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

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

As we approach the end of term, there is a race to complete lots of activities before starting again after Easter. Here are a few of the things that have kept us busy:

Design Technology
Class 4 children have been finishing their model playground structure designs. From measuring, cutting and joining materials to thinking about the aesthetic quality of different finishes, there has been a lot of learning over the last couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Class 3 have been designing model cars with the design brief that they must be able to assemble it from a kit.


Bridge Trust Singing Event
On Monday 16th, Year 6 pupils attended a Bridge Trust music event in Liskeard. Working with Canadian folk musician Luke Wallace, who writes songs about the environment, the children learnt and performed some songs before singing their own song, which they had been learning in the build up to the event. The Harrowbarrow song, Easy On The Earth, was written by Melissa Pinfield. She also accompanied the children on her clarinet in St Martins Church.

Songfest
Barrow Beats children joined pupils from lots of other schools to enjoy  singing together at the Sterts Theatre on Wednesday. This annual event is always popular with the choir.

Space Dome
To conclude our science learning for the term, the children enjoyed a visit to the Space Dome at the village hall today. Classes 1, 2 and 4 participated in a space workshop, whilst Class 3 learnt about light and sound. This fantastic resource brings science to life and adds an awe and wonder element that can make learning so magical. Thank you to the Parent Staff Association for kindly funding this brilliant learning experience.



Parenting Support
For a better quality version of the poster below, please see the noticeboard at the front of the school or pop into the school office for a copy.



Last day of term
A reminder that next Thursday is the last day of term and so children will need collecting at 1.30pm. We look forward to seeing everyone for the start of the summer term on Monday 20th April.

Tree Planting
To celebrate the opening of the Community Pantry, our Year 6 pupils helped plant a special apple tree next to the new shop. Hopefully, we can all look forward to scrumping a few apples in the years ahead!




Litter Warriors
A group of children from across the school have volunteered to be our first Litter Warriors. The Litter Warriors will use their litter pickers to tidy up of our school site every Friday. The school council came up with this suggestion when asked to think about ways our school could be improved. They also suggested we improve our recycling, so Class 4 children made some signs to ensure children use the correct bins for their rubbish.



Community Litter Pick
Following on from our own litter pickers, we have been asked to share details of a community litter pick:

Callington Lions Club are spearheading a series of community litter picks as part of Lions Environment Week (18-26 April), celebrating World Earth Day on 22 April.

All relevant insurance, risk assessments, and volunteers are in place, and members of the local community are warmly invited to join them on Sunday 19th April at 11am to litter pick at Harrowbarrow Village Hall and the surrounding green areas. They would love to see as many people as possible helping to keep our local environment clean and cared for. 

This week we congratulate our First Lego League competitors from Year 6. On  Wednesday, the team of Talan, Jayden, Josh V, Cadan, Josh M, Belle, Arabella, Jack, Eli and Rioch joined hundreds of children from schools across Cornwall for a day of Lego robotics competition at RNAS Culdrose. There were many ways in which teams could excel and be recognised for their achievements. Although the team were unable to secure the most points and progress to the national finals, they received the judges award for engineering excellence for their robot design (below). We are very proud of the team for their efforts and the work they have done over the last two terms in preparation for this event. As well as building the robot to complete different missions, the group had to come up with a presentation which they delivered to judges on the day. They also built a model drone in support of their presentation. Thank you to volunteer Karen Brinson for her work supporting Sam Watts and the team over the last few months.




Year 3/4 football match

Only one competitive match this week, which saw the team lose narrowly to South Petherwin. They will have one more opportunity to secure a win on Tuesday as the competition draws to a close. Whatever the outcome, we are proud of their efforts and know they will have learnt lots of lessons from being involved in competitive sport. 

Cross-country round-up
The league season came to a close with the final race at Lanhydrock. Abi Flashman thinks that almost every runner finished with a personal best in this race, which is brilliant. A special mention goes to Jacob Bloye, which secured enough points to be invited to the county finals. Thank you to all the parents who supported their children with races, whatever the weather!

End of term
As we enter the last few weeks of term, a reminder that our last day is Thursday 2nd April and pupils will need collecting at 1.30pm on this day.

This week, I would like to share some of the wonderful design technology learning from the junior classes, alongside some of the other activities children have been involved in.

Design Technology

Class 4 are designing a playground structure, which they will transform into a model by the end of term. They started with design sketches, which were  then uploaded to NewArc AI to see what their designs might look like.



