Welcome to 4B's class blog. Here you will see regular updates from our class giving you an insight into the work we get up to.

23/01/26

In Media Studies, 4B have begun a new qualification this week for the WJEC, which will give four more credits to their library of works completed. This time they have chosen collectively to complete a course on 'Creating a Print Media Piece'. Led by Mrs Pearson, they are beginning by exploring different types of print media and they have already demonstrated sound knowledge of advertising and branding.

The class took a trip to Chester-Le-Street to deliver over 300 books to a local FREE charity bookshop. The books were left over following a school library clear-out and we wanted to support the local community and decided to donate them. Once the books were delivered the class spent time looking around the charity shop before heading further up the high street to visit shops and grab some lunch.

While in Chester-Le-Street, the class had a look around the local parish church and were given an impromptu talk by one of the volunteers about the Lindisfarne Gospels – a copy of which resides in the church. They were treated with information about how important the handwritten gospels were and shown the delicate pages that were beautifully illustrated. Following that, they were taken into the small room where the hermitage resided. It was truly fascinating!

14/11/25

4B have been working on their problem-solving skills in maths this week, tackling some tricky mult-step word problems and showing some resilience while they did so. In Geography they learned about Postcodes and what they actual mean. This supported the lesson about how to present addresses correctly and the discussion about when we will use them in our daily lives.

On Thursday, the class visited the Metrocentre and spent time independently browsing, showing maturity in how they behaved in what turned out to be a very busy place.

Finally, the class also celebrated National Poetry Day and Michael Rosen, by learning about him and following it up with a food themed activity – writing a recipe poem entitled, ‘Recipe For Teenagers’.

They used their creativity to produce some funny and interesting poems and had fun doing so.

10/11/25

4B have had an interesting week, spending time out in the community amongst other things. On Wednesday the class visited Gateshead College as a familiarization exercise. Students were shown around the site and were able to experience the college environment and the excellent facilities there. They also bumped into some ex-Hill Top students during the visit.

4B have made tremendous progress in recent times towards their WJEC Entry Pathways qualification in Creative Media and Performance Arts, identifying commonalities in films from the action genre. They are also developing their photography skills and are busy putting together an exhibition of their work for the coming weeks (watch this space!)

The highlight of the week was a class trip to Gibside National Trust. Everyone enjoyed the heritage site, exploring the walled garden, the ruins and taking a long walk through the forest. Students collected some pine cones and conkers as they meandered through the grounds, taking in nature and enjoying the fresh (windy) air.