Heywood Academy Blog - 17.10.25
We’re Over the Moon About Our New Outdoor Gym!
There’s a buzz of excitement in the air at school, and it’s not just the sound of students chatting at break time. We are absolutely over the moon to announce that our brand new outdoor gym has officially been fitted, and it’s already transforming our playground into a hub of energy, movement, and joy!
From the moment the equipment was installed, our students have embraced it with open arms (and strong legs!). Break and lunch times have taken on a whole new rhythm, with pupils eagerly heading outside to stretch, climb, balance, and build strength, all while having fun and enjoying the fresh air.
Beyond the physical benefits, the outdoor gym has brought a wonderful sense of community and positivity to our school grounds. It’s encouraging healthy habits, boosting confidence, and giving everyone a reason to smile, even on chilly days!
We’re incredibly proud of this addition to our school and grateful to Ms Needham for working with the DfE to make this happen. Here’s to many more active, happy, and healthy days ahead!
Mr Lord's weekly update
Blog Special: Learning Through Sweets. A Delicious Dive into Science and Maths!
This term, students across Years 7 to 9 have been getting hands, and a little sticky! With some creative, food themed learning activities that brought science and maths to life in the most colourful (and tasty) ways.
Year 7. Edible Cells and Creatures
Our Year 7 students explored the microscopic and macroscopic world by building models of animals, plants, and unicellular organisms using sweets and jelly. This fun and messy activity helped reinforce their understanding of the different parts of cells and their functions. Who knew cytoplasm could be so delicious?
Year 8. Ratios, Fractions, and Diffusion with Skittles
During MAD time (Making A Difference), Year 8 students tackled their end of unit Ratio test in the sweetest way possible...using Skittles! They modelled fractions as parts of a whole and calculated lowest common ratios, all while enjoying a visual aid. As a bonus, they got a sneak peek into their upcoming science topic on diffusion by adding water to their Skittles and observing the colourful results over time.
Year 9. Percentages and Cake Slices
Not to be outdone, Year 9 students also used their MAD time to reflect on and improve their understanding of percentages. Their tool of choice? Cake! By slicing up Battenberg and other treats, they modelled single percentages with precision. Unsurprisingly, Battenberg proved perfect for working out quarters...both mathematically and as a reward!
Miss Zobenica’s weekly update
This week in Outdoor Education, some of our classes had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Clarence Park, and what a fantastic time they had! The park, with its vast open spaces and diverse areas to explore, offered the perfect setting for adventure and learning.
One of the highlights was discovering a serene pond, teeming with wildlife and lined with local fishermen. The children were fascinated as they watched fishing lines being cast and learned about the different species of fish that inhabit the waters. It was a peaceful yet engaging moment of outdoor learning.
The park also boasts a variety of sports pitches and courts, including football and tennis, which sparked lots of excitement. After exploring, the children enjoyed some free time on the playground equipment. It was heartwarming to see them challenging themselves to climb higher and higher, all while cheering each other on with words of encouragement and support.
World Food Day Picnic
On Thursday, we also celebrated World Food Day in a deliciously memorable way. Our Year 9 students enjoyed a food tasting picnic in the park, sampling a variety of flavours from around the world. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore global cultures through cuisine while enjoying the great outdoors.
PE Highlights
Back at school, our PE lessons have been full of energy and determination. Year 8 students focused on mastering the footwork rule in netball, a tricky skill that they tackled with perseverance and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Years 7 and 9 continued to develop their accuracy skills in dodgeball, aiming to hit targets with precision. Their focus and effort have been truly impressive!
It’s been a week full of fresh air, teamwork, and hands on learning. Well done to all our students for embracing every challenge with such positivity and enthusiasm!
🌟 Ms Pugh’s weekly update
🧌 English This week, we began structuring our personal gothic stories. Students set the scene by either drawing or using AI to create their chosen gothic setting. Next, we’ll be developing the plot further by introducing a main character, building tension, and crafting a dramatic ending.