Rudy's design sketch is on the left and then AI's interpretation is on the right.

Rosie added some children to her sketches, which the AI tool was able to add to the interpretation of her design.

We were all in awe of the power of this technology, which has helped the children visualise what their finished model may look like. The next step was to plan their design more carefully using Tinkercad, a Computer Aided Design platform. There is more work for the children to do but these are Alfie, Arabella and Josh's CAD playground structures so far.


Class 3 continue to explore different mechanisms through making model prototype cars. This week, they constructed rubber band racers which were tested at the end of the lesson. Well done to Lowenna and Sophia, whose car travelled the furthest.


Football
Unfortunately, our Year 3 and 4 footballers were unable to win either of their two matches this week, but I am really proud of the determination and teamwork on display and feel a first win is just around the corner. Well done to Jacob, Eva, Abigail, Spencer, Max, Edith and William for their efforts.

World Book Day
It was lovely to see the children dressed as book characters yesterday to celebrate World Book Day. I also enjoyed seeing the range of favourite books they brought in. From fantasy novels to traditional tales and favourite information books to riddles, we had the full range of books being shared. As J.K. Rowling once said, 'if you don't like reading, you haven't found the right book'. Well yesterday showed that there is a book for everyone.

Staffing Update
We welcomed back Sam Watts this week after his parental leave. I know the children were very excited to see Sam. On Thursday 12th March, Tom Ottewell-Taylor will be undergoing a routine operation. His recovery period takes him up to Easter, so Abi Flashman will once again help us out by teaching Class 1 full time until the end of term.

I look forward to sharing more from the classes next week. 

Welcome back to everyone after the half term break. As ever, it has been a busy week, with lots of fantastic learning taking place across the school.

Design Technology
Class 3 are learning about mechanisms through model vehicles This week, they learnt to make a prototype model car to roll down an inclined plane. Children had to work in pairs to achieve their learning outcomes in the lesson and then test their car.


Art Exhibition
We hope all those who were able to join us for the art exhibition on Wednesday enjoyed viewing the children's work. It was great to see the variety of approaches on display.



Year 3/4 Football Tournament
Despite losing both games from the first round of matches this week, I thought the players were terrific. Many of the children were playing their first ever game and were very unsure what to do at the beginning. However, by the end, they had improved significantly.

Swimming
Year 1 and 2 children started their swimming programme this afternoon. With half of them assessed as non-swimmers, it shows the value of these lessons.

I look forward to sharing more of the children's learning next week.

Now we have reached the end of this half term, I'm not sure where the weeks have gone. The staff and children have been working extremely hard and everyone deserves a rest. Hopefully, we will have some better weather next week and when we return on Monday 23rd February. I was told it has been the wettest January on record in Cornwall and it has certainly felt like it.

Art Exhibition
At 3.20pm on Wednesday 25th February, we are inviting parents and carers to join us in classes for our latest art exhibition. Here is a taster of what you will see. Class 3 have been learning about art activism and produced their own artwork with a message they want to share with the world. Class 3 have been learning about repeating patterns and how they are generated for the textile and design industry. They have created their own. We look forward to welcoming you on the 25th.




Football Tournament
Well done to our Year 5 and 6 football team, who completed their tournament fixtures this week. A 5-0 win against Menheniot in the first match was followed by a narrow 3-2 defeat to South Petherwin in the second. I was very proud of their attitude, effort and teamwork. A special thanks to Jacob from Year 4, who stepped in to make up the numbers and support Rioch, Rosie, Belle, Seth, Alfie and Jayden. 

Half Term Activities
I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday 23rd February but, in the meantime, here are a couple of ideas for half term:





Finally, here is something for the summer term:

This week two classes went on trips in the local area. It is always good for our children to connect with their local community and the environment as it gives them a sense of place.

Tree planting at Cotehele
The National Trust is planting millions of trees across their estates and this week Class 4 helped plant beech, oak, hornbeam, pine, sycamore and lime trees at Cotehele. The children worked in teams of three to plant and stake over 100 trees. They did an amazing job and really understood the value of the contribution they were making to the landscape and the local habitat.



Haye Farm
Class 3 visited Haye Farm to learn how plants get their food. The visit supports their work in science this term. They will be visiting again in March to learn more and may get the opportunity to see some newborn baby animals too.

