Posted 10/10/2025
by Katie Grinsted
What a busy and exciting time it's been in Tregantle Class!
The children have been absolutely brilliant at practicing their sounds - both in reading and writing. It's wonderful to see their growing confidence as they spot sounds in words and use them in their own writing.
In maths, we've been busy sorting all sorts of items into groups and comparing different sets of objects. The children have also become real experts at ordering numbers to 5 - such careful counting and number work happening every day!
This week, Tregantle were thrilled to take part in their very first Brunel Harvest Festival. Everyone listened beautifully and sang our song "Big Red Combine Harvester" with great enthusiasm - we were so proud of them all!
Our focus for outside learning has been The Gingerbread Man. After listening to the story, the children used natural materials to create their very own gingerbread men outdoors. Back in the classroom, they got creative again by decorating their own gingerbread men at the craft table - such imagination and care went into every design!
To finish the week, we joined together to support World Mental Health Day by wearing something yellow. The children took part in some lovely relaxing and calming activities, helping us all to think about how we can look after our minds as well as our bodies.
What a fantastic week, Tregantle - we're so proud of all your hard work and enthusiasm!
Posted 10/10/2025
by Darren Woolner
Dear Brunel Families,
Thank you once again for your kind donations for Saltash Foodbank as part of our Harvest Festival. It was so wonderful that so many of parents, grand parents and carers could attend. Next week, we have our skipping workshops taking place on Friday 17th October and we also have Enrich Education onsite net Wednesday to fit our brand new orienteering stations. It will be another busy week at Team Brunel.
Good luck to all our cross country racers taking parent in tonight's first run of the season. Please find this week's edition of The Brunel Bulletin. We hope you enjoy catching up with all of the events at our wonderful school over the last week.
Posted 09/10/2025
by Joanne Pentreath
What a
fantastic week of learning it has been in Year 2 and 3! The classroom has been
full of creativity, curiosity, and teamwork as the children have built on their
skills across a wide range of subjects. Here's a little peek at what we've been
up to:
English
This
week, our young authors have been busy editing and publishing their own
stories with a historical setting.
The children have shown great attention to detail as they reread their work,
corrected spellings and punctuation, and proudly started to produce their final
copies. We're so impressed with their hard work and creativity!
Maths
In Maths,
we have been exploring number lines and place value. The children
practised using number lines to help them understand the position and size of
numbers, and to see how tens and ones fit together. They've been comparing
numbers, estimating where they belong on a line, and spotting patterns - a
brilliant foundation for confident number work!
History
Our
History lessons have taken us back to Ancient Egypt, where we've been
learning about the gods and goddesses that were so important to the
people of the time. The children have been using historical sources -
such as pictures and artefacts - to ask and answer questions like "Why were
these gods so important?" and "How do we know about them today?"
There's been lots of thoughtful discussion and some fascinating ideas shared!
PSHE
In PSHE,
we have been thinking about the need for rules - in school, at home, and
in the wider world. The children talked about how rules help to keep everyone
safe and happy. It was lovely to see how much they care about fairness and
kindness.
Design & Technology
Our
sewing project continued this week as we practised the running stitch
again. The children are becoming more confident with threading needles, tying
knots, and keeping their stitches neat. There was a real sense of concentration
and pride as they improved their technique - well done, everyone!
Science and More!
We've
also been busy in Science, exploring and investigating the world around us
through hands-on experiments and observations. Alongside this, the children
have enjoyed their singing sessions, bringing lots of enthusiasm and joy to the
classroom with music.
It's been
a busy but brilliant week full of learning, laughter, and teamwork. We're so
proud of how hard everyone is working and how much progress they're making.
Have a
wonderful weekend, and we look forward to more adventures in learning next
week!
Posted 03/10/2025
by Sarah Burton
This week has been jam-packed with learning and fun.
We finished our poems and wrote them up neatly on decorated paper - I am proud with how beautiful the handwriting and presentation is. We have now started a new unit of work in which we will write a non-chronological report about where energy comes from. So far, we have looked at the features of a report and started our research. Did you know that the blades on a wind turbine can measure up to 90 metres long?
In maths, we have been building confidence and accuracy with short division and long multiplication by practicing our formal written methods and then solving puzzles and problems.
