This half term has flown by and the children have spent so much time outside and in the pool. Let’s hope the weather continues after the half term break for the many activities we have planned for the final half term of the school year.

In our celebration assembly today, we had a visit from the Mayor of Polperro and Mrs Finnmore, our Chair of Governors, who presented prizes to the winners of the Polperro Festival programme cover competition. Very well done to our winners: Evie Penhallow Class; Amber Landaviddy Class; Flora Talland Class and Hamish Chaipel Class. Special congratulations to Flora, the overall winner, whose design will be on the cover of this year’s Polperro Festival Programme.

Clubs All clubs will start again straight after half term as follows:
Monday: After School Swimming Club (Mr Langley/Mrs Turnbull) for years 4, 5 and 6. This is for confident swimmers who can swim at least 25 metres using a recognised stroke. It will be run on a first come first served basis as the pool can only accommodate 15 pupils at a time. The club will take place even in cooler weather - we can provide wetsuits or children can bring their own on cooler days.
Tuesday: After school Alternative Sports (Mrs Hillman) for years 3-6 (to include swimming when the weather permits)

Thursday: After School Gardening Club for all ages (Miss Randle/Mrs Wilkie/Mrs Fitzsimmons, Mrs Peters)

Friday: After School Running Club (Mrs Turnbull/Miss Bowden) for years 2-6.

As usual, please email secretary@polperroprimary.co.uk to confirm which clubs your child would like to take part in. Please note that running club will include year 2 for this term and will revert to years 3-6 in September. There will be no running club on Friday 13th June. After School Alternative Sports Club will not run on the Polperro Festival’s School’s Day on 17th June.

Rainbow Run Cornwall 2025 Rainbow Run returns to RAF St Mawgan Newquay on Saturday 21 June 2025 and is open to anyone aged 5 years old and over. You can run, skip, walk or jog with family, friends or work colleagues and be showered in powder paint at 8 different colour stations while raising vital funds for Children’s Hospice South West. Please see attached poster for details.

Parent Champions Cornwall Council is looking for parent volunteers who give a few hours a week to talk to other parents about the local services available to them. Parent Champions can make a big difference by sharing their experiences and knowledge with other parents. Please see attached poster and FAQs for further information.

Upcoming dates Tomorrow is an INSET day. Friday 6 th June is an INSET day. School Class photos are on the morning of 10th June. The school will be performing at the Polperro School Festival Day on Big Green this year on Tuesday 17 th June. Sports Day is on 25th June (10am-12) with a reserve date of 27th June. These and other diary dates can be found on the Events Diary page.

As always, thank you for your support this half term. Have a lovely break and we look forward to seeing the children back in school on Monday 2nd June.

Mrs Hillman

Playground fun

This week, in DT, we designed and made our own play parks. In groups we looked at different structures and decided which ones we would like in our own parks. 

Once our decisions were made, we then gathered our materials. I was impressed by the imaginative ideas that different groups came up with. 

Using our wide range of skills and knowledge of structures and materials, we built the different parts. Some children made zip wires, whilst others made swings and climbing frames. They used glue guns and hacksaws with expertise. 

we just need a few finishing touches to the creations, then they will be ready to evaluate.

Learn. Grow. Discover

Our new hall display has been installed this week by local company ‘Print 2 Media’ The display consists of a map of Cornwall, the United Kingdom and the World, as well as our school values and a nod to our local farming community. It also includes a quote from David Attenborough, ‘The future of humanity and indeed all life on Earth, depends on us.’ We hope the artwork will help the child reflect on the beauty of the world and how important it is to protect it.

Lantic Class

As part of our Geography fieldwork about our local area, Lantic class took part in a short walk around Pelynt to carry out a survey of the local area. They looked at the local landmarks in Pelynt, and when back in the classroom they will use this to create a simple map of our local area.

Talland Class have been studying the Anglo Saxons, who they were and where they came from.  To mark the end of our topic we attempted to recreate the Anglo-Saxon building technique of wattle and daub.  We started by ' weaving' with a selection of sticks and then covered them in dried grass and sticky mud.  The children showed excellent skills of teamwork and delegation.

Lansallos Class

The football team enjoyed a rare home win against Four Lanes End last week. In the first half every time we went ahead, they managed to peg us back.  Eventually we came out winners 6-3.  Excellent performance all round, especially from the substitutes and a great stickers performance from George. 

