Welcome to my weekly headteacher blog. This replaces the fortnightly newsletter and is an opportunity for me to celebrate and share some of the wonderful learning experiences enjoyed by children at Harrowbarrow Primary Academy. I will also share information about future events for us all to look forward to.

Please also look at the class blogs, which teachers will add to weekly to share information directly relating to their own classes.

If parents/carers need to contact me about their child or anything related to the school, this can be done through the school office on 01579 350576 or via email: head@harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk

Andrew Hunt
Headteacher

Eco Summit
Rudy, Toby, Cadan and Anoud, our Class 4 school councillors, attended an eco summit at Brunel Primary School today. The group engaged in workshops to learn about recycling and waste management from industry providers. They made future plans for Harrowbarrow, which they later fed back to the other schools attending. It was an inspiring day and the ideas of the group were really impressive.


Sport Days
An annual highlight of the school year, sports day and sports evening provide an opportunity for children to compete across a range of different activities. Thank you to all those in attendance and to Abi Flashman for organising the sports and working with the PSA to provide a brilliant post sports event. A special thank you to the PSA, who provided food and drink, entertainment and some fundraising opportunities. It was a truly lovely evening last night and always feels very special when our school community come together in that way.

First Aid Workshop
Class 4 were joined by paramedic and first aid instructor Peter Salisbury this week. Peter taught them how to deal with choking, how to put someone in the recovery position, dealing with sprains and how to resuscitate someone. Hopefully, the children will never need to use this knowledge but it always best to be prepared. It was a very instructive lesson.



Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP)
From feedback, we know that many parents and carers have concerns about children's online activity as they grow older. It is a worry knowing how to keep children safe. Learning to keep yourself safe online as a child is part of our curriculum but there is also lots of advice for parents and carers which would be worth exploring. Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) and is part of the National Crime Agency and they have a useful webpage designed to support you:



To follow some of the links above, please click on https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/

The last few weeks of term look like they will be very busy with trips and and activities in school. I look forward to sharing more from Harrowbarrow next week.

A roundup of of our week at Harrowbarrow: 

Design Technology

This week, Class 3 concluded work to design and make their own working torch. Recycling a plastic bottle and using their knowledge of electrical circuits, the children made these very realistic and effective torches with a homemade switch.

 

Meanwhile, Class 4 concluded their project to design a multifunction navigation device. Having already used Micro;Bits to code a programme that counts their steps and also work as a digital cardinal compass, the children used Computer Aided Design software to come up with the case for their Micro:Bit.

UK Parliament Workshop

Tomas Williams from the UK Parliament Service joined Class 3 and 4 on Tuesday to talk about our system of government. He presented information about how laws are agreed upon and the role of MPs. The session concluded with a question and answer session and a mock vote on the proposal of  new law. The children voted to abolish school uniform!



Heat Wave

Thank you for helping us make school more bearable during the oppressive heat this week; fan donations, dressing the children appropriately and ensuring they attend wearing sunscreen and with a water bottle has really helped. The children have been amazingly tolerant, given how uncomfortable it has been for everyone. Today has felt lovely by comparison!

Sports Evening

Just a reminder that our summer sports evening has been rescheduled for Thursday 2nd July at 5pm. We hope to see you all there next week.

Class 4 Trip

Yesterday, Class 4 visited The Box Museum in Plymouth in support of their history learning. They participated in a workshop learning about the legends and landmarks of Plymouth.

Bridge School Games

This week children have been competing in the Bridge School Games; an  annual sporting event that gives children the opportunity to compete against the other fourteen schools in the Trust. Whilst the children may not come together in one place, each school submits their scores once every child completes the five sporting challenges that have been set. This year, because it coincides with the FIFA World Cup, all the activities had a football theme. Events included:

·       Futboll Fun

·       The United Gates of America

·       Toron - Toe Tap

·       Goalkeeper Throw

·       Football's Coming Cone

For more information on what these events entailed, please ask your children.
Our scores have now been submitted. We will have to wait and see if Harrowbarrow has come out on top!

Barrow Beats Performance

On Wednesday, our wonderful singers delivered a surprise performance for Jenny Snuggs, a longtime resident of Harrowbarrow who has played an active role in many of our local community groups. Jenny is leaving the area and a thank you tea was organised in her honour. As a former teacher and Harrowbarrow School governor, I am sure Jenny welcomed the children's little surprise.

Art Exhibition

Thank you to all those who were able to attend the art exhibition after school on Wednesday. We hope you enjoyed seeing what your children have been learning about.

