children attended a virtual session with Transport for London learning how to stay safe when out and about. As they will soon be travelling to their new secondary schools on their own, it is important that they understand the hazards of travelling around on foot, bicycle and public transport.

Here’s what our Year 6s had to say about the session:

"I never knew before the workshop that you had to

stand the length of your body plus one step away

from the curb when waiting for a bus or tube."

"I can’t wait to get my Zip card to travel to school with!"

"It was good to be reminded that I shouldn’t stare at my

phone when walking to school."

"We were told where it’s safe to sit on a bus and

that we shouldn’t stand near the driver."

On Friday at Lionel we have proudly celebrated the WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY. The children came to school wearing bright, happy clothes. In the afternoon, they have participated in a range of engaging activities and classroom discussion, where they learnt how to look after their own emotional well-being.

In Year 1, children explored how feelings can change and also differ from others in the same situation.

In Year 2, children identified how feelings can get stronger and how to manage these.

In Year 3, the importance of expressing feelings and emotions was explored.

In Year 4, children focused on managing their feelings and emotions in different situations.

In Year 5, the children learnt about mental health; what it means and how they can take care of it.

Lastly, Year 6, they explored how feelings and emotions are affected in changing, challenging or difficult times.

We would like to say a big thank you to all children for their amazing work!

Looking after our own mental health and well-being is extremely important, especially during difficult times.

Pop Up Book Hut: January 2020

Here at Lionel we are very excited about the arrival of our Pop-Up Book Hut from the London Children’s Book Project, a charity whose ambition is to put books into every home and to engage children and young people in choosing the books that appeal to them.

Today, a beautiful little green hut was delivered to school along with a donation of over 1000 new or ‘gently used’ books. Over the next few weeks, children will be invited to visit the hut with their teachers and their parents and carers (if you are able to do so) to choose their very own book. The book is for your child to keep, read and love.

Should your child finish their book before the end of this half term and wish to exchange it, they are welcome to do so. The hut will open at various points during the school day for your child to exchange.

This is a wonderful opportunity for all the children at Lionel to experience the excitement of choosing their own book and we would like to invite you to share this with them, if possible. Attached to this letter (and to be displayed on the hut) is a timetable showing mornings when each class will be able to visit the hut along with their parents/carers to choose a book. These sessions will run from 9.00am to 9.30am.

As we are such a big school, some classes will have already visited the hut before going with you, but we know that the children will still appreciate being able to show you the hut. They may use this opportunity to exchange their book, if they want to.

We hope that you and your children will share our excitement in this fantastic opportunity and we look forward to welcoming you to our Hut!

Happy 2020 and happy reading!