It's a girl!
Congratulations to Sam Watts and his partner, who welcomed their baby daughter into the world yesterday. Sam is understandably feeling very proud and asked us to share this angelic photo. We will send a congratulatory card and gift on behalf of our school community.

It's always busy at Harrowbarrow and this week is no exception. Here are some examples of what the children have been up to:

Science in Class 2
Class 2 have been investigating the difference between seeds and bulbs.


Art in Class 3
After looking at the work of artist Rachel Parker, the children designed a tile which is going to be transformed into a repeating pattern using a clever trick of quartering it, rearranging the sections and using technology to repeat their design multiple times. We look forward to sharing the final work at the end but here are a few of tiles ready for the next stage of the process.


Writing in Class 4
The children have been using a text about the fantasy world of Pandora as a stimulus for their own writing. Here are some lovely examples that show how hard the children are working to create some quality pieces of writing.:

In the terrain, foliage sprawls in every direction, only stopping when it meets one of the rivers that winds through the land. Beneath the misty sky, trees stand guard and under  the vines that trail from their branches a wilderness teems with life, above which slivers of moonlight shift and shimmer. Pandora is well known for its deadly environment. Lurking beneath vast trees with dangling vines is the camp where the humanoid inhabitants of Pandora hide. Wrapped around the branches, long, shiny vines with spikes dangle, ready to ensnare anything that touches them. All around, the small but glistening fauna float, spinning slowly. Pandora has amazing features and one of them is the Hallelujah Mountains. Hovering above the ground, the Hallelujah Mountains float over the surface of Pandora. Silky vines connect the Hallelujah mountains. Above the silky, glossy vines that to the Hallelujah mountains slide through the mist. Lurking beneath the mist, the Hallelujah Mountains meet together. Hiding beneath the vines, lay the Hallelujah mountains vailed in silver mist. By Leo

Finally, here are a some opportunities for your children outside of school:

It's been another busy week at Harrowbarrow with a class trip, road safety lessons for our older cyclists and the usual range of exciting lessons. For more information on what your children will be learning this term, please look at the class pages on the website. The teachers post an overview of the learning content in each subject area for your information.

Bikeability
Well done to our Year 6 cyclists who successfully completed their Bikeability training this week. After learning some important safety lessons in the covered playground, the group took to the roads to put their skills into practice.




Cornwall Museum Trip
Class 3 visited Cornwall Museum as part of their history project, learning about the ancient Egyptians. The day started with an interactive lesson on how to mummify a body - don't worry, a doll was used for this! The museum has some great artefacts, which the children were able to explore after the workshop, including a 2,500 year old mummy and his sarcophagus. The whole day was really interesting and brought the history of ancient Egypt alive for Class 3. 



Staffing Update
Sam Watts is due to go on paternity leave in the near future. During his absence, Class 3 will be taught by Abi Flashman on Mondays and Tuesdays and by myself from Wednesday to Friday.

Attendance
We appreciate there have been a succession of bugs throughout the winter period that have impacted on pupil attendance. Thank you to all those parents and carers who notify us if their child is going to be away using the telephone answer system. It is important to phone on each day of absence so we know the reason why absent children are not in school. For mild colds and ailments, we are able to administer medication such as Calpol with your consent. If this helps your child attend on a day when they are slightly off colour, please feel free to drop the medication into the school office and complete a form authorising us to administer it. Quite a few children have missed a lot of school this winter and we are concerned they may not be able to catch-up on missed learning.

Physical Education
This half term, Class 4 are learning netball skills in PE. Here are a few nice actions shots from the lesson this week, which was all about shooting.



Year 5/6 football tournament
Unfortunately, due to the unrelenting poor weather, the team is yet to play a match. Fingers crossed for this coming Tuesday, when the team are due to play Tregadillet and then Stoke Climsland. Please can all players arrive at the college for a 4.15pm kick-off. Thank you.

It was lovely to have a full week without any weather interruptions. It meant we could re-establish routines fully after the holiday break. Clubs started again this week with a record number of pupils attending the infant sports club. We also had Year 6 children start their Bikeability road safety course and today was the first cross country race of 2026.

Morning Maths

Following the positive feedback we had after inviting parents and carers in to join the children for their morning maths last term, we invite you to join us again in a few weeks time. To make it more manageable, we are inviting different year groups on different days:
Wednesday 4th February - Reception, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5
Thursday 5th February - Year 1, Year 4 and Year 6
If you are able to join your child for this open door maths lesson, please come in with them at 8.40am and stay whilst they do their maths (until about 9am). We look forward to seeing you.

