This section of the website shows events that occur across the whole school, capturing the moments as soon after they happen as possible.

Odd Socks Day

This year's Anti-Bullying week theme was "Make a Noise About Bullying". The children wore their "odd socks" to school to raise awareness of bullying - it's O.K. to be different. They discussed how people are different and what makes us all unique. How we can be kind to each and what we can do to help someone who is being bullied.

Around the World Workshop

The KS1 children took part in a wonderful workshop about "Around the World". They were given three clues and had to work out which country they were visiting. Then they boarded their aeroplane and the clues took them to Australia! They learnt all about the traditions, animals and people who live there and also discovered how hot it gets!

Welcoming Jordan Catchpole

A real highlight in Term Two was the visit from Paralympic Athlete, Jordan Catchpole.  Jordan visited the children and led an assembly for the children about his experiences and achievements as a Gold Medal winning swimmer in Tokyo back in 2021.

Watching and listening to Jordan speak to the children, we were inspired by all of the things he had accomplished in his field in such a relatively short space of time. It was also striking to listen to Jordan being very open about his ASD diagnosis and an important reminder about those who live their lives with disabilities that are not immediately obvious to those around them.  

Riverhead Reading Room

It was such a pleasure to welcome Councillor Alan Layland, the Chair of Sevenoaks District Council, into school to officially open the Riverhead Reading Retreat. Mrs Swain, Mrs Walkden and the team at ABC created such a beautiful environment for the children to enjoy and it is a smash-hit with children and adults alike. Watching the children queuing at lunchtimes to spend some time in there, cozied up with a good book is a lovely sight.

Shooting Stars Mental Health Workshop

KS1 took part in the Shooting Stars mental health workshop in Term One.  Captain Wonderweb and the Esteem Machine dived into five key points that empower children to develop strong minds and nurture positive self-esteem: balanced eating, limiting screen time, staying active, expressing emotions, and ensuring healthy sleeping habits. The interactive show took them through a journey to outer space using music, excitement and self discovery to learn the significance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, expressing their feelings and fostering positive relationships. You can watch the whole show by clicking on the following link.

Matisse's Magical Trail

In Term One the children decided to take part in a Year One and Two art topic. We focused on Matisse's Magical Trail, exploring some of Matisse's ideas to support our mindfulness planning. The children produced some wonderful artwork which is adorned their classrooms and brightened up the hall.

Leaver's Assembly and End of Year Picnic

The end of the school year is always a busy and emotional time.  Reception and Year One visited their new classrooms and met their new teachers; Year Two prepared to move to Amherst and we said "goodbye" to some of our families and members of staff.

At this time of the year the Year Two pupils and school staff nominate the children who have consistently shown our school values.  This year's winners were:-

Love of Learning

Theo - Jupiter Class

Penelope - Saturn Class

Belonging

Elijah - Jupiter Class

Elizabeth - Saturn Class

Independent Thinking

Bertie - Neptune Class

Lara S - Neptune Class

Determination

Cameron - Saturn Class

Lily - Jupiter Class

Mrs Nightingale's Award

Alfie - Jupiter Class

Head Teacher Award

Sam - Neptune Class

The Roger Fitzgerald Award

We were delighted to announce our winners of our new Roger Fitzgerald Award for Artistic Achievement.  This is a new award which recognises children who have demonstrated outstanding effort, attainment or progress within arts and crafts.  We congratulated Henry C in Elder, Anna-Marie in Hawthorn, Briony in Bramble, Ollie in Kestrel, Freya in Eagle, Arthur B in Falcon, Holly in Neptune, Sam in Jupiter and Ella in Saturn.

Stay and Play

It was lovely to welcome everyone to the "Stay and Play" afternoon.  Everyone had lots fun joining in with the zoned areas of the playground, and the children really enjoyed showing their parents how to roll the tyres, dig for treasure, make camps in the woods and sandcastles in the sand pit!

After the event, parents were invited to stay for open classrooms.  The children were excited to show off their hard work and lovely displays in their classrooms.

Carnival Fun!

We had an amazing time at our Carnival, there were lots of other fun activities for us all to take part in.  Everyone tried their luck on the ping pong table; hooked lots of ducks; enjoyed an ice cream; practised their circus skills and dance movements; bounced on the bouncy castles; and laughed their way throughout the afternoon!  

Sporting Activities at Riverhead!

We were caught up in our own seasonal sports extravaganza in the form of Sports Day in Term Six, and what a lovely morning it was.  All of the children had fantastic time and it was lovely to see each of the different classes engaged in their various activities.  It was also particularly great to see the children all actively encouraging one another and demonstrating good sportsmanship.  Congratulations to Zoe and Charlie in Year Two who won our fastest boy and girl races!

