Assemblies at Underley Garden – Summer 2

LGBTQ+ Awareness

Pupils engaged well in these assemblies. The young people discussed what they already knew about protected characteristics. They explored projected images of lots of different families and identified the different protected characteristics based on their previous discussion that it related to things like age, race, sex/ gender, sexual orientation and gender reassignment, among other characteristics. The young people then focussed on gender reassignment and sexual orientation, watching a video about understanding their identity and the difficulties that people in the LGBTQ+ community may have faced. A reoccurring theme is that inclusion and acceptance are so important. Pupils finished up by talking about pride month in June and that it is celebrated to show support to the LGBTQ+ community who have and still do face many challenges. To show their support and that they are an ally to this community, they made rainbow hand fans as their own visual expression of pride. 

Others enjoyed looking at the ‘trainbow’. They were able to identify the rainbow colours on the train. The pupils offered their ideas throughout the activity and was able to identify some ways in which they can be kind to everyone, such as saying hello and smiling at others. They showed a good understanding of the meaning of pride and often shows respect and understand to those around them. Harry said that his favourite colour on the pride flag is blue and he learnt that it symbolises peace. He said that he would like everyone to be peaceful.

Orchard classes explored the ‘part of the party’ story and sensory tray. The story represents different families in relation to LGBTQ+ awareness and pride month 2025. The pupils engaged with the story, they listened to a shorted version read by Kayleigh and explored the different textures, smells and animals from the story. They enjoyed the sensory tray and could identify the animals from the story. This activity allowed the pupils to develop a better understanding of diversity.

Healthy Eating Week

For healthy eating week the young people explored different kinds of healthy snacks and learned how to make the right choice when it comes to making decisions around food. They then talked about the eat well plate and further explored the different categories on this plate, including examples of foods within them. The young people then tried a variety of healthy snacks which for some of them were new. They ate pineapple, mango, blueberries, pepper, cucumber and mange tout. 

Other classes discussed lunches and how a lack of variety could be unhealthy. They then spoke about what a balanced diet is, and how to achieve this. They enjoyed looking at the Eatwell food wheel. The pupils discussed what foods they thought go into each section of the wheel to enhance their understanding of a balanced diet.

Autistic Pride Day

Autistic Pride day started with an assembly about what the global movement is and who celebrates it. They then discussed what they could do to be an ally to Autistic people. They talked about sensory and communication needs as well as standing up for autistic rights. They then watched a video of an Autistic boy who showed how proud he is of himself. He reiterated the message that no two people are the same and that he is happy and accepts himself for who he is.  The young people then learned about the issues that the Autistic community has faced in the past and talked about the need for positive change. Lastly, the young people all signed an Autistic Pride poster to show their support before taking part in the colour dash later in the day. 

Pupils in Orchard school building created a piece of art to engage in learning about Autistic pride, and watched a story about autistic pride.

Other pupils watched a video explaining what Autistic Pride is and why it’s important. They were asked questions about what they had learnt. They engaged well. Pupils then went on to look at famous people that are autistic and that it shouldn’t stop them from having a dream and working towards it. All the young people were shocked about the famous people that had autism. This made all the young people discuss what the famous people did for a living and how their diagnosis had not stopped them from succeeding.

Communication and Relationships – RSE  Day

The young people accessed learning about RSE day in assembly. They talked about the fact that this day is to help people talk openly about relationships. They then learned that this year’s theme is communication. They watched staff show different ways to communicate to prompt them to think about body language, gestures, signing, written communication and visual language. The young people talked about different types of relationships they might have. They suggested friends, family and professional relationships. They then further explored romantic and online relationships. This then lead onto conversations about technology and how things like phones, iPads and laptops can be used for communication, as well as social media. They also discussed that social media can be deceiving and that they should not believe everything they see. They finished up the discussion by talking about how they can be inclusive using visuals before emphasising the importance of consent, what it is and that it is ok to change your mind. The young people then watched staff demonstrate the importance of communication. Firstly staff members were tasked with lining up in age order without talking to each other, showing how communication can occur without talking but is much harder. They then lined up in birthday month order but this time they could talk. The young people recognised that this was much more effective. They then took it in turns to come to the front and read a ‘text message’ in different tones depending on the different emotions they picked. This showed them that  written communication can be perceived differently to verbal communication.

 National School Sports Week

Before attending sports day, the young people attended assembly, learning the importance of being active and exercising between 20 and 60 minutes a day. They then discussed what can affect their physical health, including diet, sleep, exercise and lifestyle choices for their mental health. In relation to this they talked about how physical exercise helps their heart, lungs, mood and ability to socialise. They then played guess the sport. They watched someone act different sports, such as basketball, football, cricket and rugby. They then had to guess the action which they were very quick to do. Lastly, the young people completed a movement plan, writing how they were going to try and move their body each day and for how long. They chose exercises such as dog walking, dancing, jumping, yoga, running and football.

Change

With the end of term approaching, the transition from Underley to new provisions and new class changes, the young people discussed the topic of change. They started by talking about the fact that some change is expected and some is unexpected. They then talked about why change happens and talked about some changes they may experience, such as moving house or moving school. The young people then thought about different feelings they may feel when change occurs such as excitement or sadness and anxiety. Classes discussed the positives that change can bring and how change is needed to grow. They talked about who their trusted adults are and who they can talk to if they have change affecting them. The young people then discussed strategies they could use during change before sharing the positive outcomes that have come from a change they have experienced. Moving school was a common topic of conversation that initially left feelings of worry. The young people were able to reflect on the positives of this such as making friends and having a supportive school environment. 

Historical Figures

The young people across the school site explored 10 historical figures, including Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks. They each learned why they were an important historical figure before taking part in a teamwork task. The young people took it in turns to either pull out a fact or visual related to the  historical figure.

As a group, the young people matched these facts and visuals to the picture of the historical figure, reflecting on what they had learned from the assembly. For example, they matched Neil Armstrong’s name tag to his picture, before the visual of a moon and the fact stating that he was the first man to walk on the moon.