Art
Across the school, children have been engaging in their new art units. Once again, we hope to invite you in to see the outcomes at class exhibitions at the end of the unit. Class 2 have been experimenting with primary colours and mark making with different tools other than paintbrushes. Some even experimented on their school uniform!



Green Poster Competition
If your child would like to take part in this poster competition, we will collate entries in the school office and arrange for them to be collected by the Lions. Please leave entries no later than Monday 23rd February.

What an action packed first week back it has been, but not for the reasons we were hoping for! With snow and ice disruption for many on Tuesday and an early school closure yesterday due to Storm Goretti, it has been less than perfect. However, the children have been brilliant, taking it in their stride and settling very quickly and calmly into their learning. It was lovely to see them all this week and hopefully we will be back to normal routines from now on - fingers crossed!
Spring may be the the shortest term but is is no less action packed. Here is a flavour of what we have to look forward to:

- Year 5 & 6 football league at Callington College (Year 3 & 4 after half term)
- Rocksteady will continue with multiple band sessions
- Pro20 Sports will offer two after school sports clubs again
- Class 3 will be visiting Truro Museum
- Several more cross country races
- Class 4 will be planting trees at Cotehele as part of our involvement in an exciting project with the George Orwell Society
- Year 1 & 2 swimming after half term
- Barrow Beats to sing to Callington Luncheon Club
- Year 1 & 2 participation in a multiskills event at Callington College
- Participation in a Bridge music event in Liskeard with Canadian environmental folk singer Luke Wallace
- Barrow Beats to participate in Songfest
- Class 1 trip to the Theatre Royal

In between gritting the paths around the site and closing the school early due to Storm Goretti, I have had the more pleasurable task of wandering around the classes this week to see how children have re-engaged with their learning.  I was  blown away by the levels of engagement and progress in maths; there is some really fantastic work across all classes in this subject. Here are some examples from Ella Chapman's book in Year 2. Ella received a Praise Award in Celebration Assembly today for her efforts in maths. We will be inviting you all to join us again for one of our morning maths sessions in the weeks ahead so you can see how your children are progressing. Please remember, for your child to make this most of these short morning maths sessions, they need to arrive at school promptly for 8.40am.



Another activity I observed was the weekly reading partner session, where our Year 6 Learning Ambassadors read books to their Class 1 partner. This activity is beloved of both age groups and helps establish that love of books from a young age. Thank you to our Class 4 children, who do an amazing job with this.


Finally, we welcomed a new member into our school community this week. This is Bob the positive potato!

Each week, Bob will be joined by members of the Positive Potato Police (members of Class 4) who will be looking for examples of positivity from a child's perspective. He will then feedback what he has seen to teachers so they can reward identified children appropriately for their contribution to the school. Today, Seth was nominated by Eli and Josh from the Positive Potato Police for his positive contribution at playtime. Well done to Seth and thank you to Eli and Josh for a positive story to share in our Celebration Assembly. I look forward to sharing some more positive stories as identified by Bob and the Positive Potato Police in the term ahead. 

Christmas Performance



This year's Christmas performance was magical. Our children lit up the stage with their talent, confidence, and passion, delivering a show that left everyone beaming with pride. From the heartfelt singing to the excellent acting and stunning costumes, everything reflected the hard work, joy and creativity that make our school community what it is. What a wonderful way to end the term and celebrate the festive season.

Attendance
You may have seen media coverage of flu and sickness bugs sweeping through schools, causing some to close. Although we're not at that level, we have seen very high absence rates this last week or so. Sickness cannot be helped and is a justifiable reason for children not to attend school. If your child is ill, please remember to report each day of absence first thing in the morning so we can record the reason for their absence. Fingers crossed we have a healthier time next week so the children can enjoy the end of term festivities.

Final week festivities
Monday 15th December - PSA film night from 3.30pm
Wednesday 17th December - Christmas dinner
Friday 19th December - Christmas party day. Children may wear party clothes/Christmas jumpers and bring a game to play (no electrical devices please). They will also need a party picnic - thank you.

A reminder that we finish at 1.30pm on Friday 19th, the last day of term.

Here's what has been going on at Harrowbarrow this week:



Speak Out. Stay Safe.
Following their assembly and workshop on the theme of speaking out to stay safe, Class 4 children created eye catching posters which will be put up around the school to signpost children to Childline should they ever need to talk to someone. I ran the workshop with Class 4 and was really impressed with the maturity they displayed during discussions about the types of abuse young people can suffer and how to keep themselves safe.