It was also a pleasure to invite Year Two children from a number of local schools to take part in the annual Heptathlon (also organised by Mr. Costigan). This was a really enjoyable event and Riverhead children placed third out of the group.  We thanked the Year Six children from Amherst who came over to help with the event.  Congratulations to Kemsing Primary School who were the overall winners this year.

Headteacher for the Day!

In Term Five Mr King  had the great pleasure of working alongside Ned from EYFS, who was the winner of the ‘Headteacher for a Day’ prize at the recent Summer Ball auction. Ned spent the day with him, getting to undertake some of the jobs that he does across the day or week. These included leading Achievements Assembly, visiting classes, writing reports and hosting Golden Tea! Ned and Mr King were also invited by Mr. Reid to have a meeting with him over at Amherst, followed by a tour of the school. This was a particular highlight of the day for both of them. 

Crowning of the New King!

It was fantastic to be able to enjoy our Coronation celebrations in the sunshine.  The children all thoroughly enjoyed their tea party and were chuffed to be able to show off their crown and plate designs to our parent helpers and special guests from the local community who joined us. A particular highlight was listening to our wonderful Year Two Choir who gave us a rendition of songs they had learnt especially for the occasion.  We thanked Mrs Browning, Mrs Kilpack and Ms Lyons for their hard work with the choir – they really are a credit to our school.

Easter Celebrations

During their R.E. lessons the children learnt about what happened in Holy Week and why Christians believe this shows Jesus was a special person and the Son of God. They discussed the different events leading up to Good Friday, why we eat Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday and enjoy hot cross buns!

A very big thank you goes to Josh and Andy from the Bessels Green Baptist Church, who brought “Jesus the Super Hero” to our assembly.  The children really enjoyed learning about the wonderful things Jesus did for us.

Here at Riverhead, an important part of our Easter celebrations is the Easter Bonnet Technology Day. Year Two visited their Buddies at Amherst and the Year Six children visited our Reception and Year One children to create beautiful bonnets. We had some wonderful hats which we are able to "show off" to parents at the Easter Parade.

KS1 Scooter and Skateboard Workshop

The KS1 children took part in a Scooter and Skateboard Workshop. They learnt how to stay safe whilst scooting and skating to and from school. The safety equipment they need and should always wear, and enhanced their skills by going round an obstacle course practicing their turning.

The Sound of Music!

Music touches hearts and minds, it can inspire joy, bring comfort, makes us reminisce and gives us a chance to celebrate. We had some wonderful opportunities to enjoy music recently which enhanced our music curriculum.

Sevenoaks School Partnership led three workshops for our children as part of the updated National Plan for Music Education. The children loved joining in, were engaged and found the experience of singing in their year groups very enjoyable. Thank you to the Sevenoaks School Students and teachers for coming along to inspire the children.

A huge "thank you" also went to Mrs Killpack, ably assisted by Miss Lyon and Mrs Browning, our Music Leader, for coaching our magnificent choir who performed their very first concert at the Pamoja Hall Performing Arts Centre at Sevenoaks School. We were so very proud of the children, who were the youngest there. They sang beautifully, stood proudly and bowed elegantly! Well done everyone.

Wonderful World Book Day

On any other day, a giraffe having a conversation with a nattily dressed fox whilst a skeleton and Mary Poppins wait patiently to have their say might seem strange; but on World Book Day that is all just part of the fun!

It was such a delight to see not only so many wonderful cosutmes, but also the range of books the children have covered.   We learnt about some new characters (Harley Hitch – thank you Elsie) and revisit some old favourites - thanks to Ferdi who was Mr. Bump.  A particular highlight was the children's parade of characters .  Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us. 

The Book Swap was also another highlight giving the children an opportunity to choose a new book for a fantastic story-times at home.  Thank you to the PTA for their support running the Book Swap and to Mrs Swain for co-ordinating so many of the great activities.

Some of our children also sent in their extreme reading photos. Who knew that you could read a book whilst doing a handstand or playing football!

Another highlight was the visit from renowned author Chris Connaughton. The children were enthralled by his story telling and used his enthusiasm to retell their own stories with performances and illustrations in class.  Chris visited the classes individually and was delighted with everyone's creative ideas.

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Thank you to Mrs Gibbins and her Mandarin Club who entertained us this week as we celebrated Chinese New Year. They sang the Chinese New Year song accompanied by musical instruments. This is the Year of the Rabbit and the whole school has been learning about the significance of the Chinese zodiac symbols.

The Reception Children read the story of "The Great Race" and made some wonderful Chinese lanterns. They also learnt and performed the Dragon Dance accompanied by drums which scared the bad luck away and brought in the good luck!

Bird Week

Once again the whole school took part in this year's RSPB Big School Birdwatch.   In school we learnt about the different species of birds which visit our grounds. Our Reception children transformed their investigation shed into a bird hide, using their binoculars to find the different birds.Year One looked at appropriate materials that could be used to create a bird feeder. 

