As you may know, we have been focussing our Art lessons on sculpture this half term.


We have been looking at the work of a few sculptors with permanent or temporary work displayed in Plymouth. We have looked at LOOK II, by Antony Gormley, who also sculpted The Angel of the North. This can be seen on West Hoe Pier.


We have had an even closer look at the work of Jyll Bradley, particularly The Hop.
An exhibition of her work can currently be seen at The Box.


We had a go doing warm-up sketches of The Hop, responded to cut out photos of it, then used acetate to collage our own versions. We also imitated Jyll Bradley’s work using our light box and brightly coloured transparent objects.


If anyone is interested in seeing some fabulous local sculptures, please see the link below where The Box have provided a list of permanent exhibits which can be seen around Plymouth.


https://www.theboxplymouth.com/outside-the-box/public-art/permanent-public-art-in-plymouth

Our little explorers set off on a Mini Beast Hunt to make the most of the sun being out! Armed with magnifying glasses and lots of curiosity, they set off to find bugs, beetles, worms, and more hidden in the grass, under logs, and in the soil.

Nature walks like these are not just great fun—they’re also incredibly beneficial for children’s development. Searching for mini beasts helps build observation and concentration skills, encourages curiosity about the natural world, and supports early scientific thinking. It’s also a great way to develop language, as children learn the names of insects and describe what they see.

Being outdoors and exploring with friends also supports physical development, teamwork, and communication skills. It was a joy to see the children so engaged, working together and sharing their exciting discoveries! 

Lansallos Class

Lansallos Class have made the most of the glorious weather by taking their learning outside whenever possible.

In maths, the children have been exploring direction, degrees, and how to classify angles. Year 6 pupils have also been learning how to calculate missing angles in a variety of shapes.

In PE, the class have been building on the skills developed during the recent cricket enrichment day, showing great teamwork and enthusiasm for the sport.

In English, alongside a SPaG focus on clauses, the children have been editing and improving the poems they wrote from the perspective of an animal.

Talland Class

What a great start we have had to our Summer term.  I'm not sure how we're already 2 weeks in!

The children have been so full of energy and ready to learn since the Easter break.  In 'Drawing Club' this week the children have been sharing the story of 'The Gigantic Turnip'.  They have been using their phonics to sound out and spell some great words and sentences.  Year 1 and 2 have been following, giving and writing instructions about how to grow a magical unicorn!!  Some great bossy verbs have been used and the children have been able to write clear and concise steps.

In maths our EYFS children have been investigating 3-D shapes, naming them, building with them and exploring their properties.  Year 1 have been focusing on multiplication and division and have been counting in 2's, 5's and 10's, finding equal groups and making arrays.  In Year 2 the children have become superstars at fractions.  They have been finding and making 1/2, 1/4 and 1/3 of shapes and quantities.

In our history this term we are thinking about our own history.  We have looked at photos of ourselves from the past, comparing them to the present day.  We made timelines and memory boxes and next week we will be thinking about how we celebrate birthdays now and how our parents and carers might have done in the past.

In PE we are working on team building this half term and will be completing different challenges working in pairs and small groups.  We will be developing our communication skills to work collaboratively.

Next week we will be saying a farewell to Miss Talbot who has successfully completed her apprenticeship with us.  We will be very sad to see her leave and wish her all the luck in the world for her next adventure.

As always, if there are any concerns or questions you may have then please ask any one of us.

Mrs Andrew, Mrs Fernie, Mrs Hicks, Miss Talbot

March

In  March we celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as characters from our favourite books. We had a special Careers Day where we had workshops with members of the community who told us about their jobs and let us experience activities linked to them. In science we explored out senses and did practical investigations to test our sense of taste and hearing. In art we completed our Brianna McCarthy collage work which is now on display for all passers by to see in the corridor.

April

In April we produced some beautiful writing and painting along the theme of spring. We returned to our learning about the abstract artist called Alma Thomas and created daffodil pictures in her style. We began learning related to our new big question 'Why should forests be protected?'. We are now learning about printing techniques in art and will be using these to print patterns in the style of the fabric designer Orla Kiely. We have been learning to measure length, weight and capacity in maths.

May Day - Youth Parade

A huge thank you to our Team Brunel community who took part in the Youth Parade on Saturday morning to officially open Saltash May Fair.