Infant Theatre Trip
This week, I had the pleasure of accompanying the infants to Sterts to see a performance of The Ugly Duckling, which was brilliant and, judging by the looks on the children's faces, thoroughly enjoyed by all of them. For children to see stories brought to life through drama is such a powerful thing.

Design Technology
Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the exhibition of soft toys made by Class 4. Weren't they good? Next up, Class 3 are continuing work on their model pavilions. If we have time, we will be inviting parents and carers to come and see the finished work in another after school exhibition.

Father Christmas
In a change to our usual routine, Father Christmas won't be visiting Harrowbarrow before the end of term but don't worry, he is still planning to visit everyone on Christmas Eve! Instead of supporting Santa's visit with a gift for the children, the Parent Staff Association will be sponsoring a special event at the school in the spring term - watch this space!

Contacting the School Office
Please note, Amy Souch works in the school office from 8.30-1.30pm Monday to Friday. At all other times, the office will be unattended. However, we have staff listening for the doorbell and answer phones messages will be picked up by Lesley Connell, who gets an alert on her iPad when one is left.

Where possible, we try to promote local events and activities that are beneficial to our school community. Here are a few things you may be interested in:

Holly Jolly Christmas Fair - always popular with our families



Kelliwik Mini-Kickers - a football opportunity for reception and Year 1 boys and girls



Barnardos Young Carers



Plymouth Argyle - their first team might be having a terrible season, but the club are still running a number of community opportunities!



Flu Immunisation - Cornwall NHS are seeing a spike in flue cases this year. Immunisation rates have been low so, if your child missed out, you can access this through a community clinic:



For more information: 01872 221105 or email kernowhealthcic.schoolimmunisation@nhs.net 

As we approach the last few weeks of the autumn term, our focus moves to Christmas. However, there is still lots of non-Christmas related activity taking place across the school to share with you.

Multi-sports at Callington College
Yesterday, Class 3 took part in a multi-sports event at Callington College. Originally planned as a tag rugby event, the organisers had to change this due to the weather. Throughout the afternoon the children engaged in a series of activities led by sport leaders from the college. These students introduced games the children could play where they competed against each other. The afternoon concluded with a dodgeball competition. The children were brilliant throughout, participating with enthusiasm and appearing to have lots of fun.



Cross Country
Well done to all our runners who took part in the race last Friday. It is great to have so many children wanting to race. I must give a special mention to Jacob Bloye, who finished second. This is highest position a Harrowbarrow runner has achieved in over a decade, so well done to Jacob. Will we see a first by the end of the league season?

Rocksteady
Joe Spurrell from Rocksteady has been doing some brilliant work with our young musicians. Fortunately, they are keeping the volume low so the rest of the school are able to carry on working without feeling the need to spontaneously get out of their seats and start dancing!



Class 4 Parent Carer Invite
Class 4 have completed their sewing in DT lessons. On Tuesday 2nd we invite Class 4 parents and carers to an exhibition of their children's work immediately after school. The children will be very proud to show you their finished soft toy and the journey they have been on to learn about the different stages of designing and making in textiles.



Knitted Nativity
Today, Judith McQuillin from the local community presented a knitted nativity set to the school in our weekly assembly. Last year, at the church Christmas tree festival, Judith's work was on display and I commented on how lovely it was. Picking up on this comment, Judith has kindly knitted an entire nativity scene and given it to the school. This is very generous and we shall treasure it for years to come. It will now have pride of place near our  Christmas Tree in the corridor outside classes two and four.



Staffing Update
Just a reminder that our new school administrator Amy Souch starts in the school office on Monday. Amy comes from working in a secondary school office so joins us with lots of valuable experience.

Dog Fouling
Thank you to those parents who drew my attention to the recent spate of dog fouling on the pavement in front of the school. I have put a sign up to encourage dog owners to be responsible but, if this issue persists, please let me know and I will think about further action we can take.

Early finish
A reminder that, in line with other Bridge schools, we finish at 1.30pm on Friday 19th December. The spring term starts again on Tuesday 6th January.

There has been a definite change in the weather this week with a flurry of snow yesterday and a notable nip in the air. Fortunately, the adverse weather conditions weren't extreme enough to force a school closure. If we are ever in a position where we need to close the school due to the weather, we will contact families as early as possible through a Showbie notification and an Arbor email. We will only close the school if we are unable to provide safe staffing levels or it would be unsafe to open. We may also consider later opening to allow staff extra time to complete their journey to work.

