Mysterious Musical Instruments!

Mr Jane treated Duckpool to an introduction to the unusual musical instrument called the piano accordian in music this week. He played some familiar tunes to the children, as well as showing them clips of how they work and how they are made.

At the end of the session, the children were extremely lucky to have a go at holding and playing the piano accordian - despite it almost matching some students in size! It was a wonderful opportunity to access a lesser-known instrument: both inspiring and interesting!

Woven Wonders!

Duckpool class have outdone themselves with their 3D sculpture final pieces this week.

We learned about the work and inspiration of the artist El Anatsui, who is known for producing interesting 3D structures from recycled and reused materials.

Our task was to use offcuts of paper to create an interesting 3D design. A variety of weaving techniques, as well as overlapping 'tiles' was combined and thoughtfully attached to a backboard in order to bring energy and movement to materials that are usually 2-dimensional.

Fiddly but fun!

This week, in our 3D sculpture art unit, we were learning about the use of wire to create shape and frames.

We used techniques such as twisting, bending and shaping over the top of a pre-planned sketch.

It took a great deal of patience and resilience in order to get to these fantastic final pieces! We had shells, astronauts, birds, flowers, cars, shoes, and even more... We were very proud of our efforts.

Welcome to the Summer Term!

It has been lovely this week to finally enjoy some outside learning in the sunshine. We have been enjoying our recently purchased trikes and our writing shed has been transformed into an explorers base with a jungle theme. 

Our learning this term, is based on the enquiry question; 'Who are explorers and what do they do?' We have launched the topic by discussing what we already know about explorers, and have researched the equipment that explorers might need in different environments. The children have asked some interesting and thoughtful questions such as; 'Can anyone be an explorer? Are explorers allowed to take home what they discover? and 'What is the furthest anyone has ever explored?' This led us to find out the recent space mission which ventured to the far side of the moon.

'The Tiger who came to Tea' has been the focus of our English learning in Year 1 and Year 2 for this week as well as next week. We have drawn a story map, summarised the story and used interesting verbs in sentences. Reception have been busy using 'Supertato' as their text for English, and have written some lovely wanted posters as well as going on a search for the evil pea. It's so lovely to see the children have so much fun with their learning this week.

What a brilliant start to the term everyone! Well done.

From The Penhallow Team

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.

TALLAND'S BLOG 24.4.26 

Welcome to Summer 1 everybody and the sun has shown its face - YAY! It's great seeing all of the children and hearing about some of their fun-filled adventures over the Easter Holiday.

Here's a snapshot of what we've been learning:

Maths:
Year 5 have begun their second unit on FRACTIONS where we have been multiplying fractions.
Year 4 have begun their unit on DECIMALS and PERCENTAGES where they have been solving problems with tenths and hundredths.


English:
We're going to write a persuasive text this term to the local council about beach and ocean pollution. This week, we have been looking at different persuasive texts and exploring which features make an effective one. 

Geography:
In Geography, we are investigating the ocean. This week, we explored the different oceans of the planet, why the ocean is so important and took a trip to Australia to look at the Great Barrier Reef.

Science:
Talland investigated the water cycle this week and all of the magnificent things it does. 

PE:
In PE, with Mrs. Hillman, Talland were finding clues to help them solve problems during orienteering and with me (Mr. Langley), we practiced badminton serves outside in the wind - it was a little challenging - based on the weather - but lots of fun at the same time. Lots of giggles were had!

Celebrations:
Congratulations to Rory for progressing to the next round of the 99 Club - well done! A big well done as well to Amelia for demonstrating our school values. She showed kindness towards her peers and fantastic determination towards her handwriting - it is looking fantastic now! Also, great work from Isabelle in our HANG TOUGH CHALLENGE! She lasted a whopping 2 minutes and 28 seconds - WOW!

That's all from Talland Class this week. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Signing off, Mr. Langley and Mr. Bishop.

It's been wonderful to see all the children this week and my how they have all grown over the 2 weeks! 

Class 2 have had a brilliant week back after the Easter break. As usual, we dove right into learning beginning with a new unit in Maths (one that we have all been eagerly waiting to learn) - Fractions. This week, we explored equal parts and learned how to find halves of shapes and numbers. In Literacy, we continued the unit on setting description. This week, we planned our piece and have begun writing our setting descriptions using our plans. We will continue writing our original pieces next week and learn how writers improve their writing by editing their original piece.