In particular, the Year Two children joined Mr. and Mrs. Puttock who lead them in a bit of bird spotting. 

Christmas at Riverhead

Watching each of the Christmas performances is an obvious example of how well each of the classes in Reception, Year One and Year Two have come together to create one large team for each of these shows. The children supported one another and clearly demonstrated our value of determination by working so hard to learn lines, dance routines and songs. They also showed their enjoyment and love of learning by presenting with wide smiles and happy faces all the way through each performance. 

Equally, the adults in all of the classes pulled together - creating costumes, leading rehearsals, guiding children from one position to another and being there to support those little thespians who may suffer a tinge of stage fright!

This spirit of togetherness isn’t just present at Christmas. Over the course of Term Two we have seen so many examples of the ‘Riverhead Team’ pulling together for a common cause. That team extends to our wider community also and is seen in the work of the PTA, the time given (voluntarily) by Governors to help move our school forward and by everyone who has volunteered time and resources in support of the children and the school.

International Day

We celebrated the diversity of cultures and nationalities making up the Riverhead Infants' School for our International Day. During the day the children and adults came to school dressed in something that reflected a country they have links to. Each year group researched a different country, speaking phrases in a different language, finding out about the countries traditional dress, national dishes and culture.

Important PSHE Days

Term Two's PSHE topic was "Celebrating Differences". As a school we discussed how we are physically different, the different things we like to do, and the different ways we like to learn. We decided that we all have similarities and differences and that we should celebrate this - being different is O.K! This tied in nicely with Anti-Bullying week and it was so lovely to see the children and staff wearing their "odd socks" to reinforce and raise awareness of bullying.

Keeping safe and knowing right and wrong is also an important part of PSHE. We welcomed Yasmin and Clare, our local police and PCSO officers, to school to lead an assembly about road safety. They talked to the children about how and where to cross the road safely, particularly outside school, and making sure that we are always seen by other road users, especially in the winter months. They also launched a competition to design a safety poster for the school, and asked the children to remind their parents about how to park responsibly and with consideration for our local residents.

Fire Safety Day

With all the excitement of Bonfire Night, all the children took part in a Fire Safety Day. They learnt about the rules for firework safety and wrote a list of instructions on how to keep safe on Bonfire Night. These included instructions about keeping pets safe, wearing appropriate clothing and staying a safe distance from any fireworks.

They also had a discussion about the "stop, drop and roll" routine and safety around fires and drew some fantastic firework pictures and made some amazing firework rockets!

St. George's Day

It was lovely to see our children who are members of the Rainbows and Beaver groups come to school in their smart uniforms to celebrate St George’s Day. As you know Baden Powell, the founder of the scout movement, chose St. George to be the patron saint of Scouts as he wanted St. George’s Day to be a time to reflect on the Scout Promise and what it means to be a Scout.

Special Visitors

In Term Four the children enjoyed some exciting enhancement opportunities starting with a lot of fun and creativity with the poet, James Carter, and an inspirational visit from international sprinter and national gold medallist, Frederick Afrifa.  They learnt his mantra Fred taught them (Keep moving forward!) that fits with our school value of determination, which the children demonstrated during their fitness challenge. Sponsorship money raised went towards supporting GB athletes as well as physical activities here at school.

E-Safety Day

During one of our inset days, staff took part in online safety training, which is part of our safeguarding training.   Mrs Browning, our Computing Lead, organised our E-Safety day with the KS1 children taking part in a workshop explaining the importance of staying safe on-line through fun activities, role playing, signing and games. All the children read “Digiducks Big Decision” which tells the story of how help arrives just in time for Digiduck when his friends and himself are faced with a difficult decision about being responsible online. The Year Two children also took part in a quiz organised by the Sevenoaks District Council which highlighted different potential online risks to be aware of.  We hope that parents also learnt something from your children’s posters and booklets showing the understanding of what they were taught.

Lizzy Yarnold Visit

We were so excited to be invited to take part in Lizzy Yarnold's parade to celebrate her second gold medal!  Some of our Year One and Two children had a lovely bus journey to Trinity School where they cheered, waved flags and displayed the banner we had made. Everyone was allowed to hold the medal, and Logan in Robin Class even became a celebrity when he was interviewed for the BBC and ITV!

Well done Lizzy we are all very proud of you! 

Lizzy Yarnold Visit

We were very excited when Lizzy Yarnold visited us to celebrate her Gold Medal success in Sochi!  We sang her our special song, cheered, waved the flags and banners we had made. 

Ben and Emily were lucky enough to go on the bus with Lizzy and Charlie, Daniel, Tegan and Charlotte met her at Knole Academy.  Ben, Oliver, Caoimhe, Rosie, Alice and Patrick were interviewed by the local radio stations.  Everyone has had a wonderful time!

Well done Lizzy we are all very proud of you!