It has been a busy first two weeks of the summer herm. Both Year 4 and Year 5 have had trips to Cotehele. Year 4 took inspirations from this beautiful setting to create some poetry whilst Year 5 explored the wildlife found in the orchard and the pond. They also received complimentary comments from the general public who were also visiting.
On Thursday we had some fantastic volunteers from "Tavy Task Force". They worked tirelessly in the hottest day of the year so far. The result was a pond (at the Infant and Nursery school) which is now usable by the children Year 1 didn't waste any time trying it out (see the lovely pictures below.) Thank you to Ken Tripp for organising this for us.
We've had 27 donations in the last 30 days, thanks to our supporters using #easyfundraising when they make online purchases! Please keep up the good work, your donations are very appreciated. It's never too late to sign up and help us if you haven't already. Plus, join today and we could win a £250 donation: https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/copper-valley-infant-and-nursery-academy/4wkcsu/c2s/128FF5bb/CE949/facebook/27
Thursday 8th May is the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Pupils can come to school dressed in red, white and blue. There will be lots of opportunities to learn about VE Day during the day.
I hope that you all enjoy the bank holiday.

Hello Everyone!

We have certainly made use of the sunshine this week.

On Thursday we all enjoyed a lovely session in the pool. We then had a great time in the afternoon, being part of the opening session for the Big Green. Well done Penhallow for singing so well in front of lots of people. We are really proud of you.

In our wider curriculum lessons this week, Reception have enjoyed being outside, creating some Peter Rabbit themed nature collages, where they practiced weaving natural objects. Year 1 have done a fantastic job at completing their paintings of bluebells. They used their skills of colour mixing and sketching, to produce some great results.

In maths this week, Year 1 have been counting in 2’s 5’s and 10’s. They have enjoyed learning through stories, practical activities, as well as finding patterns in number lines and number squares.

During our English lessons, Year 1 have completed writing their own story of Peter Rabbit, while Reception are becoming more independent at writing sentences. They used illustrations from the story, to come up with their own sentences. 

Have a lovely long weekend everyone.

From the Penhallow team

What a week Landaviddy class have had! We managed to get into the pool this week, which was lots of fun! Please make sure you are bringing in your swimming kits, so we can continue to take advantage of the pool throughout the warm weather. 

This week, we have enjoyed participating in the Big Green opening on Thursday! Thank you to all the parents/carers who came to watch our singing. We loved joining the village for something so special. During Wider Curriculum lessons this week, we have been learning about food groups in DT, sorting different foods and recognising what helps to make a balanced diet. Can you remember how many glasses of water we should have in a day? 

In Maths, both year groups have continued to explore mass and capacity. Year 2 have been measuring in grams and kilograms, and Year 3 have been adding and subtracting mass, as well as measuring capacity and volume. We will be finishing off this unit next week.

In English, we have been conducting research about plastic pollution and mind-mapped our ideas for ways we can help to stop this on Cornwall's beaches. We started to plan our persuasive letters today, which we will be writing and sending to King Charles! Yes, we have his address! We are excited to finish off planning and begin writing these letters next week.

Congratulations to Theo and Hector for being chosen as Landaviddy's People of the Week.

Please find below this half terms KIRFS and Homework Grid. 

We hope you have a lovely bank holiday weekend and look forward to seeing you back in school on Tuesday.

Mrs Wilkie, Mrs Phillips, Miss Bowden and Miss Colton

Every day we have many heuristic play opportunities at Nursery.

Heuristic play is a type of open-ended play where children interact with everyday objects to explore and learn about their properties; it gives them a chance to explore and discover things for themselves without specific instructions or limitations.

Heuristic play encourages sensory exploration and discovery, allowing children to learn through trial and error as they manipulate and interact with objects in a safe and supported environment. 

Heuristic play uses everyday items like boxes, containers, utensils and other natural materials, promoting sensory development and building key motor skills. They learn how try other strategies if their idea didn't work, building learning links and problem solving skills.

Thank you for sending your children in with their swimming kits this week. Every class had the chance of a swim in the lovely weather. Please send your child’s swimming kit in every week from now on and we will continue their swimming lessons when the weather is nice enough.

Opening of Big Green It was lovely to see so many of you at the opening of Big Green yesterday to enjoy the children singing and watch our oldest and youngest pupils cutting the ribbon. Well done to Martha and Sienna for doing a brilliant job!

Football Congratulations to our football team who played brilliantly in the semi-final of the Shield Cup against Sir Robert Geffery’s School on Monday. It was a very close match. At full time the score was 2-2, however in the last 40 seconds the other team scored. The team has had a great season so far and is still in contention to win the league. Watch this space to see how they get on.