In Science, we have started a brand new unit this term - Living things and their habitats. This week, we learned the key features that defines a living thing, and learned how to use these key features to differentiate between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive. In PSHE, we reminded ourselves about the Green Cross Code and used the dry weather outside to practice it on our school grounds. 

We have also started a new unit in RE with Miss Walker. This week, we listened to the story of Matthew from the Bible and looked at how Jesus was a friend to the friendless. In History, we learned about King Charles III and explored what kind of role he plays in our country and in the world.

We ended our week with an exciting Art session. This term, we are all becoming architects. We begun our unit by looking at what architects really do and the kind of amazing buildings that we have around the word because of the ingenuity and creativity of architects. Then, we took a walk around the school to identify some features and had an interesting discussion around why some of these features have been designed in our building. One of the key theme that came out of our discussion was around accessibility and why ramps are needed in a building like ours but not so much in our houses. Finally, we ended our lesson with a calm sketchbook session where we responded to visual architectural prompts.

Please note that this term, our KIRF focus is the 5-times table and related division. Children should have come home with the KIRF document. However, if you have misplaced it, you can download the PDF document from the link above (Year 2 Sum 1. pdf).

Finally, a very well done to:
> Theo for getting the Ready Award for his awesome writing during Literacy lesson.
> Isla for getting the Safe Award for being a kind and patient learning partner.
> Ivy for Respectful Award for being always kind and helpful around the school.
 

  Storytellers Nursery has had a wonderful start to the half-term with our exciting new topic, The Zoo. The children have shown great enthusiasm as they begin to explore the world of animals and where they live.

This week, we have been learning about different animals and their habitats. The children have enjoyed discovering how animals live in a variety of environments, such as jungles, oceans, farms, and deserts. Through stories, discussions, and play, they have started to understand what animals need to survive and why their habitats are so important.

 A highlight of the week has been the children creating their own habitats for a chosen animal. Using a range of materials, they have built imaginative homes, thinking carefully about what their animal would need, such as water, shelter, and food. It has been lovely to see their creativity and growing understanding come to life.

We have also been looking at animals within our own environment, encouraging the children to notice and talk about creatures they may see every day. This has helped them make connections between their learning and the world around them.

It's been a fantastic start, and we're looking forward to continuing our zoo adventures over the coming weeks!

The sun has finally arrived and it is beginning to look like summer! Thank-you to everyone who is sending children into school with sun hats and sun cream. We are always trying to make the most of the weather and need children to be as safe as possible in the sun. It has been another busy week with lots going on. On Thursday the school council visited St Luke's Hospice in Plymouth to see how the money that we have raised is spent. The children met with nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists about their important work and how they make people in their care as happy and comfortable as possible. It was really important to see the good the school is able to do through fundraising. The school is apparently famous at the hospice from our videos! Next week sees the Speak Out! Stay Safe! Sessions for Year 1/2 and 5/6. Monday is also the meeting for Year 6 parents about SAT that are coming up. These are a few of the many event coming up this half term, please make sure that you check the calendar for the latest news.

Friday 24th April

What an amazing first week back at school, for summer term!

The children seemed to have grown so much over the two weeks break!

They have come back raring to explore and learn and boy , have we explored this week!

Our new big question is: Are minibeast like me?

 

In English this week we have started our new text: The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The children have used role play, and a story map to learn the story. We came into class on Tuesday and The Very Hungry Caterpillar was clearly still hungry as he had eaten our raisins and bread sticks!! The children have loved reading this story and recalling all the yummy foods the caterpillar are. Today we had a story table and then children tried the first three foods of the story, an apple, a pear and an orange!

In maths we have been exploring teen numbers 11-19, we have explored how teen numbers have one ten and some more! We have used base ten, blocks, counting teddies and lots of manipulatives to learn our teen numbers!

We have also this week used so much of our outside area, the children have been so happy to get back outside. Brain and AJ our trust caretakers, worked so hard in the holidays to make our new sandpit! The children can now utilise all the new things that the fund-raising money brought us, including a new writing/colouring table, a mud kitchen, new water tray resources, a dumper truck area, garden decorations, new sand play toys, binoculars and water fountain and so much more. The Foundation team cannot thank you enough for the fundraising; listening to the vocabulary, conversations, excitement and role play that has been taken place this week has been nothing short of wonderful!