Last week, the whole school attended the village war memorial to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe and also reflect on the pain and suffering caused by war, both historically and in the world today. The children demonstrated impeccable behaviour during the service led by Reverend Richard and represented the school magnificently. 

Art – Weaving

In art, we focused on the skill of weaving. Using paper strips, students learned how to create simple woven patterns by going over and under to build colorful and creative designs. This activity helped improve fine motor skills and introduced the idea of patterns and textures in art. Everyone enjoyed seeing their work come together in a unique and satisfying way.

Science – Absorption and Materials

Our science topic this week was absorption, where we investigated how different materials soak up liquids. We tested materials like paper towels, sponges, plastic, foil, and fabric to find out which ones were absorbent and which were non-absorbent. Students recorded their predictions and results, then discussed why certain materials are better for specific uses. It was a great way to explore everyday science through hands-on experiments.

Literacy – "The Magic Bed"

In literacy, we read the story "The Magic Bed", which took us on a journey into the world of imagination. After reading, students used their creativity to innovate the story by coming up with their own magical beds. They wrote about where their beds would take them, what adventures they’d go on, and what magical features their beds might have. This helped develop their narrative writing and encouraged the use of descriptive language and original ideas.

History – Florence Nightingale

In history, we learned about the remarkable life of Florence Nightingale. Students created informative fact files about her, including key facts such as her work during the Crimean War, how she improved hospital conditions, and why she is known as the founder of modern nursing. We looked at images, timelines, and quotes to better understand her impact on healthcare and why she remains such an important historical figure.

P.E. – Football Cricket

In P.E., we had lots of fun playing a game called football cricket! This exciting team sport combines elements of both football and cricket. Instead of using a bat, players kick the ball to score runs, while the fielding team tries to stop the ball and get players “out.” The game helps build a variety of skills including kicking, aiming, teamwork, and quick thinking. It was fast-paced, energetic, and enjoyed by everyone!

Thursday 22nd May- End of half term

End of yet another half term! Wow! One more half term to go!

Its amazing to see the children progress and learn so much. We continue to be so proud of them!

This week’s blog is about the trip!

The children were an absolute credit to the school and their adults at home. It was the foundation children’s first trip out at school, and they were just amazing!

We had a great day exploring so many different animals, learning so many fun facts and feeding the farm animals was very giggly! The children were so brave, holding their hands the correct way to feed the animals!

We had lunch in the jungle barn and the chickens kept coming in to try and steal the sandwiches!

What an amazing day we had!

We wish you all a wonderful half-term break and look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 2^nd June

Wishing you a wonderful weekend

The Foundation Team 

Year 4 Assembly
Well done to our Year 4 children for their fantastic year group assembly this morning. We had interesting facts about the Vikings; an interview; a newspaper report; a song and quiz…all finished off with information about the upcoming Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check.

Year 5 Brass Lessons
Year 5 are doing really well with their whole class brass lessons. Their lesson in the first week back is on Monday 2nd June since we are closed on Friday 6th June for INSET. Don’t forget those instruments on Monday!

Trust Visit Feedback
Three times a year, Trust leaders alongside Headteachers visit each of the schools in action to support, challenge and share expertise across the Trust. The visits also serve to provide an external perspective on the school’s work towards development priorities, within the current Ofsted framework. Next month, I will be visiting Brunel Primary Academy for such a visit. A few weeks ago, we had our third visit of the year with Adrian Massey (CEO), Louise Gilbert (Deputy CEO/Area Executive Headteacher), Sarah Sanson (Area Executive Headteacher) and Michele Spencer (Headteacher at St Cleer).

Please find below some of the feedback from our report:

Quality of Education

• Adaptive teaching techniques (meeting children’s individual learning needs) are embedded.
• Within Nursery, provision continues to go from strength to strength. The interactions between adults and children are purposeful with adults impacting on learning.
• The quality of continuous provision within EYFS and the way staff engage in children’s learning is very strong.
• Children are able to use manipulatives and resources to support foundational knowledge within EYFS and KS1, as a basis for the quality of teaching observed further up the school in KS2, which included very clear questioning and feedback to pupils.
• There is an increased consistency in the teaching of maths across the school.
• High quality of writing is evident across the curriculum.

• Attendance – there continues to be a relentless focus on ensuring children are in school. Historically below national, attendance is now broadly in line with national. 
• There are high expectations around behaviour for learning. There was no/very little off task behaviour. Where there was any dysregulation, staff managed this calmly and effectively. 
• The introduction of ‘The Retreat’ has had a very positive effect on how staff positively manage children who need additional emotional support. 

