Thursday afternoon we came together in our TEAMS from Preschool to Year 6 to start our Sports Day preparations! We designed our TEAM banners, practised our TEAM chants and had some time together to get to know each other better. We are hoping to come together again soon as the children enjoyed this mixed age afternoon so much. Well done BEARAH, CHEESEWRING, KILMAR and SHARPTOR!

  Lights, Camel, Action!

This week, we’ve been putting on our reporter hats and learning how to create a news report—and the subject we covered was the desert biome. Desert biomes are fascinating places, and they have so much to teach us about how plants, animals, and even people survive in such an extreme environment. We learned how people use the desert in very unique ways, for instance, the military to fly supersonic fighter aircraft. Not only did we learn about the desert, but we also got to use video techniques to create our very own news reports. We used a range of techniques which included close-up, panning shot and long shot.

This week in French, we've been learning some super useful phrases that you can use every day, especially when you're talking about things around your home! Whether it's in the kitchen, the living room, or even the garden, these French phrases will help you talk about all the places and things you see in your house, for example: Les Phrases de la Maison (House Phrases) When you talk about your house in French, it’s really helpful to know a few key phrases to get started. Here are some that we’ve learned: Où est… ? (Where is…?) Voici ma maison. (Here is my house.) Ma chambre est… (My room is…) Il y a… (There is…) Je suis dans… (I’m in…)

Great job this week, Talland Class! You’ve learned some really useful skills in video camera usage, you understand how people make use of the barren land of the desert and are able to use some French phrases to talk about your home, and now you can practice using them to describe the rooms and things around you. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be able to talk about everything in French—right from your own house! Keep up the fantastic work, and remember: Pratiquez, pratiquez, pratiquez! (Practice, practice, practice!) À bientôt (See you soon - after half term)!

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

May has been all about Sir Francis Drake!
We have enjoyed learning all about why he is famous, especially in our locality.
Our topic culminated in a fantastic trip to Buckland Abbey today in the sunshine. We drove via Tavistock and spotted the statue on the roundabout. Then we had a tour of the house and found out lots about Sir Francis Drake and his extraordinary life. We also got to dress up in Tudor clothes and learnt how to wear ruffs, doublets and shifts!
Have a look at our wonderful photos.

In Science we have learned about plants and enjoyed dissecting seeds and bulbs. Then we planted some seeds in different conditions and observed what happened. 
In Art we are learning all about Van Gogh and discussing his work. We have been sketching pictures of the sunflowers and we are painting them in the style of the artist ready for our art exhibition in June.

What a wonderful half term it has been at Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy. At 3:10pm today, we close our doors for the start of the half term break. Our school will reopen on Monday 2nd June for the second half of the Summer Term. We can't thank our whole community enough for your continued support. In the meantime, please enjoy this week's edition of the Brunel Bulletin. Have a wonderful half term break.

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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.