Southborough Church of England Primary School
Southborough Church of England Primary School
Discovery Centre and Sanctuary
The Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre is a place for exploration and discovery about our world and the universe. It houses our extensive new library, from which teachers and children across the school can borrow books. The Discovery Centre is, however, much more than just our new library! It is also our STEM hub at Southborough. STEM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Book Reviews and Book Recommendations
Not sure what to read next? Ask for a book recommendation and we will find something for you! When you complete this form, Miss Hinton and our Year 6 Reading Champions will find your next book for you. When your book recommendation is ready, your Discovery Centre Ambassadors will collect your new book and bring it back to your classroom for you.
If you have really enjoyed reading a book from the Discovery Centre, you can also submit a book review! All children are encouraged to submit a book review, if they would like to, for a book they have borrowed from our Discovery Centre. Every term, we will select reviews to be displayed alongside book reviews by our Reading Champions in the Discovery Centre.
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is a very special space at the heart of our school where our children can find peace, reflect in prayer and flourish together in Christian community. In the autumn we asked pupils and staff what they would like to see the Sanctuary used for. Their vision is that the Sanctuary becomes a guiding light, a safe harbour, a beacon of hope and a solid foundation for our school community.
Keepers, Ambassadors and Champions
Discovery Centre Ambassadors, Year 6 Keepers and Reading Champions all work together to promote the Discovery Centre, the Sanctuary and reading to children across the school.
Year 6 Keepers
Our Year 6 Keepers look after the Discovery Centre and the Sanctuary. A Keeper is someone charged with responsibility for the preservation and conservation of something valuable. Our Year 6 children are all invited to apply for the position of Keeper. They work for one term in either the Discovery Centre or the Sanctuary for one lunchtime every week.
Being a Keeper means holding a position of responsibility in our school. We expect that Keepers will promote our school vision in all that they do and become beacons of light in our school community.
Each week, Keepers share podcasts about the Discovery Centre and the Sanctuary which you can watch here:
Find out who our Keepers this term are and what they are doing below:
Keepers of the Discovery Centre
Our Keepers of the Discovery Centre look after the library in the Discovery Centre and promote the space to children across the school.
| Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| Hattie | Martha | Bella |
| Connor | Alfie | Anshi |
| Florence | Mia | Elsie |
Keepers of the Sanctuary
Our Keepers of the Sanctuary look after the Sanctuary and ensure that everyone treats it with respect and care.
| Monday | Wednesday |
|---|---|
| Scarlett | Beatriz |
| Isaac | Oscar |
Discovery Centre Ambassadors
Our Discovery Centre Ambassadors are children who act as ambassadors for the Discovery Centre in their classroom. An Ambassador is a representative or promoter of a specified activity. Ambassadors help their class teacher to choose new books from the Discovery Centre and they look after their classroom library. All children in Years 1-6 have the opportunity to be the Discovery Centre Ambassador for their class during the school year.
This term, our Discovery Centre Ambassadors are:
| Devon 1 | Hanna Lucy Barnaby | Jaylen Ayeza Emmeline |
|---|---|---|
| Surrey 1 | Jaxon Odette Lottie | Jaxon Austin |
| Cumbria 1 |
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| Sussex 2 | Sophie Imogen Bea | Grayson Andrew Joseph |
| Cornwall 2 |
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| Dorset 2 |
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| Northamptonshire 3 | Tallulah Finntan Sarah | Edmund Frankie Martha |
| Herefordshire 3 | Olive | Robin |
| Gloucestershire 3 | Betsy Hiruna | Florence Oliveris |
| Norfolk 4 | Noah Heidi Ethan | Harrison Ellie Viktoria |
| Yorkshire 4 |
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| Suffolk 4 | Clara Margot Yasi | Albie Joseph Jake |
| Lincolnshire 5 | Anna Poppy Alfie | Ava Blake Joseph |
| Somerset 5 | Victoria Ayla Reuben | Alice Tabitha Freya |
| Cheshire 5 | Charlie Fran Louie | Poppy Isabella Samuel |
| Oxfordshire 6 | Mohammed Isabelle Irene | Connor April Eliza |
| Cambridgeshire 6 | Violet Isabella Magnus | Dexter Reuben Chloe |
| Warwickshire 6 | Harry Ella-Grace Alfie | Jonathan Ruby Julia |
Reading Champions
Our Reading Champions promote reading for pleasure across our school. To be a champion means to enthusiastically support or promote a belief, right or principle. Our Reading Champions are responsible for sharing their love of reading and promoting the right to read for pleasure. Every term, our Reading Champions lead an assembly during which they share their love for reading with the whole school.
This term, we have two groups of Reading Champions. Reading Champions meet once a week in the Discovery Centre and they are all expected to read lots and write book reviews about the books they have read. As Reading Champions, they have the privilege of being able to use the Discovery Centre during their lunchtimes to read a book, browse the library, write a book review or work on their projects. Find out what they are up to below:
Year Five
Jacob, Lauren, Annabel, Meg, Grace and Hamad have a choice of two books to read this term. The first is Neil Gaiman's creepy classic, 'Coraline'. Their second choice is Piers Torday's contagion-filled dystopia, 'The Last Wild'. Both books contain elements of mystery, adventure and fantasy -- with talking animals, alternate dimensions and mild horror, these texts will allow the Reading Champions to explore and discuss the potential for escapism in literature. Each week they will discuss themes, write reviews, take part in quizzes and explore key extracts within their texts. They will plan and create their end of term project which will then be shared in their Reading Assembly in the last week of term.
Year Six
Georgia, Anshi, Connor, Oscar, Louis and Harley are reading Sharna Jackson's fast-paced murder mystery novel, 'High Rise Mystery'. Jackson's novel takes place in an estate in London known as 'The Tri'. Two sisters, Nik and Norva, use their deduction and sleuthing skills to uncover the murder of beloved art teacher, Hugo, and clear their dad's name as the prime suspect. The Year 6 Reading Champions will write reviews and take part in quizzes and drama games to explore the themes within their text. In the last few weeks of term, they will be planning and creating their project to share with the wider reading community at Southborough.
Reading Champions' Assembly
At the end of each term, Reading Champions lead the Reading Champions' end of term assembly, sharing the books they have been reading with the pupils at Southborough.
The end of term assembly is an opportunity for Reading Champions to promote reading for pleasure, share their ideas and 'bring a book to life' through their creative projects.
Term 1 Assembly Video: 'October, October' and 'Belonging Street'
Story Seekers
The Story Seekers are a group of children from Year 4 who have undergone training to develop their oracy and storytelling skills. Following 8 weeks of training outlined by the National Theatre, the Story Seekers sought out traditional tales from around the world to prepare for their final performance. Click the link below to view their performance of the Ugandan tale, 'How Death Came to the World'.