This half term has passes in what seems like a flash! This half term has flown by and has been filled with amazing experiences and learning. Thank-you for everything that you all do to support the school. I have had the pleasure in showing some new (and returning) pupils and parents round this week and all of them have said what a special and friendly place Darite is. We know it but it is fantastic to show others. Thank-you to you and the children for making Darite so special. Highlights of this term include the Lego competition, the trip to Deer Park Farm, Mini-police, Parliament sessions and much more! Looking ahead we have swimming, sports day, plays, more trip and loads more still to come. Finally, it is with some sadness that I want to share with you the news that Mrs Saberton is sadly leaving Darite next half term. She is starting a new, exciting journey, supporting children at Liskeard school. She has been an integral part of Darite for a long time now as a teaching assistant, midday supervisor, friendly face and a listening ear and she will be greatly missed by us all. We are excited for her new role and know that she will be fantastic in this as well. I know our Year 6 will like seeing a friendly face in September too. I hope you will join with us in wishing her the best. I am delighted to let you know that Mrs Nel will be taking over in Class 1. She has been doing a wonderful job in Class 2 and knows all the children really well. We are lucky to be able to have such a strong team of staff at Darite. This newsletter is coming out on Thursday as we have an INSET day tomorrow. I would like to wish you all a relaxing half term and we are looking forward to seeing the children back on the 2nd June for the final half term of the year!

Porfell Wildlife Park! 

Foundation and Foundation/ Year 1 classes had a wonderful trip to Porfell Animal Park and Sanctuary! The children were so excited to see all the animals. Our favourites were definitely the meerkats, lemurs, goats and the donkeys! Some of us were even brave enough to feed the animals; it was a bit ticklish! We explored the park and then had a play outside. It was a really lovely day and they did Looe Primary Academy very proud.

We have also been finishing our learning around our big question: How does your garden grow? We have been learning about deciduous and evergreen trees in Year 1, Foundation have been making paper flowers and looking at the lifecycle of a butterfly and we have had lots of fun doing it! We’ve had an excellent half term of learning and the children’s attitude has been brilliant.They are always trying to find out more.

Well done Foundation / Year 1, what a great half term we’ve had. Have a lovely break all and we will see you back after the half term.

Foundation / Year 1 Team

What a Week!

It's been one of the most exciting weeks for us all in Lantic class.

Firstly, we were so delighted when our brand new playground was opened by the Mayor of Saltash. We heard all about how she used to play on our playground when she was a little girl. We still can't believe that we won the competition to collect the most plastic, across the whole country. Everyone received a brand new lunch box and water bottle too, what a lovely surprise!



On Thursday morning, we ventured out for a spot of gardening, as it was Making a Difference Morning and Relax the Rules Day. We decided we wanted to improve our outside space, we're going to reveal as results after the half term holiday but huge thanks to Mrs Hooper and Mrs McNeil who started all the hard work by clearing the weeds. Also, thank you to the parent helpers who've been painting the fence. Then in the afternoon, it was time for a rest with a relaxing reading session with Talland class. All in all, a very busy week, so have a lovely holiday everyone, see you on Monday 2nd June.

We have reached half term here at nursery. The children have been super busy with their exploration of planting and growing and insects.
The children have finished this week off by making paper plate snails and apple print lady birds.

We have been reading “Norman the slug with the silly shell” and “Nothing scares spider” at story time. 

In phonics the children having been matching a range of objects with their initial sound,  singing and moving to music and listening and identifying initial sounds in a game of castle I spy.

In maths the children have been naming and ordering numbers and talking about dots on the maths table.

We hope you all have a lovely half term week and we will see you back on Monday 2nd June.

Julie and Sarah

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Nessa Class – A Fantastic First Summer Half Term!

As we reach the end of the first summer half term, it’s hard to believe how much Nessa Class has packed into such a short few weeks! From creative projects to thoughtful writing, sporty afternoons and scientific discoveries, the class has embraced every learning opportunity with energy and enthusiasm.

In history, we wrapped up our fascinating topic on the Anglo-Saxons. Pupils particularly enjoyed exploring what daily life might have been like in Anglo-Saxon times, and our hands-on project of making Anglo-Saxon houses was a definite highlight! Using the traditional daub and wattle method, pupils constructed model homes, applying what they’d learned about the materials and techniques used over a thousand years ago. We also investigated Anglo-Saxon place names, discovering how the names of towns and villages can tell us stories from the past. To finish the topic, we asked ourselves the big question: Was Alfred really ‘Great’? Pupils examined different sources of evidence and presented thoughtful arguments about Alfred’s leadership, legacy, and why he earned such a memorable title.