VE Day, Afternoon Tea Reminder that this Thursday 8th of May 2:30pm - 3:30pm we will be holding an afternoon Tea Party in school to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE day. Please join us on the school field (entry via the field gate) and bring a rug or chairs for you and your children. We will be serving cream teas, cakes, tea, coffee and squash and ice-cream for the children or you are very welcome to bring your own. If you are not able to come, please send a small afternoon snack in for your child to enjoy or some money to purchase an ice-cream (£1). Children, staff and parents/carers are invited to wear red, white and blue on the day.  Year 6 parents please note that there will be no SATS club after school on Thursday 8th May, however there will be a final SATS club session instead at lunchtime on Friday 9th May. There will also be no gardening club on this day.

MHST Parent/Carer Workshops Please see attached details of MHST Parent/Carer Workshops which are set to run from June 2025. These consist of 5 online workshop sessions with our Mental Health Practitioners. These are open to everybody; people do not need to have a mental health need to join. You can sign yourselves up with the links or QR codes within the posters (attached) or using these links:
Anxiety and worries - https://forms.office.com/e/0qRnKmCw1i
Behaviour as Communication - Parent Support - https://forms.office.com/e/BvhDpYUcQa

Attendance Thank you for continuing to ensure that your children attend school as often as possible. Below is a list of term dates and INSET dates for next year which I hope will help you plan ahead and organise holidays out of term time so that we can continue to avoid the requirement to issue penalty notices.

Autumn Term 4th September – 19th December 2025
Wednesday 3rd September INSET day
Autumn Term begins Thursday 4th September 2025
Friday 24th October INSET day
Half Term Holiday 27th October – 31st October 2025
Friday 19th December 13:30 finish
Christmas Holiday 22nd December 2025 – 2nd January 2026

Spring Term 6th January – 2nd April 2026
Monday 5th January INSET day
Spring Term begins Tuesday 6th January 2026
Friday 13th February INSET day
Half Term Holiday 16th February – 20th February 2026
Thursday 2nd April 13:30 finish
Easter Holiday 3rd April – 17th April 2026

Summer Term 20th April – 22nd July 2026
Summer Term begins Monday 20th April 2026
Early May Bank Holiday 4th May 2026
Friday 22nd May INSET day
Half Term Holiday 25th May – 29th May 2026
Friday 5th June INSET day
Wednesday 22nd July 13:30 finish
Thursday 23rd July INSET day

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend. We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Tuesday 6th May.

Mrs Hillman

We have all enjoyed a gloriously sunny week in pre-school.

Our book this week has been ‘Oliver’s Fruit Salad’ a wonderful story that encouraged the children to talk about and name the different fruits, also it inspired some of them to try some different fruits.  Alongside our usual fruit selection at snack time, we also enjoyed some blueberries, grapes, kiwi and tomatoes. 

While enjoying the story, we talked about the brightly coloured illustrations and how the style looked a little blurry but we could still identify what the fruit was. We used this style in our art this week to make some oil pastel apples, smudging them to make them blurry.  They look amazing and very delicious!

The sunny weather has meant we have had lots of outside time, with water play, and garden exploring being enjoyed by everyone.  Please do ensure your child has a sun hat, water bottle and sun cream applied in the morning.  We will happily help to reapply after lunchtime with the sun cream you have provided for your child.  Please put their name on their own sun-cream bottle.  

We hope everyone has a lovely bank holiday weekend and we will see you on Tuesday 6^th May.

The Pre-School Team

Designing Playgrounds, Cracking Maths, and Moral Stories!

It’s been a fantastic week in Talland Class, full of creativity, problem-solving, and some exciting storytelling!


Designing Playgrounds with Strong Structures This week, our classroom turned into a hub of imaginative design as we took on the challenge of creating playgrounds based on exciting themes such as the circus and the zoo! As budding engineers and architects, we explored how to use strong structures to support our ideas—triangles, arches, and cross-bracing featured heavily in our designs. We thought carefully about materials, safety, and how to make the experience fun and interactive for children. The results were impressive, with teamwork and innovative thinking on full display!

Maths Magic – Decimals, Fractions and Percentages Talland Class also tackled their exit tests in decimals, fractions and percentages this week—and what a brilliant job they did! The children showed a strong understanding of place value, equivalence, and how to apply their knowledge in real-life contexts. Their hard work and perseverance paid off, and we’re very proud of their efforts. Great job, mathematicians!

Exploring Moral Stories – How the Camel Got Its Hump In English, we’ve started exploring stories that teach us a lesson, beginning with Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale “How the Camel Got Its Hump.” We looked at the structure and the features of a story with a moral, including repetition, alliteration, and expanded noun phrases. The children have begun experimenting with these techniques in their own writing, and we can’t wait to see the moral tales they come up with next!

Well Done, Talland Class! From structural engineering to storytelling with soul, it’s been a busy and rewarding week. We’re so proud of the enthusiasm and effort every pupil has shown. Keep it up—exciting learning adventures await!

best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry and Mrs Walters.