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.

Design Technology
I just want to share a few more photos from Class 4 who are designing and making their own soft toys. This week they were learning to use running and cross stitches to add decoration. The children really impressed me with their ability to do this almost entirely independently without adult intervention. This demonstrates a high level of skill which I am sure the children could put to good use darning socks and doing other clothes repairs at home!


Next week we take on blanket stitching and stuffing.

Date Correction
In a change from my last blog post, please note the Christmas performance dates are 9th, 10th and 12th December, not the 11th as stated.

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: