BUDS: Building Understanding, Developing Skills
Our BUDS initiative has been designed for Year 5
students who are ready to stretch and extend their
learning. Through this ambitious and inspiring
programme, they will come together with other children across Ealing. With a focus on Science, English, Maths and Creative Thinking they will learn the soft skills required to be able to think creatively, solve problems, and express their own ideas.
Aims
The idea behind the project is to work with Gifted & Talented Y5 pupils from local primary schools in order to stretch and extend their learning through an ambitious programme which focuses on Science, English, Maths and Creative Thinking in order to learn the soft skills required to be able to think creatively, solve problems, and express their own ideas.
The identified need was to ensure that Y5 pupils were able to express their ideas, coming up with creative solutions to problems.
Pupils will be come more adept at responding to complex problems, using their knowledge and ideas to think creatively.
The Y5 pupils are the immediate beneficiaries, but the intention is that they then spread this way of thinking back to their peers.
Background
Developed via existing partner schools, now including seven schools in it's second year.
Identified though consultation with partner primary schools.
The partnership is in it's second year.
Resources
The partnership activities are delivered by NHEHS staff, which is critical to it's success.
The Programme uses school facilities on Saturdays, when school is not in session or use.
Seven members staff have been involved on Saturdays between 8.30-12.30, once a month between January and July - seven Saturdays in total.
There is no financial contribution from the state partner schools.
Impact
The assessment of the impact is ongoing.
The anticipated outcomes are that pupils will be better able to use their knowledge to creatively solve problems in their home schools across the subjects involved in the Programme.
We also anticipate that they will have a wider impact on their peers by disseminating this way of thinking amongst them.
Pupil Involvement
Pupils involved from NHEHS are in Y12 and they act as mentors and buddies to the primary pupils during the Saturday sessions.
The primary pupils are in Year 5. Each school nominated between 2 and 7 pupils, so there were 36 in total from the 7 partner schools.
They are a mix of female and male pupils (approx. 65/35)
Frequency
This is an ongoing event, which takes place once per month on a Saturdays between January and July.
The aim is to continue expanding the Programme to incorporate more primary schools.
This is an ongoing programme.
