Throne of Words
Everyone has a life story! Our Throne of Words develops oracy and communication by developing children's questioning skills.
The Throne is occupied by invited guests, who very often have links to our school. The children research the guest and prepare questions in order to gain as much knowledge as they can about the person in the seat.
We encourage the children to ask secondary and tertiary questions to really probe the interviewee and gather as much information about the fascinating lives our guests have lived.
We believe this also builds aspiration in our children as many of our guests are past pupils, who have achieved great things!
Mr Close, who has travelled around Asia and Australia, takes the throne...
A Kickboxing World Champion takes the throne...
Our very own Mrs Abrams, shared with Year 4 her story of becoming a world champion in a male-dominated sport. The children were amazed by the size of ther trophy... almost as big as Mrs Abrams herself. The children asked questions about her training regime and diet and also how she prepared mentally before a competition. The children were utterly inspired by Mrs Abram's story and as a result, we have had an increase in girls attending the Judo after-school club.
Mrs Seaberg, who taught outside the UK for over 12 years, takes the throne...
Mrs Seaberg shared her story with Year 5 about her five years teaching in Cyprus and more recently, her eight years in Cyprus. The children enthusiastically asked questions about what the school day looks like in Cyprus and Malta and if she had a favourite country. They also asked about how it felt moving to a new country and if she ever got homesick. Mrs Seaberg's fascinating story struck a chord with some of our pupils who have settled in the UK from afar and also enlightened our pupils to the idea of working and living in a different country in the future.
Our very own missionary worker takes the throne...
Mr McGregor shared his story with the PHSE and RE Ambassadors about his time as a missionary in Uganda. Mr McGregor has visited Uganda three times. He set the mood for this story with some traditional Ugandan music and showed photographs of his time there. Mr McGregor helped build schools in the villages and with his very athletic background, ran a football team for the local children. The PHSE and RE ambassadors listened attentively to how we can put our love and faith into action by helping those less fortunate than ourselves in the world. This sparked a great interest in Uganda and was the country we then focused on with our Toilet Twinning Project in November.
A Professional Dancer takes the throne...
Miss Warren took to the throne to share her story of life on the stage. As a professional dancer, Miss Warren shared how she first got in Performing Arts and the struggles she faced with body image. Miss Warren spoke openly to our Year 5 and 6 classes. The children were gripped from the start!
Blackburn MP Kate Hollern takes the throne...
Blackburn MP Kate Hollern visited school and met with the School Council. It was a wonderful morning where the children learnt about life in politics. They prepared some amazing questions .... Kate left feeling like she'd been on an episode of Question Time.
Sister Alice takes the throne...
Sister Alice shared her story with our RE Ambassadors. She spoke about her calling from God and how she dedicates her life to serving others. Our RE Ambassadors asked some great questions such as:
What do you like most about being a nun?
What is your biggest challenge you are faced with?
How long after hearing your calling did you take your vows?
Who is your most inspirational saint? Why?
What advice would you give to young people considering a vocation into the priesthood or becoming a nun?
Detective Sergeant takes the throne....
Detective Sergeant Bryony Midgeley took to the Throne to speak about her busy role with Lancashire Police.
Plumber and gas fitter Gill Dickinson is a former pupil, who has built a successful career in a male-dominated profession.
The children had the opportunity to ask both these incredibly successful and hard-working women questions they had prepared...
Blackburn Rovers players take the throne....
Our PE Subject Ambassadors interviewed Blackburn Rovers players Amari'i Bell and Greg Fisher.
'I asked the players how much they get paid per match and what other career aspirations they'd had other than football. It was interesting to hear that Amari'i had played basketball at a high level and practised sports every day whilst he was growing up; it's made me even more determined to try my hardest to achieve my ambitions by working hard.' Year 4 pupil.
The children prepare their own questions, there are some budding journalists in our midst! Here are some examples...
Who has been the greatest influence in your life?
What is your favourite period in history? Why? What is your greatest achievement?
If you could go back in time and change an event...what would it be?
What is your earliest memory?
What do you feel is your greatest talent?
If you could choose to be amazingly talented at something...what would it be?
What is your favourite song?
Mr John Bleasdale was interviewed on March 18th. Mr Bleasdale is a Defence Solicitor, who has defended criminal cases in Crown Court. He also worked as a state prosecutor for over ten years as well as in other aspects of law such as conveyancing and property law. Mr Bleasdale answered the children's questions on the justice system; how it feels to defend a criminal who may have committed a serious offence and some of the cases he has been involved with over the years.
A Royal Marine takes the throne
Debt Aware Founder takes the throne........
Mr Brian Souter was a Deputy Headteacher in a Secondary School in Chorley until he retired. He then set up the DebtAware Foundation, a programme that teaches pupils about money management i.e. Wants and Needs, Budgeting, Finance and Borrowing, Gambling and so much more. We have been involved in the programme since 2015 and are now also very proud to have Brian on our Governing body.
A past pupil (from the day the school opened) takes the throne....
On March 4th and 5th, we welcomed Robert Beardsworth. Robert was a pupil at our school on the day it opened in 1957! He went on to spend 30 years as a Diocesan Youth Officer for Salford Diocese and is a long-serving Lancashire Magistrate. We were fascinated to hear his life story:
Ms Ali takes to the throne....
Rehana Ali took to the Throne to speak to the children about how she had been a young carer at the age of 9. She spoke about how this had shaped her future, both as a parent and as a family support worker. The children were also fascinated to learn that, as a newborn, Mrs Ali had been accidentally swapped at the hospital with another baby Ali and passed to the wrong mum! Luckily, the two mums noticed and the babies were safely returned!
Watch this space for more or get in touch if you have a fascinating life story to tell!