In PSHE, we have been learning how to calm our brains down by taking part in guided meditation in the hall. We laid on PE mats and got comfy, it was a wonderful atmosphere and I was pleased with how mature they all were.
In art, we have been studying 'The Harvest' by Vincent Van Gogh. We discussed the colours, textures and shapes in the picture and researched Van Gogh. Then we had a go at recreating out own versions using pastels. I was extremely impressed by the wonderful creations that the children produced; their sketchbooks are looking fantastic.
Have a relaxing and fun weekend.
Miss Burton
Posted 03/10/2025
by Darren Woolner
Posted 03/10/2025
by Katie Grinsted
This week in Tregantle Class we have been busy little learners!
In Maths, we explored repeating patterns, using colours, shapes and objects to create our own designs. The children worked so carefully, spotting what comes next and proudly sharing their patterns with friends.
In Phonics and Writing, we have been practising writing our names every day, helping us to form letters correctly and with confidence. We also focused on our new trick word 'to', which we enjoyed spotting in sentences and practising in our play.
During Wild Tribe, we went on a colour hunt in nature, finding lots of wonderful natural shades and textures. We then used these ideas to create our very own Colour Monsters using paper plates. This gave us a great chance to practise our- folding and designing with care and creativity.
We are so proud of how well the children are settling into school life. They are showing such enthusiasm for their learning and making fantastic progress already. Well done Tregantle Class!
Posted 03/10/2025
by Sara McKillop
Welcome to another busy week in Perranporth class!
We've been finishing the final drafts of our stories in English and as it was National Poetry Day on Thursday, we've written some Blackout Poems, really focusing upon making each word count.
In our oracy work this week, we have concentrated on using our physical oracy skills; using our voice, body language and aiming to engage our audience effectively.
This week's science centred on an investigation into the thermal insulating properties of various materials. So we considered the best design to keep a teacher's coffee warm on the playground with some surprising results. Please ask your child which material proved to be the best.
Tuesday saw our very first Two Tyre Tuesday in KS2, which was an opportunity for children to bring scooters (plus helmets of course) to school have some playtime fun. This was a huge success, many thanks to Mrs Williamson for organising.
Next Monday will be our Harvest assembly, each class has been working on their contribution. Thank you for all your generous contributions to the Saltash foodbank.
Have a great weekend.
Posted 03/10/2025
by Darren Woolner
It has been another wonderful week at Brunel and the children have been thoroughly enjoying delving into their learning adventures.
It is always a joy to see their curiosity and enthusiasm shining through in every classroom.
This week also saw the launch of our very first Two Tyre Tuesday for KS2, which was a huge success! The children embraced the challenge brilliantly, and we are already looking forward to building on this momentum in the weeks ahead.
A gentle reminder that our Harvest Festival will be taking place on Monday. Every child in school will have a part to play, and we would love our families to join us for this special celebration. The service will begin at 1:15pm, and we are delighted that Rev. Parkman will be joining us for the occasion.
Looking ahead to next week, on Friday we will be marking World Mental Health Day. To raise awareness and show our support, the children are invited to come to school wearing something yellow - whether that's a t-shirt, a badge, a bow, a hairband, or even just a splash of colour somewhere in their outfit.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and I hope you enjoy browsing through this week's edition of the Brunel Bulletin.
Posted 02/10/2025
by Lorraine Sanchez-Cabello
Welcome to another busy week in Duckpool class!
We've been finishing the final drafts of our stories in English
and as it was National Poetry Day on Thursday, we've written some Harvest Haiku,
really focusing upon making each word count.
In our oracy work this week, we have concentrated on using
our physical oracy skills; using our voice, body language and aiming to engage our
audience effectively. We combined this with speaking like a geographer to
demonstrate our knowledge about the water cycle.
This week's science centred on an investigation into the thermal insulating properties of various materials. So we considered the best design to keep a teacher's coffee warm on the playground with some surprising results. Please ask your child which material proved to be the best.
Tuesday saw our very first Two Tyre Tuesday in KS2, which was
an opportunity for children to bring scooters (plus helmets of course) to
school have some playtime fun. This was a huge success, many thanks to Mrs
Williamson for organising.
Also, as promised here are some of our fabulous self-portraits,
how many of our class do you recognise?
Next Monday will be our Harvest assembly, each class has
been working on their contribution. Thank you for all your generous contributions
to the Saltash foodbank.
