Students take part in SMSC and China Day!
Reported by Lucy Powell, Courtney Howarth and Samantha Hart
Year 12 Press Group
On Tuesday 30th of June and the 3rd July students of the Manor Academy took part in SMSC and China Day, which was designed to give students the opportunity to enjoy various activities that were focused on different cultures from around the world. These activities provided students with knowledge about different cultures and the kind of traditions they have. The year 8 students in particular focussed on China and the activities that were involved with that were Tai chi, Kung Fu, and cooking Chinese food. Additionally, these activities allowed students to experience the types of traditions that are involved in Chinese culture. Plus this would also give the students the kinds of skills they can learn about the country as well. By setting up China day it supplied students with fun activities that they could easily get involved with and be a part of.
Moreover, the rest of the academy and the expressway students joined in with other activities which included, British democracy, First Aid, Healthy lifestyles, cultural games, and calligraphy. These activities on offer were designed to help students understand about areas that 
impacted their own lives and the kind of skills they could learn and apply in everyday life or various situations. Classes like First aid provided students with the first-hand knowledge to apply when someone is in need of medical assistance. Or with calligraphy students can use the skills of what they have learned into their own handwriting. The new basic students also had their own activity which was the Alice in wonderland performance in the theatre. These year 7’s provided an exciting insight into the performance they have been working on for their end of term performance. Students were able to watch and observe the performance and have an insight into the kinds of acting skills that the year 7’s can perform.
One of the activities taken place today was the First Aid with expressway students. First Aid had a big impact on the Manor Academy students as it allowed them to use their knowledge and skills in order to practice First Aid on another student in case of an emergency and so provided students with essential life skills. One of the events that took place within this activity was how to bandage up someone’s head or arm etc. This helped the students understand the important issues revolving around First Aid and help them understand why this may benefit them in the future. One of the students said “…I really enjoyed the activity and it allowed me to feel as though I had achieved something that will help me if I ever have an injury”. Another event that took place within this activity was how to construct a sling. The photos and footage we took of this showed us step by step how to make a sling if someone was in desperate need of assistance after having a serious injury.
Another activity that took place throughout the day was Martial Arts. This was taking place during the small sports hall. Students were allowed to practice their skills using different weapons such as padded nun chucks and also with Martial arts punch bags/pads. This activity allowed students to learn about the different aspects of Martial arts, such as where it came from and what varieties of weapons can be used. A couple of the students thought that this activity was “…helpful to practice self-defence and understanding the whole purpose of Martial Arts”. This activity allowed the students to have a good insight into the culture and also reminded them that defence is often more important than being able to attack.
British Democracy was another activity students took part in; students were taught all about the historical background of British democracy and understand the different values + principles it holds. One student we spoke to told us “…I have enjoyed learning about British Democracy 
as it has allowed me to understand more about the subject and the differences between the House of Commons and House of Lords”. Another student told us that “…it was good to learn more about the government and how everything is run as it was something new to learn and will give me more knowledge about this topic for the future as I want to study Politics in the future”. This activity seemed to really fascinate the students as they didn’t really know much about British Democracy and the history behind it, and so students took to it with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Another particular aspect of SMSC and China day was, students took part in several cooking activities. Students learnt about different cultures and foods from all around the world. Being able to prepare and cook food including sushi, sweet and sour chicken and key lime moose, students were able to use their skills and also learn new skills in the kitchen. One student we spoke to told us, ‘I really enjoyed taking part in whisking the moose but also learning about cooking skills which will help me develop my skills for the future.’ This activity was held as it is important for students to discover new recipes and develop their cookery skills while enjoying taking part in SMSC day. Also it helped the students to learn how to use kitchen appliances and use their time affectively which will help with future aspects of life. All the students seemed to enjoy this activity and was very enthusiastic about learning new cultures and the food they eat.