Landrake Fun Run

This afternoon, lots of our children will be competing in the Landrake fun run. Traditionally, this race has been held earlier in the year, when conditions underfoot would have been very muddy - sometimes, children would cross the finish line having lost a shoe in the boggy conditions! Hopefully, all footwear will make it across the line this year.

Plant Donations

Thank you to our Forest School children and to parent Hannah Fox who have been sorting out our overgrown and rather weedy wellbeing garden at the front of the school. If anyone has been growing flowering plants or herbs or has something they can divide and donate to the school, we would be very grateful. Our children will enjoy planting them up.

Royal Ballet Workshop

On Wednesday, the infant classes engaged in an online workshop with the Royal Ballet. It was a 1-hour virtual session with dancers and production team members at the RBO, where the children travelled through time and learned about the evolution of the ballet. They also met four of their dancers (two Americans, a Japanese and an Italian) and learned some ballet moves, finally improvising and creating their own moves. They went backstage to meet set designers, costumer makers, people from the lighting department and prop makers. This workshop challenged gender stereotypes that were aired by some of the children in advance of the session. It was also noticeable how some of our more active children, who can struggle to sit and sustain attention for long periods of time, became completely absorbed in the dance moves and demonstrated higher levels of concentration than we would ordinarily see - perhaps we have some future dancers in our school!



Sports Evening

We look forward to seeing everyone for our summer sports evening next Thursday 25th at 5pm. In the event of rain, the reserve day is Thursday 2nd July.

2026-2027 Classes

Please note the following class structure for the next academic year:

Class 1: Reception

Class 2: Year 1 & Year 2 (the current Class 1 children will all move up together)

Class 3: Year 3 & Year 4

Class 4: Year 5 & Year 6

The teachers for each class will remain unchanged.

During the Year 6 residential trip to the Brecon Beacons, on the week beginning 13th July, we will hold a whole school transition week. The children will experience their new classes and teachers. This should help children adjust to the changes in September.

I look forward to sharing more of your children's achievements next week.

The last fortnight has been exciting but very busy at Harrowbarrow, so there is lots of news to share:

Class 3 Visit Carnglaze Caverns
As part of their summer science, Class 3 children visited Carnglaze Caverns to learn about underground slate mining in Cornwall. At the same time, they learnt about one of the myths around a type of fairy, know as a Cornish Knocker. These mythical beings would make a knocking sound, warning miners they were at risk of imminent danger.



Class 4 Victorian Day
Class 4 are learning about the Victorians. To deepen their understanding, they welcomed Adrian Chapman from Blast from the Past. Adrian taught them all about Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and brought the learning to life with his role play and range of interesting artefacts. 



Class 3 STEM Workshop
On Wednesday, Andy from Cognition Creative Learning ran a Lego robotics workshop in Class 3. The children had to design and make a moving Lego device that could be programmed using coding software. We had cranes, drills and even an open and closing coffin!



Design Technology
Class 4 are currently designing a multifunction navigation device. This week, they coded their own programme, which enabled a Micro:Bit device to point to the cardinal compass points and also operate as a pedometer at the same time. The buzz of excitement when the children successfully completed the task was brilliant to see.

In their design technology lessons, Class 3 are designing and making their own torches. Last week, they created a circuit to light a bulb, manufacturing their own switch to turn the light on and off.


Parent Parking
Finally, a polite request to help keep pedestrians safe. Please note, the yellow markings at the front of the school are not for parking or stopping on. Access to the school drive should also be kept clear at all times. Thank you for your understanding.

Playtimes are always enhanced when we have access to the field and this year we have introduced additional equipment to make the playtime experience even more positive. Here are a few photos of the children enjoying the opportunities they have for socialising and positive play.


Well done to our Year 6 pupils who completed their SATs this week. However we try to reduce the pressure, inevitably, some children will always feel anxious about doing these tests. They all did incredibly well and can look forward to finishing the term without the shadow of SATs hanging over them. Next half term, the Year 6 pupils will have the opportunity to attend transition sessions in preparation for secondary school. Parents and carers can access guidance on how to support their children with transition to secondary school by accessing this workshop:



Congratulations to Lesley Connell who got married at the weekend. Lesley will now be known as Mrs Sammels, but is very understanding of anyone who forgets and calls her Mrs Connell - she still forgets herself!

A free half term opportunity for children:

These sessions are open to children aged 5-12, each session will be approximately 2 hours long. 

Sign up will close one week before the session date, or when the session reaches capacity, whichever comes first.