Have a great weekend.
Posted 02/10/2025
by Joanne Pentreath
Mousehole Class Weekly Update
What a busy and exciting week we've had in
Mousehole Class! The children have thrown themselves into their learning and
we're so proud of their hard work and enthusiasm.
English
We began writing our own stories with a historical
setting. The children worked on describing the setting in detail and
thinking carefully about how their characters might be feeling. This has helped
them bring their writing to life and add depth to their storytelling.
Maths
In Maths, Year 2 children have been exploring 1
more and 1 less, 10 more and 10 less, while Year 3 extended this to
include 100 more and 100 less. We've also
started tackling the idea of exchange,
which can be tricky and really benefits from plenty of practice. You can
support at home with quick-fire questions such as: What is 10 more than 9? or 10
more than 99?
History
Our topic on Ancient Egypt continued this week, with a focus on the importance
of hieroglyphics again. The
children had great fun cracking codes and even writing their own names using
hieroglyphic symbols!
PSHE
We spent time thinking about focus and
attention-important skills that help us become better learners.
RE
We looked further at how people belong to the Muslim and Christian
faiths, and the similarities and differences between them.
Science
Our work on Animals, including Humans
carried on this week, helping us understand more about how our bodies and other
animals function.
French
In French, we continued to develop our phonics skills.
Art/DT
The children who are sewing practised their running
stitch-a tricky but rewarding skill!
Music
We explored musical tracing maps this in
the classroom week. These are simple graphic scores that use lines, shapes, and
symbols to represent sounds. The children followed the maps to help them make
connections between sounds, rhythm, and pitch-an exciting way to explore music
beyond traditional notation.
Poetry
Thursday was National Poetry Day, which
gave us the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in a wide range of poems.
The children created their own Autumn poems,
which were beautifully thoughtful and creative. We also rehearsed our special Harvest poem, which we'll be performing in
the Harvest Assembly on Monday afternoon. (Parents, please look out for the
News Bulletin tomorrow with more information about the event.)
PE &
Fun
In PE, we continued developing our netball
skills, focusing on footwork, throwing
and catching. Both Year 2 and Year 3 also enjoyed some scooter time with their friends, which was a
big hit!
It's been another jam-packed week, full of fun
and learning. Well done, Mousehole Class-you've worked brilliantly!
Posted 27/09/2025
by Joanne Pentreath
Year 2 & 3 Learning Update
It has been another busy and exciting week in Year 2 and 3, filled with lots of hard work, creativity, and fun!
English
In English, we have been focusing on speech punctuation, learning how to use inverted commas correctly to show what a character is saying. The children have also started planning their own stories with a historical setting.
We stepped back in time again to Ancient Egypt and began exploring hieroglyphics. The children enjoyed seeing how writing developed over time and placing these changes on a timeline.
Art & DT
Our sewing projects continue to grow! This week, we learned how to cross stitch, showing great concentration and perseverance as we developed our needlework skills.
Maths
Place value has been our focus in maths.
Year 2 have been working on partitioning numbers into tens and ones.
Year 3 have been stretching their thinking further, partitioning numbers into hundreds, tens and ones.
PSHE
We have been looking at how to develop our learning behaviours, thinking about what helps us to be resilient, focused, and positive learners.
PE
In PE, we started exploring the footwork rule in netball. There was plenty of pivoting practice, and the children are really beginning to think about their movement and control.
Special Events
Wheelie Wednesday was a big hit with Year 2 again this week, who had great fun bringing in their scooters to school.
We also enjoyed a wonderful visit to St. Anne's, linking with the ARCHIE project. This is a valuable opportunity to build understanding around dementia awareness and show kindness in our community.
And of course, this is just a snapshot-there has been so much more learning, teamwork, and enjoyment throughout the week!
Posted 26/09/2025
by Ruth Smith
We have really enjoyed getting out in to the garden during the better weather this week.
The 'make a difference' team worked really hard to help clear some of the fallen branches and debris from the recent storms which has made the garden more accessible for us all.
The children have been exploring, looking for mini beasts and using lots of different muscles during the activities. They have been making new friends and remembering how to share the resources with each other.
Posted 26/09/2025
by Sara McKillop
What a lovely week in Perranporth class!
Making the most of the beautiful September sunshine, PE for this half term has been all about orienteering and we've enjoyed following maps and directions to collect clues to solve puzzles.
Art has been a revelation too, as we're working on drawing self portraits using our own poetry from the very first week of term - some photos are attached!
In computing, we're learning all about systems and networks, focusing on search engines - as always, knowing how to use technology both safely and respectfully is central to this. We're also using Showbie, our new Trust program across the curriculum and becoming quite proficient already.
This half term term's RE focuses upon what it means to be a Humanist in Britain Today - we were lucky to be visited by a real-life humanist this week - the children asked really inquisitive questions! PSHE is based on Being Me and particularly on facing new challenges positively and setting personal goals.
French is also Being Me this half term, so we've been practising introducing ourselves and having brief conversations.
Last but certainly not least, in music we're learning about musical terms such as dynamics, pitch, ostinato and timbre, then putting them into action. Our Y4 children are also having weekly violin lessons, so please ask them how it's going.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Posted 26/09/2025
by Sarah Burton
This week, we have been writing our poems in English. They are based on the book 'The Final Year' by Matt Goodfellow and are focused on coming back to school in September for the final year. We have been including figurative language, informal words and phrases, noun phrases and carefully chosen adjectives. The fun part has been thinking about the layout. We then did some peer editing to improve the poems as a class.
We were lucky to have Jonathan Dart visit us on Tuesday afternoon to share his thoughts and belies about Humanism. The children enjoyed it and asked some fantastic questions.
We have started a new class story called 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' by William Kamkwamba which is set in Malawi and is based on a true story. We are enjoying it so far.
In PSHE, we have been learning about positive body language and the difference between helpful and unhelpful talk. Next week, we are going to focus on giving compliments.
Have a brilliant weekend!
Miss Burton
Posted 25/09/2025
by Lorraine Sanchez-Cabello
What a lovely week in Duckpool class!
Making the most of the beautiful September sunshine, PE for
this half term has been all about orienteering and we've enjoyed following maps
and directions to collect clues to solve puzzles. Huge thanks to Mrs Williamson
for organising the fun sessions, which have shown our fantastic grounds at
their best. Also, as you can see, we've been having great fun in the builder's yard.
Art has been a revelation too as we're working on drawing
self portraits using our own poetry from the very first week of term..yes, it's hard
to imagine we know. As soon as they're finished, we'll be super keen to share
them with you.
In computing, we're learning all about systems and networks,
as always knowing how to use technology both safely and respectfully is central
to this. We're also using Showbie our new Trust program across the curriculum
and becoming quite proficient already.
This half term term's RE focuses upon what it means to be a
Humanist in Britain Today, whilst PSHE is based on Being Me and particularly on
facing new challenges positively and setting personal goals. French is also Being
Me this half term, so we've been practising introducing ourselves and having brief
conversations.
Last but certainly not least, in music we're learning about
musical terms such as dynamics, pitch, ostinato and timbre, then putting them
into action. Our Y4 children are also having weekly violin lessons, so please
ask them how it's going.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Posted 25/09/2025
by Katie Grinsted
What a wonderful week we've had in Tregantle! The sunshine has given us lots of opportunities to take our learning outside, and the children have loved making the most of our garden space. From digging and building in the giant sandpit, to splashing and pouring in the water area, and getting creative in the mud kitchen - there has been so much fun and discovery happening outdoors.
This week also marked our very first Wild Tribe session! The children went on a leaf hunt, collecting and comparing the many different shapes, sizes, and colours they found. Using their leaves, they created fantastic face shapes, showing amazing imagination and teamwork. We ended the session by pretending we were leaves blowing gently in the wind - such a lovely way to finish our outdoor adventure.
Back in class, our learning is moving full steam ahead.
In phonics, the children have now learned all 10 of our first sounds - what an incredible achievement! In maths, we've been practising our counting skills and are working hard to count and order numbers to 5. Tregantle are quickly becoming expert counters!
It has been a wonderful week of sunshine, learning, and creativity - we can't wait to see what next week brings!
Posted 22/09/2025
by Sara McKillop
Well, what a busy start to the Autumn term it's been for Perranporth class!
Firstly, to launch our 'Rivers' topic, we took our first trip to Coombe Woods to do a spot of water sampling for the Great UK WaterBlitz. We were testing for nitrates and phosphates in water samples taken from 3 different locations. It needed to be absolutely accurate as we had to send our results off to help monitor water quality in this important investigation. Hopefully, we've produced some scientists of the future and we thought you might like to see some photos.
Workwise, in English we're writing our own diary entries based on the book 'The Beasties' and focusing on using descriptive language along with accurate grammar and punctuation. Handwriting and presentation are also a focus for this half term.
In maths, we're working on Place Value and numbers to 1,000,000, as well as concentrating on our times tables.
This half term term's science is all about Properties of Materials, with lots of opportunities planned for practical investigations. Whereas Geography is based on the topic 'What are rivers and how are they used?'
So, that's just a few subjects to be going on with, more about the rest of the curriculum next week.
Have a lovely weekend.
Posted 19/09/2025
by Sara McKillop
Well, what a busy start to the Autumn term it's been for
Duckpool class!
Firstly, to launch our 'Rivers' topic, we took our first
trip to Coombe Woods to do a spot of water sampling for the Great UK WaterBlitz.
We were testing for nitrates and phosphates in water samples taken from 3
different locations. It needed to be absolutely accurate as we had to send our
results off to help monitor water quality in this important investigation. Hopefully,
we've produced some scientists of the future and we thought you might like to
see some photos.
Workwise, in English we're writing our own diary entries
based on the book 'The Beasties' and focusing on using descriptive language along
with accurate grammar and punctuation. Handwriting and presentation are also a
focus for this half term.
In maths, we're working on Place Value and numbers to
1,000,000, as well as concentrating on our
times tables.
This half term term's science is all about Properties of Materials,
with lots of opportunities planned for practical investigations. Whereas
Geography is based on the topic 'What are rivers and how are they used?'
So, that's just a few subjects to be going on with, more about the rest of the curriculum next week..
Have a lovely weekend.
Posted 19/09/2025
by Sarah Burton
This week in Treyarnon, we have been busy little bees and now are brains are full of knowledge and creativity.
Our class story has been 'The Final Year' by Matt Goodfellow. In English, we have been planning our own poems based on the book by focusing on informal language, noun phrases and figurative language. In guided reading, we reviewed the book and shared our opinions.
In maths, we have been learning about negative numbers, factors and multiples. We have also been finding out the divisibility rules and how they can help us when solving problems.
In PSHE, we discussed what it meant to be mature and thought about ways in which we can show maturity. We created comics and posters to show how people can act maturely and created our own targets for personal growth. Some children said they will be tidier, except that sometimes things are not fair and take responsibility for their own belongings e.g. reading records and homework. Please ask your child what their personal target is.
Have a great weekend from Miss Burton and all of Treyarnon class.
.
Posted 19/09/2025
by Katie Grinsted
What a fantastic week we have had in Tregantle Class!
The children have been getting to grips with recognising their name cards and practicing writing their names using the correct letter formation. It has been wonderful to see their confidence growing each day.
We are also well underway with our phonics lessons and have already learnt five new sounds - amazing progress! A big well done to the children for practicing these at home to help remember them. The children also loved spending time with their reading buddies this week, sharing books and stories together.
In maths, we have been practicing careful counting by lining up objects and touching them one by one as we count. Everyone is working so hard to become accurate counters.
This week also saw our first PE lesson in the hall, where the children had great fun moving around in different ways, even pretending to be animals! We also practiced stopping quickly and starting again, which made for lots of laughter!
Our outside learning area has been full of excitement, with the large construction equipment being put to excellent use. We've seen an aeroplane and even a mansion created this week - fantastic teamwork and imagination!
Finally, we have started a new routine of cleaning our teeth each day after lunch. The children have really embraced this, helping us all to keep our teeth clean and healthy.
Well done, Tregantle Class - what a brilliant week of fun, friendship and learning! We are so proud of all your hard work and enthusiasm.
Creative
We are bold and innovative in our approach to find new solutions to the challenges we face.
Curious
We are inspired by the awe and wonder of the world.
Responsible
We take responsibility for our actions in an environment of mutual respect.
Enthusiastic
We are passionate about learning.
Excellent
We are the best we can be.
Determined
We overcome all barriers to reach our potential, developing a capacity to improve further.
Brunel is an Ofsted graded 'GOOD' school with 'OUTSTANDING' Personal Development and Early Years Provision - click here to see the full report
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