🍬 Maths Year 8 completed their end of unit test on ratios and simplifying ratios. To make learning fun (and tasty!) we also practised ratios using Skittles in celebration of World Food Day.
🧬 Science We continued to build our understanding of atoms, exploring their structure and importance in all matter.
🥐 ICT In honour of World Food Day, students wrote a food review after sampling traditional French cuisine...baguette, strawberry jam, croissants, pain au chocolat, and Brie.
🍂 Outdoor Education This week’s session took us to Clarence Park in Bury, where students explored the play equipment, climbed the giant space rocket, and challenged themselves to make their way back down safely.
📚 Geography We visited the ReUse charity shop in Littleborough, where we were kindly donated six large bags of books for our school library. We are so grateful for their generosity and community spirit.
🏀 PE Students focused on improving their footwork and passing skills in Netball, working on accuracy, teamwork, and communication.
🎨 Art Our monogram projects are developing beautifully as students added new layers and textures using a variety of colours and techniques to bring their designs to life.
🌍🍴World Food Day & Outdoor Fun On Thursday, we celebrated World Food Day by tasting a variety of delicious foods from around the globe. Students learned about sustainability and discovered more about where our food comes from.
⚽️ We also enjoyed trying out the new outdoor gym equipment that has recently been installed , a great way to stay active and have fun! Everyone is looking forward to making the most of the new basketball and football nets now fitted onto our MUGA.
Ms Crossley’s weekly update
It’s been another lively week in the English department!
To celebrate World Food Day, all year groups explored a range of spices from around the world : everything from cinnamon and cardamom to paprika and cloves. Students used sensory imagery to bring those smells, textures, and tastes to life in their writing, describing each spice so vividly you could almost sense it yourself. It was wonderful to see how quickly they connected language with lived experience and making connections between the spices and the tastes from their own cultures. it was a gastronomical success.
Year 8 have been channelling their inner Gothic writers, developing their own short stories filled with suspense, mystery, and atmosphere. They’ve been experimenting with sentence variety, mood, and setting. It's been a feast for the imagination.
Year 9 are continuing their study of The Woman in Black, exploring how fear and isolation are created through language and structure. it’s great to see so many of them making strong analytical links between text and reader response. It was Gr-ate!
A quick reminder that end-of-unit assessments will be taking place across all classes next week. These will give everyone a chance to show what they’ve learned and reflect on their progress this half term.
✍️ Quote of the Week
“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader — not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
— E. L. Doctorow
Miss Nicholson’s weekly update
World Food Day: A Celebration of Creative Arts and Culture
This week, our school came together to celebrate World Food Day ... a vibrant cross-curricular event that showcased creativity, culture, and curiosity through the theme of food.
In Art and Design, Year 7 students created beautiful seasonal vegetable mosaics, celebrating colour and composition through natural forms. They also continued their food packaging design work in Design Technology, before finishing the day by designing posters for a Food Bank collection, promoting kindness and community.
In English, creativity was sparked by flavours from around the world. Year 8 students tasted French food and wrote descriptive food reviews using computers, while Year 7 explored African spices inspired by the tale of Anansi the Spider, using their senses to enhance creative writing. Year 8 and 9 students also drew inspiration from Gothic fiction, studying Dracula and the spice paprika to understand how setting, culture, and food influence storytelling.
In Outdoor Education, Year 9 students held a joyful World Food picnic, bringing together the spirit of sharing and exploration. Meanwhile, Science lessons turned sweet...Year 7 students built cells from sweets, and Year 8 and 9 students used cakes and Skittles to explore ratios and percentages, showing how food can even bring maths and science to life.
World Food Day was a true celebration of creativity across subjects, encouraging students to explore global cultures, express ideas through art and writing, and understand the importance of food in science, community, and everyday life.
As we wrap up another busy and rewarding week at Heywood Academy, I want to thank our incredible staff, students, and families for their continued dedication and positivity. Your support makes all the difference. Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McManus