If your child is into drama, why not sign up to this free opportunity at an amazing setting. It is a long way to travel but well worth it and it could be combined with a family day out in the beautiful west of our county:

 

This week, our Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils visited the Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre for three days of adventurous activity. A highlight of their primary education, the children use this opportunity to develop confidence, and team building skills, undertake new and exciting challenges and learn to problem solve. Often, for the youngest participants, the greatest challenge is being away from home for the first time. Thank you to Sam Watts, Sarah Marley and Brendan Thomas, who gave their time to ensure the children had a fabulous trip. They reported that the children were brilliant and engaged fully in the opportunities open to them. Here are a few photos to show what an amazing experience this was.




May Day
Well done or our May Day performers who danced around the maypole for our community on Monday. Despite the odd tangle, which is all part of the experience, they did a great job. Thank you to Melissa Pinfield for coaching the children and supporting them on the day.


Music Lessons
Class 4 children had the opportunity to try playing ukuleles this week. They also continued their music tech lessons using Garageband.


Half Term Holiday Opportunity

Please note, there is a session at the Callington College 3G pitches on Tuesday 26th May.



Diary Dates
- Friday 15th May at 8.40am: Open session for parents and carers to look at their children's writing
- Friday 22nd May: School closed to pupils for staff training
- Monday 25th to Friday 29th May: Half term week
- Wednesday 3rd June: Class 3 trip to Carnglaze Caverns
- Wednesday 3rd June: Visiting history workshop in Class 4
- Friday 5th June: School closed to pupils for staff training

This week we held final rehearsals for the annual May Day celebrations. Starting at 12pm on Monday 4th at Harrowbarrow Village Hall, there will be music from Callington Brass Band, food, games and our very own maypole dancers. Hopefully, the weather will be better than the forecast currently indicates. 



This week, we also welcomed Sarah Parker-Clavier from the Cornwall Music Service. As music lead, Abi Fashman successfully applied for funding for each class to have music lessons to complement our music curriculum. The first lesson for the junior classes was about music tech; using GarageBand to compose music. Next week, Class 3 will be learning to play the ukulele and will be learning to play this instrument for the duration of the term. Perhaps, before the summer holidays, there will be an opportunity for 29 Year 3 and 4 ukulele players to perform to parents and carers!

Welcome back to everyone after the Easter break. We have a busy term ahead and will be sharing many of the children's wonderful learning experiences as they happen. This week, an invited group of Year 4 & 5 pupils participated in an art and sustainability workshop at the University of Plymouth. Well done to Joey, Harriet, Anoud, Elodie and Thomas, who worked brilliantly alongside children from two other Bridge schools. The headteacher from Brunel was in attendance and emailed me with the following message: 

We know how brilliant our children are but it is always nice to hear it from someone else.

Art
This week, I had the pleasure of working with Class 4 at the start of their summer art unit. This unit explores the work of designers and craftspeople. The point of our lesson was to make something from a fairly abstract prompt card. For example, they could make something that looked introverted, something that was shy, something that balanced etc. This allowed the children to design as they worked, so they didn't become fixated on trying to make something recognisable. This freedom, led to some very creative outcomes:



Reading
As we progress towards the annual summer reading challenge within our local libraries, there is an opportunity for children to meet local author Tom Palmer:


Sun Safety
In our assembly today, I reminded children of the need to keep themselves sun safe. I am sure we have all enjoyed the sun this week but we need to make sure we protect ourselves in the correct way. Please send your child to school wearing sun screen, with a sun hat and a bottle of water to ensure they are sun safe. Thank you in anticipation of your support.

I look forward to sharing more as we progress through the term.

Just a short post to wish everyone a very Happy Easter and share the last news items for the term.

PSA Easter bake sale and film night
Thank you to the Parent Staff Association for organising the film night this week. We appreciate the contribution our volunteers make to school events and the funding they contribute, such as paying for the space dome last week. Thank you to all those who contributed to the Easter bake sale. The range of bakes on show was fantastic; it was clear a lot of skill and hard work had gone into making them.



Class 1 Theatre Royal Trip
On Wednesday, Class 1 visited the Theatre Royal to watch a performance of The Enormous Turnip. This wonderful opportunity to engage with performing arts will help the children as they prepare for learning about growth next term.

Rocksteady Performance
Well done to our Rocksteady bands, who performed to their parents and carers this week. These lessons are very popular and it is amazing to see how Joe, the band leader, has developed the children's skills in such a short space of time. The performance was brilliant and it was lovely to see how proud the watching adults were.

School Nursing Support
For parents and carers who may need some health advice about their children, the school nursing service can be a source of support:


Cove Macmillan Centre - Fruitfly Collective