New Families Welcome Information

Hey guys, welcome to PE! Here at Arena, we have three PE teachers who would be teaching you through your secondary school PE life. Mr Rutherford and Mr Rothwell have been at Arena for the last 4 years and Miss Aldonza for the last 3 years. At Arena, we believe that Physical Education plays an important part in their lives when it comes to their health and well-being. We also believe it is a vital and important part of a student’s education. It gives the students the opportunity to learn new skills.

We try to encourage our students to step out of their comfort zone and try new/different sports that aren’t so traditional in a school setting. For example, Handball, Volleyball and Netball.  Here at Arena we know that moving to secondary school can be difficult. However, we are always here if you need us. The important thing for you to remember is that if you have any questions at all, big or small, make sure you ask the super PE team.

Hello! My name is Miss Thomas, and I am the Head of English at Oasis Arena. I am so excited for you to join our Academy. The English team is dedicated, knowledgeable and kind, and the curriculum we teach is truly exciting. Whether you feel confident in English or require some support, you will certainly be in safe hands. Our curriculum focusses on teaching ambitious and versatile vocabulary, studying challenging texts and asking powerful questions; therefore, English lessons at Oasis Arena will feel like an exciting step up from your year 6 studies.

You can expect to have one English lesson every day with an additional "reading for pleasure" lesson each week. You will study a "literary heritage" text three times per week. In the Autumn term, this will be Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. In the Spring term, you will move on to A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. In the Summer term, you will enjoy two units: a poetry unit to help you become proficient at identifying, explaining and analysing metaphor and a modern novel study. 

During the remaining two lessons per week, you will work on your grammar and writing skills. This may sound uninspiring, but the lessons are very fast paced, involving lots of self-marking and multiple choice quizzes; I'm sure our current Key Stage 3 students will tell you how much they enjoy these lessons. Most importantly, they allow you to practise complicated grammar skills in isolation so you can perfect one thing at a time. This is designed to free up your working memory when you're asked to answer difficult questions in English.

The best, English-specific advise I can give you before you start secondary school is to make sure you keep up your reading over the summer. I know that your primary teachers have encouraged you to read voraciously and I really don't want you to lose that passion. 

I look forward to welcoming you to Oasis Arena in September.

Hello Year 6! My name is Christine Polyviou and I am the Head of Department for Geography and History at Oasis Academy Arena.

We are really excited to meet you and teach you about all things geography. Geography is a very exciting subject that teaches you about the world around you, and in year 7 we teach you about awesome human and physical topics. We will start year 7 looking at violent volcanoes and earth-shattering earthquakes! Throughout the year we will look at the cool geography features present in our own country and also study countries further afield. Also, if you like watching David Attenborough, we get an opportunity to look at ecosystems across the world and much more! In year 7 you will also have the opportunity to experience geography outside of the classroom when we complete a local fieldwork in the summer term. To be a great geographer, you need to know what is going on across the world now, so for now, keep an eye on Newsround, where you will see lots of stories about geography.

All of the geography team look forward to welcoming you to Geography at Oasis Academy Arena.

Hello Year 6! My name is Christine Polyviou and I am the Head of Department for Geography and History at Oasis Academy Arena.

We are really excited to meet you and teach you about all things history. History is an awesome subject that teaches about key historical events and figures that explain the present. We will start year 7 looking The Norman Conquest and asking ourselves ‘Did it bring a truck-load of trouble to England after 1066?’ Throughout the year we will look at the really exciting and interesting topics like The Black Death, King Henry VIII and The Slave Trade in Britain. You may have studied some of these topics already, but we will look at them in much more detail in year 7. To be a great historian, you need to have an interest in the past, so some great resources you can use to get you prepared for year 7 are the ‘Horrible Histories’ books and you may have already read some of them. We can’t wait to hear!

All of the history team look forward to welcoming you to history at Oasis Academy Arena.

Hi my name is Mrs Anthony-Spence, and I am the head of department for science at Oasis Academy Arena for the three years.  Science and learning about science concepts is something I feel very passionate about. 

Science is a way of discovering and understanding the world around you, developing your analytical skills, problems solving and an opportunity to be creative.

The completion of practicals feature frequently throughout our curriculum so you are given lots of opportunity to develop your practical skills.  Science is a subject that can lead you into lots of different career paths such as medicine, dentistry, beauty, engineering, and even banking and finance to name a few. 

Leaving primary and entering secondary school is a big milestone but you will have lots of people around you to support you in your transition.  All I ask is that you come to school equipped with your stationary, calculator and an ambitious mind ready to do YOUR best in science.

I am so excited that you will join us at Arena and look forward to meeting you all in person.