The children have explored so much this first week back and the sun has helped with an exciting engaging week!

Have a lovely weekend

The Foundation Team 

Landaviddy

We are excited to share the launch of our new enquiry question: Why do explorers explore? This engaging topic has already sparked curiosity and enthusiasm across the classroom.

To begin our learning journey, we spent time discussing what we already know about explorers and exploration. We also turned our attention to what we would like to find out. The class also showed great interest in learning about specific explorers, with many suggesting individuals they would like to research in more detail.

This enquiry is set to take us on an exciting learning adventure, where we will develop our research skills, deepen our understanding of the world, and discover the motivations behind some of history's most remarkable journeys. 

In maths this week, we have been continuing our learning on fractions. We began by refreshing our understanding of what we covered before the Easter holidays, helping us to build confidence and recall key knowledge. We then moved on to comparing and ordering fractions, thinking carefully about their values and how they relate to each other. The class worked hard to explain their reasoning and justify their answers using mathematical vocabulary. We have also been practicing counting in fractions on a number line. This has helped us to visualise fractions more clearly and understand how they fit between whole numbers.

 In PSHE this week, we explored the roles and responsibilities of different people in our homes. We thought about everyday tasks such as cleaning the car, cooking dinner and washing the dishes, and discussed who usually carries out these jobs. This led to an interesting conversation about different types of jobs and the stereotypes that can sometimes be attached to them. We considered whether certain roles are often linked to particular groups of people and questioned whether this is always fair or accurate. We had a thoughtful and respectful discussion about gender, sharing our ideas and listening carefully to one another's viewpoints. It was wonderful to see the children engaging so maturely with the topic and recognising that everyone can take on a wide range of roles and responsibilities, both at home and in the wider world.

In history this week, we have been exploring what makes a person significant. We discussed the different ways someone can be considered important, such as making a difference to people's lives, creating change, or being remembered over a long period of time. The children shared their own ideas and examples of significant individuals, thinking about what they achieved and why they are still talked about today. We also began to consider how significance can be viewed in different ways, depending on people's opinions and perspectives.

This has been a great introduction to our learning, and we are looking forward to exploring a range of significant individuals in more detail over the coming weeks.

A huge congratulations to Darragh and Esme for being awarded pupil of the week. Darragh, for your persistence in reading and attitude towards learning across the curriculum. Esme, again for your amazing progress in reading and joining in with class discussions. 

A big congratulations to Frankie for achieving your 99 club badge this week - a fantastic effort. Well done to everyone! 

Miss Bolton & Miss Colten

Welcome back to the summer term, we hope you had an enjoyable Easter.

Term has started well with the children enjoying lunchtime play on the field today and PE lessons outside.

Swimming Pool We are busy preparing the pool which should be up and running very soon and when the weather is warm enough, we will start lessons for all year groups. In the meantime, you may wish to organize your child's swimming kit which should comprise a swimming costume/trunks, towel, waterproof bag, swimming hat. Please ensure everything is named. We have swimming hats for sale at £3.00 each. Please email the office if you would like one. These can be paid for on Parent Pay.

What are the children learning about this half term? The children have settled into their learning quickly this week and have started their class enquiries as follows:
Penhallow: Who are Explorers and What do they do?
Landaviddy: Why do Explorers Explore?
Talland: Can 'Change' Change?
Chaipel: What do all Living Things have in Common?

You can keep uptodate with your child's learning by accessing the class blogs on this website.

MHST and Papaya, focusing on Parenting in the Digital Age With increasing concerns around screen time, social media, gaming, and their potential impact on children and young people's mental health, many parents and carers are seeking practical, balanced guidance. MHST and Papaya are holding an interactive talk on MONDAY 8TH JUNE 2026 - 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM. The talk aims to help find solutions that work for families. Please find attached the poster and further information. The link to access the talk is included in the poster.

Polperro Family History Society The Polperro Family History Society is holding its annual gathering this weekend in the village hall. Anyone connected with Polperro school would be very welcome to join the Society for any or all of the events shown on the attached programme. There will also be an opportunity to look at a range of historical records relating to the village.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Anthea Hillman

Head of School

What a wonderful start to the Summer Term it has been. Thank you for your continued support. Please enjoy catching up with all of the latest events at Brunel in our Brunel Bulletin. Have a lovely weekend.