Assemblies at Underley Garden – Spring 2

Week 1 – International Women’s Day 

The young people celebrated international women’s day by firstly discussing the different biases and stereotypes that women face. They then watched a video talking about why international women’s day started, answering quiz questions throughout about the marches and events held to celebrate women. The young people then talked about this year’s theme for international women’s day, #accelerateaction before taking part in a quiz that helped them recognise and celebrate inspirational women. They finished the assembly by decorating a star and each writing about a woman that they wanted to celebrate and who inspires them. 

Week 2 – National Careers Week 

Before engaging in this week’s assembly, the young people enjoyed a variety of activities and workshops about different careers and the pathways leading to them throughout the week. They started by talking about what they enjoyed from the week before discussing their favourite school subjects. This then led them to talk about the different careers they could consider depending on the school subjects they enjoy. Finally, they talked about different career pathways including college and apprenticeships. In Orchard building,  our young people all did mark making on a piece of paper, then chose the person they wanted to send the picture to. They then put their sheet into an envelope. Whilst they were doing this activity, staff played the relevant video, ABC careers song, in the background. Learners then went to post their letters through the letterbox using a letter bag into our classroom postbox.

Week 3 – Science Week 

To celebrate National Science Week the young people discussed the theme, change and adapt. They looked at examples of how animals adapt, for example polar bears to the cold and camels to the desert. They then listened to some descriptions of how different animals adapt and had to guess which animal they thought it was. They enjoyed working as a team to figure out these answers and learn some new facts. The young people then talked about how animals can change and adapt through camouflage. They looked through different pictures and tried to spot the different camouflaged animals. Lastly, they were tasked with drawing their own environment to camouflage an animal of their choice.

Week 4 – World Down Syndrome Day 

The young people learned about what Down syndrome is before talking about the importance of world Down syndrome day. They discussed that this day helps people understand and support people with Down syndrome better and that everyone is unique. They then looked at the theme which is ‘improving support systems’. They listened to why the support systems need to be improved before discussing why they are important. The young people then looked at the power of world Down syndrome day, learning that with strong support systems, people with Down syndrome are able to thrive and have had become presenters, actors and completed huge challenges such as the ironman. This held the message that anyone, can be anything. Finally, they decorated their own funky socks and hung them on a line alongside their peer’s socks to represent their support for the ‘lots of socks campaign’. 

Week 5 – Ramadan 

During this week’s assembly the young people learned about what Ramadan is and looked at what the moon should look like at different stages during Ramadan. They then talked about fasting and how Muslims can only eat before sunrise and after sunset during Ramadan, looking at why they do this. They then looked at images of inside the mosque and talked about the different rules people must follow when they go to pray in the mosque. Next, they discussed the end of Ramadan celebration, Eid ul-Fitr. They looked at pictures of traditional food and outfits worn during this celebration before designing their own traditional outfit using sequins and gems to make them look extra special for the Eid celebrations. 

Week 6 – Autism Acceptance Month 

To celebrate Autism Acceptance Month the young people started by discussing ways in which they might be physically different to their peers. They then looked at examples of how they might be different through their personality or likes and dislikes, contributing ideas of ways in which they are different. They then learned that we are all different and unique because our brains all work differently. They talked about Autism Acceptance month and the importance of understanding and celebrating their differences. The young people discussed ways in which they could support their peers with autism who may struggle with change or communication difficulties. Finally, they decorated an infinity sign which represents the infinite potential and possibilities for autistic individuals to grow and learn and wrote on it why they are unique and should be celebrated.