In science, we’ve been exploring the topic of Animals Including Humans. Our lessons focused on the five key food groups, how nutrition helps our bodies grow and stay healthy, and how to recognise healthy choices in our daily diets. We also investigated different types of skeletons found in the animal kingdom—endoskeletons, exoskeletons, and hydrostatic skeletons—and looked at how muscles work together with bones to help us move. Pupils have been curious and full of great questions, making this a particularly lively and engaging topic.

In English, we’ve just completed a brilliant unit on sports narratives. We began by studying an example story based around football, looking at how to build excitement, create realistic characters, and add emotional depth. Pupils then applied everything they’d learned to plan and write their very own stories—this time set in the magical world of Quidditch! The final results were fantastic, combining great writing with plenty of creativity. We're excited to share that the completed stories will be arriving at pupils' homes by owl post very soon—so keep your eyes on the skies!

In PE, we’ve enjoyed a fun and active half term focused on tennis. Pupils worked on a range of skills including hand-eye coordination, serving, and rallying. It’s been brilliant to see their confidence and teamwork grow on the court. Looking ahead, next half term we’ll be swapping rackets for bats as we begin a new unit on cricket.

It’s been a short but action-packed half term in Nessa Class, and we’re so proud of all the pupils for their hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity. We’re already looking forward to what the second half of the summer term has in store!

Blisland Primary – A Busy Few Weeks of Learning and Celebration

It’s been a fantastic few weeks here at Blisland Primary, full of learning, discovery, and some well-earned celebration!

The children at Storyteller’s Nursery enjoyed a fun and engaging celebration of World Bee Day. They learned about the important role bees play in pollination and the environment. Activities included reading bee-themed stories, creating bright and imaginative bee artwork with prints and making Queen Bee crowns with collage materials, and tasting honey on bead during snack time. The day encouraged curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful discussions about nature and looking after the planet.

In Nessa Class, pupils have now completed their history unit on the Anglo-Saxons, finishing with a fascinating look at Alfred the Great. The class explored why he is remembered as a significant figure in British history, considering his leadership, military successes, and contributions to education and law. Pupils have enjoyed diving into the past and developing a greater understanding of how the Anglo-Saxons shaped life in Britain.

Nessa Class have now moved on to their science topic: Animals Including Humans. So far, they’ve been learning about the human skeleton, understanding how it supports, protects, and enables movement. They’ve also begun exploring how food affects the body, learning about the importance of nutrition and how different food groups help our bodies function. The children have really engaged with the topic, and it’s been great to see them asking thoughtful questions and making links to their own lives.

A huge congratulations goes to our Year 6 pupils, who completed their SATs last week. They approached the tests with maturity and determination, and we’re incredibly proud of the progress they’ve made over the year. To celebrate the end of the tests, Year 6 enjoyed a lovely walk down the Camel Trail to the Snail’s Pace Café, where they tucked into ice cream and cake—a well-deserved treat after all their hard work!

Meanwhile, Kensa Class have been bringing their learning to life with an exciting visit to the Eden Project. The trip linked perfectly with their topic, "How Does Our Garden Grow?", giving pupils the chance to explore a wide variety of plant life and see real-world examples of how plants grow and survive in different environments. It was a brilliant day packed with hands-on learning, exploration, and fun.

With the arrival of sunny weather, we’ve also seen something truly special happening at playtimes. Pupils from both Nessa and Kensa Classes have been coming together to craft and create outdoors, making everything from nature-inspired art to paper creations. This shared time has created a lovely family atmosphere, where older and younger pupils support and inspire each other.

Well done to all our pupils for their enthusiasm, effort, and teamwork—it’s been another great chapter in a very exciting summer term!

The weather has been so lovely this month! This has made outdoor learning even more lovely. A group called Tavy Workforce came to the school and cleared our pond area so that we could enjoy some pond dipping. We also went on a class trip to Burrator reservoir and the surrounding woodlands to learn more about wild plants and trees and the importance of forests. We celebrated VE day with a lovely picnic on the feild.

In maths we have been counting in steps of 2, 5 and 10 and we have also been sharing, grouping and making arrays. 

In art we have designed and printed patterns in the style of the designer Oral Kiely.