Garland
Year 5 pupils participated in the annual Cotehele House flower garland workshop this week. During the summer term, children grew, cut and dried flowers which they used to decorate the garland. The children's garland will appear in the restaurant over the festive period. Whilst there, the children were invited to see the main garland in the great hall, which was being constructed during our visit; it has over 32,000 flowers on it! Both garlands are stunning and well worth a visit if you get the chance. Thank you to volunteer Julie Marples for joining me, ensuring we had enough adults.



Sports Coaching
The coaches from Pro20 have been providing some great afterschool and lunchtime clubs this term. They also teach a PE lesson to each class. Here are some wonderful action shots from Class 4, who have been developing hockey skills this half term.



Staffing Update
Our new school administrator, Amy Souch, will be starting in Monday 1st December. We look forward to welcoming her to the team. Amy will be in the office from 8.30am to 1.30pm daily. 

Online Safety
Some children have been overheard talking about the latest version of Grand Theft Auto which was released recently. This game is rated 18+ as it involves alcohol and drug use, coarse and offensive language, nudity, violence and use of weaponry. We don't know if the same children have accessed the game outside of school via friends, older siblings or unauthorised access, but want to flag this to all parents and carers. Please check you have the necessary safeguards in place at home to ensure underage children don't have access to this game. Thank you.

Road Closure
We have been made aware the road  down through the village (past the Old Post Office) will be shut for roadworks for the whole of next week. If driving, please allow extra time for the school run as the alternative routes may be slower and busy with detour traffic.

This week has been another busy one across the school. On Wednesday, Class 4 competed in a netball tournament at Callington College against Calstock, Callington and Stoke Climsland schools. Rather than take a team of experienced players like the other schools, we gave all our children the opportunity to take part in a competitive team sport by fielding three teams. We may not have won the most games but the children were brilliant in their efforts and sporting conduct, which is reflected in the action photos below.


Callington College Transition Visit
To support transition to secondary school, two Callington College staff members visited Class 4 this week to talk about the college and answer children's questions. There will be a further visit in the spring term before Year 6 pupils visits to the college in the summer term.

Children In Need
The non-uniform day today raised £97.62 for the Children In Need appeal. Thank you for your support.

SPACE Parenting Programme
The NHS Mental Health Support Team are running a SPACE programme for parents and carers. Please see the poster below advertising the next session, starting in January 2026.

This programme is designed for parents/carers to better understand and support their children's emotions. The programme will help with understanding and managing emotions, it will offer practical approaches to support children and cover some coping strategies.

Welcome back for the second half of the autumn term. It was lovely to see so many of you today at the rearranged autumn/harvest assembly. Thank you to all those who were able to attend for a parent consultation this week and hopefully Class 1 parents have signed up to an appointment time for next Wednesday. We have reduced the length of these sessions for the first consultation of the year and narrowed the focus to talking about how the children have settled into the new school year and to discus their learning attitudes and behaviours. To complement this, we want to share children's learning progress through further opportunities for you to come into the classroom to see what your children have been learning. We did this last half term with our maths morning and art exhibition and are planning further opportunities in the weeks ahead.

Design Technology
This half term, we have design technology lessons in all classes. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach this subject to both junior classes, which also provides me with some lovely photographs for my blog!



Class 4 are designing and making stuffed toys. For the first week, they came up with a design and made a template they used to cut out the fabric. These photos show Rudy's strawberry design.



Class 3 are learning about 'pavilions' and used the first week to make structures through a trial and error approach using match sticks and plasticine. Lowenna and Joey worked together to create the first design and Penny and Madeleine made the second. They are both very elaborate and required a lot of teamwork. I look forward to sharing more in the weeks ahead and hopefully we will be inviting you to an exhibition of children's work before the end of term.

Rocksteady Bands
Our Rocksteady bands started this week with music teacher Joe Spurrell. Once he set up his equipment in the library, which looked like a recording study with everything he had, the children were very excited to join Joe for this first session.

As always, there are lots of exciting learning opportunities in the weeks ahead, culminating in our festive events at the end of term. This year, in a change with tradition, we are planning a whole school Christmas performance at the village hall. Further details will be shared nearer the time, but for those needing to take time off work to attend, here are the dates and performance times: