TALLAND'S CLASS BLOG 25.4.25

Happy Summer Term 1 everybody. We hope you had an amazing Easter break and ate your body weight in chocolate – I gave it a good go!

The children have returned in high spirits and have been eager to get learning. This term our enquiry question is: What’s pulling the strings of our world? Talland will be building a pavilion type structure in Design and Technology, continuing with their art work for the Orwell Project, air resistance and gravity in Science, the Kingdom of God in RE, using the MICRO:BITS in computing, investigating extreme weather in Geography and exploring cricket and outdoor activities in PE. Yes, it is an action packed term and I can’t wait for Talland to learn all about it!

This week:
Maths:
Year 4 have begun learning about shape and year 5 have delved into perimeter and area. 

English:
Talland have written their description for a castle independently. Next week, they will edit and improve and write it up in top copy.

Art: 
Sean (our artist) came in and showed us how to upscale a piece of art. Talland definitely have some budding artists in the making! 

PE:
This term we will have cricket on a Tuesday and Outdoor Activities on a Thursday. As the weather is about to turn nice (hopefully), the swimming pool will be ready for use. Therefore, could you please make sure that your child has their indoor/outdoor PE kits and their swimming costumes, towels, goggles and swim hats.

DT
We had lots of fun today constructing structures that are strong and sturdy with the use of sweets and cocktail sticks. Talland were learning about how to make a structure that is durable and has secure foundations.

CONGRATULATIONS to Arnie for being noticed this week for his positive attitude, enthusiasm and kindness. 

That's all from Talland class this week. We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Signing off from Mr. Langley, Mr. Bishop and Miss. Colton.

After learning about farm animals we went to visit Ferry farm. We had a great time meeting and learning about the chickens and sheep. We enjoyed a walk in the woods where we collected interesting natural objects and also had great fun exploring the farm vehicles.

We learnt about why Christians celebrate Easter and then had great fun hunting for chocolate eggs outside.

Science and Engineering

The Summer Term has already started with an action packed week of events running alongside the normal curriculum. These have included: a writer's workshop and a visit from the Royal Science institution delivering science in a memorable way for children, and adults, to remember. The week culminated into a whole day of learning about Isambard Kingdom Brunel. As you can see in the pictures, the children worked effectively in small groups to build a bridge which would bridge a 30 cm gap and hold the weight of a model vehicle. The children were amazing. They talked extensively about how they could strengthen their bridges by using triangular and cylindrical shapes. The element of surprise and achievement shows magnificently on their faces when they tested out their very own bridge structures. 

best wishes,

Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry and Mrs Walters.

What a Brilliant Brunel Day!

Today, the children at Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy have had a truly unforgettable time celebrating our very first Brunel Day — marking the month in which Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born and honoring the incredible legacy of the man who inspired the name of our school.

It was a fantastic day full of STEM and art, where creativity and curiosity came together. Our pupils learned all about Brunel’s life and the remarkable impact he had on engineering and design.

They had the chance to design and build bridges, create stunning artwork, and best of all, collaborate across year groups to build their very own trains! A huge shoutout to Jane in the kitchen, who added to the magic of the day with her delicious train-themed biscuits at lunchtime  — a big hit with everyone!

The day wrapped up with a joyful celebration of learning, showcasing all the amazing things the children had achieved together. Another incredible week at Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy — we’re so proud of our brilliant learners!

Happy First Week Back!

It's been a lovely week, with Chaipel creating come amazing artwork with Sean on Wednesday. Our foci was scaling and collaboration: children working together to create an image which connected seamlessly when their art work was combined. Everyone worked extremely diligently but a shout-out to Nuala and Imogen whose work not only covered the remit but had depth, texture and perspective. Well done, girls!

We have been planning our Tudor narrative in English, bringing our protagonist to life and then deciding their fate as they race to free Anne Boleyn from her impending execution.

In Maths we have been learning about units of measure and had a really productive lesson in reading timetables today. Next week, it's shape and angles - our protractors are at the ready!!

Our new enquiry is... Is Change Inevitable?
We are looking at population change, climate change and evolution and inheritance, charting the journey of Darwin on HMS Beagle. We will look at his discoveries and see for ourselves how living things can adapt to their environment in order to survive.

Congratulations to our People of the Week: Nuala, Imogen and Sienna for demonstrating our school values and being role models for the rest of the school.

That's all from us, so have a lovely weekend!

Miss Randle, Mrs Clary, Mrs Hodge and Miss Colton.

w/e 25.4.25

Welcome back! We hope you all had a restful and joyful Easter break. It’s been wonderful to see the children return full of energy and enthusiasm for the term ahead. They’ve settled beautifully back into their learning routines and have already made a fantastic start. Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

English – Wow Words Galore!

In English, we’ve been diving into some exciting vocabulary work, focusing on Tier 2 ‘wow’ words to really boost our descriptive writing. These words help children to express themselves more precisely and powerfully. We’ve been exploring their meanings, using them in sentences, and discussing how they enhance our writing. You might hear some impressive new words popping up at home!

Maths – Multiplying the Fun!

Maths has been buzzing this week! We’ve been:

• Practising our times tables in fun and interactive ways,
• Exploring length, converting between units (like metres and centimetres),
• And continuing our work on fractions, developing our understanding of parts of a whole.

The children have shown great resilience and reasoning skills—brilliant work all round!

History – Illuminated Beginnings

Our new history topic is titled "How Hard Was It to Invade and Settle in Britain?" We launched it with a creative and engaging ‘Wow Starter’—exploring illuminated lettering, just like the early medieval manuscripts. The children were fascinated to learn about their history and significance and even had a go at designing their own!

RE – Exploring Muslim Festivals

In Religious Education, we began learning about Islamic festivals and their importance to Muslims around the world. We’ve started to look at the values behind these celebrations and how they are observed. The children have shown great respect and interest—ask them about what they’ve discovered so far!

PSHE – Building Positive Relationships

This week in PSHE, we’ve begun our focus on relationships. Through stories and discussion, we’ve explored themes such as kindness, empathy, and how to be a good friend. A thoughtful and reflective start to this important topic.

PE – Sprinting into Summer!

Our athletics unit kicked off with some energetic sprinting sessions! The children practised their starting positions, learned about technique, and gave it their all on the track. We’re very excited to welcome a coach from Argyle Community Trust starting next week to help us develop our skills even further.

Please remember: PE kits every Wednesday this term!

A Visit from the Royal Institution of Science!

One of the week’s biggest highlights was a special visit from the Royal Institution of Science! The children were wowed by exciting demonstrations and investigations linked to climate and global change. Not only were the experiments thrilling, but they also delivered important messages about looking after our planet. A truly inspiring experience!

Friday 25th April

What a wonderful first week back at school.

The children have come back so enthusiastic and ready to explore and learn!

This week in English we have started to read a story called Mr Gumpy’s Outing. As a fun way to introduce this story, we went on an outing around the school. We crept through the KS2 corridor and spied on all the children on our outing, it was so much fun!  We learnt the story using actions and a story map.

In maths this week we have been building numbers greater than 10. We used egg boxes and pom-poms to help us understand that numbers greater than ten and less than twenty have a ten and some more. For instance: 15 is 10 and 5 more.

In phonics this week the children have started level 4. We have been exploring adjacent consonants ( when two consonants make a sound /lk/st/). The children have been reading so well.

The RNLI came into school this week and told us all about staying safe near water. 

On Wednesday we celebrated and explored St Georges Day. The children were fascinated about the story of St George and the Dragon and it sparked a very good discussion about whether it was a real story or not! We completed lots of wonderful activities all about St George.

Today was our Easter Crafternoon, and it was great. It is wonderful when parents come into class and can share some of the fun we have.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend

The Foundation Team 

This week and next we are welcoming new children to our Nursery family so everyone is busy helping them settle without their grown up, helping them to get used to a new environment and starting to making new friends.

Our new story for this half term is 'We're going on a lion hunt'!

We are secretly hoping that we don't find a lion, but you never know!

We'll be looking at the journey that the children take and the animals that they meet on the way as they hunt for a lion.

This book has a similar layout to another well known story; do you know what it is?

Welcome back!

I hope you had a fantastic break and managed to enjoy some of the warmer weather we had. It’s a short but full half term! The children have come back very settled and raring to go with their new curriculum areas as well as all the enrichment opportunities coming up. Here’s to a very successful summer term.

Term 3 Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs)
A reminder that after school ECAs start next week and finish on Friday 11th July.

Message from Mr Smith
I hope you are all well and had a restful break. If you have any SEND questions or concerns regarding your child, please don’t hesitate in contacting your child’s teacher or myself jsmith@bridgeschools.co.uk; we are always here to help.
From Mr Jon Smith, SENDCo

Year 3 Trip to Egloshayle Church
On Wednesday, Year 3 had a wonderful trip to Egloshayle Church as part of their RE learning about the Easter story. The children were warmly welcomed and enjoyed exploring the church, discovering the different parts of the building and how they link to the Easter celebrations. One of the highlights of the visit was sharing bread together as they learned about the Last Supper and its meaning. The children were full of thoughtful questions and showed great curiosity and respect throughout the visit. It was a lovely way to bring their learning to life, and we’re so proud of how engaged and enthusiastic they were. A big thank you to everyone at Egloshayle Church for making us feel so welcome.
From the Year 3 Team

RNLI Assembly – Staying Safe by the Sea
On Thursday, KS2 were visited by the RNLI, who delivered an important assembly all about staying safe at the beach. The children learned how to spot the different flags used on beaches, what to do if they get caught in a riptide, and how to stay calm and get help in an emergency. It was an engaging and informative session that gave everyone a better understanding of how to enjoy the coast safely and responsibly.

Year 5 Begin their Brass Band Journey!
Today, Year 5 embarked on an exciting new musical adventure as they began learning to play brass instruments. We are incredibly fortunate to have Matt Harrison, a highly talented trombonist, leading the sessions and inspiring the children with his passion and expertise. Over the coming weeks, pupils will develop fundamental skills in brass playing, teamwork, and musical expression. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to discover the joy of making music together. We can't wait to showcase their progress in a special performance for parents at the end of the term—get ready to be dazzled!
From the Year 5 Team

EYFS Sponsored Walk
Today, Nursery and Reception took part in the sponsored walk, raising money for the Cornish Birds of Prey Centre, near St. Columb. All of the children were amazing and completed 4 laps of the school field. It was great to see them enjoying themselves, running and walking for a great cause.

House Points
Congratulations to this week’s joint winners, Puffins and Choughs. As we begin Term 3, Choughs take the overall lead:
Choughs – 8106
Swans – 7782
Puffins – 7373
Cormorants – 7084

Grounds Day – Saturday 19th May 10:00-14:00
Can you spare an hour or two to help at our Grounds Day on Saturday 19th May between 10:00-14:00?

• Can you help tidy our play areas and plant up some new flower beds?
• Are you up for clearing our pond area and bring it back to life?
• How about some painting to brighten up our play areas?
• Do you have any garden tools or paint brushes to bring along on the day?
• Would you like a free lunch and refreshments?
Everyone is welcome to come and lend a hand (no unaccompanied children please).

Bridge Kids – Booking and Breakfast Club Drop-off
We hope everyone is getting used to the new booking system on Arbor – thank you for your support. If you are having any difficulties with the new system, please don’t hesitate in contacting the school office. A reminder about Breakfast Club drop off arrangements: If you are using our Breakfast Club, could you please bring your child through the green gates and into Bridge Kids to be signed in rather than dropping at the gates or in the playground unaccompanied. All children attending Breakfast Club or After School Club must be pre-booked via Arbor online.

Lost Property
Please take a look at the lost property outside the main entrance. Anything not claimed by Tuesday will be donated to either FOWPA or a local clothing bank.

With very best wishes,
Chris Wathern

We have had a wonderful first week of the Summer Term here at Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy. The children have enjoyed a range of learning experiences including a visit from the Royal Institution and also Brunel Day 2025. All of the events from this week can be seen in this week's Brunel Bulletin. So what are you waiting for? Dive into this week's edition to find out what has been happening at our incredible school. 

Welcome back! 

The first week of the summer term has been packed with excitement, creativity, and a lot of learning in Tregantle Class! The children have thoroughly enjoyed the activities we’ve had planned to kick-start our new term, with plenty of hands-on experiences to spark their curiosity. On Tuesday, Year 1 took part in a fantastic Royal Theme Day to introduce their big question for this half term: “What is a monarch?” The children were dressed as royalty, donning crowns and regal outfits, as they learned all about the role of a monarch in society. They explored the history of kings and queens, discussed what laws they would make if they were in charge, and even got to design their own crowns fit for a king or queen! It was a fun and interactive way to dive into a key part of history, and everyone enjoyed stepping into their royal personas for the day. Wednesday was a truly thrilling day as we welcomed the Royal Institute for a special science show all about rocket science! The children were absolutely amazed by the incredible demonstrations, including exploding pots, mini rocket launches, and even flaming bubbles! The enthusiasm was contagious, and it was a brilliant learning opportunity to get the children excited about science. To wrap up our eventful week, we celebrated Brunel Day on Thursday. The children had the chance to immerse themselves in the world of engineering as they spent the day designing and making their own trains and bridges. They also learned about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the brilliant engineer after whom our school is named. The children loved discovering more about his life and achievements, and it was inspiring to see their creative ideas come to life through their designs. We’re looking forward to another exciting term of learning and exploration in Tregantle Class. Please take a moment to read the attached overview of learning for this half term, which highlights all the fantastic learning we have in store! Here’s to a great summer term ahead! 

The first week of summer term has seen us all settle back into pre-school after our easter break.  It's been lovely to catch up with the children and hear them sharing what fun they have had with family and friends.

This first half of summer term is a fairly short one, but we plan to pack lots of fun leaning and activities in around our enquiry question 'What do we like to eat?'  

We will be exploring different types of foods, through taste, touch, smell, and visually how they look in relation to shape and colour.

During our Grand Conversations we will discuss and share our ideas of where our food comes from, and what we all like and dislike. 

We will also be using this opportunity to start planting some fruit and vegetable seeds to nurture and watch them grow over the next few months.

A reminder that if you have a questions or concerns regarding your child that we are always available to talk to, just ask to pop in for a chat and we can arrange a convenient time.
Alternatively, you can send an email to, preschool@pelyntprimary.co.uk 

We hope everyone has a lovely weekend,
The Pre-School Team. 

We have had a great first week back to nursery. We have enjoyed welcoming back all  of the children and have started our new enquiry question "What makes things grow?"
The children have started to plant some seeds and are looking forward to watching them grow. We have been discussing what plants need to make them grow and we look forward to seeing how big our seeds can get.

The children have been getting creative and have enjoyed doing some still life painting of a beautiful bunch of flowers. They all did such a great job!

At storytime we have been reading the story of "Jack and the beanstalk" and the children have been talking about the story and answering simple questions.
We have also read "A seed in need" and "Tilly plants a tree"

In maths we have been sorting and comparing groups of objects and ordering and writing numbers.

In phonics the children have been performing actions to songs in time with the music. They have been making different voice sounds and exploring sounds that they can make with different musical instruments.

Have a great weekend

Julie and Sarah

What a fabulous first week back it’s been! We’ve packed so much into just a few days, and the children have loved every moment. One of the highlights was our exciting visit to Deer Park Farm. We had an amazing time exploring the outdoors on a nature walk, getting up close with the animals—especially holding a lamb!—and enjoying a bumpy but fun tractor ride while feeding the animals around the farm. It was such a memorable way to start the term.

In Maths, we’ve begun our new topic on length and height. The class has really enjoyed using rulers and measuring tapes to compare different objects—and even each other! We discovered who is the tallest and who is the shortest in the class, sparking lots of great discussions.

In English, we've been diving into the magical world of The Magic Bed. We’ve been working on sequencing the events of the story and writing about what’s happening in each part using our own words. The creativity has been wonderful to see!

During our ICT sessions, we've started learning about data and how to sort and organise information. The children had fun sorting different zoo animals into groups and discussing how we can use data in everyday life.

We also had a brief introduction to our new topic about Florence Nightingale. The children are already curious and asking great questions—we can’t wait to learn more about her inspiring story.

In Music, we’ve started learning some lovely new songs for our upcoming assemblies, and the classroom has been filled with singing and smiles.

To top it all off, we had a very special visitor from Discover Islam who came all the way from Oxford to talk to us about Islam and what it means to be a Muslim. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about different cultures and beliefs, and the children asked some thoughtful questions.

Weekly News 25 Apr 25

Welcome back to Darite! I hope you all had a great break over Easter - the children have certainly been telling us all about their fun activities. We've certainly hit the ground running this week with the trip to Deer Park Farm on Wednesday. The children learned all about the work of the farm, their animals and how they are working on the stewardship of their land by using "leaky dams" and replanting hedgerows to support nature and enhance the farm. The children were amazing, asking lots of very sensible questions to find out more. Highlights of the day including the tractor ride and holding a 3 day old lamb! Thank-you to everyone at the farm for making the day so special. We have a lot coming up this half term from the Lego finals next weekend the Minipolice in Class 2. Year 6 have their SATs in a few weeks and dance starts next Tuesday! As you can see, it's never quiet at Darite and thank-you for your support of the school. 

On the first day, the children were out on the water enjoying stand-up paddle boarding and other water activities. In the evening they had a silent disco and participated in a performance with a piratical theme. Sam Watts reported that the children loved the silent disco and danced for ages. The evening performance was really good too, very active and engaging. The children had to follow the journey of a pirate by getting moustaches, walking the plank, sailing past merpeople and making it through stormy seas. There is a photo of a very unhappy Sam Watts dressed as a merperson but he may not thank us for sharing it!
On day two, the children enjoyed archery, high ropes and, for the first time, axe throwing. Year 5 children were learning about the Vikings earlier this year so I am sure they really got into the spirit of this.
We can't wait to find out what the children have been up to today and look forward to their return.

The summer term is always action packed with lots of sporting opportunities, trips, residentials and transition preparations. As well as the usual end of term junior performance, we have a new musical experience for all Class 3 and Class 4 children this year. A music teacher from Cornwall Music Service will be visiting once a week to teach whole class flute lessons. I am sure the sound of 34 flutes being played at the same time in Class 4 will be an enchanting and relaxing experience for all involved!
Year 1 and 2 children started their swimming programme this week and Class 3 had their first gymnastics lessons at Copper Valley Junior School. For health and safety reasons, this is a good opportunity to remind you that children must only wear stud style earrings and other jewellery is not permitted - we don't want children sustaining injuries through catching jewellery items on equipment during playtimes and PE lessons.
I look forward to sharing more with you in the weeks ahead.

BIG NEWS – WE WON!

Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy are the WINNERS of the TerraCycle® and Sistema® Recycled Playground Contest

We are absolutely delighted to share that thanks to the amazing efforts of our entire school community – pupils, parents, staff and local supporters and businesses – we’ve done it!

In addition, a huge shout out to Ali Humphreys who really went the extra mile each and every week during the competition to collect the terracycling from our school, package it up and send it away. We collected over 1 ton of terracycling!

Thanks to your dedication and teamwork, we’ve won a brand-new playground with a frame made from 100% recycled materials for our children, which will be installed in the coming weeks! What an incredible reward for all of our hard work in caring for our environment  and coming together as a community. To celebrate this fantastic achievement, we would love for everyone to join us for the:

Grand Opening of the new playground -Tuesday 20th May at 10:45am Let’s celebrate the power of working together and creating something special for our children to enjoy for years to come!

Media enquiries: If you are a member of the press and would like to report on this incredible success story, please contact Stephen Clarke from TerraCycle at stephen.clarke@terracycle.com for more information. THANK YOU again to everyone who helped make this happen – this is YOUR victory too!

#TeamBrunel #TerraCycleChampions #CommunityPower #NewPlaygroundJoy #ProudMoment @sistemauk @TerraCycleUK Let’s celebrate together! We can’t wait to see you there! 

Royal Institution for Science Visit!

 Welcome back! We hope you all had a restful and joyful Easter break. It’s been wonderful to see the children return full of energy and enthusiasm for the term ahead. They’ve settled beautifully back into their learning routines and have already made a fantastic start. Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

 English – Wow Words Galore!

In English, we’ve been diving into some exciting vocabulary work, focusing on Tier 2 ‘wow’ words to really boost our descriptive writing. These words help children to express themselves more precisely and powerfully. We’ve been exploring their meanings, using them in sentences, and discussing how they enhance our writing. You might hear some impressive new words popping up at home!

 Maths – Multiplying the Fun!

Maths has been buzzing this week! We’ve been:

• Practising our times tables in fun and interactive ways,
• Exploring length, converting between units (like metres and centimetres),
• And continuing our work on fractions, developing our understanding of parts of a whole.

The children have shown great resilience and reasoning skills—brilliant work all round!

 History – Illuminated Beginnings

Our new history topic is titled "How Hard Was It to Invade and Settle in Britain?" We launched it with a creative and engaging ‘Wow Starter’—exploring illuminated lettering, just like the early medieval manuscripts. The children were fascinated to learn about their history and significance and even had a go at designing their own!

 RE – Exploring Muslim Festivals

In Religious Education, we began learning about Islamic festivals and their importance to Muslims around the world. We’ve started to look at the values behind these celebrations and how they are observed. The children have shown great respect and interest—ask them about what they’ve discovered so far!

 PSHE – Building Positive Relationships

This week in PSHE, we’ve begun our focus on relationships. Through stories and discussion, we’ve explored themes such as kindness, empathy, and how to be a good friend. A thoughtful and reflective start to this important topic.

 PE – Sprinting into Summer!

Our athletics unit kicked off with some energetic sprinting sessions! The children practised their starting positions, learned about technique, and gave it their all on the track. We’re very excited to welcome a coach from Argyle Community Trust starting next week to help us develop our skills even further.

 Please remember: PE kits every Wednesday this term!

 A Visit from the Royal Institution of Science!

One of the week’s biggest highlights was a special visit from the Royal Institution of Science! The children were wowed by exciting demonstrations and investigations linked to climate and global change. Not only were the experiments thrilling, but they also delivered important messages about looking after our planet. A truly inspiring experience!